These are, in my opinion, the best ever chocolate chip cookies! The dough for these amazing chocolate chip cookies is chilled for at least 2 hours, giving them time to develop extra flavor. They are the perfect combination of crisp edge and soft, chewy center. This will be your go-to recipe!
How Does Chilling Cookie Dough Affect the Cookies?
- Flavor: Chilling the dough gives the butter time to solidify, which means it takes longer to melt in the oven. The slower melting give the sugars and flavoring more time to meld and develop.
- Texture: When chilled, the flour absorbs more of the moisture. The absorption makes for a firmer dough, giving the cookies improved texture.
- Less Spreading: The butter in the chilled dough solidifies in the fridge, so there is less spreading as they bake. This means the cookies will be a bit thicker and chewier in the center.
- Complex Flavors: With more chilling time, especially if overnight, the ingredients have more time to interact and develop complex flavors.
- Convenience: While you won’t have cookies immediately, it is convenient if you like to prepare cookies and other baked items in advance to bake when you have more time.
Recipe Variations
- Nuts: Fold 1 cup of chopped pecans or walnuts into the dough when you add the chocolate chips.
- Different Chips: Instead of semisweet chips, use milk chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, mint chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, or a combination.
- Brickle: Fold 1/2 to 1 cup of brickle chips into the dough along with the chocolate chips.
- Sea Salt: Sprinkle a pinch of sea salt on each cookie just before baking.
- Gluten-Free: Use a gluten-free flour. There are several brands—just choose a “measure for measure” type with xanthan gum in the mixture.
Best Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies
These soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies are amazing. A few hours or overnight chilling adds flavor to the cookies.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 5 dozen cookies 1x
- Category: Desserts, Cookies
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, 13 1/2 ounces
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt; stir to blend thoroughly.
- In a mixing bowl with an electric mixer, beat the granulated and brown sugars with the butter until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla and beat until blended.
- With the mixer on low speed, beat in the flour mixture until the dough is moistened. Fold in the chocolate chips. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Line baking sheets with parchment paper or grease lightly.
- Drop dough by tablespoon or cookie scoop onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between cookies.
- Bake for about 10 minutes. The bottoms should be slightly browned, and the tops will still be soft and look slightly underdone. For crispier cookies, bake for about 12 minutes, or until the tops are well browned.
- Remove to racks to cool completely. Store the cooled cookies in airtight containers.
Notes
Nutritional information is based on a third-party application and should be considered an estimate. Values may differ depending on brands, ingredient measurements, and serving variations.
