Best Chocolate Chip Cookies
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A few tweaks to the classic Nestlé® Toll House® recipe make these the best chocolate chip cookies ever.
The simplest recipes are typically the hardest to get right, and classic chocolate chip cookies are a prime example. The most widely-used recipe is found on the back of the Nestlé® Toll House® chocolate chip bag, but if you follow it to the letter, the cookies often come out flat as pancakes. Over the years, I’ve experimented with various techniques in search of the perfect chocolate chip cookie, from resting the dough for days to browning the butter to using different types of flour. However, I found that these methods didn’t produce a noticeable improvement in taste and texture — and, honestly, who wants to go to all that trouble for cookies? Instead, I tweaked the classic and easy Toll House® recipe to make it more reliable and tastier. These chocolate chip cookies are thick with a chewy, moist center and slightly crisp exterior, and they strike the perfect balance of sweet and salty flavor. Before you start baking, be sure to read my best baking tips to ensure success.
What You’ll Need To Make The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies
Step-by-Step Instructions
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or beaters, combine the butter and both sugars.
Beat on medium speed (or high speed if using a hand mixer) for 3 minutes, or until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary.
Add the vanilla and eggs.
Beat for 2 minutes more, then scrape down the bowl.
Add the salt and baking soda and beat briefly until evenly combined, then add the flour.
Mix on low speed until the dough is uniform.
Add the chocolate chips.
Mix until evenly combined.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or scrape the dough into an airtight container and let rest in the refrigerator until firm, a few hours or overnight. (Alternatively, if you don’t want to wait, form the dough into balls as instructed below, arrange on the baking sheets, and chill in the fridge until firm, about 30 minutes.)
Drop the dough in firmly packed 1.5-tablespoon balls onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart. (I use a 1.5-tablespoon cookie scoop.) For thick cookies, it’s important to really pack the dough in the scooper or with your hands.
Pro Tip: If you’d like to see the chocolate chips on the surface of the cookies, hold back about 1/3 cup chocolate chips and dot them on the dough balls, pressing them in slightly, before baking.
Bake for 11 to 13 minutes, until golden around the edges but still soft and pale in the center.
Let cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining cookie dough.
The cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Video Tutorial
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The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies
A few tweaks to the classic Nestlé® Toll House® recipe make these the best chocolate chip cookies ever.
Ingredients
- 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup (packed) dark brown sugar (fine to substitute light)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2½ cups all purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled off (preferably King Arthur brand; see note)
- 2 cups (12 oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips, best quality such as Ghriardelli
Instructions
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or beaters, beat the butter and both sugars on medium speed (or high speed if using a hand mixer) for 3 minutes, or until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary. Add the vanilla and eggs and beat for 2 minutes more. Scrape down the bowl. Add the salt and baking soda and beat briefly until evenly combined. Add the flour and mix on low speed until the dough is uniform. Mix in the chocolate chips.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or scrape the dough into an airtight container and let rest in the refrigerator until firm, a few hours or overnight. (Alternatively, if you don't want to wait, form the dough into balls on the baking sheets as instructed below, and chill in the fridge until firm, about 30 minutes.)
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and set a rack in the middle position. Line a 13 x 18-inch baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Drop the dough in firmly packed 1.5-tablespoon balls onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart. (I use a #40/1.5-T cookie scoop with a wire trigger.) For thick cookies, it's important to really pack the dough in the scooper or with your hands. Bake for 11 to 13 minutes, until golden around the edges but still soft and pale in the center. Let cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining cookie dough, refrigerating the dough between batches. The cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- Note: I highly recommend King Arthur All-Purpose Flour for this recipe – it's higher in protein and gluten than other brands and helps the cookies hold their shape.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The cookie dough can be frozen for up to 3 months. To freeze, roll the dough into balls, let set on a baking sheet in the freezer for about 1 hour, then place in a sealable bag and press out as much air as possible. Bake as needed directly from the freezer. (Allow 1 to 2 minutes longer in the oven.) The baked cookies can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Let the cookies cool completely and store in an airtight container separating layers with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Before serving, remove the cookies from the container and let them come to room temperature.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (40 servings)
- Serving size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 69
- Fat: 4 g
- Saturated fat: 2 g
- Carbohydrates: 9 g
- Sugar: 5 grams
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Sodium: 36 mg
- Cholesterol: 11 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I made these cookies for my coworkers. They RAVED about them. My boss said they tasted better than Crumble cookies. I had to make a separate batch for my husband and kids-everyone was sad when they were gone. These are the BEST and I will never make them without King Arthur flour as you suggested. Thanks for sharing <3
Hi Jenn, can these be made into bars, in a 13×9 inch pan, and if so what temperature and how many minutes of baking time? Thank you
Hi Mary, I’ve never tried these in bar form so for the most predictable results, I’d suggest using my blondie recipe. You can omit the nuts if you’d like and I’d double it for a 9 x 13 pan. Hope you enjoy if you make them!
Hi there!! Can I use milk chocolate chips instead of semi sweet?
Thanks and I’m excited to try these
Sure!
Soft, delicious cookies. These are a family favorite!
My husband loves these cookies! They really are delicious. 11 minutes bake time is so excellent because after cooling they crisped up perfectly. The 1.5” round pre-baked sized cookie dough instructions make them thin and crispy after they bake. The best part is that they are loaded with chocolate chips! I really like the taste of pure vanilla extract so I use a little extra. They are so easy to make. We are empty nesters so I just halved the batch. I plan to bake the other half of that half batch tomorrow.
Really good.
Made these yesterday after an overnight stay in the fridge and baked in the AM as per a commenter’s suggestion keeping the house cool and they are delicious. In your baking tips I was unable to find information regarding what type of salt should be used in your recipes, so I used regular no iodine table salt since the recipe did not state Kosher. They were fine, was I correct? Thx BTW the Girahdeli chips were $5 and change! Wow!
Glad you enjoyed these! And when a recipe of mine says salt in the ingredient list, I am referring to regular/table salt. If it calls for something else like kosher salt, I will specify that in the recipe. Hope that clarifies!
I made these cookies yesterday and they were a real hit! everyone wanted to know how they came out so delicious!!
I didn’t have butter and used regular canola oil and it was still so good!
I will be making these again in the future
thank you!!
Whether you bake cookies from scratch or use the cookie kits at the store, I find your cookies will stand out if you take the time to add extras. Instead of uniform chocolate chips, put in some giant Ghirardelli chocolate chips as well, and consider some white (not chocolate really) chips, a handful. Other companies put out small bags of crushed candy, Butterfingers and Heath bars, to name two. People (usually male) will ask, what exactly did you add to these cookies, they are incredible.
The additions are to be used sparingly, so they will last for many batches ENJOY
I’ve made these so many times… almost weekly! They are THE BEST. Everything she makes is amazing.
Hand chopping good quality chocolate makes a big difference with these cookies. I’ll hand chop semisweet chocolate, bittersweet and milk chocolate. The variance in chip or chunk sizes adds another dimension to the cookies. The issue with premade chocolate chips is that they are made to keep their shape. Ghirardelli adds soy lecithin to their chips, for example. This isn’t bad, there are worse additives but it’s preferable to just use chocolate if the person is comfortable chopping it rather than chocolate and whatever additives are in their chip of choice. For children or anyone who feels shaky with a knife, of course go for the chips. You can also get good quality chocolate bars and break them up without the need for a knife.
Be careful when you add the flour to only go a couple of quick bursts. Much more and you develop the gluten resulting in a tougher cookie.
Great recipe!
Well I enjoy the texture of the chip rather than a runny mass of chocolate in my cookie.Not only that they are much more convenient and they look better.
Thanks for this comment. I can’t get chocolate chips where I live (Holland), so I was wondering if I could just chop up a few of their really good chocolate bars. So now I know it will still turn out OK.
Chopped dark chocolate will make even better cookies because the lovely iregular chunks of chocolate will give bursts of flavor.
A secondary benefit of chilling cookie dough overnight is that I can pop cookies in the oven first thing in the morning before my kitchen heats up. Summer baking was never so easy.
Placing the dough in the fridge is important! For years I have been doing this, even with three of my Grandmothers Greek cookies. They come out perfect every time. Once you do this you’ll never go back. BTW: this is an awesome recipe.
My husband’s favorite treat is chocolate chip cookies and he had a rough day so I decided to cheer him up with sugar. : ) Jenn has knocked it out of the park again! I don’t know how those little tweaks took chocolate chip cookies to the next level but ohhhhh my. Jenn, you are magic. This is the only blog where I can confidently use ALL of the recipes and know they will be a total hit.
Great Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe! Even better if you bake them in a convection oven. Now my go to recipe for chocolate chip cookies…
I will certainly try this recipe (I try so many recipes) and leave a review, however I have a chocolate chip cookie recipe I’ve used for many years for birthdays, graduation parties, holidays and even an outdoor wedding rehearsal dinner ! It’s similar to this recipe but I use both dark and light brown sugar, salted butter (and eliminate the added salt), a pinch of cinnamon, and both semi sweet and dark chocolate chips. When I add walnuts, I don’t really chop them, but I do toast them first. I do chill the dough, sometimes overnight, sometimes for several hours. The recipe yields a lot of cookies, which is why it’s so good for large gatherings.
So you’re not commenting on this recipe, just wanted your 15 mins of fame?
My search for a classic chocolate chip cookie is over! Chewy (but not too soft or raw-like) in the middle and crispy on the edges. They also had good height. These were perfection. I added less chocolate chips than the recipe asked for, which is more to my taste. Will definitely be making these again!
Made them today with my 4 year old. He gave them a double thumbs up.
What makes this cookie so much better than the normal toll house? Is it the mixer? The less white sugar/more brown? The parchment paper? I really need to know…
What you said about them turning out flat is what happens every time i make them now! These cookies ARE PERFECTION!! They are best texture ever and the flavor is mwah!
Thank you!
Delicious! Nice, dense texture, and perfectly sweetened.
I made these cookies as chocolate chip are my favorite. The cookies were very flat and very buttery (not in a good way). Is there a particular butter that is better for this recipe? Otherwise, any suggestions as to why the cookies were so flat? I am sure it was something I must have done wrong, but would love to know if you have any suggestions as to what that might be.
Hi Debbie, I use Land O’ Lakes unsalted butter and get good results. And regarding them being flat did you chill them for the time indicated in the recipe? If so, what brand of flour did you use? I have great results baking with King Arthur All-Purpose flour as it has slightly more protein than many other brands.
I used Kerrygold unsalted. They turned out amazing
These are the BEST chocolate chip cookies. I usually portion out the cookie dough and freeze, but the cookies were so good that I have already baked my freezer stash! Hopefully, this next batch stays in my freezer longer than a week!
Have both cookbooks and have never been disappointed with a recipe so I had to try these chocolate chip cookies that I found on the website. I had some extra walnuts so I made half the cookies and then added walnuts to the other half.
This is the recipe I will use from now on. The cookies were amazing. I could not decide if I liked them better with or without nuts- so of course, I had to keep testing them 🙂
They froze really well
Is the parchment paper just for easy clean up? I don’t have any on hand, so I’m wondering if it’s important and what it’s purpose is. TIA
Yep, it’s just for easy clean up. 🙂
I have read other chocolate chip cookie recipes that use half butter and half vegetable shortening. What does the shortening do to a chocolate chip recipe? I am not an expert baker and am wondering what it does to a cookie.
Hi Erena, Shortening helps the cooks stay thick and puffy, but in my opinion it detracts from the flavor.
Excellent! I was a little suspect with having to chill the dough for the 30 minutes – after all who has time to wait for cookies 🙂 ?…however it was worth it. I’ve been looking for a great recipe for simple chocolate chip cookies for years…this will be my go-to from here on! Kids and husband gave them 10/10. (btw – I just used regular Robin Hood flour)
Very good. Crispy on the edges, chewy inside. Just like a Tollhouse cookie but way better. A touch sweet, but do not suggest reducing sugar as it could mess up the texture. Used salted butter, added kosher salt and bittersweet chocolate chips. Left in fridge for 4 hours and then scooped into smaller balls (cooked for 11 mins, rotated pan after 5 mins). The bittersweet chocolate chips, along with the bite size, helped to balance the sweetness. Per another reviewer’s suggestion, added cream of tartar to increase outside crispiness.
I made some and my dough was really gooey:( what did I do wrong
Hi Grace, this is a pretty wet dough before it’s refrigerated. Had you refrigerated it yet when you asked this question?
I have tried different recipes over the years, but no more, this is the perfect chocolate chip cookie! Thanks Jenn!!
Made these last night and they’re definitely the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever made in my 54 years of baking! I did reduce the amount of chocolate chips to 1½ cups. I find American recipes are usually too sweet for our liking so either cut back on the amount of sugar called for sugar or, as in this case, the chocolate chips.
I’ve always chilled my cookie dough before baking. I’m sure I read somewhere that it helps the gluten to “relax’ which makes for a tender cookie. Does that sound right to you Jenn or is my memory making it up? I’m 73 so that could be the case! LoL
Cheers,
Susan P. British Columbia, Canada
Hi Susan, So glad you enjoyed the cookies! And yes, in general, resting dough does help gluten relax. For cookies, chilling dough also makes for thicker, puffier cookies.
Not Chocolate Chip Cookie fan, but my husband loved them!
Thanks again, a
How long will the cookie dough last in the fridge covered?
Hi Melissa, I think you could get away with refrigerating it for 3 to 4 days.
These were very good and turned out nicely plump. I did add some chopped walnuts because my family likes nuts in their chocolate chip cookies! To my taste the recipe could benefit from a wee bit more salt, and then I figured out why: the ingredient list was the same as the Toll House one, except they did not specify salted or unsalted butter, and growing up with that as our go-to recipe, we always used salted butter and then added the 1t of salt on top of that (UNsalted butter specified here). So, just in case you want a bit of extra richness, consider adding a bit more salt. Of course, it’s a very personal preference!
My chocolate chip cookies always spread too much, but these were great. My husband took a bite, and said “perfect”.
I love every recipe of yours I have tried Jen. I’ve done the pumpkin bread, corn muffins, blueberry bread, a.k.a. boy bait, along with a few others. These were amazing cookies. They came out perfectly. It’s officially replaced my standby cookie recipe. Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside with great flavor. I used AP flour, and it came out fine. May try it with the one you recommend and see how it changes. Thank you!
Fantastic!! This is the best CCC recipe I have ever used! I added 1/4 tsp cream of tartar for more firm outside. They were perfect! Like soft batch cookies, only much better! They are sweet and a touch salty. I also used salted butter and coarse salt and they were a HIT!!! This will forever be my go to recipe for CCC. It made enough for 3 batches and the dough froze perfectly! As a matter of fact, the frozen dough baked better than the chilled dough.
I’ve been using the recipe for Martha Stewart’s “Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies” and they always come out great. The only difference with yours is the refrigeration of the dough beforehand. I’m going to try this next time I make a batch and see what the effect is.
I had never refrigerated my dough either, but….it was worth it! All the other recipes I have tried came out flat.
I made these chocolate chip cookies today. They are delicious, plump and tender. I was hesitant about not mixing the dry ingredients together before putting it into the wet mixture, but I stayed true to your directions and so glad I did. These was my new go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe.
I have made many many of your recipes and love them all.
I followed this recipe exactly and still feel like my cookies were somewhat flat-infact, the bigger scoop made the flattest of the cookies. Any suggestions?
Thanks
Joanne
Hi Joanne, Happy to help troubleshoot. Did you chill the dough? What brand of flour did you use?
I grew up with my great grandma’s chocolate chip cookie recipe with oatmeal which I love! My husband grew up with this style and I have never found a recipe that worked. I agree I think the chilling time in the fridge is one of the reasons this recipes is a success. I live in Canada and used Robin Hood all purpose flour and followed the recipe exactly and they are delicious!
Another amazing Once Upon A Chef recipe to add to the binder! Thanks!
Disappointing for me…too much flour. Did not get the chewy goodness I expected.
Delicious! Always on the lookout for the “best” chocolate chip cookies-these are my new favorite!
Thank you for a great recipe!
Can’t wait to try these. I only keep Bob’s Red Mill Whole Wheat pastry flour on hand. What do you think about that? Love every one of your scrumptious recipes Jen!
So glad you like the recipes! Unfortunately, I don’t think whole wheat pastry flour will work here – sorry!
Another winner! I already knew about the fridge trick for puffy cookies and have always done that for CC regardless of recipe. But these are twice the height I’ve gotten with other recipes. Also tender and delicious.
I’m really wondering what the difference is as the ingredients don’t seem that different from other recipes I’ve tried. Nonetheless this one is a standout. Never going back to the recipe on the chocolate chip package. Thank you Jenn!
Finally, the quintessential chocolate chip cookie – thank you Jenn! I have tried many recipes over the years that use cumbersome techniques or special ingredients, but the “classic chocolate chip cookie” has always eluded me until now. This is perfection.
Hi Jennifer:
RE: Oatmeal and Walnut addition – measurement needed?
I would like to try this recipe as I know it will be good. I have promised Oatmeal, Chocolate Chip and Walnut cookies to a friend. In order to make them with oatmeal, how much oatmeal and walnuts would you suggest I add to make a delicious cookie. I will follow your instructions to a “T”. Thanks in advance. Thank you and Blessings, Susan
Hi Susan, Based on what you’re looking for, I’d suggest this recipe instead (and you can swap the pecans for walnuts). Hope your friend enjoys!
Pancake vs. rounded with crispy edges all depends on the pan you use! Using an aluminum baking pan yields a flat pancake. Using a dark gray nonstick cookie sheet yield a perfect cookie, rounded soft and chewy with crispy edges! Same recipe, different pan.
I plan to make these soon and will be sure to use King Arthur flour.
There were differing opinions in recent years, some professional bakers saying that the higher protein in KA flour resulted in a ‘tough’ cookie. When I used a lower protein flour, especially for chocolate chip cookies, they would spread and flatten out.
Glad to see that you recommend King Arthur!
I agree with you. I have tried this recipe many, many times and it always come out flat like pancakes. But for the past 3 years, I have been putting the dough in the refrigerator for a few hours before baking and when it’s baked, it rises perfectly and so soft in the inside!! Yumm!!
Have found that one of the biggest problems in baking is the brand and flour measurement. Books have been written on how to measure flour, differences in brands, etc…e.g., “one cup” of Pillsbury flour” typically is not the same as “one cup” of King Arthur, and can vary enough in volume that it can change results substantially. Wondering if you could add the brand and weight (grams/ounces) of flour for your recipe which I’d like to try. Thanks.
Hi Ron, I have the best luck with King Arthur flour so I always would recommend that for baking. And the great majority of my recipes (including this one) include conversions to weight measurements. To view them, scroll down to the recipe, and immediately under the recipe title on the right side, you’ll see a little toggle. If you move it from “cup measures” to metric, you’ll see measurements that will work for you. Hope that helps and that you enjoy the cookies if you make them!
A kitchen scale is a small investment that yields big dividends–never more so than when baking–and the chameleon-like qualities of different flours. I consider it an essential tool.
Thankfully most recipes provides such measures.
Thanks for your many contributions.
I can only get lower protein all purpose flour here in Colombia. I’m thinking of adding 1% vital wheat gluten to up the protein for a chewier cookie. Thoughts?
Hi Adriana, I think that would work.
I only keep salted butter on hand. To make it with salted butter, would I just decrease the salt added in or skip it all together? I’ve always wondered why recipes call for unsalted butter then add in salt. It seems redundant. What’s the difference?
Hi Cassie, The primary reason that recipes call for unsalted butter is that the amount of salt in salted butter varies by brand. This makes it harder to calibrate the rest of the seasoning in the recipe. While it does vary by brand, most salted butter has approximately 1/4 tsp. salt per stick, so you can use the salted butter and reduce the salt in the recipe as needed. Hope that helps!
Mom always refrigerated her chocolate chip cookie dough. And, usual, Mom was right! Your version is delicious and I will make again.
The recipe I use is almost identical to this one. It also calls for unsalted butter and placing dough in fridge. I think those two things are what makes the difference. I have never gone back to the Nestle recipe on the back of the package. The first time I made these the dough was rock hard coming out of the fridge and I thought “oops” these won’t bake up properly, but they did! The family gobbles these up. I have been asked many times “what do you put in these cookies?” It is the unsalted butter and hang time in the fridge for sure.
Can oil be substituted for the butter in this recipe?
Hi Gay, the one oil that would work is (solidified) coconut oil. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!