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Perfect chocolate chip cookies that bake up thick and chewy every time and they’re ready in just 20 minutes. No chilling or softening butter required!
I know. The internet does not need another chocolate chip cookie recipe, right? I mean, who do I think I am showing up here and claiming to have perfected such a simple cookie.
Well, I’m a person who literally has spent years searching for and experimenting with cookie recipes that proclaim to be “the best.” I ate a lot of cookies that were good. Many that were great. Not so much on the perfect though.
I mean, some of them were super close, but they required hours of chilling and I’m sorry, when I want a cookie, I want a gosh darn cookie.
I don’t want a cookie in an hour. I don’t want a cookie tomorrow. I want a cookie NOW.
So, I set out to make the perfect chocolate chip cookies that didn’t need to be chilled. In doing so, I came across a recipe on Allrecipes that calls for melted butter and no chilling. Say what? That’s basically the opposite of every good cookie recipe, but what the heck. Doesn’t hurt to try.
After all, my dad broke all the rules with his famous homemade biscuits, so maybe breaking the rules is the way to go with cookies too.
I changed the recipe up a bit each time I tried it, writing down what changes made things better and what made things worse. I finally ended up with this recipe.
Why these cookies are perfect:
The cookies are huge. I don’t want to eat five small cookies. I want to eat one big cookie. It’s just my preference. Mostly because bigger cookies allow for more softer, chewier middles.
These are soft. Like, soft soft. Super soft. The edges don’t really get crisp, so if you’re looking for crispy edges, keep moving. These things are soft all the way around and all the way through. I love it!
No chilling! You go from cookie craving to cookie making to cookie eating all in just 20 minutes.
No pudding mix in these guys! I like pudding cookies just fine, you guys. They’re good! But I don’t always have pudding mix on hand and I also think they taste not quite as “classic” as a cookie without pudding.
The butter gets melted! What’s the big deal about melting the butter? Well, that means you don’t have to panic because you forgot to leave butter out on the counter to come to room temperature. You don’t have to attempt microwaving it for 8.342 seconds, because any shorter leaves butter that’s too hard, but any longer leaves butter that is melted through. Just melt the dang butter and be done with it!
It’s a small batch! Okay, okay. This one could go either way. I mean, I like having a cookie jar full of cookies, for sure. But I really like my cookies fresh from the oven! This recipe just makes 9 cookies, so you’ll still have a few leftover for tomorrow, but maybe the next day you can make a fresh batch and get them fresh from the oven. It’s the best of both worlds.
Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie Ingredients:
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Dry Cookie Dough Ingredients – You’ll need some standard baking ingredients: flour, baking soda, salt, sugar, and brown sugar. We use more brown sugar than white in this recipe to keep the cookies extra soft and chewy!
Wet Cookie Dough Ingredients – Melted butter, egg, and vanilla extract for flavor!
Espresso Powder – My secret ingredient! It’s optional, but I promise it’s worth adding! It enhances all the flavors, especially the chocolate.
Chocolate Chips – You can use any variety you like. Milk chocolate, semisweet, or dark chocolate chips will work in these cookies!
What Readers are Saying!
“I’ve been searching for the perfect cookie recipe and I’ve got to say.. this is IT. So extremely easy to make and the thickness & softness is to die for. So good!!” – Victoria
How To Make Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies:
Butter: The first step to making this chocolate chip cookie recipe is to melt some butter! We usually just heat it in a saucepan, but you can use the microwave too.
And sometimes if we’re feeling fancy we’ll let the butter continue cooking on the stove until it has turned a nice golden brown. Browned butter adds some extra caramel flavor, but these taste great either way!
Mix: Next up you can add in the sugars and the espresso powder (optional, but trust me it’s good) to the butter and mix well before beating in the egg and vanilla.
That espresso powder will give an extra depth of flavor to these cookies without making them taste like coffee. Skip it if you don’t have it on hand. To finish making the cookie dough add in the remaining ingredients and combine with the chocolate chips. Save a few of the chips to top the cookies.
Bake: When your chocolate chip cookie dough is ready and the oven has pre-heated you can scoop the dough into equal sized portions onto a baking sheet. We make nine large cookies with this recipe. They’re the perfect size, in our opinion.
Eleven minutes is the magical number for these perfect chocolate chip cookies. If you make smaller cookies, adjust the bake time accordingly, but do not overbake!
Once they’ve finished baking allow them to cool and serve!
And, in case you’re wondering, I also have a recipe for perfect homemade brownies and perfect homemade blondies on the blog! There are some pretty perfect monster cookies, too! Oh, hey, there’s brookies too!
FAQ’s:
Each of these chocolate chip cookies contains about 361 calories. These are big, bakery style cookies!
Our recipe was formulated to make thick, soft cookies that don’t spread. Be sure to measure the flour properly (use a dry measure and spoon the flour in, then level it off – don’t pack the flour in) for the best results.
In a cookie jar, of course! They’ll keep for at least 5 days at room temperature, and even longer in the fridge.
Yep! Let them cool completely before transferring to a wax or parchment paper lined freezer safe container or bag. They’ll last up to a couple months.
MORE COOKIE RECIPES!
We’ve got lots and lots of cookie recipes, so maybe check some of these others out too!
- Biscoff Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Peanut Butter & Jelly Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies
- Kit Kat Cookies
- Biscoff Oatmeal Crunch Cookies
- Banana Oatmeal Cookies
Leave a review!
Did you try these cookies? Please leave a star review and a comment down below to let us know what you think! We love hearing from you. 🙂
Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon espresso powder optional
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1 2/3 cup flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup chocolate chips, any variety
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Add butter to a small saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until melted. Alternately, melt in the microwave. (Optional step for extra caramel-y flavor: Brown the butter! Keep cooking after the butter has melted. The butter will foam and bubble as it cooks. Once the liquid becomes golden brown remove from the heat and add to the bowl of a stand mixer and let cool for 2 minutes. Use 1 additional tablespoon of butter if browning it to account for evaporation.)
- Add the brown sugar, white sugar, and espresso powder to the butter and beat until well combined.
- Beat in the vanilla and egg until just combined.
- Gradually pour in the flour, baking soda, and salt and mix until just combined.
- Stir in the chocolate chips by hand, reserving a few to press onto the tops of the cookie dough, if desired.
- Portion into 9 large balls of dough and place on a large baking sheet. Dot the tops with the remaining chocolate chips.
- Bake for 11 minutes exactly. Cookies will still be slightly underdone when you remove them from the oven. Do not overbake. Let sit on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack or eating.
Dana says
What kind of espresso power do you use? What brand chocolate chips? Please clarify how you measure the flour and what kind of flour do you use and how you brown the butter. Was reading all the comments and want to make sure mine come out like that picture. I can taste them already…lol. thanks for sharing your recipe. I will let you know how they come out after i get the clarification, unless you want to come over and have a bake off.
Karly says
Hi Dana! I often use Cafe Bustelo espresso and Nestle chocolate chips. I measure the flour by spooning it into a dry measure and leveling it off. Instructions for browning the butter are located within the recipe card. Hope that helps clarify.
Laura says
What size scoop do you use ?
Karly says
To make these as 9 giant cookies, even the large cookie scoop is a bit small. I usually scoop out 9 and then go back and stick the extra dough on each piece to make them an even size. 🙂
Megan says
I’m just making these for the first time right now. They’re turning out really thick, and I’m not even making them particularly large. I usually have a problem with cookies spreading out too much and being thinner than I’d like. So, do you know what the difference is in this recipe to make them not spread out? I’m just curious.
Karly says
It’s the ratio of flour to butter. 🙂
Kim feighner says
Made three batches of these tonight. I was only planning on making two, but after trying one cookie I knew that these were going to be gobbled up. I didnt make 9 large ones, but used a large cookie scoop and made about 2 dozen from each batch. Also one other thing I experienced. First two batches I browned unsalted butter. Third recipe I used a salted stick. The salted butter browned better, added a bit to flavor but otherwise was the same. I baked them about the same amount of time too. I will be getting rid of all other chocolate chip cookie recipes.
Karly says
So glad that you enjoyed these so much! I’ve never browned unsalted butter before – interesting that it didn’t brown quite as well.
Sheila says
I don’t know what happened, but these were a total disaster!! The “dough” was more like course sand than cookie dough! I double checked the recipe and they were just awful! Never again!!
Karly says
Sounds like you may have measured your flour wrong as I’ve gotten so many compliments on this recipe and make it myself weekly. Did you spoon your flour into your measuring cups properly? Also, if you overcooked your butter, too much may have evaporated leaving you with a drier dough.
Pris says
I’m literally baking these as I type (though I did do a single test cookie first) and ohhhh myyy worrrd. You need a disclaimer for that browned butter ‘cause that stuff will make your heart SING! (Kind of ironic to say that, because it’s butter and it’s your heart, blah blah blah, lol.)
I was truly sad to not have any espresso powder to include in my dough, but the rich, nutty, caramel-y aroma and flavour of the browned butter just steals the show entirely here.
Even in my *horribly* temperamental and frustrating oven, this recipe worked out beautifully. 11-minute bake, 5-minute (10 in my case) cool down on baking sheet and they were baked just enough in the center and golden on the bottom. You don’t understand how shocking it is for me to not have something raw in the middle and nearly burnt on the outside with this darn appliance.
Thank you for sharing the glorious results of all your trial and error. I finally have a trusty, go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe! 🙂
Karly says
Isn’t browned butter just the best thing ever?? 🙂
So glad this worked out for you, even with that temperamental oven!
Jason says
Wow, these are perfect. Thanks for the great recipe.
Charlene says
Hi Karly,
I want to make these crunchy. How much longer would you leave them in the oven?
When I was little my Aunt made cruncy CCC. I would love to make them.
Thank you so much for all your wonderful recipes. This is so much fun. I tell all my friends
Karly says
Hi Charlene! I would actually just use a different recipe. These were created to be thick, chewy, and soft. You’d have to really overcook them to get them crunchy. You’d be better off starting out with a recipe that was meant to be crunchy. 🙂 Hope that helps!
Kelly Sleek says
Just made them and they were fabulous!!! Did not turn into to flat pancake which I hate!! Loved them!!
Karly says
So glad to hear that, Kelly!
Mike Bennett says
I got my wife to make these cookies— and they were delicious! The only things we couldn’t figure out was if you used light or dark brown sugar… and if you used instant espresso powder or was it like whole espresso beans “powered” by a really-fine espresso grind?
Karly says
I’ve used both light and dark brown sugar – I normally go for dark. And I used instant espresso powder. 🙂
Jamie | A Sassy Spoon says
Love me some chocolate chip cookies! These looks so thick and chewy! *heart eyes emoji*
Megan | 3 Scoops of Sugar says
I am always ready for a new cookie recipe to try and this one looks 100% legit! I agree with you on not willing to chill the cookie dough bc usually kids are involved and we don’t have time for that sorta thing! Can’t wait to try!! 🙂
Kelsie | the itsy-bitsy kitchen says
You weren’t kidding when you said perfect. Holy yum! I could take down a batch of these babies without a problem 🙂
CharoTchichi says
In a hurry to make them so I didn’t have any espresso powder but I made anyway and they turned out perfect! I made eight cookies so they would be a round number… easier to divvy up ? Since they were a tad larger, I baked them 13 minutes- just the right amount of crispiness on the bottom and edges with soft insides. Pinned!!!
Ebony Rax says
Omg !!! I just baked these & they are soooooo good !! I can’t wait to share them with my classmates!! So soft and chewy !!! I had to reframe from eating more than two !! Thank you so much for this recipe!! I’m making an extra batch as we speak!! ??????
Karly says
Glad they were a hit! 🙂