Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: This cookie has big butterscotch flavor! The small amount of cream cheese in the dough adds an almost indiscernible tang that takes these cookies over the top.
Texture: Ultra SOFT and perfectly tender.
Ease: Super easy!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe: Soft, ooey-gooey Chocolate Chip Cookies with TONS of flavor – and, bonus, they’re super quick and easy to make!
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This is the only recipe you’ll ever need for Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies! These cookies are ultra tender but still hold their shape and are loaded with tons of ooey-gooey chocolate chips.
If you haven’t noticed, I’m obsessed with Chocolate Chip Cookies. But sometimes I crave different textures. Sometimes I want super soft cookies. Other times, I crave Thin and Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies, or perfectly Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Don’t get me wrong, practically any homemade Chocolate Chip Cookie is good with me. It’s just every once in a while, you have a texture craving that must be satisfied.
What Makes Cookies Chewy, Crisp, or Cakey?
My free guide reveals the ingredients and tweaks that matter.
After creating dozens of Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes for my cookie cookbook and my website, I can safely call myself a Cookie Expert. And these Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies will not only meet all your soft cookie needs, but all the flavors you crave in the perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie.
Sprinkle of Science
How to Make The Perfect Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies
Brown Sugar in Chocolate Chip Cookies
Brown sugar is hygroscopic, which means it takes in and retains moisture better than granulated sugar. Adding moisture to your cookie dough can help make it softer and chewier, and stay soft for longer. That’s why I use much more brown sugar than granulated sugar in this recipe.
I prefer to use light brown sugar here, but dark brown sugar will work too (just note this will make your cookies a little darker in color and slightly more molasses-y in flavor). Learn how to make your own brown sugar here.
Cornstarch?
Cookies with cornstarch are ultra soft, often slightly gooey, and paler in color. Cornstarch can also aid in lift and height, as it is a thickening agent. Just be sure not to add too much extra cornstarch, otherwise, your cookies will develop an almost glue-like pudding consistency. I find in this recipe, 2 teaspoons is the Goldilocks measurement.
Cream Cheese
Not only does cream cheese add richness and flavor, but it also tenderizes the cookies so they’re super soft, even slightly chewy, without being cakey due to the fat content. I know it’s a bit of a hassle to add in cream cheese here, but believe me, it’s these small details that take your cookies from good to great.
Be sure to use full-fat brick-style cream cheese. Don’t use cream cheese meant for spreading on bagels.
Measure Your Flour Correctly
It’s super important to measure your flour correctly in any recipe, but it’s particularly important here, where we are trying to achieve a soft texture.
I highly recommend using a digital kitchen scale to weigh your flour, but if you don’t have a scale, use the spoon and level method. Too much flour can yield dry, hard, or cakey cookies, or cookies that don’t spread.
How to Bake Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Be sure your oven isn’t running too hot. If your oven does run hot, you may want to reduce the temperature slightly to avoid overly browning these cookies.
- Remove these from the oven just before they actually look done baking. The residual heat will continue to cook them and they will solidify as they begin to cool.
- Avoid using a dark-colored baking pan. Learn more about the best (and worst!) baking pans here.
How to Bake Thick Chocolate Chip Cookies
The key to making sure your Chocolate Chip Cookies bake up nice and thick instead of flattening into those little sad puddles:
- Make sure your butter isn’t too warm. Your butter should be at a cool room temperature, about 67°F, before creaming with the sugar. Learn more about why butter temperature matters in baking here.
- Next, make sure your balls of cookie dough aren’t warm when they enter the oven – otherwise, the dough will melt too much.
- If you experience issues with your Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies spreading too much, try popping the tray of shaped dough into the freezer while the oven preheats.
- If you live in a very humid climate, try adding a couple extra tablespoons of flour to the dough to combat that added moisture.
How to Store Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies
Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 4 days. You can also freeze your cookie dough balls. Learn more about freezing cookie dough, and baking from frozen, here.
More Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes:
- Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies – my most popular recipe!
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Soft Batch Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
- S’mores Cookies
- Marbled Chocolate Chip Cookies
- See ALL of my cookie recipes here!
Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies
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Ingredients
- 2 3/4 cups (349 grams) all-purpose flour,
measured correctly - 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 10 tablespoons (141 grams) unsalted butter, at cool room temperature
- 1/4 cup (57 grams) cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups (250 grams) light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, at cool room temperature
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 cups (340 grams) semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- If baking right away, preheat oven to 350ºF. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter, cream cheese, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on medium-high speed until light and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. Slowly beat in the flour mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- If time permits: Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours but no more than 72 hours. This allows the dough to “marinate” and the final cookies to become thicker and more flavorful. Let dough sit at room temperature until it is just soft enough to scoop.
- Using a medium (1 1/2-tablespoon size) spring-loaded scoop, drop balls of dough onto prepared baking sheets.
- Bake for 10 to 11 minutes, or until barely golden brown. Don’t overbake – the cookies will continue to cook from residual heat. Cool for 5 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Recipe Notes
The Ultimate Cookie Handbook
Learn the sweet SCIENCE of cookie baking in a fun, visual way to customize your own recipes frustration-free. Plus, my best 50+ homemade cookies!
This recipe was originally published in 2013 and was recently updated with new photos, weight measurements, and more recipe tips. Photos by Ashley McLaughlin.
There are so many ccc recipes out there, it’s so hard to choose! But I was so intrigued by your addition of cream cheese & cornstarch, so I just had to try it and I have no regrets! This is one of the best ccc recipes I’ve tried, my cookies usually turn out flat and I don’t know if it’s the 2 hr chill time or the cream cheese or the cornstarch but they look magazine ready and taste soooo good. Thank you thank you thank you for sharing! Cream cheese does make everything better 😛
Thank you, thank you, thank you. I have been trying to get my chocolate chip cookies to have a more cake like appearance and not fall flat like a pancake. I have read countless blogs, professional baking sites, cookbooks etc. and it was not until I read your blog about your experiments with CC cookies and the different consistencies achieved, that i had to try the “more brown sugar” over granulated sugar a whirl.
I read your blog this morning on this subject and this afternoon I baked. I used my CC cookie recipe but change the sugar consistency to 75% brown sugar and 25% granulated sugar.
BULLS EYE! Right on the money. My husband and I are now please as we stuff our faces with these pouches of heaven.
Thank you. I am a fan and follower now!
I’m so so so happy to hear that!!
hi ya, so far so good, just wanted to point out that there is no direction on the vanilla. Typically you add it after the eggs, so that is what I will do, but you may want to add that into the recipe directions, thanks!
Thanks for pointing that out – I fixed it.
Oh and cream cheese too! Love the texture/flavor it adds!
I swear by cornstarch in cookies and it’s a must – have for me now in all choc chip cookies! I love softbatch-style cookies so much. Pinned!
cream cheese in cookie dough?! I never would have guessed. I’m sure it’s amazing and I will be trying it next time I bake some sweets 🙂
These soft chocolate chip cookies were the best I have had in any recipe! The texture was outstanding , I guess with the cornstarch and cream cheese in the recipe. They were 10 times better then Toll House recipe! Thanks Tess So glad to be on your site! Everyone should try this recipe you won’t be sorry!
I’m so intrigued by this recipe! I can tell it’s one of those I’m going to have to try soon!
I adore soft batch chocolate chip cookies! These would definitely have me feeling better in no time 😉
Love the use of cream cheese in these! The texture looks perfect!
Can’t beat a good, classic chocolate chip cookie recipe. This one sounds incredible!
You just cannot disappoint with cornstarch in chocolate chip cookies! Tessa, I swear by it! And all the brown sugar. And the cream cheese! Incredible addition to your chocolate chip cookie week 🙂