A great recipe for exactly one dozen bakery style chocolate chip cookies. These big fat cookies are soft and chewy on the inside with crispy, golden brown edges and loaded with chocolate chips. The perfect cookies that you will make over and over again.
There is nothing better than biting into a classic, chewy chocolate chip cookie. The old school Toll House Inn recipe was the first one I learned to make as a kid and I’ve been working on perfecting my version ever since. I can now confidently say that these are the best chocolate chip cookies you will ever make in your life.
This recipe makes a perfect dozen but I wouldn’t necessarily call it a small batch recipes. These are BIG, fat, chewy cookies that will have people convinced that you picked them up from a high end bakery. Everyone loves classic chocolate chip cookies, it’s one of the most popular recipes of all time.
It’s the perfect treat to have on hand for when the cookie craving hits, when you have company coming over, or for gifting. The time is always right for a big ol’ chocolate chip cookie.
If you want to get really wild, try the peanut butter stuffed version of these cookies.
What makes the perfect cookie?
Making homemade chocolate chip cookies is an art. This is an easy recipe, but there are many factors that come into play to get them just right. Everyone has their preferences when it comes to the perfect cookie, to me it’s:
- Thick and chewy with golden brown, crisp edges.
- Full of rich, buttery flavor with the perfect amount of good vanilla and salt.
- Filled with melty pools of good, high quality chocolate.
- Gigantic. If I’m going to eat a cookie, I want a COOKIE.
Ingredients
- Bread flour – the secret weapon in this classic chocolate chip cookie recipe! Swapping out all purpose flour for bread flour will not change the taste of your cookies, but it will definitely change the texture. Bread flour has a higher protein content which enables more gluten formation and higher liquid retention in the dough. This results in irresistibly thick and chewy cookies. You can absolutely use all-purpose flour in this recipe and it will be delicious, but if you can swing it, try it with bread flour – you may never go back!
- Butter – I use salted Kerrygold butter whenever I make these cookies. I like my chocolate chip cookies on the saltier side. You can absolutely use unsalted butter and add some flaky salt on top after baking to suit your tastes.
- Dark brown sugar and granulated sugar – this recipe uses a higher ratio of brown sugar to white sugar. More brown sugar means a higher molasses content resulting in a deeper, golden brown color and much richer flavor. Brown sugar is also super dense, making these cookies rise less and spread more which helps make them so chewy. It’s also why chilling the dough is an important step that you shouldn’t skip.
- Eggs – one whole egg and one egg yolk at room temperature. Egg whites are naturally drying. Adding the extra yolk enhances the flavor and texture of the cookies.
- Vanilla – good vanilla extract is required. My go-to is Nielsen Massey.
- Baking soda
- Cornstarch
- Salt
- Chocolate chips – for big pools of melty chocolate, I use the Guittard Super Cookie Chips. If you like your chocolate more distributed throughout the cookie, Use a high quality chocolate bar and chop it into chunks.
Method
Start by measuring out your dry ingredients. Use the spoon and level method to measure out the flour. Aside from weighing it on a scale, this is the best way to get the most accurate measure. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, cornstarch and salt in a mixing bowl.
Melt butter in a saucepan on the stove or in a microwave safe bowl. Let the butter cool slightly. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer, cream together melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar. Mix together for 2-3 minutes until well incorporated. Add vanilla, whole egg and egg yolk and beat to combine. On low speed, add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until just incorporated, then add in the chocolate chips. If you’re using a hand mixer, use a spatula to fold in the chocolate chips.
Use a ¼ cup measure or an ice cream scoop to evenly divide the dough into 12 large balls. It will seem like a lot but these are big fat cookies! Scoop the dough out onto a parchment lined baking sheet, cover and refrigerate for at least one hour. You can do this up to 3 days in advance.
When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 degrees f. Place six chilled cookie dough balls on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper, leaving plenty of space between each cookie. Do not flatten them out, the rounded shape ensures that your cookies will bake up with crisp edges and a soft, chewy center.
Bake for 12-15 minutes in a preheated oven until lightly golden brown. They may not look entirely set in the center but they will continue to cook while cooling. Let cool on the baking sheet for five minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Tips for making perfect chocolate chip cookies
- Spoon flour into your measuring cup and level it off with a knife. Do not scoop it right out of the bag or container as you run the risk of packing it down and adding too much flour to the dough.
- Do not skip chilling the dough! This is a crucial step. It allows the flour to fully hydrate and for the flavor to develop. Because of the melted butter, the dough is also super soft. If you bake it right away, your cookies will be spread out all over the pan.
- Use a cookie scoop to portion evenly! Scoop the dough first, then chill it. Once the dough is hardened it will be more difficult to scoop and portion.
- For a super professional look, reserve about ¼ of the chocolate chips and press them onto the outside of the dough balls instead of mixing them in. The chocolate will be melty and visible on the surface of the cookie, giving you that irresistible bakery style look.
- Raw cookie dough can be frozen for up to two months. Scoop it into balls and then freeze in an airtight container. You can bake them right from frozen. I always keep a stash of frozen chocolate chip cookie dough balls on hand so I can pop one or two in the oven and have a fresh baked cookie any time I want. Life hack.
- Baked cookies stay fresh in an airtight container on the countertop for up to five days – they definitely won’t last this long!
More of my favorite cookie recipes to try
- Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Cookies
- Soft and Chewy Carrot Cake Oatmeal Cookies
- Old Fashioned Molasses Cookies
- Gingerbread Cookie Bars
- Brown Butter Toffee Oatmeal Cookies
One Dozen Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups Bread Flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 cup butter 2 sticks
- 1 cup dark brown sugar packed
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs one whole egg and one yolk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 10 oz chocolate chips
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a saucepan on the stove or in the microwave. Set aside to cool.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together bread flour, baking soda, salt and cornstarch.
- Cream together melted butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar for 2-3 minutes in the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer. Beat in whole egg, egg yolk and vanilla.
- Add dry ingredients to butter mixture and mix on low until just combined. Then stir in chocolate chips on low. If using a hand mixer, fold them in with a spatula.
- Scoop dough into 12 equal balls, place on a parchment lined baking dish, cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour or up to 3 days.
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees f. Place no more than six dough balls on a large baking sheet, leaving plenty of space between each cookie.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes until light golden brown and set around the edges. Let cool on the baking sheet for at least five minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Camille
Just made your chocolate chip cookies and my taste buds are in absolute paradise! The addition of bread flour made them so wonderfully chewy. Also, the cornstarch was a game-changer, such a brilliant idea! Thanks for sharing this gem. Can’t wait to bake another batch soon!xx
Jazz
These cookies came out perfectly chewy–just how I like my cookies–and the flavor was spot on. I don’t need to swing by my local dessert shop anymore!
Marta
The use of bread flour in this chocolate chip cookie recipe makes all of the difference. It added more body and chewiness to the cookies that we loved!