My favorite type of recipe to bake is absolutely COOKIES. They’re so fun and simple and can teach us SO much about the science of baking.
Watch the video below to step into my kitchen and see exactly how to bake these delicious cookies with me. I give tons of tips and tricks for getting perfectly thick cookies with chocolate chunks, and you can see what every step of this recipe should look like!
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How to Make The Best Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies
How to make soft chocolate chip cookies:
The key to the best soft cookies is to take the chocolate chip cookies out of the oven just before they look like they’re done baking. They should still appear slightly wet in the very center. The residual heat of the oven and pan will finish cooking the cookies through to soft perfection once you allow them to cool completely.
Also, measure your flour correctly to improve your baking forever. Too much flour will lead to dry, dense, or crumbly chocolate chip cookies that barely spread.
Why are my chocolate chip cookies flat?
When making cookies, be sure your butter is at a cool room temperature before beating with your sugar. It shouldn’t be greasy or overly soft otherwise it’ll melt and spread the cookies too much.
The warmer your chocolate chip cookie dough is when it enters the oven, the thinner and flatter your cookies will be. To prevent flat cookies, try freezing your balls of cookie dough while your oven preheats. Learn more about how to bake THICK cookies here.
Better yet, refrigerate your chocolate chip cookie dough for 24 to 48 hours. This ‘marination’ process will transform your chocolate chip cookies by making them thicker, chewier, and more flavorful! Plus, this is a perfect way to make your delicious cookies ahead of time. Read more about the magic of chilling your cookie dough here. NOTE: chilling is OPTIONAL for this recipe but using chilled dough will enhance your cookies!
How to make chewy chocolate chip cookies:
One of the keys to CHEWY chocolate chip cookies is to use more brown sugar than granulated sugar. The molasses in the brown sugar draws in more moisture, making the cookies thicker, softer, and chewier.
For extra chewy cookies, try adding an extra egg yolk to this recipe. You can also replace half or all of the all-purpose flour in this recipe with bread flour for an ultra chewy bite.
How to bake chocolate chip cookies:
For the BEST chocolate chip cookies, make the recipe below keeping these top tips in mind:
- Use a kitchen scale to measure your ingredients for the BEST most consistent results.
- Make the recipe exactly as written, without substitutions, at least the first time you bake it.
Use the correct baking pan and a spring-loaded cookie scoop for bakery-quality cookies at home. More on that below!
Why use a cookie scoop?
Using a stainless steel spring-loaded cookie scoop when portioning out cookie dough is one of the KEYS to beautiful, uniform, evenly-shaped and evenly-baked cookies. My cookie scoop is one of my most frequently used kitchen gadgets. A spring-loaded scoop saves you *so much time* in forming the balls of dough. When using a scoop, you ensure each ball is evenly sized so the cookies bake evenly, meaning you don’t have any small overbaked cookies or large underbaked cookies. Learn more about Cookie Scoops and how to use them here!
What’s the difference between baking soda and baking powder?
Baking powder and baking soda are both chemical leaveners that work to create light textures in baked goods.
Although baking powder actually contains baking soda, the two leaveners are very different. Baking powder and baking soda are not interchangeable – just take a look at the impact the type of leavener used had on each of the cookies below!
Find out more in my Baking Soda vs. Baking Powder article here.
Which baking pan is best for cookies?
Take a look at the chocolate chip cookies below. These cookies are all the same batch of cookie dough, baked at the same temperature of 350°F, baked for the same amount of time of 12 minutes. The only difference? The type of baking pan used!
Check out my Best (and WORST) Baking Pans article here for more details on the science of baking pans.
How to Keep Chocolate Chip Cookies Fresh
The best cookies are the freshest, there’s no magical way around that. However, here are a few tricks to keeping them fresh and soft for as long as possible!
Can you freeze chocolate chip cookies?
I love the taste of cookies straight from the oven the best. I always keep pre-scooped balls of chocolate chip cookie dough in a resealable bag in my freezer, so I can bake cookies off and have them warm from the oven in a matter of minutes whenever I want. Here are more tips for freezing cookie dough.
But for those times when you need to keep already-baked cookies soft, see below for my tips. First of all, most cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temp for up to 5 days. Be sure they are completely cooled before storing.
How to keep cookies soft:
To keep your baked chocolate chip cookies soft, you can add an apple wedge, piece of bread, or a tortilla on the top and bottom of the cookies to the container a day or two after baking them, or whenever you find the texture starting to harden. The moisture from the bread or apple will migrate to your cookies, making them soft and chewy again.
A tortilla is a favorite of mine because it takes up much less room than a slice of bread, and doesn’t transfer any flavors or aromas like an apple wedge. Not to mention, it fits into a round cookie tin pretty perfectly.
How to refresh stored cookies:
What I like to do is reheat and refresh the cookies in a 350°F oven for 3-5 minutes. Your toaster oven should work just fine. This improves the texture and there’s nothing like a warm chocolate chip cookie!
i’ve never left a comment on a recipe EVER but this is such an easy recipe that’s perfect. if you love a cookie that’s chewy, this is it. i cannot STAND a cakey cookie, and these are now going to be my go-to cookies! would be soooo good with some crushed pretzels too. thank you!
So thrilled to hear that! Thanks so much for your wonderful comment 🙂
I’ve been trying to find the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe and tonight I FOUND IT!! These are soft and buttery and AWESOME!
I have never left a review on a blog before but I just HAD to come and say that this recipe is PHENOMENAL!! Like others, I’ve made probably 30+ different cookie recipes found online and even the ones on the flour or sugar bags. While they’ve all been good they all tasted like something was lacking. I still can’t quite put my finger on what that thing is but I do know that these cookies have it! I cooked half the dough immediately and half 48 hours later and both batches were great (and short lived in our home lol!) I plan to make these for any and every gathering. These taste like they are from a high end bakery and I’m baffled that I made these in my homes. Follow the recipe exact and you will not be disappointed!
Woohoo! So thrilled to hear that these were such a hit, Jacqui! Thanks so much for the comment 🙂
I just made the doughy to this but it doesn’t look like cookie dough/ the video. I put the exact amount of everything but it still doesn’t look like cookie dough, and looks more like cake batter but thicker. Is there a way for me to save this so I don’t waste the dough and why is this happening?
Hi Genesis! Without having baked alongside you, it’s so hard to say exactly what may have gone wrong. Was your butter perhaps too warm? Learn more about that here. Perhaps you accidentally mis-measured an ingredient, or missed something? I also recommend reading through all Tessa’s tips in the pink tip box (above the recipe) for info on chilling your dough, as that may help! Fingers crossed your cookies still taste great!
I have been making this recipe for 3 years now and I have only ever had rave reviews! I make them small and only bake for 8-9 minutes so they stay soft and WOW this recipe is amazing! Plus I’ve substituted nearly every ingredient other than flour and it has always turned out!
Can you make these gluten free??
Hi Markie! We haven’t tried that as we don’t bake with gluten-free substitutions. Let us know how it goes if you give that a try 🙂
I made these this week and used gluten-free flour. Came out lovely! Delicious flavour. Texture obviously different when you use GF flour but this is a great recipe for it!
Yay! Glad to hear that you were able to successfully convert these to gluten-free, Jess! 🙂
This recipe did not disappoint. I wanted thick, soft, chocolate chip filled cookies and these are some of the best. Follow the directions exactly and you will make amazing cookies. I messed up and made these now I have to make them throughout the year forever until the Lord comes but I can imagine worse fates.
I love this cookie recipe.I have been making them for a while ..This chocolate chip cookie recipe is a keeper! With a husband and two teenagers in the house these cookies are wiped out in one day.
I have always been a lackluster chocolate chip cookie baker. Always flat. Or too gooey. Never just right. My daughter (who is in culinary school) gave me this recipe and said try it, the sugar ratio is right. So I did with not high expectations. I was sooooo wrong. These cookies are genius. I followed the recipe precisely, and I love them so much. Hubby was like well where have these been? Ha. Chef in training was equally impressed. High praise!!!! Thank you!!! Not ever using another recipe for as long as I live.
Woohoo! Thrilled to hear this, Amy 🙂
These were outstanding. I love my cookies more on the chewy and crispy side. No crunchy cookies here. LOL This recipe made came out exactly how I love them. Crisp on the edges with a little chew, soft and gooey in the middle. Perfect. Thank you! So grateful I found your website!
The top of my cookies are undercooked even though the base is golden brown. I’m using a cookie sheet
Hi Janine! Here are a couple of helpful resources that might assist you in getting to the bottom of this: Best (and WORST) Baking Pans and Oven 101: What You NEED to Know. I hope those help! Happy baking 🙂
can you use dark brown sugar
Hi Tatum! Dark brown sugar contains almost twice as much molasses as light brown sugar, which means that dark brown sugar gives baked goods a richer, deeper, more caramel-y, butterscotch-y flavor. The amount of molasses contained in the sugars also means they will contribute a different level of moisture to a recipe. So yes, you can absolutely use dark brown sugar in place of light brown sugar, but it will have an impact on both the flavor and texture of your cookies. Let us know if you give it a try! Happy baking 🙂
I used Dark Brown sugar instead of Light. unfortunately, it’s made for a bit drier cookie on my side. Next time I may reduce the amount of flour or just buy some light brown sugar.
otherwise, it’s a wonderful cookie and I intend to make these again.
Hi Kris! Dark brown sugar should actually do the opposite and make these cookies more moist, as dark brown sugar contains more molasses than light brown sugar! How do you measure your ingredients? By weight, or using cups? If you’re using cups, it’s super easy to accidentally add too much flour, which can easily make cookies dry – learn more about that here. I hope that helps! Happy baking 🙂
I would love to know if I can substitute shortening for the butter! Thank you!
Hi Elle! Check out Tessa’s Butter vs. Shortening article for help with this! Happy baking 🙂
My dough turned out crumbly.
I followed the recipe exactly except for the sugar. I don’t have white or brown sugar, only raw sugar.
Hi Jennifer! Unfortunately, raw sugar cannot be substituted for white or brown sugar, which is why the consistency of your dough is so different. Imperial Sugar has a great article here about the differences between raw and refined sugars here, and I also recommend checking out Tessa’s article on sugars here. I hope you’ll give these cookies another try sometime! 🙂
My husband made the comment that he likes his chocolate chip cookies flat when I first made these – but he would try them anyway
He loved them and tells me how good they are every time I make them now. He even took some to a Mens weekend recently and said they were gone immediately and everyone said how good they were. Thank you for a great recipe and for actually changing the mind of MY husband
So glad to hear that your husband enjoyed these cookies so much! 🙂
Is the cookie dough supposed to be really greasy? Because I dont know if i did it right…
Hi Daniel! No, this cookie dough should not be greasy. It sounds like your butter may have been a little too warm at the time of creaming, as this can impact the texture of the dough and therefore the baked cookie. Learn more about butter temperature and how to best cream butter and sugar in Tessa’s article here! I hope your cookies were still delicious!
These cookies came out amazing!!! I did everything according t the recipe ..baked them on parchment paper foe 12min..OH MY they were crunchy around the edges and soft in the middle…soooo good!!!
Thankyou Kiersten…I hope when I make them again they come this good
From UK here – does it have to be sea salr ot will ordinary table sat work?
Hi Sarah! Check out Tessa’s article Kosher Salt vs. Sea Salt vs. Table Salt!
Can I freeze these cookies after baking/cooling?
Hi Nancy! Yes, that should work just fine. For future reference, we recommend freezing the cookie dough instead, and just baking off what you need/want to eat later, so you always have freshly-baked cookies only a few minutes away! Check out Tessa’s article on freezing cookie dough here!
My go to cookie recipe! Seriously, these are the best!
how many servings is this? I only want like a dozen cookies, at max two dozen but to me this looks like a big recipe when I’m only trying to make a small amount…
Hi Serena! As mentioned at the top of the recipe card, this recipe yields about 26 cookies. Feel free to halve the recipe, or alternatively, follow the super easy directions in this article to freeze the rest of your cookie dough, so next time you want some cookies, they’re only a few minutes away! Happy baking 🙂
Is it possible to use cookie cutters with this dough?
Hi Jennifer! No, these cookies are designed to be ‘drop-style’ cookies, and therefore won’t hold a shape well. Feel free to give Tessa’s Cut-Out Cookie recipe a try – we haven’t tried that with the addition of chocolate chips, but it may work just fine 🙂
Hands down i followed this recipe down to the wire. My cookies turned out perfectly from the right pan, to adding baking powder and baking soda, to putting my dough in the fridge 24hrs. Im glad I found this recipe. My family has enjoyed the cookies
Best cookie recipe ever! Not sure the difference, but in the past with other recipes, Ive done the eggs, and butter room temp, chilled the dough “all the things” and they’d never be quite right. This recipe is A+++++++. Works every time.
If I need to make multiple batches… should I allow my cookie pan to completely cool back down to room temperature before putting my round of dough balls on it?
Also, can I cook 2 pans of cookies at once or should it only be one at a time?
Hi Shay! Yes, always cool your cookie pan completely before placing more dough on it. Warm cookie pans will encourage your dough to melt very quickly, resulting in overspreading and potentially overbaking, too! You can try baking two pans at once, rotating the pans halfway through, but most bakers prefer to bake just one pan at a time, to allow the airflow in the oven to move around more readily, resulting in a more even bake. I hope that helps! Happy baking 🙂
These chocolate chip cookies are the BEST. I will never need another recipe, they are perfect!
Thank you for sharing your passion so we can create delicious things!
Thank you so much for your lovely comment, Liz! We’re so happy to hear that you love Tessa’s recipe so much! 🙂
Could I make this as 1 tablespoon size cookies instead and if it’s possible what would be the recommended baking time?
Hi Jennifer! Sure, but just a note that smaller cookies do tend to have a slightly different, less-chewy texture, compared to larger cookies. Bake 1-tablespoon-sized cookies for about 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Happy baking 🙂
Using this and ONLY this recipe from now on. My family enjoyed every bite and kids asked to bring them to school to share with friends. One of them is now requesting I make a huge cookie as a gift for his teacher. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe with the world
I have used this recipe so many times! I usually just make a half batch and they are delicious every time
Have you ever tried adding corn starch to keep them soft? If so, how much can be added?
Hi Katie! I recommend checking out Tessa’s Soft Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe here – it contains cornstarch and is designed to be soft; whereas these Bakery Style cookies are designed to be a little more chewy. Happy baking 🙂
Best cookies I’ve ever made
can i use dark brown sugar instead of light brown sugar?
You’re welcome to experiment with it but know that the texture and flavor will be slightly different. Let us know how it goes if you give it a try!
This is my go to cookie it’s so good! I’ve made so many variations our favourite is skor pieces with chocolate chips & chunks. It’s also great with baking gems. Wonderful recipe!! Such a big hit people keep telling me to go into business!!
I can’t even count the amount of times I made these in the past few weeks!
these are super easy to make, takes just a few minutes, and lasts just a few minutes, that’s how good it is!
Handle the heat with another amazing recipe like all of her other recipes!
Hello! Can I use baking powder instead of baking soda?
Hi there! Baking powder and baking soda are not interchangeable – learn more about the differences between the two here! 🙂
Bonjour,
J’ai testé cette recette qui était délicieuse.
Mais mes cookies étaient plats, il faut savoir que j’avais divisé la quantité par 2.
Aurais-je dû battre le beurre et le sucre seulement 1 minute au lieu de 2 puisque ce n’était pas la même quantité?
Ou bien aurais-je dû laisser reposer au réfrégirateur avant de les cuire?
Hi Sevda! Even if you divide the dough in half, your butter and sugar still need long enough to cream together, so 1 minute would definitely not have been long enough. Learn more about How to Cream Butter & Sugar, and how it can impact your baking, here. If your cookies were flat, that could be due to a few other things. Was your butter at a cool room temperature? 67°F or 19°C is perfect for creaming – any warmer than that, and this can cause your cookies to be flat. Chilling your dough will also help your cookies be thicker. Also, is your baking soda fresh? If your leavening agents are not fresh, they cannot do their jobs and your cookies can be flat – learn more about that here. Finally, check out Tessa’s post on How to Make Thick Cookies here for more assistance. I hope this helps! Happy baking 🙂
D’accord merci pour votre réponse.
Effectivement je pense que le problème venait de la température du beurre.
Puis-je réduire la quantité de sucre dans cette recette ?
Car je trouve que c’est très sucré pour moi
Hi Sveda! No, sugar cannot be reduced as it will impact the outcome of the cookie greatly – learn more about that here. The best way to “lower the sweetness” in a cookie such as this would be to use a little more salt and use a darker or even bittersweet chocolate, to balance the sweetness. I hope that helps 🙂
I made these and substituted one cup of butterscotch morsels and one semi sweet chocolate chips. Delicious Thank you for sharing!
they are sooo good i went around the neibour hood and sold them for £1!
Great cookies and very popular with my family 🙂 Love that you have a supplement with weight indications in grams (I’m from Denmark).
Delicious! I made half a recipe last night and there is one left. I thought, start with half this try it… I’ll make again tomorrow. I added some coconut, oats, and nutmeg at the last minute for fun. My family loved them, and not just because they like cookies. Thank you for the great tips on getting the batter just right.
I just made these for my kid’s high school class. I tripled the recipe and there were plenty to feed even the footballers in the crowd. As awesome as they were, I wish I had a bit more time for them in the fridge. Some still got a bit flat. But next time…watch out. By far my new favorite recipe!
Best chocolate chip cookies our family has had! They beg me to make these!
I made a double batch of these chocolate chip cookies. I took them to a church function. they were a hit. that was absolutely none left. my family love them also. can’t wait to try more of your amazing cookies. thanks for sharing
Hands down the BEST cookie recipe and blog post EVER!!
fantastic cookie recipe
will be making then again
Wondering if you can freeze cookies after baking
So glad to hear that you love these cookies, Sherry! There are directions in the pink tip box (above the recipe) for freezing the cookie dough and baking from frozen, but we haven’t tried freezing the cookies after they’ve been baked. It should work fine, but ensure you wrap them well in plastic wrap and freeze inside an airtight container or a ziptop bag, to prevent them from drying out and/or protect them from freezer burn. Thanks again for your comment and Happy Baking! 🙂
This is thee best and easiest chocolate chip cookie recipe I’ve ever baked. Thank you so much! Happy baking
P.S…my kitchen smells amazing!
Cookies was amazing. I changed it a bit. I used baking powder instead of banking soda. 2 teaspoons. And added more chocolate chips. Thank you for sharing. Amazing!!
I make this recipe at least every other week with different mix ins and it is a staple recipe I make for the people I care about Thanks for sharing!
That’s amazing to hear, so happy this is your go-to recipe!
I took these cookies to my church function and for my family. they all love them. thank you for sharing such a wonderful cookie recipe.
Yay! So happy to hear these cookies are such a hit with your friends and family, Linda! 🙂
i just baked these delictible chocolate chip cookies.. they came out wonderful. I added 1/2 cup of chopped pecans, although they did not need them. Wonderful aroma in my kitchen.
They turned out really good! I made them for my family and friends and they loved them!
Perfect recipe! I halved the chocolate chips and added 1 cup butterscotch. Dang! We gobbled them up!!!
Can you freeze the dough and bake them later? How long can they last in the freezer? Thanks:)
Hi Tasha! You sure can – learn all about how to freeze cookie dough here! AS long as they’re stored in an airtight container or freezer bag, safe from freezer burn, cookie dough can be stored in the freezer for at least a month, often longer!
I notice there is no baking powder in the recipe, so I didn’t add any, only baking soda. Should I have added baking powder as some others have commented they did?
Some even switched out the baking soda for baking powder.
My cookie dough is “marinating” in the fridge until tomorrow morning.
Thanks
Hi Susan! Baking powder and baking soda are not interchangeable and cannot be easily swapped in recipes. If you wish to experiment with achieving different results, feel free to alter the quantities and/or add some baking powder, but first, I encourage you to learn more about baking powder and baking soda in Tessa’s article here. I hope you enjoy your cookies after their marination! Happy baking 🙂
These turned out great and was so easy to make!!! Will be using this recipe from now on, thank you!!