The Best Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Chewy chocolate chip cookies come down to four small decisions, and every one of them is easy to make. Use chocolate chunks instead of chips. Mix semisweet, milk, and dark chocolate instead of leaning on a single type.
Rest the dough overnight in the refrigerator so it develops a more complex flavor with real toffee notes. Portion the dough with an ice cream scoop so the cookies land the same size and bake at the same rate.
Do those four things and the reward is the cookie you actually wanted: crisp and chewy on the outside, gooey in the middle. Skip them and you still get a decent cookie, just a flatter, sweeter, more one note version of it.
Texture is the whole point of this recipe, and it comes from a few simple choices. Melted butter and brown sugar keep the middle soft. A chill firms the dough so the cookies rise a little before they spread. Chocolate chunks, rather than chips, give you bigger pockets of melted chocolate in every bite.
I bake these for backyard cookouts, usually while a brisket is resting and everyone is drifting toward the cooler. The tray never survives until the meat is sliced. That is the highest compliment a cookie can get.
This recipe makes 12 cookies and comes from the Tasty test kitchen, inspired by an earlier BuzzFeed recipe. Prep takes 20 minutes, the oven does its work in about 15 minutes, and the full clock runs 1 hour 5 minutes once you count the chill.
One thing to expect before you start: the dough is soft and sticky when it goes into the refrigerator. That is normal. The chill is what firms it up, deepens the flavor, and keeps the cookies from spreading into flat puddles.
If you remember only one line from this guide, make it this one: chunk chocolate, mixed chocolate, cold dough, even scoops.
The cookies are also forgiving. You can make the dough a day ahead, keep it covered in the refrigerator, and bake a tray whenever you want warm cookies. I have done this on a Tuesday night more times than I can count.
Jump To
Total Time
Total time is 1 hour 5 minutes. That window covers measuring, mixing, a minimum 30 minute chill, scooping, and 12 to 15 minutes in the oven.
Most of that time is waiting rather than working. If you take the overnight chill option, the flavor gets deeper and the color gets darker, but your hands on time does not change at all.
If you are baking for a weeknight, mix the dough right after dinner and bake a tray before bed. The chill does the work while you do something else.
Prep Time
Prep time is 20 minutes. In that window you whisk the sugars, salt, and melted butter into a smooth paste, beat in the egg and vanilla until light ribbons form, sift and fold in the flour and baking soda, and fold in the chocolate chunks.
No stand mixer needed. A large bowl, a whisk, and a spatula are enough.
Measure everything before you start. The mixing moves fast once the butter and sugars are in the bowl.
Cook Time
Cook time is 15 minutes, and the useful range is 12 to 15 minutes at 350°F (180°C). Pull the tray when the edges have started to barely brown.
This recipe is inspired by a BuzzFeed recipe and was tested and updated by the Tasty team. Readers who made it again rated it 94%.
Total Time
Here is how the 1 hour 5 minutes actually breaks down, so you can plan around it.
| Stage | Time |
|---|---|
| Prep and mixing | 20 minutes |
| Chill in the refrigerator | 30 minutes minimum |
| Bake at 350°F (180°C) | 12 to 15 minutes |
| Total | 1 hour 5 minutes |
The chill is the step people try to skip, and it is the step that matters most for chew. Thirty minutes is the floor. Overnight is the goal.
If you are planning a cookout, mix the dough the night before and bake a tray right before guests arrive.
Prep Time
Prep is mostly stirring, and the dough changes character as you go. It starts as a thick paste of sugars, salt, and melted butter, loosens when the egg and vanilla go in, and turns glossy and soft once the flour is folded through.
Before chilling, it looks more like a heavy batter than a scoopable dough. Thirty minutes in the refrigerator fixes that and makes the scooping step clean and quick.
Cook Time
Bake at 350°F (180°C) and trust your eyes more than the timer. The cookies are ready when the edges have started to barely brown. The centers will still look soft, even slightly underdone, when you slide the tray out. That soft center is where the gooey middle comes from, and it sets as the cookies cool.
Give every cookie room to spread. Leave at least 4 inches (10 cm) between them and 2 inches (5 cm) from the edge of the pan. Crowd them and they merge into one giant cookie slab, which tastes fine but looks like an accident.
Cool completely before serving. A hot cookie crumbles, and the chocolate is molten enough to burn the roof of your mouth. A few minutes of patience is a real improvement.
Because the dough is scooped with an ice cream scoop, these cookies are fairly large, which is why they need that much room on the pan.
Ingredients
This recipe makes 12 cookies.
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ¾ cup (165 g) packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (115 g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cups (155 g) all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 4 oz (110 g) milk or semisweet chocolate chunks
- 4 oz (110 g) dark chocolate chunks, or your preference
Two kinds of chocolate in one dough do more for flavor than doubling a single kind. The milk or semisweet chunks bring sweetness and melt quickly, while the dark chunks hold their shape a little longer and add a bitter edge that keeps the cookie from tasting flat.
Do not skip the salt. One teaspoon sounds like a lot for 12 cookies, and it is exactly what keeps the sweetness in balance.
The brown sugar is not interchangeable with white sugar here. It brings moisture and a faint caramel note, which is part of why these cookies stay chewy after they cool.
Measure the flour by spooning it into the cup and leveling it off, then you will land close to the 155 g in this list.
Preparation
Nine steps, one bowl, and one very important rule about mixing.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the sugars, salt, and butter until a paste forms with no lumps.
- Whisk in the egg and vanilla, beating until light ribbons fall off the whisk and remain for a short while before falling back into the mixture.
- Sift in the flour and baking soda, then fold the mixture with a spatula. Be careful not to overmix, which would cause the gluten in the flour to toughen and result in cakier cookies.
- Fold in the chocolate chunks, then chill the dough for at least 30 minutes. For a more intense toffee like flavor and deeper color, chill the dough overnight. The longer the dough rests, the more complex its flavor will be.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Scoop the dough with an ice cream scoop onto the lined baking sheet, leaving at least 4 inches (10 cm) of space between cookies and 2 inches (5 cm) of space from the edges of the pan so the cookies can spread evenly.
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the edges have started to barely brown.
- Cool completely before serving.
- Enjoy.
Watch the mixing. Step 3 is where good cookies are won or lost. Once the flour goes in, fold until you no longer see dry streaks and stop. Extra stirring develops gluten, and gluten turns a chewy cookie into a cakey one.
Overmixing is the most common reason a chewy cookie recipe turns out cakey. Fold gently, then walk away.
Respect the chill. Thirty minutes is the minimum, and overnight is the upgrade. The longer the dough rests, the more complex its flavor becomes, with toffee notes and a deeper color. Cold dough also spreads less, so the cookies keep some height in the middle.
Scoop evenly. An ice cream scoop gives you uniform portions, which means every cookie finishes at the same time. Uneven mounds bake unevenly, and you end up pulling the tray while half the cookies are still raw in the center.
Read the doneness cues. Edges barely browned, centers still soft, tops no longer glossy. Those are your signals. If you wait until the whole cookie looks firm and brown, you have already baked past the chewy stage.
Plan for the yield. The recipe makes 12 cookies, so it is worth doubling if you are feeding a crowd. Each serving lands at about 271 calories, 14 g of fat, 34 g of carbohydrates, 1 g of fiber, 24 g of sugar, and 2 g of protein.
If you bake in two batches, keep the remaining dough in the refrigerator between trays. Cold dough holds its shape and spreads less.
FAQs
Why should I chill the cookie dough overnight?
Chilling the dough overnight creates a more complex, toffee-like flavor and deeper color. The rest allows the flour to fully hydrate and the sugars to dissolve, which intensifies the flavor through enzymatic activity and caramelization during baking. It also solidifies the fat, helping the cookies spread more slowly in the oven for a thicker, chewier result.
What is the best way to measure flour for chewy cookies?
The best way is to spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level it off with a knife, as scooping directly compacts the flour and can add up to 25% more. For the most accurate result, weigh your flour; 1 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour should weigh about 150 to 160 grams. Proper measurement prevents dry, cakey cookies.
What makes these chocolate chip cookies chewy instead of cakey?
The chewiness comes from using melted butter, a high ratio of brown sugar to granulated sugar, and not overmixing the dough. Melted butter creates a denser texture, while brown sugar is hygroscopic and retains moisture for a chewy bite. Folding the flour gently avoids developing too much gluten, which would make the cookies cakey.
How should I store these cookies to keep them soft for days?
Store the cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature with a slice of bread. The bread releases moisture that the cookies absorb, keeping them soft and chewy for several days. To revive any cookies that become too firm, warm them briefly in a 300°F oven.
The Best Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
The Best Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies Chewy chocolate chip cookies come down to four small decisions, and every one of them is easy to make. Use chocolate chunks instead of chips.
- Total Time: 65 min
- Yield: 12 cookies 1x
Ingredients
½ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
4 oz milk or semi-sweet chocolate chunks
4 oz dark chocolate chunk
Instructions
1-In a large bowl, whisk together the: In a large bowl, whisk together the sugars, salt, and butter until a paste forms with no lumps.
2-Whisk in the egg and vanilla, beating: Whisk in the egg and vanilla, beating until light ribbons fall off the whisk and remain for a short while before falling back into the mixture.
3-Sift in the flour and baking soda,: Sift in the flour and baking soda, then fold the mixture with a spatula (Be careful not to overmix, which would cause the gluten in the flour to toughen resulting in cakier cookies).
4-Fold in the chocolate chunks, then chill: Fold in the chocolate chunks, then chill the dough for at least 30 minutes. For a more intense toffee-like flavor and deeper color, chill the dough overnight. The longer the dough rests, the more complex its flavor will be.
5-Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C): Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
6-Scoop the dough with an ice-cream scoop: Scoop the dough with an ice-cream scoop onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, leaving at least 4 inches (10 cm) of space between cookies and 2 inches (5 cm) of space from the edges of the pan so that the cookies can spread evenly.
7-Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the edges: Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the edges have started to barely brown.
8-Cool completely before serving: Cool completely before serving.
9-Enjoy: Enjoy!
Last Step:
Please leave a rating and comment letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business to thrive and continue providing free, high-quality recipes for you.- Prep Time: 20 min
- Cook Time: 15 min
- Method: bake
Nutrition
- Calories: 271 calories
- Sugar: 24 grams
- Fat: 14 grams
- Carbohydrates: 34 grams
- Fiber: 1 gram
- Protein: 2 grams
