Food director Chris Morocco spent months (truly) developing this chocolate chip cookie recipe—he made nearly 30 batches, plus 10 more in the cross-testing phase—to ensure they were the absolute best. What makes this recipe deliver on that promise? Crispy edges, a buttery chew, and plenty of chocolate chunks in every bite—all without a stand mixer.
The cookies are rooted in classic Toll House flavor, but browning the butter amps up the toasty notes and is key in developing the balance of crisp edges, while a high ratio of brown sugar to white sugar ensures chewy chocolate chip cookie centers. The amount of flour and the quality of the pure vanilla extract is important here; Chris recommends Heilala or Nielsen-Massey, which have enough heft to stand up to bitter dark chocolate. We highly recommend weighing your flour with a scale; if you don’t have one, use a spoon to scoop the flour into a measuring cup until overflowing, and a straight edge (such as the back of a butter knife) to level it off.
We understand cookie preferences aren’t uniform—some prefer soft cookies or a chewier finish. Others require a sprinkling of flaky sea salt on top. If your perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe includes nutty, crunchy bits, try our Anytime Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookie recipe. Heightened caramelly crunch? Head off to these Brown-Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies With Toffee. If you’re gluten-free (and even if not), try this version with milk, dark, and white chocolate. And if you’re a cookie ice cream sandwich lover, use two of these to sandwich a scoop of premium vanilla.
Presented by DoorDash
Ingredients
Makes 16
1½
cups plus 1 Tbsp. (200 g) all-purpose flour (spooning into measuring cups, then leveling)
1¼
tsp. (4 g) Diamond Crystal or ¾ tsp. (4 g) Morton kosher salt
¾
tsp. (4 g) baking soda
¾
cup (1½ sticks; 169 g) unsalted butter, divided
1
cup (200 g) (packed) dark brown sugar
¼
cup (50 g) granulated sugar
1
large egg
2
large egg yolks
2
tsp. vanilla extract
6
oz. (170 g) bittersweet chocolate (60%–70% cacao), coarsely chopped, or semisweet chocolate chips
Preparation
Step 1
Place racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 375°. Whisk 1½ cups plus 1 Tbsp. (200 g) all-purpose flour, 1¼ tsp. (4 g) Diamond Crystal or ¾ tsp. (4 g) Morton kosher salt, and ¾ tsp. (4 g) baking soda in a small bowl; set flour mixture aside.
Step 2
Cook ½ cup (1 stick; 113 g) unsalted butter in a large saucepan over medium heat, swirling often and scraping bottom of pan with a heatproof rubber spatula, until butter foams, then browns, about 4 minutes. Scrape melted butter and any brown bits to a large heatproof mixing bowl and let cool 1 minute. Cut remaining ¼ cup (½ stick; 56 g) unsalted butter into small pieces and add to brown butter (it should start to melt but not foam and sizzle, so test with one piece before adding the rest).
Step 3
Once butter is melted, add 1 cup (200 g) (packed) dark brown sugar and ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar and whisk, breaking up any clumps, until sugar is incorporated and no lumps remain. Add 1 large egg and 2 large egg yolks and whisk until sugar dissolves and mixture is smooth, about 30 seconds. Whisk in 2 tsp. vanilla extract. Using rubber spatula, fold reserved dry ingredients into butter mixture just until no dry spots remain, then fold in 6 oz. (170 g) bittersweet chocolate (60%–70% cacao), coarsely chopped, or semisweet chocolate chips (the cookie dough will be soft but should hold its shape once scooped; if it slumps or oozes after being scooped, stir dough back together several times and let rest 5–10 minutes until scoops hold their shape as the flour hydrates).
Step 4
Using a 1½-oz. scoop (3 Tbsp.), portion out 16 balls of dough and divide between 2 parchment-paper-lined rimmed baking sheets. Bake cookies, rotating sheets if cookies are browning very unevenly (otherwise, just leave them alone), until deep golden brown and firm around the edges, 8–10 minutes. Let cool on baking sheets.
Do ahead: Dough balls can be portioned 3 months ahead; freeze on cookie sheets and then transfer to a resealable plastic bag. Bake from frozen, adding 1–2 minutes on to the cook time. Cookies can be baked 3 days ahead. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Editor’s note: This recipe was originally published in April 2019. Head this way for more of our favorite easy cookie recipes →
