The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are truly the best and easiest chocolate chip cookies that will have everyone asking for the recipe! They are gooey on the inside, riddled with melty chocolate chips, and have the perfect golden edges for dipping into a cold glass of milk. And if you are a chewy cookie lover, my favorite thing about this recipe is that the longer they sit, the softer they become. This makes them the perfect dessert to bring to any gathering because you can make them ahead of time and be assured that they will be just as good (if not better!!) as they were the first day you made them. That's a major win in my book!

Ingredients:

Eggs: this recipe calls for 1 whole egg and 1 egg yolk (do NOT use two whole eggs!). When baking, room temperature eggs are important to ensure they are being fully and evenly incorporated into the batter without having to over-mix the dough. To do this quickly: add eggs to a cup of warm water (not hot!) for 5-10 minutes or until they are no longer cold to the touch. 

Butter: unsalted, room temperature butter is used for this recipe. You can use whatever your favorite brand of butter is, however, it is important to note that higher quality brands have a richer, creamier consistency and will often produce better results. But use what works for you! If I’m feeling fancy or baking for a special event, I always use European butter. But if not, I also love the Kirkland brand of butter.

Flour: this recipe uses all-purpose flour. I highly suggest using unbleached flour when baking!

Light Brown Sugar: be careful with the brand of brown sugar you are using - some brands tend to have clumps of molasses that are hard to break up and will end up in your batter. I suggest opting for a brand such as C&H sugar. 

Tip: if your brown sugar has hardened, add a slice of bread to the bag and allow it to sit overnight. The bread will soften the sugar by adding moisture back to it. 

Baking Powder & Baking Soda: I always suggest testing both your baking powder and baking soda every now and then to ensure it is still fresh. If it is expired, it will not perform correctly in the recipe and will negatively impact your results.

• To check the freshness of baking powder: add to hot water to see if it fizzes. If it does, it is good to use!

• To check the freshness of baking soda: add to hot water with vinegar. Again, if it fizzes, it is good to go!

  
  

Chocolate Chips: I prefer semi-sweet chocolate chips in this recipe but feel free to use whatever type of chocolate chip you prefer (you can even mix the chocolates!). Though, since chocolate is the main feature in these cookies, I highly suggest using a high quality brand such as Ghirardelli and Tollhouse. Kirkland brand also has fantastic chocolate chips!

Vanilla Extract: I always use Kirkland brand vanilla extract and absolutely love it but any brand works as long as it is real vanilla extract and not imitation vanilla.

Cornstarch: I know it might seem odd, but cornstarch is an important ingredient in this recipe so please do not skip it! The cornstarch is the reason that these cookies become even better the next day. It is the ingredient that softens the cookies as they sit and therefore, gives that chewy texture that so many of us love!

How to Make the Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie:

The recipe for the these chocolate chip cookies can be found at the bottom of the page but first, let's do a step-by-step on how to ensure you get the perfect chocolate chip cookie each and every time:

Measure flour correctly: to get the best results, use a scale or do the “spoon and level”method. To do so, use a separate spoon to “fluff” the flour. Then, use the same spoon to scoop the flour into the measuring cup. Level off the top with a knife or straight edge. Do NOT scoop your measuring cup directly into the flour. This compacts the flour and you will end up with too much flour in your recipe. 

Room temperature eggs: it is a good rule of thumb to always use room temperature ingredients in your baked goods. Room temperature eggs are particularly important for this recipe because they mix into your dough easier and more evenly than cold eggs do. As a result, you will be able to avoid the possibility of overmixing.

Do NOT overbake cookies: When making chocolate chip cookies one of the most important rules is to always take them out of the oven BEFORE they look done! They should be slightly golden around the edges and pale and puffy on top. *The cookies will continue to bake on the baking sheet once they are out of the oven so make sure you are not leaving them in too long!

Dry ingredients: I know it might seem unnecessary but I always suggest whisking together your dry ingredients in a separate bowl before adding them to your dough/batter. This will ensure that your cookies rise evenly and do not have uneven pockets of leavening agents. 

Creaming butter & sugar: this recipe requires room temperature butter and two types of sugar to be creamed together for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. 

Do not overmix batter: As you add the dry ingredients to your wet ingredients be sure not to overmix. Mix on low until you only see a few streaks of flour leftover in your dough. Then, add your chocolate chips and mix until just combined (do not overmix at this point!). 

Add extra chocolate chips to baked cookies: my favorite tip to making your cookies look like they came out of a bakery is to add a few extra chocolate chips on top of the cookies immediately after taking them out of the oven. *It is important that you do this right away so that the heat of the cookies has time to slightly melt the added chocolate chips. 

Shape cookies: even the perfect cookie recipe can produce cookies that might not bake in a perfectly round shape. If you have one that is slightly askew or needs a little extra help, use a metal spoon to gently push the edges back into a rounded shape. NOTE: this needs to be done immediately after they are taken out of the oven. 

Chilling the Dough:

The longer the dough chills, the better the flavor! I highly suggest chilling the dough in the fridge or freezer overnight. However, if you cannot wait that long (which I definitely understand!), please allow them to chill in the fridge for 2 hours before baking. This way the flavor has time to marinate and the cookies bake properly in the oven.

To chill in the fridge:

Divide the dough into 12 balls. Place the cookie dough balls in a ziplock bag and chill for two hours.

To chill in the freezer:

When you are chilling cookie dough in the freezer, I always suggest you double wrap the dough to ensure freshness and prevent any type of freezer-burn. 

To do this: place the cookie dough balls in a ziplock bag and then either put the bag into a freezer-safe airtight container or into an additional ziplock bag. Allow the dough to freeze completely before baking OR freeze overnight. Frozen dough can last in the freezer for 2-3 months. 

How to Store Baked Cookies:

My favorite thing about this cookie recipe is that the baked cookies become even softer the next day! For this reason, it is truly the perfect recipe to make the day before especially if you are short on time.

Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Alternatively, baked cookies store well in the freezer and defrost beautifully (no one would ever know they were frozen!). To do this, allow cookies to cool completely before placing in a freezer-safe ziplock bag. Note: to ensure they remain as fresh as possible, I always suggest double wrapping them. You can do this by placing the bagged cookies in a freezer-safe tupperware container or double-bagging the cookies. Either way works wonderfully. 

When you are ready to eat, take them out of the freezer and let them defrost on the counter (leave them in the bag/tupperware to defrost). They usually defrost in about 30 minutes. 

How to Make Cookies Ahead of Time:

There are multiple ways you can make them ahead of time:

1. Bake the cookies the day before and place in an airtight container at room temperature until ready to eat. Optional: place a slice of bread in the container with the cookies to help maintain freshness/softness.

2. Make the dough ahead of time and roll into balls. Place the dough balls into a ziplock bag or freezer-safe airtight container and place in the refrigerator or freezer overnight. When ready to use, bake the entire batch OR (if frozen) bake a couple at a time so that you always have fresh-out-of-the-oven cookies!

3. Bake the entire batch of cookies. Once cooled, place the baked cookies in a ziplock bag and then into a freezer-safe airtight container and place in the freezer. These can be stored in the freezer 2-3 months.When ready to eat, take the container out of the freezer and allow it to defrost on the counter 30 minutes to an hour (do not remove the cookies from the bag/container until they are fully defrosted!). From here, you can eat them at room temperature or pop them in the microwave for 10 seconds so that chocolate gets melty!

   
   

How to Freeze (and bake frozen) Cookie Dough:

Frozen cookie dough needs to bake at a lower temperature to prevent the edges from browning prematurely. It also will need to bake in the oven about 2-4 minutes longer. 

Preheat the oven to 360 degrees F. Line a light-colored baking sheet with parchment paper. Do NOT defrost the cookie dough before baking.

Bake frozen cookie dough for 14-16 minutes or until the edges begin to become golden and the center is still pale and puffy. The cookies will look undercooked but that’s okay! They will continue to bake on the baking sheet once they are taken out of the oven. Allow to cool for 10 minutes on the warm baking sheet before serving.