Is there anything more classic than a homemade Chocolate Chip Cookie? It’s an iconic dessert for good reason, not to be dismissed because of its simplicity. My easy recipe creates cookies that are the perfect blend of chewy and crisp, with pockets of gooey melted chocolate throughout. The best part is they’re seriously budget-friendly and so easy to whip up, I promise! And not to mention, these classic chocolate chip cookies are entirely nut-free and easily made dairy-free with a few simple swaps.
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“Turned out terrific! Even added the salt at the end. Went for chewy cookies, 8 mins they were puffed up pretty high, but had golden edges. Took them out and on the cooling rack fell looking just like the pictures (trust the process).’
A
easy homemade chocolate chip cookies
This is the cookie recipe that I whip up whenever my family’s craving something sweet but not messy. (I love a messy dessert once in a while, but when I need a quick, stress-free treat, these cookies are it!) It’s super easy to “clean as you go” when you’re making these, and you can even make extra dough and freeze it for later. I’ve got this recipe memorized now; that’s how often we make these café-quality chocolate chip cookies at home.
Don’t worry if you’ve never made cookies before. I’ve made this recipe as easy as possible, so everyone from first-time bakers to seasoned home chefs can make the best chocolate chip cookies on their first try. The ingredients are basic pantry staples, which are easily found at any grocery store, and there aren’t any complicated techniques involved. You really can’t go too wrong with this recipe!
I’ve also included baking instructions for a chewy, crisp, or bakery-style cookie so you can make them exactly how you like. And because this recipe makes 30 cookies(!) using a 1 oz cookie scoop, you can easily make an entire batch for under $5. Much cheaper than buying a box from the store! 😉
Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
Servings 30 cookies (made with a 1 oz scoop)Ingredients
- 1 stick salted butter, softened ($1.06)
- ½ cup granulated sugar ($0.42)
- ¾ cup light brown sugar ($0.36)
- 1 egg ($0.33)
- 1 tsp vanilla ($0.65)
- 1 ½ cups flour* ($0.25)
- ½ tsp baking soda** ($0.01)
- ½ tsp salt ($0.01)
- 1 cup chocolate chips*** ($1.48)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and gather ingredients.
- Add the softened butter, granulated sugar, and light brown sugar to a large mixing bowl.
- Cream butter and sugars together with a hand mixer on medium speed.
- Add egg and vanilla extract to the creamed sugar and butter and beat with hand mixer until combined, barely a minute or so.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together dry ingredients, flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Add half of the dry mixture to the wet mix bowl and mix with hand mixer until consistent. Then, add the remaining dry ingredients and mix until dough forms.
- Fold in the chocolate chips by hand.
- Using a cookie scoop, scoop out dough onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet, I was able to fit 12 per sheet. Push some extra chocolate chips into your cookie dough balls before baking. This is optional, but it helps them bake up super pretty with visible chocolate chips on top.
- Bake for 8 minutes or until the edges are just barely golden. Remove from oven and let cool for a perfectly chewy cookie. If you like your cookies a little crispier, leave in for up to 11 minutes. If you want a larger “café style” cookie, combine 2 scoops and roll them into a ball by hand. You can fit 6 cookies per sheet if you up the size. Bake time for larger cookies increases to 14 minutes.
- Optional step: When you remove the cookies from the oven, you can sprinkle a little extra sea salt on top while they're still hot. I highly recommend it!
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Equipment
- 1 oz. Cookie Scoop
- Baking Sheet
- Parchment Paper
- Hand Mixer
Notes
Nutrition
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How to Make Chocolate Chip Cookies Step-by-Step Photos
Cream butter and sugars together: Preheat oven to 350°F and gather ingredients. Add 1 stick softened salted butter, ½ cup granulated sugar, and ¾ cup light brown sugar to a large mixing bowl. Cream butter and sugars together with a hand mixer on medium speed.
Add 1 egg and 1 tsp vanilla extract to the creamed sugar and butter and beat with a hand mixer until combined, barely a minute or so.
In a separate bowl, whisk together dry ingredients, 1 ½ cups flour, ½ tsp baking soda, and ½ tsp salt.
Add half of the dry mixture to the wet mix bowl and mix with hand mixer until consistent. Then, add the remaining dry ingredients and mix until dough forms.
Fold in 1 cup of chocolate chips by hand.
Scoop out dough: Using a cookie scoop, scoop out dough onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet, I was able to fit 12 per sheet. Push some extra chocolate chips into your cookie dough balls before baking. This is optional, but it helps them bake up super pretty with visible chocolate chips on top.
Bake cookies: Bake for 8 minutes or until the edges are just barely golden. Remove from oven and let cool for a perfectly chewy cookie. If you like your cookies a little crispier, leave in for up to 11 minutes. If you want a larger “café style” cookie, combine 2 scoops and roll them into a ball by hand. You can fit 6 cookies per sheet if you up the size. Bake time for larger cookies increases to 14 minutes.
Optional step: When you remove the cookies from the oven, you can sprinkle a little extra sea salt on top while they’re still hot. I highly recommend it!
Storage Instructions
This recipe makes a LOT of cookies (the more the merrier, in my opinion!) So there’s a very good chance you’ll have some leftovers. Once fully cooled, I store mine in an airtight container for 3-5 days. You can also freeze them in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Just thaw at room temperature before enjoying!
This tasty chocolate chip cookie recipe is perfect for making ahead of time and freezing for later. Follow the recipe up to step 8, and pop the baking tray into the freezer rather than the oven. Let the dough balls flash-freeze for an hour, then place them into a freezer container or bag. The cookie dough can be stored in the freezer for up to 2 months. I’d thaw the dough at room temperature before baking to ensure it bakes evenly.
Thank you, this is a wonderful cookie recipe! I appreciate that all it took to make were pantry staples and the recipe came together quickly.
I ended up making a double batch because I had just bought some bougie butter from Costco that comes in large bricks and I didn’t want to just use half a brick of butter.
I wanted to make the bistro-style cookies, so I used a 1/4 cup measuring cup to portion out each cookie (which is the equivalent of two ounces of cookie dough). I baked the cookies for 14 minutes; when the timer beeped, the cookies had just barely set up around the edges and had not really browned yet. I took them out anyway because I wanted them to be super gooey inside (I’m more worried about an over-baked cookie than an underbaked one).
I let the cookies cool on the baking tray for about 10 minutes; this is when I nestled some more chocolate chips into the tops and sprinkled them with Maldon sea salt flakes. I then transferred them onto a wire rack to finish cooling (I kept the parchment paper I had lined my baking tray with under the cookies when I transferred them to the wire cooling rack).
The cookies had a really interesting and fun texture and flavor profile. They were a bit crispy on the edges and from the flaky salt, but still opulently soft and gooey and chocolatey in the inside. They were familiarly sweet, but had a fun pop of flavor from the salt.
I put the cookie dough for the second batch in the fridge while the first batch was baking in the thought that it might make the second batch of cookies thicker, but they ended up being the same thickness as the first batch.
I now have the enviable problem of having too many cookies in my house; a double batch made 23 enormous, artisanal cookies. I will definitely have to freeze the extras!
Turned out terrific! Even added the salt at the end. Went for chewy cookies, 8mins they were puffed up pretty high, but had golden
Tasted good and were fluffy when I took them out but then they collapsed as they cooled and became almost wafer-like.
Thank you, this is a wonderful cookie recipe! I appreciate that all it took to make were pantry staples and the recipe came together quickly.
I ended up making a double batch because I had just bought some bougie butter from Costco that comes in large bricks and I didn’t want to just use half a brick of butter.
I wanted to make the bistro-style cookies, so I used a 1/4 cup measuring cup to portion out each cookie (which is the equivalent of two ounces of cookie dough).
I baked the cookies for 14 minutes; when the timer beeped, the cookies had just barely set up around the edges and had not really browned yet. I took them out anyway because I wanted them to be super gooey inside (I’m more worried about an over-baked cookie than an underbaked one).
I let the cookies cool on the baking tray for about 10 minutes; this is when I nestled some more chocolate chips into the tops and sprinkled them with Maldon sea salt flakes. I then transferred them onto a wire rack to finish cooling (I kept the parchment paper I had lined my baking tray with under the cookies when I transferred them to the wire cooling rack).
The cookies had a really interesting and fun texture and flavor profile. They were a bit crispy on the edges and from the flaky salt, but still opulently soft and gooey and chocolatey in the inside. They were familiarly sweet, but had a fun pop of flavor from the salt.
I put the cookie dough for the second batch in the fridge while the first batch was baking in the thought that it might make the second batch of cookies thicker, but they ended up being the same thickness as the first batch.
I now have the enviable problem of having too many cookies in my house; a double batch made 23 enormous, artisanal cookies.
Can I freeze the extra cookies once they’re cooled?
Turned out terrific! Even added the salt at the end. Went for chewy cookies, 8mins they were puffed up pretty high, but had golden edges. Took them out and on the cooling rack fell looking just like the pictures (trust the process).
These look great! If you freeze the dough, do you need to thaw before baking? And, if so, can it thaw on the counter or should it be in the fridge?
“Follow the recipe up to step 8, and pop the baking tray into the freezer rather than the oven. Let the dough balls flash-freeze for an hour, then place them into a freezer container or bag. The cookie dough can be stored in the freezer for up to 2 months. I’d thaw the dough at room temperature before baking to ensure it bakes evenly.”