Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: Full of sweet butterscotch & chocolate flavors, exactly how a chocolate chip cookie should taste!
Texture: Thick and chock full of gooey chocolate with slightly crisp edges.
Ease: No special ingredients, equipment, or skills needed!
Pros: Easy everyday delightful chocolate chip cookie recipe. I think you’ll love this one.
Cons: None.
Would I make this again? I’ve already made this recipe many times and have the dough in my freezer for when the craving strikes.
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My favorite type of recipe to bake is absolutely COOKIES. They’re so fun and simple and can teach us SO much about the science of baking.
The Ultimate Guide to Chocolate Chip Cookies is still one of my most popular posts, visited by over two million people.

That post inspired the creation of my second cookbook, The Ultimate Cookie Handbook. And since THOUSANDS of you have purchased that cookbook, I think it’s clear that we’re all obsessed with cookies here.

Free Cookie Customization Guide!
The science-based guide so you can bake perfect cookies every time!
That’s why I’m SO thrilled to share this Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe with you today. In my opinion, it’s the perfect easy everyday chocolate chip cookie recipe. This homemade recipe is simple to make and yields thick, beautiful golden brown cookies, crisp at the edges and gooey at the center.
Watch the video below to step into my kitchen and see exactly how to bake these delicious cookies with me. I give tons of tips and tricks for getting perfectly thick cookies with chocolate chunks, and you can see what every step of this recipe should look like!
There’s actually a time-lapse video shot of these cookies cooling right after I took them out of the oven. You can see that they hardly shrink or deflate as they cool. If you only beat the butter and sugar for 2 to 3 minutes max, your cookies shouldn’t deflate!



Sprinkle of Science
How to Make The Best Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies
How to Make Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies
The key to the best soft, Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies is to take the chocolate chip cookies out of the oven just before they look like they’re done baking. They should still appear slightly wet in the very center. The residual heat of the oven and pan will finish cooking the cookies through to soft perfection once you allow them to cool completely.
Also, measure your flour correctly to improve your baking forever. Too much flour will lead to dry, dense, or crumbly chocolate chip cookies that barely spread.
Why Are My Chocolate Chip Cookies Flat?
When making cookies, be sure your butter is at a cool room temperature before beating with your sugar. It shouldn’t be greasy or overly soft otherwise it’ll melt and spread the cookies too much.
The warmer your chocolate chip cookie dough is when it enters the oven, the thinner and flatter your cookies will be. To prevent flat cookies, try freezing your balls of cookie dough while your oven preheats. Learn more about how to bake THICK cookies here.
Better yet, refrigerate your chocolate chip cookie dough for 24 to 48 hours. This ‘marination’ process will transform your chocolate chip cookies by making them thicker, chewier, and more flavorful! Plus, this is a perfect way to make your delicious cookies ahead of time. Read more about the magic of chilling your cookie dough here. NOTE: chilling is OPTIONAL for this recipe but using chilled dough will enhance your cookies!

How to Make CHEWY Chocolate Chip Cookies
One of the keys to CHEWY chocolate chip cookies is to use more brown sugar than granulated sugar. The molasses in the brown sugar draws in more moisture, making the cookies thicker, softer, and chewier.
For extra chewy cookies, try adding an extra egg yolk to this recipe. You can also replace half or all of the all-purpose flour in this recipe with bread flour for an ultra-chewy bite.
How to Bake Chocolate Chip Cookies
For the BEST Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies, make the recipe below keeping these top tips in mind:
- Use a kitchen scale to measure your ingredients for the BEST most consistent results.
- Make the recipe exactly as written, without substitutions, at least the first time you bake it.
Use the correct baking pan and a spring-loaded cookie scoop for bakery-quality cookies at home. More on that below!
Why Use a Cookie Scoop?
Using a stainless steel spring-loaded cookie scoop when portioning out cookie dough is one of the KEYS to beautifully uniform, evenly-shaped, evenly-baked cookies. My cookie scoop is one of my most frequently used kitchen gadgets. A spring-loaded scoop saves you *so much time* in forming the balls of dough. When using a scoop, you ensure each ball is evenly sized so the cookies bake evenly, meaning you don’t have any small overbaked cookies or large underbaked cookies. Learn more about Cookie Scoops and how to use them here!
What’s the Difference Between Baking Soda and Baking Powder?
Baking powder and baking soda are both chemical leaveners that work to create light textures in baked goods.
Although baking powder actually contains baking soda, the two leaveners are very different. Baking powder and baking soda are not interchangeable – just take a look at the impact the type of leavener used had on each of the cookies below, and find out more in my Baking Soda vs. Baking Powder article here.

Which Baking Pan is Best for Cookies?
Take a look at the chocolate chip cookies below. These cookies are all the same batch of cookie dough, baked at the same temperature of 350°F, baked for the same amount of time of 12 minutes. The only difference? The type of baking pan used!
Check out my Best (and WORST) Baking Pans article here for more details on the science of baking pans.

How to Keep Chocolate Chip Cookies Fresh
The best cookies are the freshest, there’s no magical way around that. However, here are a few tricks to keeping them fresh and soft for as long as possible!
Can You Freeze Chocolate Chip Cookies?
I love the taste of cookies straight from the oven the best. I always keep pre-scooped balls of chocolate chip cookie dough in a resealable bag in my freezer, so I can bake cookies off and have them warm from the oven in a matter of minutes whenever I want. Here are more tips for freezing cookie dough.
But for those times when you need to keep already-baked cookies soft, see below for my tips. First of all, most cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temp for up to 5 days. Be sure they are completely cooled before storing.
How to Keep Cookies Soft
To keep your baked chocolate chip cookies soft, you can add an apple wedge, piece of bread, or a tortilla on the top and bottom of the cookies to the container a day or two after baking them, or whenever you find the texture starting to harden. The moisture from the bread or apple will migrate to your cookies, making them soft and chewy again.
A tortilla is a favorite of mine because it takes up much less room than a slice of bread, and doesn’t transfer any flavors or aromas like an apple wedge. Not to mention, it fits into a round cookie tin pretty perfectly.
How to Refresh Stored Cookies
What I like to do is reheat and refresh the cookies in a 350°F oven for 3-5 minutes. Your toaster oven should work just fine. This improves the texture and there’s nothing like a warm chocolate chip cookie!

Tessa’s Favorite Tools for This Recipe:
- Large 3-tablespoon size cookie scoop for that bakery-style texture
- Or use a medium 1.5-tablespoon size cookie scoop and bake only for about 10-12 minutes instead
- Nordic Ware Natural Aluminum Baker’s Half Sheet won our side-by-side comparison of the best baking pans
- 12″x16″ non-stick parchment paper for the best bake and easiest cleanup!
- The Ultimate Cookie Handbook: Your Guide to Baking Perfect Cookies Every Time by Tessa Arias
More Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes:
- Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies (these are CHEWIER than this recipe)
- Coconut Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies (dairy-free)
- Browned Butter Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies (ultra flavorful!)
- Marbled Chocolate Chip Cookies (classic and double chocolate chip cookie dough in one cookie!)
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies (for serious PB lovers only!)
See ALL of my types of cookie recipes & cookie baking tips here!

Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 3 cups (380 grams) all-purpose flour**
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 sticks (227 grams) unsalted butter, at cool room temperature (67°F)
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 1/4 cups (247 grams) lightly packed light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 cups (340 grams) semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until creamy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl. Add the vanilla and eggs and beat until combined, scraping the bowl down as needed. Gradually beat in the flour mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- If time permits, wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 24 hours but no more than 72 hours. This allows the dough to “marinate” and makes the cookies thicker, chewier, and more flavorful. Let dough sit at room temperature just until it is soft enough to scoop.
- Divide the dough into 3-tablespoon sized balls using a large cookie scoop and drop onto prepared baking sheets.
- Bake for 11-13 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.
- Although I prefer cookies fresh from the oven, these can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days. See post for storage tips.

Recipe Notes
Photos by Jess Larson.
Can I use this recipe but with salted butter?
Hi Kaylan! Tessa always recommends using unsalted butter, because there is no standardization of salt levels between brands of butters. One brand could contain twice as much salt as the next brand. She therefore always writes recipes using unsalted butter, and adding a specified amount of salt. That said, if all you have is salted butter, I would recommend reducing the salt content by 1/2 teaspoon per 1/2 cup (stick) of butter. I hope that helps!
Hi there will the cookies still be yummy if I chill them for 8 hours
Hi Susana! Yes, they’ll still be delicious if chilled for only a few hours, but Tessa explains why chilling for 24-72 hours improves the taste and texture of cookies in this article here. Let us know what you think of these cookies once you have given them a try 🙂 Happy baking!
How can I use your recipe and not have the ooey and gooey centers. I prefer ever so slightly soft centers.
Any suggestions?
Hi Max! I’d recommend giving Tessa’s Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe here a try instead. It’s a similar delicious flavor, but includes extra ingredients to ensure softness. I hope that helps! Happy baking 🙂
Well, I did as you suggested and used Tessa’s Soft Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe and I have only one word to describe the results, MAGNIFICENT! It was as I preferred, soft and chewy not ooey and gooey. My yield was an astonishing 42 cookies. I don’t know why, or how and I’m not going to question those numbers. I weighed and measured all the ingredients. I tell you now, I will never do that again. Just give me those measuring cups and measuring spoons. I do have one thing to mention the cookie color was a bit on the light brown side. I would have preferred to have them shine. A suggestion on that would help. The worst part of the cookie adventure was the CLEAN-UP. It seemed to take forever. I had flour all over the kitchen, On the walls, the cabinets, the floor, the appliances I used, and those in the area. Next time, I’ll bake the day before the cleaning ladies come. Thanks for the assistance. Max
Hi Max! So glad to hear that you enjoyed that recipe! It sounds like your mixer may have been started on a higher speed, so try a lower speed to incorporate the flour next time, or even mix that part by hand, to prevent the flour getting all over your kitchen 🙂 As for the measuring, in case you’re interested, learn why we recommend measuring with a digital scale (and don’t recommend measuring cups etc) here. As for the shine you’re looking for, most cookies don’t tend to really have a ‘shine’ once they’ve cooled to room temp, but perhaps shaving a minute off the bake time will prevent the edges from browning and give you the look you’re hoping for. I hope that helps! Happy baking!
The flour episode was caused by me. To measure the flour I decided to pour it into a large bowl, with the kitchen fan on high. You see the picture now. I’m not trying to be a smart ass, but the weighing takes too much time and is too tedious for me. If it’s a little more or less I don’t really care.. The baking I do is for me and no one else. I just wanted to have a cookie with taste, which I have accomplished. As for the shine, it looked good while it was in the oven, and as you noted when they cooled down the glorious shine disappeared. Oh well, so be it. Now on to the next mountain to climb. Hersey’s Black Magic Cake. Onward and we shall conquer.
Thank you, I will give this new recipe a try in the not-too-distant future.
Hello Tessa! I know each recipe requires its own proper measurements and not all changes work, but I was wondering what you think of the following. I find these cookies really great! But just a bit too sweet/too many choc chips for my taste and I would also like them slightly thicker. So do you think I can keep eggs, baking soda, butter etc all the same, but add a 10%more flour (and maybe 1 or 2 Tablespoons of cornstarch as well not to lose chewiness) and reduce only the brown sugar to about 180 grams (leaving white to 100 grams) and reduce choc chips to about 200-220 grams? Would it work or change way too much everything? Thanks!!
Hi Chiara! Feel free to experiment as you wish, but I would recommend first checking out Tessa’s How to Bake THICK Cookies post here, to see if that helps you achieve the thick texture you’re looking for, without changing the flavor of the cookies. Feel free to also experiment with lowering the amount of chocolate chips. Happy baking 🙂
Can you handmix instead of using a stand mixer?
Hi Nicole! Yes, that will work just fine 🙂 Let us know what you think of these cookies once you have given them a try!
Are there any recommended alterations to the recipe to use it as a cookie cake? My son is turning 12 and specifically wants this cookie (his favorite) but as a giant “cookie cake”
Hi Tracy! We haven’t tried that, so we can’t say for sure! I’d recommend trying our Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake recipe here, or comparing the two recipes to find a pan size and bake time, as that will give you a better indication. Let us know how it goes if you give this a try 🙂
These were great! Easy recipe. I melted the butter because it had been in the fridge and eggs were cold but it turned out fine. I added chopped up leftover choc from the Easter bunny too.
These Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies are everyone’s favorite. The recipe is easy to follow, and the cookies are a little crisp on the edges with a chewy (and gooey if warm) center. Soooo good!! I always keep well-wrapped cookie dough balls in my freezer so I can bake a few quickly any time.
Can you use vegetable shortening in place of butter?
No, shortening and butter are two very different ingredients. You’re welcome to experiment, but the resulting taste and texture will not be the same.
This is my go to chocolate chip recipe! Your recipes never fail. Everytime I make these everyone loves them! I always refrigerate them over night then I bake them it really does make a difference!
Hands down best chocolate chip cookie recipe ever! These will forever be my go to recipe, thank you!!!
Our new family favorite! My husband said it’s the only chocolate chip cookie we need. I added chunks with chips and didn’t refrigerate before baking. I’m a newb baker and you made this easy!
Thrilled to hear that, Mary! Yay!!