This is the best Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe I’ve ever tasted – Crisp outside, yet chewy and soft inside and full of chocolate! Simple ingredients – but something special that elevates them to the most amazing chocolate chip cookies every time!

Photograph of chocolate chip cookie topped with flakes of salt on a white plate on a dark background.

I’ve made this chocolate chip cookie recipe for many years. It’s one of my baking recipes I have made so many times – just like my Best Chocolate Cake recipe – that I could make them from memory. And since I think everyone needs a great chocolate chip cookie recipe, I’m honored to share mine with you. I can’t wait for you to bake these easy, yet decadent and delicious chocolate chip cookies – I know you are going to love them too!

While these are classic chocolate chip cookies, there is absolutely nothing ordinary about them! Very chocolatey with two kinds of chocolate chips, soft inside with a crisp outside, and extra decadent topped with a sprinkle or flake of sea salt for delicious cookies that everyone loves!

And there’s something so extra special about a warm, delicious chocolate chip cookie, right?!

Table of Contents

How to Make Chocolate Chip Cookies

Here’s how you make them – from the simple ingredients, each step you’ll take, how to store and freeze them, and more tips to make them the best!

Ingredients for the Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

Butter

You can use either salted or unsalted butter in this recipe, whichever you have. I generally keep salted butter and use that in my baking.

If you prefer to use unsalted butter, I do recommend that you include the optional sprinkle of salt on the top of the cookies. That sprinkle adds so much.

Make sure your butter is softened, as it will mix in the cookie dough much more easily and thoroughly. You do not want to use melted or butter that is too soft, as it will cause you to have flat cookies. 

Resource: How to Soften Butter

Sugar

You use a combination of granulated white sugar and brown sugar in this cookie recipe. The brown sugar contains molasses, which adds a depth of flavor to the cookies and makes them even more delicious.

Eggs

You’ll use standard large eggs in this recipe. I like to allow my eggs to reach room temperature for all of my baking, including cookies, but it isn’t as important for cookies as it is for baking cakes and cheesecakes. The room-temperature egg will cream together more easily and produce fluffier baked goods. Cold eggs from the refrigerator will still work in this recipe but will not cream together as easily.

Vanilla Extract

A good vanilla extract makes a huge difference in baking. You can either make your own from whole vanilla beans and liquor, or you can be sure to purchase the highest quality vanilla extract you can. There are a few brands at different price points that work well, such as Nielson-Massey, Rodelle, and McCormick Organic. 

Resource: How to Make Vanilla Extract

Flour

This recipe uses all-purpose flour. Note that if you need to make these cookies gluten-free, I would recommend using Cup 4 Cup gluten-free flour blend in place of the all-purpose flour. It will slightly change the finished texture of the cookie but is delicious when you need to make sure that your cookies are gluten-free.

Salt

I use kosher salt in this recipe, specifically Diamond Crystal kosher salt brand, which has less sodium than some other brands. If you would like to use regular table salt, fine sea salt, or even another brand of kosher salt, I recommend that you use half of the salt listed in the recipe.

For the topping, I also love to add a pinch of flaky sea salt to the tops of my cookies while they are still warm. 🙂

Baking Soda

Baking soda is part of the leavening in these chewy chocolate chip cookies. Make sure that the baking soda is fresh.

Cornstarch

Cornstarch is used in baked goods to help “soften” the flour. This is one of the special ingredients I use. While I already use a soft winter wheat flour, adding cornstarch lightens the flour even more. It helps cookies have a softer, chewy texture. If you remember, cornstarch is added to all-purpose flour to make a quick, homemade cake flour substitute. While the ratios are different from those used in this cookie recipe, you can see the purpose of the cornstarch. It also helps the cookies not to spread as much when baking.

Chocolate Chips

What is the best type of chocolate for chocolate chip cookies? The ones that you prefer! But I have found that using a blend of two types of premium baking chocolate does make for the best chocolate chip cookie! 

I love to use a blend of 1 cup each of Ghiradelli dark chocolate chips and semi-sweet chocolate chips. If you prefer sweeter chocolate, a blend of semi-sweet and milk chocolate chips is great. I have found that using all milk chocolate can be a bit overwhelming.

If you want chocolate chunks in your cookie, I recommend using a blend of premium chocolate bars that you rough chop into chunks. 

Photograph of chocolate chip cookie dough in a glass mixing bowl on white background.

Tips to Bake the BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies

  1. Make sure ingredients are fresh. Baking soda is the leavening agent and if it’s expired or not active, the cookies could fall flat.
  2. Measure ingredients correctly. Be sure to use measuring cups designed for dry ingredients. Spoon and level to measure your flour.
  3. Soften the butter, but don’t melt it. Softened butter combines better when creamed with the sugar.
  4. Don’t overmix the dough. The cookies can fall flat if overmixed.
  5. Don’t overbake the cookies. They will set more as they cool.

You don’t have to chill – it is a matter of personal preference. And time.

Here’s what I’ve found.

  • Unchilled cookie dough will spread a little bit but will still be delicious.
  • Chilled cookie dough prevents the cookies from spreading as they bake. The butter becomes firm again within the cookie dough as the dough is chilled. Scoop the dough onto the baking sheet and refrigerate for about 20 – 30 minutes. It helps prevent the cookies from spreading too much and ensures you will not have flat cookies.

I make these cookies often enough that I generally like to keep scoops of the cookie dough at the ready in my freezer so I can bake a small batch of fresh chocolate chip cookies on a whim.

I also bake them frequently enough that I bake them immediately after mixing my cookie dough.

We love this cookie both ways. There is no wrong or right way to make them in my book! 🙂

Photograph of scoops of chocolate chip cookie dough on a baking sheet on a white background.

Steps for Making and Baking the Cookies

Prep. To make these cookies, you will start by preheating your oven and lining the baking sheets with parchment paper or silicon baking mats.

Whisk dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and cornstarch until well combined. Make sure they are well blended so that when you add the dry ingredients to your butter mixture, they are well distributed throughout the cookie dough. Set aside.

Mix wet ingredients. In a separate large bowl, using a stand mixer or hand mixer on medium speed, cream together the softened butter and the sugars until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary to make sure that the butter and sugar are well combined. Add the eggs and vanilla to the creamed butter and sugar mixture. By adding your vanilla extract at this point in the mixing process, the vanilla extract and the butter are combined more thoroughly, which then imparts more flavor to your baked cookies, in my opinion. Mix until well combined, about 1 minute.

Add the dry to the wet. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat on a low speed until smooth and creamy. Be careful not to overmix here, as it will cause tough cookies. 

Stir in the chocolate chips. Add your chocolate chips (or chocolate chunks) and carefully stir into your batter using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. (Note: I like to reserve a handful of chocolate chips to press into the top of the scooped cookie dough to make them even prettier!)

Scoop and Bake. Scoop your cookie dough onto the baking sheet and bake for about 8 – 10 minutes, until lightly golden brown. Sprinkle the cookies with a pinch of sea salt while they are still warm. Allow them to cool slightly on the baking sheet, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Remove them from the oven and watch them disappear.

How to Store Chocolate Chip Cookies

Baked. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days.

Unbaked. Store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Photo of scoops of frozen chocolate chip cookie dough on a baking sheet.

Place cookie dough balls onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and into the freezer until frozen, about 30 minutes. Then, remove the scoops from the baking sheet and place them into a freezer-safe, airtight container.

When ready to bake one, two, or ten cookies, pull that number out and bake. You may need to add a few more minutes to the baking time since they are being baked frozen.

Photograph of cookies on a white plate.

Favorite Mix-Ins 

Swap 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips with any of these add-ins for a fun addition.

  • Oats – use 1/4 cup of quick-cooking oats
  • Pecans – chopped, roasted pecans
  • Walnuts – chopped, roasted walnuts
  • Toffee Morsels
  • Butterscotch Chips
  • ​White Chocolate Chips
  • M&Ms – you may want to swap a full cup! 😉

Leftover Makeover

Who am I kidding? Leftover chocolate chip cookies? Haha… But here are a couple of yummy ideas, just in case. 

Ice Cream Sandwiches – completely cool your cookies and then fill them with a scoop of your favorite ice cream. I love to use my homemade vanilla ice cream. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and freeze. Serve frozen. 

Chocolate Chip Doozies – a copycat of a favorite cookie store, scoop about 2 tablespoons of vanilla buttercream onto the flat side of one cookie. Top with a second cookie for a frosting-filled treat!

Toasted Marshmallow Sandwiches – rather than filling them with frosting, fill them with marshmallow fluff. Then, if you have a kitchen torch, carefully toast your marshmallow fluff until lightly brown. Top with the second cookie. Oh my!

Want more delicious cookie recipes?

chewy sugar cookies,

easy peanut butter cookies,

no-bake cookies,

brownie cookies

Here’s my Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe. I think you’ll love them.

photograph of chocolate chip cookie on a white plate on a dark background.
Pin Print Save

Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

Robyn Stone
5 from 7 votes
This is the best Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe I've ever tasted – Crisp outside, yet chewy and soft inside and full of chocolate! Simple ingredients – but something special that elevates them to the most amazing chocolate chip cookies every time!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Chilling Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 36 cookies

Equipment

Ingredients 

  • 1 cup (226 g) butter, softened to room temperature
  • 1 cup (213 g) brown sugar, packed
  • 1 cup (198 g) sugar, granulated
  • 2 large (100 g) eggs, room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon (4.7 g) vanilla extract
  • 3 cups (360 g) all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons (6.6 g) cornstarch
  • 3/4 teaspoon (1.95 g) kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon (6 g) baking soda
  • 2 cups (340 g) chocolate chips, semi-sweet, dark, or milk chocolate or 2 (1.45 ounce) chocolate bars broken into chunks

Instructions 

  • Prep. Preheat oven to 350º F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
  • Whisk dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda, until well combined. Set aside. 
  • Mix wet ingredients. In a separate large bowl, using a stand mixer or hand mixer on medium speed, cream together the softened butter and the sugars until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary to make sure that the butter and sugar are well combined. Add the eggs and vanilla extract to the creamed butter and sugar mixture. Mix until well combined, about 1 minute.
  • Mix wet and dry. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat on a low speed until smooth and creamy.
  • Add the chocolate chips. Fold in the chocolate chips with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon.
  • Chill. Cover the mixing bowl and chill the cookie dough for 20 minutes up to 4 days.
  • Bake. Scoop the cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheet with a large cookie scoop, spacing the cookie dough about 4 inches apart to allow room for the cookies to lightly spread as they bake. Bake for 12 – 14 minutes, until the edges are slightly crispy, the cookie is overall lightly golden brown, and the center is set but not overcooked. Allow them to cool slightly on the baking sheet, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
  • Serve and / or Store. Serve the cookies while they are warm and gooey or store for late enjoyment. To store, transfer them to an airtight container and store on the counter for 3 days or in the freezer (in a freezer-safe container) for up to 3 months. To thaw, remove from the freezer and allow to thaw on the counter.

Notes

Chilling the dough. If the dough is chilled beyond an hour, remove it from the refrigerator as the oven preheats to allow the cookie dough to be scooped more easily. 
Chocolate chips. Use your favorite type of chips. Milk will make the sweetest cookie, semi-sweet the medium sweetest, and dark chocolate will be the least sweet of the three. A combination of chocolate chips is delicious. I love to use a combination of semi-sweet and dark chocolate. You can also use chocolate chunks from two (1.45-ounce) chocolate bars. 
Cornstarch. The cornstarch helps the baked cookie to be a soft and chewy bakery-style cookie. The cookie is still delicious without the cornstarch included.
 

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 179kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 25mg | Sodium: 132mg | Potassium: 44mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 195IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Enjoy!
Robyn xo

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About Robyn

Robyn Stone is a cookbook author, wife, mom, and passionate home cook. Her tested and trusted recipes give readers the confidence to cook recipes the whole family will love. Robyn has been featured on Food Network, People, Southern Living, and more.

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Recipe Review




76 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Something must’ve gone wrong because my cookies came out very puffy and cakey and not sweet enough. The not sweet enough part is most likely my fault because I am always so shy when it comes to sugar but the texture was very off they taste like if I made a box cake and followed the cookie recipe. Could it be because I did not chill long enough? They were a little “whippy” if ya know what I mean. They were definitely not solid yet. When I put them in the oven I was just too eager. Anyway I gave 5 stars because add a pinch chocolate cake is still our family’s favorite chocolate cake. It is always a hit with my baby daughter. I am now making batch two as they are more solid and chilled overnight. Wish me luck. Any advise would be awesome

    Reply

    1. Marina, it sounds like you may not have added enough sugar for these cookies. I suggest using the amount of granulated and brown sugar called for in the recipe. The molasses in the brown sugar adds a special depth of flavor to the cookies. You can see the texture of the cookies on the baking sheet for the How to Freeze section in the post. This is a photo of the cookies before being chilled or frozen. You can always chill the cookie dough before baking but you shouldn’t have to. I’m thrilled that you love the chocolate cake recipe.

  2. I always love your recipes! I read about what you said about how the butter is such an important ingredient in this recipe especially getting the consistency right. However, is there anyway to make a chocolate chip cookie with avocado oil instead of butter just to lower the saturated fat? I hate this question but I thought I would ask in case there is an answer!

    Reply

    1. Charmineh, I haven’t used avocado oil with these cookies. However, I have read that you can substitute. butter with an equql amount of avocado oil in baking recipes. Let me know how it works for you if you try it.

    1. Annej, this cookie has been a favorite at my house for years now. So glad you love them, too.

  4. 5 stars
    Omg! This was so good, I think this is the best chocolate chip cookie recipe ever existing! There are like, a ton of recipes out there, then I found yours and this is like, literal heaven! It’s so warm and gooey, I love the crispy texture on the outside and it’s so soft on the inside and it’s scrumptious! It just melts in my mouth after a few seconds, I love this. ∞/10 Thank you for this recipe 💕

    Reply

    1. Selena, it sounds like you love these cookies about as much as my family does. Thank you for telling me how well they turn out for you.

  5. My daughter did her usual chocolate chip cookie baking today. After tasting the cookies, I asked her which recipe she used. She said she tried a new recipe from “Add A Pinch”. I told her they were the best cookies she had ever made. I also told her to throw away all the other recipes she used in the past. These cookies are DELICIOUS with a wonderful texture. Thank you, Robyn. We will be trying more recipes from your site.

    Reply

    1. Thank you, Van. I love to hear when someone tries a recipe of mine and loves it. I hope you find many more that you and your daughter love.

    1. Angela, some people did not like the cookies with the oats. I added the oats as an option in the post. Add 1/4 cup quick-cooking oats to the other dry ingredients.

    1. Carol, kosher salt is a coarse salt. I usually does not have iodine or additives in it. If you substitute table salt for kosher salt in a recipe, you will need to use half the amount as listed in the recipe.

  9. 5 stars
    I’ve made these cookies multiple times and they absolutely are the BEST and most requested cookies EVER!!!

    Reply

  10. 5 stars
    Best cookie recipe there is, and I’ve seen many! Perfect texture, easy to make, everyone loves them. I often add either walnuts or pecans just because I like the crunch but they definitely don’t need them! Thanks for this amazing recipe that is ALWAYS a crowd pleaser!

    Reply

    1. Thank you, Julia, for taking the time to send this review. I love the idea of adding the nuts to the cookie recipe. xo