In a kitchen full of cookies, these are the best ever chocolate chip cookies! Soft, chewy, packed with mini chocolate chips and hinted with crunchy sea salt, they’re perfect in every way. I share my easy tricks to make homemade chocolate chip cookies that always stand out.
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:
- 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.
- Add the dry ingredients. Next, slowly mix in the flour, followed by the chocolate chips.
- 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.
- 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
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.
The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 22 minutes
- Yield: 24 cookies 1x
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Dessert
Description
This recipe makes the best ever chocolate chip cookies! They’re soft, chewy, made with mini chocolate chips and sea salt, and perfect in every way.
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter, room temperature
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
- 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 (12 oz) bag mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
- optional – flaked sea salt to garnish
Instructions
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment mix the butter and sugars together for 2 minutes on medium speed, until fluffy and light.
- Add in the eggs, vanilla, baking soda, baking powder, and salt, and continue mixing until incorporated, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Turn the mixer to low and add in flour, mixing until just combined.
- Stir in all chocolate chips until evenly distributed.
- Cover dough plastic wrap and and refrigerate overnight, or up to 48 hours.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Using a large (3- tablespoon) cookie scoop drop the dough 2 inches apart on the baking sheet.
- Bake for 12 minutes, or until the edges are golden.
- Remove from the oven and let cool on baking sheet for 2-3 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Notes
Store the airtight for up to 3 days.
You can use regular sized chocolate chips if you prefer
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 226
- Sugar: 16.9 g
- Sodium: 192.1 mg
- Fat: 11.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 28.8 g
- Protein: 2.9 g
- Cholesterol: 35.8 mg
I honestly tried this recipe b/c the picture was a “to good to be true” kinda picture (absolutely beautiful). Tried and true!! These cookies are Amazing and actually looked like your picture! I have never refrigerated my cookie dough before but will from now on. They held form w/o sinking flat. The flavor was the good old comfort food taste that just made you want a glass of milk. Thank you for sharing. Definitely see why it is a favorite.
~God Bless~
LOVE hearing this!!!
Hello could you tell me the difference that sea salt and common salt in the recipe make?
the sea salt I use in this recipe is coarse, as opposed to a fine ground.
but what difference does the salt in the recipe? 🙂
It amps up the flavor and adds a bit of sweet and salty to the cookie 🙂
These are without a doubt my favorite chocolate chip cookies. I have made them many times and will continue to make them. I would not change a thing! Thanks so much for the recipe.
Thank you so much!! We love them too!
I’m definitely making these this weekend! How do you measure your flour? By weight or spoon & sweep? I love weighing my flour, I find you get more consistent goodies.
These cookies are great! I was skeptical about using the mini chips as it didn’t seem like they would give much of a chocolate punch but the cookies are very chocolaty. I like how uncomplicated this recipe is too. It’s not fussy with a bunch of extra ingredients or multiple steps.
If I only have unsalted butter, how much extra salt should I add? Or would you recommend just getting the salted butter?
I would add in an extra 1/2 tsp salt…I always bake with salted butter, but that’s strictly a taste preference on my part!
Hey there!!!!
Before try your recipe i want to know if i can use the air option at my oven because unfortunately i have a combi oven/microwave….
I use the convection setting in my oven a lot to bake, so I imagine it will work. You might need to alter the bake time, so just watch it closely!
I just made these. They are soooooooooo good. I almost don’t want to give them to my boyfriend… However, it is his birthday so he can have them. Thanks for the recipe.
I think your favorite chocolate chip cookie could soon become mine! My husband has a weakness for c.c cookies and I always have some in the freezer for him. I am intrigued by your use of coarse sea salt and am super excited about the tablespoon of vanilla!!! Thanks!
Excellent recipe. These are now my favorite chocolate chip cookies by far. The right amount of dark brown sugar, the course salt and the mini chips really make a difference. I made mine with salted Kerry Gold butter which gave them extra wonderful buttery flavor. Everyone loves them. Thanks so much for this recipe.