My Crispy Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies are the ultimate chocolate chip cookie recipe for those who love a chewy center and a crispy edge! And I’m sharing all my secrets with you today!
If Crispy/Chewy is your thing, make sure to check out this recipe for oatmeal cookies!
I get asked ALL the time if I have a recipe to share for thin and crispy or ultra chewy chocolate chip cookies. I have tons of recipes for chocolate chip cookies here on my site, but none of them offer up both chewy AND crispy! I have just chewy…chewy and soft…thin and crispy…thick and soft…soft with crisp edges…
- Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
- My Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Cookie Brittle
- Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies
- Jacques Torres Chocolate Chip Cookies
But an ultra chewy, thin cookie with crinkly tops and crisp edges…well I had been holding out on you.
This recipe took me a number of tries to nail down. I was actually trying to develop another recipe entirely, but I ended up with these beauties more or less. And after a few tweaks I feel like I perfected the ultimate chewy cookie texture.
Getting a crisp cookie is fairly easy. Generally the right amount of butter and sugar together will give you sweet, crisp, browned edges. But the balance of thinness and chewiness without being flat took a few tries.
The reason that cookies get chewy is the sugar. Think of it this way, when you’re making candy you cook the sugar until it reaches either the soft boil, or hard boil stage, depending on the type of candy you’re making.
So when you’re baking cookies, the sugars melt and cook, which along with other factors, aid in the spreading. If you add too much sugar you will get a very thin cookie, too little, your cookie will be thicker and more like a biscuit.
So balancing the amount of sugar with the flour, leavening agent (baking soda), and other ingredients is key!
Why All Brown Sugar?
- Brown sugar is made with molasses. This organically adds a chewier texture to the cookie.
- Also brown sugar is acidic and reacts with the baking soda giving it the rise.
- AND I just like the flavor that all brown sugar gives these cookies.
How Do You Make Them Thin Without Being TOO Thin?
You all have seen (or made) one of those cookies that is so thin the chocolate chips look like little lumps in the cookie. Those are kind of sad, aren’t they? So finding the sweet spot (literally) of sugar and flour is important. But also the amount of baking soda is integral as well.
You will see in this recipe I added an extra 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda, as most chocolate chip cookie recipes require only 1 teaspoon. What this does is puffs the cookie up a little bit more when baking, but when they are removed from the oven they settle back down.
This method, in part, gives them that crackly top, but also assists in the overall thickness as well.
My Secret To Making Them Both Crispy AND Chewy…
I’ve answered this question a little bit above in the amounts of sugar etc. BUT along with the proportions of ingredients I bake these cookies at 325°F.
What this does is allows the cookies time to spread out and essentially bake a little slower. This cooks them more evenly throughout, giving the center the same texture as the outside. BUT inevitably the edges will always bake a little faster, which is what gives them that crispness.
Lower and slow is key to give the sugar the time to melt into the other ingredients and create that chewy texture!
The great thing about this cookie recipe, is since you’re not trying to hold onto that soft-straight-out-of-the-oven texture you can get away with a few extra days stored airtight at room temperature.
I typically recommend 3 days for most cookies for best freshness, but since these are chewy and crisp they are a little more forgiving!
And of course you can freeze these cookies airtight for up to 30 days! Thaw them at room temperature and enjoy!
Print
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 24 cookies 1x
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Dessert
Description
These chocolate chip cookies have a crisp edge and a chewy center! Perfect with a glass of milk!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
- 1 3/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 3/4 cups mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment mix the butter and sugar together for 2 minutes on medium speed. Add in the vanilla, eggs, salt, and baking soda and mix for 2 more minutes until smooth and combined, scraping the sides of the bowl carefully to combine all ingredients.
- Turn the mixer to low speed and add in the flour, mixing until just combined. Stir in both the chocolate chips evenly.
- Using a medium (2- tablespoon) sized cookie scoop, portion the dough out on to the prepared baking sheet at least 3- inches apart. Press more mini chips on top of the dough if desired. These cookies will spread while they are baking. I only bake 5 at a time on my cookie sheet.
- Bake for 15-16 minutes, or until they are set and the edges are golden brown.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 2-3 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
If desired press mini chips into the tops of the cookie dough before baking.
If you are baking the second and third batches on the same baking sheet, allow the baking sheet to cool completely before baking the second batch, or you can refrigerate the dough in between batches to counter this!
Store airtight for 5 days at room temperature.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 222
- Sugar: 25 g
- Sodium: 173.6 mg
- Fat: 9 g
- Carbohydrates: 34.3 g
- Protein: 2.8 g
- Cholesterol: 25.7 mg
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I make these cookies all the time, they are my absolute favorite! So buttery and chewy yum! My go to recipe. If I wanted to add a little cinnamon and dash of cayenne to make a Mexican chocolate style flavor would that have an effect on the rest of the ingredients?
Honestly how come so many recipes that I try now r not like their pictures at all. I too like many wanted flat chewy cookies and crispy edges and these came out cake like. The taste is super sweet to me at 1 3/4 cups of sugar but I followed it completely because flat chewy cookies with crispy edges are hard to find. Wasted time and ingredients. If you want an average chocolate chip cookie than this is it for u but if you are yearning a chewy cookie with crispy edges, this recipe is not for you!
I’m so confused… sooo many people got a thin crispy cookie. Mine is cakey! What did I do wrong?! I followed everything correctly. Really disappointed… I wasted time and ingredients making these.
These are world winning cookies!!! The very best there is!!!
Garbage recipe. Made very cake-y cookies. The exact opposite of what I wanted.
Sorry you had that experience! I have tested this recipe over and over and over and always get the same results as the ones shown in the images. With the amount of sugar in proportion to the amount of flour and butter it seems crazy you would get a cakey cookie.
Unfortunately mine are cakey too. The only changes I made were hand mixing until smooth, and adding less sugar. I’m near sea level if altitude makes a difference. They still taste good, just not what my husband asked for.
You probably mixed it too long. You should only mix till it just comes together
Rude!
Pretty rude James! Just tried the recipe Shelly without a stand mixer and they turned out fantastic! Probably the best cookie recipe I’ve ever tried! Thanks so much, Shelly, don’t let the haters get you down!
These are amazing! My new favorite chocolate chip cookie. The perfect crunch on the outside and so chewy in the middle. For me the key is getting the batter smooth before adding the flour and chips. Baked for 15 minutes on a silicone mat. Turned out perfect.
I’ve been looking for the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe for years, but most were either too cakey or too crispy for my taste. If you’re like me and love cookies with crispy, buttery edges and soft centers THIS IS IT. Straight to the favorites folder in my bookmarks!
UNREAL!!!! Make these all the time cause they are so delicious! Perfectly chewy and crispy on the outside! And unreal the day after once you’ve let them hangout! I’ve also made them dairy free and they are just as good!!!
Mine came out big and puffy – not at all thin and crispy as depicted in the photos or description. Are you sure it’s 1/2 cup of butter (1 standard stick?)
Mine also did not come out as promised. Thin but puffy. Not crispy or chewy.
Best crispy, chewy cookie I have ever made! It will be the only one I ever use because you can’t get better than perfect!