The Best Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies on parchment.

It’s always chocolate chip cookie season around here, but with a little chill in the air and the leaves turning color, it’s EXTRA-definitely chocolate chip cookie season. This is one of our most-made and most-loved recipes on the entire blog, both by our team (okay, maybe myself singlehandedly?) and also by you. And there is no fall weekend that is not made better by a batch of homemade gooey, buttery, perfectly thick and soft chocolate chip cookies.

All the good cookie eaters of the world!

We were made for such a time as this.

These cookies are soft, thick, bricks of chocolate chunks and buttery dough baked into a heavy, milk-loving cookie that is my most favorite chocolate chip cookie of all time. ♡

Wait, though. They are singing a love song to you: BAKE ME.

BAKE ME IN YOUR OVEN RIGHT NOW.

WATCH HOW TO MAKE OUR BEST SOFT CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES:

How These Cookies Came to Be

A loooong time ago, when we were living in the Philippines, I accidentally discovered my new favorite way to make cookies. The recipe is many many years old, but if you like to creep, they can be located here.

And let me just take a moment to acknowledge that seriously without fail – everything good that I make is always inspired by haphazard accidents, including but not limited to broken refrigerators and lacking ingredients and my really strong tendency towards laziness. Everything including these cookies and all their iterations.

So in 90 bajillion degree Cebu, Philippines, back in fateful 2012, yes I WAS trying to bake chocolate chip cookies. In true Pinch of Yum must-have-the-food-now style, it made 0% rational sense. I had butter that was literally melted from sitting out on the counter for, like, three seconds, I had NO brown sugar, and I added a little too much extra flour. I proceeded to bake the accidental cookies in my oven which I had to start by lighting a FIRE with a MATCH inside of it and which had NO TEMPERATURE MARKINGS other than the numbers 1-5. I am laughing out loud over here – howwww did I do anything?

Melted Butter for Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Chocolate Chips for Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies.

What Makes Them The Best

So where were we? I think we were about to count the number of cookies I’ve eaten as I’ve refined this recipe, which is approximately $&@^!# (censored).

I’ve always loved that old Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe, but I’ve always kind of been annoyed about it, too. Like why does it need to melt only half of the butter? Does it really not work to melt ALL of it? And why does it need the spoonful of brown sugar? Or does it? Sheesh, how annoying is the person who wrote that recipe anyway? *WOOPS*

Now for the good news!

I replicated the ULTRA THICK, ULTRA SOFT texture (it called for bold, right?) and maybe even improved the flavor with this version that is similar, but way easier and more sensible than the original.

And by sensible, I mean… just… like, lazy sensible, okay? I don’t mean THAT kind of sensible. You might need to start looking for another blog if you need your cookies to be sensible.

There is nothing sensible about this beautiful sugar and butter perfection.

We’re always trying to eat a little better around here. Right? Maybe.

But there is one thing that I love more than anything in the world – yep – going there, and that is a really good, thick, soft, chocolate chip cookie with a glass of milk.

Today, tonight, whenever it is, if you’re going to eat a cookie, please make it count.

Please make it a soft, hugely huge and always soft, and buttery and chocolate chippy and perfectly soft (did I already say that?) chocolate chip cookie that will take your life to the next level.

Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies With Bite Taken Out

Other Favorite Chocolate Sweets and Treats:

Common Questions About Chocolate Chip Cookies

Why did my cookies flatten?

The three most important things about this recipe are 1) Melting the butter, 2) Adding enough flour, and 3) Not baking for too long. If you find that the dough is wet and it REALLY sticks to your hands, you probably need more flour. I’ll usually add a few tablespoons at a time to get it to the right consistency. See the video in this post for reference as well as the cookie chart in the recipe card!

Why are my cookies so puffy?

This usually means that there’s too much flour in the dough, keeping them from spreading more. Be sure to always measure your flour correctly (spooning it in to the measuring cup vs. scooping from the bag). Since you can always add more, it’s important to not over-flour to start with. See the video in this post for reference on the correct consistency!

Can I freeze chocolate chip cookie dough?

Yes! Roll them up into balls, freeze them on a sheet pan, and then keep them in a bag in the freezer until ready to bake. We’d recommend letting them thaw on a sheet pan (covered) before baking.

Can I make these gluten-free?

We’ve never tried it with this recipe, but I’m sure you could! If you have a favorite 1:1 gluten-free flour, that’s probably your best bet. We’d love to hear how it goes.

How should I store the cookies after baking?

The cookies can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days, or in the fridge for a week. We like the fridge method to keep them fresh!

The Best Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

★★★★★

4.6 from 1381 reviews

Author: Pinch of Yum
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 10 mins
Total Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 12 cookies

Print Recipe

Description

These are THE BEST soft chocolate chip cookies! No chilling required. Just ultra thick, soft, classic chocolate chip cookies!

Ingredients

8 tablespoons of salted butter
1/2 cup white sugar (I like to use raw cane sugar with a coarser texture)
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour (more as needed – see video)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt (but I always add a little extra)
3/4 cup chocolate chips (I use a combination of chocolate chips and chocolate chunks)

Instructions

Video

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Microwave the butter for about 40 seconds to just barely melt it. It shouldn’t be hot – but it should be almost entirely in liquid form.
Using a stand mixer or electric beaters, beat the butter with the sugars until creamy. Add the vanilla and the egg; beat on low speed until just incorporated – 10-15 seconds or so (if you beat the egg for too long, the cookies will be stiff).
Add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix until crumbles form. Use your hands to press the crumbles together into a dough. It should form one large ball that is easy to handle (right at the stage between “wet” dough and “dry” dough). Add the chocolate chips and incorporate with your hands.
Roll the dough into 12 large balls (or 9 for HUGELY awesome cookies) and place on a cookie sheet. Bake for 9-11 minutes until the cookies look puffy and dry and just barely golden.Warning, friends: DO NOT OVERBAKE. This advice is probably written on every cookie recipe everywhere, but this is essential for keeping the cookies soft. Take them out even if they look like they’re not done yet (see picture in the post). They’ll be pale and puffy.
Let them cool on the pan for a good 30 minutes or so (I mean, okay, eat four or five but then let the rest of them cool). They will sink down and turn into these dense, buttery, soft cookies that are the best in all the land. These should stay soft for many days if kept in an airtight container. I also like to freeze them.

Equipment

Notes

The equipment section above contains affiliate links to products we use and love!

CookieGuideTyped From our recipe tester: If you’re running into issues with your cookies, you can reference the examples above to help find out what may have gone wrong. One of the keys to achieving the perfect cookie is to ensure the correct amount of flour is used. Ideally, the flour should be weighed. In testing, we found that 6.75 ounces of flour was the correct amount. Without a food scale, don’t pack the flour into measuring cups and always level the flour off.