The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

I’ve been making these cookies for years (as far back as 2012!), and it’s my tried-and-true, best-ever chocolate chip cookies recipe. From holidays to Christmas cookie baking and everyday cravings, my classic chocolate chip cookies have seen it all. They’re thick and soft in the center, with buttery, crisp edges.

Everyone who tastes them immediately understands why these cookies are an all-time favorite. I even included this recipe in my book because so many of you have made them and loved them as much as I do!

Why This Best-Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe Works

• Three types of sugar. Granulated, light brown, AND dark brown sugars. The combination of all three gives these cookies great depth of flavor without adding too much moisture.
• Sea salt and salted butter. Coarse sea salt creates tiny, salty pockets throughout the sweet, chocolatey cookies. It’s game-changing!
• Mini chocolate chips. Smaller chocolate chips mean more even distribution throughout the cookie dough, and a perfect chocolate-to-cookie ratio. I actually borrowed this trick from Panera Bread (who make amazing chocolate chip cookies, by the way, second only to these ones!). Of course, any size chocolate chip will work just fine.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Here’s what you’ll need to make these cookies. See the recipe card below the post for the full, printable recipe amounts and a detailed step-by-step.

• Salted butter – I always bake with salted butter, and I love the extra hint of saltiness it lends to these cookies. If you are sensitive to salt, use unsalted butter instead.
• Sugar – Many classic chocolate chip cookie recipes use a mix of white and brown sugar for added moisture. I take it up a notch with three types of sugar: light brown and white granulated sugar, plus dark brown sugar to really lean into those rich, caramelized flavors.
• Eggs and Vanilla – Make sure to use pure vanilla extract and not imitation vanilla. The flavoring extract is a great way to adapt this chocolate chip cookies recipe. Try a mix of peppermint and vanilla extract for a festive twist.
• Baking Soda and Baking Powder – Check the expiration dates on your leavening. If it’s old or expired, replace it with fresh packages so your cookies rise properly.
• Coarse Sea Salt – Using coarse or flaked sea salt instead of kosher salt adds a little salty crunch throughout the cookie dough. It’s the BEST contrast with the sweetness of the cookies and chocolate. I like to sprinkle extra salt on top of the cookies as a garnish.
• All-purpose Flour – Make sure to measure the flour correctly using a kitchen scale or the spoon and level method. Under or over-measuring the flour impacts the texture of the cookies.
• Mini Chocolate Chips – As mentioned, mini chocolate chips are great for more even distribution. Feel free to use regular-sized chocolate chips, either semisweet, dark, or milk chocolate. You can also use a mix of different chocolate, like in these triple chocolate cookies.

How to Make the Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

With a few small tweaks, you can take your homemade chocolate chip cookies to bakery-level status. Follow the steps below:

1. Combine the wet ingredients. First, beat the butter and all three sugars together until fluffy. Then, mix in the eggs, vanilla, leavening, and sea salt.
2. Add the dry ingredients. Next, slowly mix in the flour, followed by the chocolate chips.
3. Chill the dough. Wrap your cookie dough tightly in plastic wrap and pop it into the fridge. I usually let the dough chill overnight, though you can do this up to 48 hours in advance.
4. Bake. When it’s time to bake your cookies, scoop the dough into balls using a 3-tablespoon cookie scoop. Arrange the cookies on a lined baking sheet and bake at 350ºF for 12 minutes until the cookies are golden at the edges.

Why You Should Chill Cookie Dough

You don’t necessarily need to chill the cookie dough for this recipe, though you should. Just like when I made the famous New York Times Jacques Torres chocolate chip cookies, chilling is an important step for the best classic chocolate chip cookies, too. Here’s why:

• Chilling cookie dough develops the flavor. Just like some recipes (soups, sauces, etc.) taste better the day after they’re made, chilling helps the flavors in these cookies develop.
• Crispy, buttery edges. Also, chilling the dough dries it out ever so slightly, giving you crispier, chewier edges.
• Better overall texture. Chilling the dough relaxes the gluten for chewy cookies with soft-baked centers. Not to mention, chilling even deepens the color of the dough! So, you’ll have a darker, browner cookie as opposed to a pale one.

Tips for Perfect Cookies (Every Time)

• Bake while the dough is still chilled. I like to bake these cookies with the dough still chilled. This does make it a little harder to scoop out, so I allow it to sit out, after being chilled for 15-ish minutes, to make it a little easier to scoop! I have broken many a cookie scoop trying to pry out rock-hard cookie dough, so let it sit out for a few minutes to make it scoopable!
• Or, pre-scoop your dough. You can also scoop the dough into portions as soon as you make it and then chill the scoops together on a large baking sheet. You can also freeze the dough in portions.
• Don’t skimp on the chocolate chips! I always say, the more, the merrier (if my ultimate chocolate chip cookies are any indication!)
• Measure your flour accurately. Whether you use the scoop and shake method or the scoop and level method, be sure you use the right amount of flour in this recipe. Never scoop the flour directly from the bag, which risks overmeasuring.
• Don’t over-bake. Chocolate chip cookies won’t look “done” when you pull them out of the oven. As long as the edges are golden, they are ready to be pulled. The centers will firm up as the cookies cool.

How to Store These Cookies

• Store the cookies airtight. Let your cookies cool to room temperature, then transfer them to an airtight container and store them on the counter for up to 3 days. You can also store these cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 6 days.
• Freeze. You can freeze the baked cookies for up to 2 months and thaw them at room temperature when it’s time to serve. Want to make the cookie dough ahead to bake later? See my tutorial on how to freeze cookie dough.

More Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes

• Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Malted Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Rainbow Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Chocolate Chip Cookie Dunkers

Note: The recipe I make in the video is the recipe from my book, which is slightly different from this recipe, using a bit more baking soda and baking powder. I like both versions, but have found that adding a little, as I’ve written the recipe here, produces a thicker, chewier cookie, which I prefer. Also note, I used the convection setting in the video, which bakes a bit faster than non-convection. The recipe, as written below, is for a non-convection oven.