If you’re looking for the Best Chocolate Chip Cookies from Scratch, these are the kind I want from a homemade batch: soft and chewy in the center with lightly crisp edges and plenty of chocolate chips. The dough comes together with simple ingredients, and chilling it for an hour gives the cookies their soft texture and balanced sweetness.
I also like that these homemade chocolate chip cookies work as a basic cookie recipe, so you can switch up the add-ins when you want something different. If you enjoy classic cookies, you might also like Oatmeal Cookies. These easy chocolate chip cookies are simple to make, and I’ll show you how chilling the dough affects the texture and how to avoid the most common baking mistakes.
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Try This Best Chocolate Chip Cookies from Scratch
For me, a good chocolate chip cookie needs that contrast between a soft middle and slightly crisp edges. These cookies have that texture, with semi-sweet chocolate chips throughout and enough brown sugar to keep the centers chewy.
These homemade chocolate chip cookies also give you plenty of room to adjust the size. You can make smaller cookies when you want a quick treat or larger ones when you want a bakery-style cookie.
Why You’ll Love It
- Soft and chewy: Chilling the dough helps give the cookies soft centers with lightly crisp edges with every bite.
- Simple ingredients: Everything you need is easy to find, and there are no complicated techniques.
- Easy to customize: Use chocolate chips, chocolate chunks, or chopped chocolate bars.
- Make ahead friendly: The dough can be chilled for up to 2 days or frozen for later baking.
Ingredients
- Unsalted butter: I use unsalted butter at room temperature because it creams easily with the sugars and gives me better control over the saltiness of the dough.
- White and brown sugar: Using equal amounts of granulated sugar and light brown sugar helps with both texture and spreading. The white sugar encourages spreading, while the brown sugar helps keep the cookies soft and chewy.
- Cornstarch: This is especially useful when you want soft, tender centers. It also helps prevent the cookies from spreading too much.
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips: These are my choice here, but chocolate chunks or chopped chocolate bars work too. I wouldn’t add more than 1 cup in total.
How to Make Best Chocolate Chip Cookies from Scratch
1. Combine the all purpose flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and set aside. (No need for a stand mixer; a handheld mixer works too). In another bowl, cream the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar.
2. Then, add the egg and 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract and mix until creamy and well combined.
3. Add the flour mixture and mix on medium-low speed just until incorporated.
4. Then add the chocolate chips and mix just for a few seconds until well distributed. Then cover and chill.
5. Scoop balls of cookie dough using an ice cream spoon.
6. Roll the cookie dough into balls.
7. Place the balls on the prepared parchment paper baking sheets a good distance apart and bake in the oven at 350°F (175°C).
7. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes, or until firm enough to move. Then, transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. You can add some fine sea salt to the top for extra flavor or leave it as is if you prefer.
8. The cookies will stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Recipe Tips
- Measure the flour carefully: Spoon and level the flour rather than packing it into the measuring cup. Too much flour can stop the cookies from spreading properly.
- Don’t overmix: Once the flour goes in, mix only until it is incorporated. Overmixing can make the cookies tough.
- Chill the dough: Chilling for 1 hour gives you soft, chewy cookies with lightly crisp edges and a more balanced sweetness.
- Watch your oven temperature: An oven that runs too hot or too cold can change how much the cookies spread.
- Don’t overbake: Take the cookies out when the edges are set and lightly browned, but the centers still look pale and slightly underdone.
What Can You Serve With This?
- A cold glass of milk
- Vanilla ice cream
- Hot coffee
- A cup of tea
- Warm chocolate milk
FAQ's
Chilling changes the texture, browning, and taste of the cookies. For this recipe, chilling the dough for 1 hour gives the cookies soft centers, crispy edges, and a more balanced sweetness.
Too little flour, skipping the chilling step, and expired baking soda can all cause cookies to spread too much. Measuring the flour correctly and chilling the dough can help.
Too much flour, an incorrect oven temperature, or baking very cold or frozen dough can prevent the cookies from spreading. Let frozen dough thaw before baking.
Yes. Chill the dough for 1 hour, scoop and roll it into balls, then freeze it in freezer bags for up to 3 months. Thaw the dough at room temperature for 1-2 hours or thaw it overnight in the refrigerator before baking.
Recipe
Best Chocolate Chip Cookies From Scratch
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt and set aside.
- In a large bowl, using an electric mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, cream the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes. Then add the egg and vanilla and mix for about 1 minute, until creamy and well combined.
- Add the flour mixture and mix on medium-low speed just until incorporated, about 30-60 seconds. Then add the chocolate chips and mix on medium-low speed just for a few seconds until well distributed. Then cover and chill for 1 hour.
- Line 2-3 baking sheets and preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Scoop 16 equal-sized balls (about 2 tablespoons [45g]) of chilled cookie dough and roll into balls. Place 6-8 cookies, spaced 4 inches (10cm) apart, on each prepared baking sheet. Bake one sheet at a time for 10-11 minutes, or until the edges of cookies are set and lightly browned, and the center looks undone, pale, dry, and lightly puffed.
- Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes, or until firm enough to move. Then, transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. The cookies will stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Notes
Cooking Time and Temperature
Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 10-11 minutes, one baking sheet at a time.Taste & Texture
Soft and chewy in the centers with lightly crisp edges and a balanced chocolate chip cookie flavor.Storage, Freezing & Reheating
- Room Temperature: Store baked cookies in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Wrap fully chilled baked cookies in plastic wrap and store them in freezer bags for up to 3 months. Unbaked dough can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
- Reheat: Not specified.
Serving Recommendations
- Serve with a cold glass of milk.
- Enjoy with vanilla ice cream for a simple dessert.
Recipe Variations and Substitutions
- Use chocolate chunks or chopped chocolate bars instead of chocolate chips.
- For smaller cookies, scoop 2 teaspoons (21g) of dough per cookie and bake for 7-8 minutes.
- For big chocolate chip cookies, scoop 2 tablespoons (90g) of dough per cookie and bake for 12-14 minutes.
- Gluten-free flour can be used in place of all-purpose flour.
Proper Storage Tips
- Store baked cookies in an airtight container.
- Keep them at room temperature for up to 4 days.
- For longer storage, wrap fully chilled cookies in plastic wrap and place them in freezer bags for up to 3 months.
Pro Tips
- Spoon and level the flour instead of packing it into the measuring cup.
- Chill the dough for 1 hour before baking for the intended texture.
- Let frozen dough thaw before baking rather than putting it straight into the oven.
- Remove the cookies while the centers still look pale and slightly underdone because they continue baking on the baking sheet.
Make big chocolate chip cookies Scoop 2 tablespoon (90g) of dough per cookie and bake for 12-14 minutes.
Video
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Priscilla
Best cookie recipe ever! Highly recommend you read all the tips written above to produce the best chocolate chip cookie ever! Thank you! My family loved it! We found milk chocolate to be a bit too sweet for this and will be trying dark chocolate the next time I bake this.
Anna
Please be aware when using the recipe for 2x yield that the butter amount will remain in parenthesis “(1 stick)”. I’m a newer baker and didn’t realize it didn’t update when increasing the yield and only added half the amount of butter required and didn’t realize until it was too late.
Sabine
I'm sorry that you had troubles with the conversion. The cups change but unfortunately the sticks don't. I will remove the sticks from the recipe. Thanks!