Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: This cookie has big butterscotch flavor and 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!
Pros: Perfect for when you’re craving that super soft texture in a cookie.
Cons: None.
Would I make this again? I’ve been making this recipe for years!
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This is the only recipe you’ll ever need for Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies!
The kind of cookies that 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.
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The science-based guide so you can bake perfect cookies every time!
But sometimes I crave different textures. Sometimes I want them to be super soft. 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 Cookies is good with me. It’s just every once in a while, you have a texture craving that must be satisfied.
Which texture of cookies do you prefer? Does your family love soft-batch cookies? Chewy? Crispy? Some combination of it all?! Let me know in the comments below!
Sprinkle of Science
How to Make SOFT Chocolate Chip Cookies
There are a few key ingredients to ensure your cookies are ultra-tender and soft, which I’ll talk about in more detail below.
Brown Sugar
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. 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 cream cheese, not cream cheese 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 Cookies
The key to making sure your 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 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:
Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies
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
This recipe was originally published in 2013 and was recently updated with new photos, weight measurements, and more recipe tips. Photos by Ashley McLaughlin.
Hi Tessa, can I add oats to this? Would it not affect the texture of the cookies?
Hi Lieza! Yes, adding oats will affect the texture of the cookies, but you’re welcome to experiment with it! I’d suggest making the recipe as written first though so you have something to compare it to 🙂 If you’re looking for a soft Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe, check out ours HERE, and follow the baking instructions to bake for about 12-13 minutes. Hope that helps!
Your cookbook says to use a 1 1/2 tablespoon scoop and it says it makes about 26 cookies and to cook for 10 minutes and leave on cookie sheet for 5 minutes. I used a 1 1/2 tablespoon scoop and the recipe made 5 dozen cookies — the time and size worked for me. Here, it says to use a 2 tablespoon scoop and should make about 26 cookies; and it says to cook 10-11 minutes and cool on cookie sheet for 2 minutes. Why the differences from the cookbook?
Hi Pam! Some cookbook recipes differ from older blog recipes. We only used a 1 1/2 tablespoon or 3 tablespoon scoop size for all recipes of the book. We’ve not had this recipe make 60 cookies before, just around 26. Did you by chance double the recipe? I’m not sure how you got so many cookies!
Just made these and oh my goodness these are the best chocolate chip cookies I have ever made. This recipe is Devine! Big fluffy ooey gooey deliciousness! I did add I bit of cinnamon to mine because it always takes chocolate chip cookies to the next level of yummy. But definitely adding this recipe to my recipe book. My go to from
Now on. Thank you!
Genius about adding the cinnamon to your cookies! So glad to hear you loved this recipe.
Can you freeze the dough and then bake later, after letting the dough come to room temperature?
You can definitely freeze this dough! Be sure to ‘marinate’ the dough prior to freezing (see directions for details), then follow this post here to bake directly from frozen: https://handletheheat.com/how-to-freeze-cookie-dough/. Enjoy your cookies!
Hi!What can you suggest instead of cream cheese?Love your ideas…
Hi Ellen! Cream cheese is one of the secret ingredients to making these cookies so soft! We don’t suggest substituting the ingredient, sorry!
these cookies are amazing!! i love how chewy, crispy, and soft they are. plus, they are incredibly easy! also tessa, i just posted these cookies on my instagram @a.spoonful.of.sugar_ and i invite youto check them out!! thanks again for the recipe, i recommend for everyons to make them!!!
Thanks so much for tagging us in your photo on IG, Ila! Your cookies looked delicious! So happy you enjoyed this recipe 🙂
This recipe for soft chocolate chip cookies or sooo good I recommend 100%!
I’m so happy you enjoyed them, Monica!
I love to bake and always volunteer to bring desert – this recipe is by far the most requested. I’ve even made these cookies instead of cake for birthdays!
WOW! I’m absolutely thrilled they’re such a hit!
I love a warm, thick, chocolatey chocolate chip cookie. This recipe is amazing! I make a full batch at a time and freeze the dough balls. I pop 1 in the oven every night as my dessert and it is what I look forward to all day! I put the frozen dough in for 13 minutes and they turn out perfect!
I am 100% for having a cookie every night for dessert!! I’m so thrilled you love this recipe, Adi! 🙂
These were fantastic! I added 1/ 1/2 cups of oatmeal and another egg yolk to balance it out – still worked perfectly!
Happy to hear your additions worked!
Hi! Have made this recipe a thousand times and I absolutely luv it! One question though. My family doesn’t eat cream cheese a lot, and I often forget to add it to the shopping list as I don’t have the best memory. I usually find myself in the situation where I want to bake these delicious cookies, but I can’t because I never have the secret ingredient. Tessa, what would you recommend as a substitute for cream cheese since I know that some substitutes could alter the taste of the cookies, and I wouldn’t want to do that because they are the best I’ve ever tasted! A little help, please?
I haven’t tried this recipe without the cream cheese, I think it’s an essential ingredient! Not only does cream cheese add richness and flavor, but it also tenderizes the cookies so they’re super soft, even slightly chewy. Sorry I can’t help <3
Can I use double cream ! or can u give specific brand of cream cheese!
Hi Alia! Any full fat cream cheese (Philladelphia is the common brand name here, but a store brand is fine as long as it’s a full fat variety!). We have not tried these with double cream instead, but I do not think that would work instead, unfortunately.
How do you keep your cookies from hardening after baking for the next couple of days?
To keep your baked 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! Enjoy!!