This is the only Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe you’ll ever need. I made them with browned butter and two kinds of chocolate to give them crisp edges, unbelievably soft and chewy middles, and gooey pools of chocolate in every bite. I tested this recipe again and again and can confidently say it’s perfect.
Many professional chefs wouldn’t call themselves natural bakers, but I love it. It’s fun to use the techniques I’ve learned in the kitchen to elevate classic baked goods, like Fudgy Chocolate Brownies and my favorite Carrot Cake. My wife and daughter couldn’t be happier about it, too. I love making the desserts, and they love eating them.
The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies
I know, I know; there are a million chocolate chip cookie recipes in the world. It’s part of the reason why I’ve never come up with my own. I knew from the start that if I wanted to be part of this popular club, I had to take my time with the testing. And I’m really glad I did because it seriously paid off.
It’s bold to say, but these really are the best chocolate chip cookies ever. Most recipes end up either dry and crumbly or flat and overly sweet, but not this one. The cookie edges are perfectly crisp, the centers stay soft and tender, there are pools of melted chocolate in every bite, and the sweet-and-salty finish makes them impossible to resist.
I have a few tricks up my sleeve for these perfect cookies: browned butter, a little cornstarch, and a mix of semisweet and bittersweet chocolate. Just follow my step-by-step instructions, and you’ll end up with bakery-quality chocolate chip cookies that’ll make you wonder how you ever settled for anything less.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Here’s what I used to make these irresistible cookies:
- Butter – I always use unsalted butter for baking.
- Cream – I used heavy whipping cream for extra fat and moisture.
- Flour – I kept it simple with all-purpose flour.
- Leavening Agents – Just baking soda and baking powder.
- Salt – I added table salt to the cookie dough to round out the flavors, and topped the baked cookies with a pinch of Maldon sea salt for the perfect sweet-and-savory vibe.
- Cornstarch – There’s a reason why chefs like Christina Tosi, Stella Parks, and Thomas Keller add cornstarch to their cookie dough—it softens the flour’s protein structure to yield lighter and more delicate cookies.
- Sugar – Classic chocolate chip cookies need both white AND brown sugar. Brown sugar moistens the cookies, and white sugar helps them spread while they bake.
- Eggs – Remember to take the eggs out of the fridge at least 30 minutes before you get started.
- Vanilla – For flavor.
- Chocolate – A mix of semi-sweet chocolate chips and chopped bittersweet chocolate is non-negotiable in these cookies. Using only milk chocolate will make the cookies way too sweet.
How to Make Chocolate Chip Cookies with Brown Butter
Brown the butter: I start by adding the butter to a small saucepan over low to medium heat. I let the melted butter simmer and foam until it turns brown and smells nutty and fragrant.
Chill: Next, I stir in the heavy cream. I transfer the browned butter to a container and let it chill.
Sift the dry ingredients: In a large bowl, I sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cornstarch.
Combine the sugars: In the bowl of a stand mixer, I briefly mix the brown sugar and granulated sugar to break up the clumps.
Whip the brown butter: I add the chilled browned butter to the bowl with the sugar and beat it on high speed until the mixture is light and fluffy.
Add the eggs: Next, I mix in one egg at a time, then add the vanilla. After scraping the edges of the bowl, I beat the mixture on high for 10 seconds to smooth everything out.
Add the dry ingredients: With the mixer on low, I mix in the dry ingredients in three equal batches just until everything is combined.
Fold in the chocolate: To finish the cookie dough, I fold in both kinds of chocolate using a rubber spatula.
Shape the dough: I portion the dough into 12 equal cookies. Next, I divide the cookies between two lined half-sheet trays. I sprinkle any reserved chocolate shavings over the tops of the cookies.
Bake: Finally, the cookies are ready to be baked in the oven. They’re done when the edges look set and are just starting to brown.
Salt and cool: After I take the cookies out of the oven, I sprinkle a little Maldon salt on top of each one. I set them aside to cool slightly, then dig in.
Chef Tip + Notes
It’s important to get the browned butter right from the start, or your cookies won’t be bakery-worthy. Browning butter is the process of simmering melted butter in a light-colored pan until the milk solids have been toasted, the butter has taken on a deep golden color, and it smells rich and nutty. If the butter ever smells burnt during this process, it’s best to start over.
- Chill the brown butter: If I didn’t chill the brown butter and cream mixture, the sugars would melt, and the cookies would spread too much in the oven.
- How to measure flour: I like to use a kitchen scale when baking because it’s the most accurate way to measure ingredients. If you don’t have one, spoon the flour into a measuring cup and level off the excess with the back of a knife.
- Don’t overmix: I avoid overmixing the cookie dough by adding the dry ingredients in batches and mixing just until the flour is absorbed into the wet ingredients.
- Chill the cookie dough: Chilling the cookie dough in the fridge before baking is optional. Do it if you have the time—it gives the flour time to fully hydrate and the flavors time to develop. A 1-hour chill is good, or you can leave it for up to 24 hours (covered).
- Use the right pan: I always bake these cookies on light-colored, aluminum sheet pans lined with parchment paper. Dark pans absorb too much heat and can overbrown the bottoms before the centers are set.
- Overly soft cookies: The cookies will look very soft coming out of the oven, but that’s okay! My cookies didn’t take long to firm up and finish baking when I set them aside to cool.
Serving Suggestions
Does it get more classic than a freshly baked chocolate chip cookie paired with a glass of ice-cold milk? Sounds delicious to me. A couple of cookies pushed into my bowl of vanilla ice cream is always fun, too.
I usually make a batch of chocolate chip cookies for my holiday cookie boxes around Christmas. They’re always a welcome surprise next to my candy-packed M&M Cookies and these 15-minute Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead: You can make and shape the cookie-dough balls ahead of time and freeze them for later use. Freeze the dough balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet until solid, then transfer them to an airtight freezer container.
How to Store: The raw cookie dough can be covered and frozen for up to 3 months. The baked cookies can be stored in a sealed container on the kitchen counter for up to 3 days, in the fridge for about 2 weeks, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
How to Reheat: The raw cookie dough balls can be baked from frozen. Add 1 to 3 extra minutes to the bake time since they’re cold.
More Dessert Recipes
Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup semi-sweet chips
- 6 ounces bitter-sweet chocolate 70% cacao, cut into small chunks
- Maldon salt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F.
- Add the butter to a small sauce pot over low to medium heat and cook for 9 to 11 minutes, or until it becomes very foamy. The goal is to toast the milk solids in the butter. They should be lightly browned at the end and have a nutty taste and aroma.
- Add in 2 tablespoons of heavy cream. Transfer to a separate container and chill it in the fridge for 30 minutes, or for a quicker option, in the freezer for 15 minutes.
- In a large bowl, sift in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cornstarch.
- Add the brown and granulated sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment, mix on low speed.
- At this point, add in the chilled browned butter and then whisk on high speed for 3 to 4 minutes. It will become light and fluffy. Stop and scrape the bowl as often as needed.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until incorporated after each addition. Mix in the vanilla just until combined, then stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and beat on high for 10 seconds.
- Turn the speed down to low and add in the dry ingredients in 3 equal batches. Don’t add the next batch until the previous batch is fully mixed. Stop and scrape after the second batch is added in.
- After the third and final batch of dry ingredients is just mixed in, remove it from the stand mixer.
- Next, thoroughly fold in the chocolate chips along with the cut-up bittersweet chocolate using a rubber spatula. For the little extra chunks or shavings from cutting it up, briefly set them aside.
- Using a 3- to 4-ounce scooper, or rolling them by hand, make 12 equal-sized cookies.
- Place 6 of them on a half-sheet tray lined with parchment paper, evenly spaced apart. You will need 2 sheet trays.
- Take the little extra cut-up chocolate shavings and sprinkle them evenly on top of the cookies. Bake on the middle rack at 350° for 16 to 18 minutes, or until the outer edges begin to brown.
- As soon as you remove the cookies, place them on a cooling rack and season the tops with a very small pinch of Maldon salt.
- Cool them and eat them.
Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe