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.
But sometimes I crave different textures. Sometimes I want them to be super soft chocolate chip cookies. Other times, I crave thin and crispy 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.
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!
How to Make SOFT Chocolate Chip Cookies
There are a few key ingredients to ensure your cookies are ultra-tender and soft.
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 DIY your own brown sugar and how to keep it soft in your pantry here.
Cornstarch
Cookies with cornstarch are ultra soft and often slightly gooey and paler in color. It 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.
How to Bake SOFT Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Be sure your oven isn’t running too hot – learn more about that here. 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 that 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. Make sure your butter is at a COOL room temperature, about 67°F, before creaming with the sugar. Learn more about that 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 that, and how to bake from frozen, here.
Science of Cookie Baking
Download my FREE Cookie Customization Guide for quick and easy ways to alter the texture of your favorite cookie recipes. Whether you like soft cookies like this recipe, or prefer cakey, crispy, or chewy, this handy visual guide will show you what tweaks to make to get the texture of your dreams!
More Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes
- Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Ultimate Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Soft Batch Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
- S’mores Cookies
- See ALL of my chocolate chip cookie recipes here!
Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 3/4 cups (349 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 10 tablespoons (142 grams) unsalted butter, at cool room temperature
- 1/4 cup (50 grams) cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups (250 grams) brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 large eggs, at cool room temperature
- 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, baking soda, baking powder, cornstarch, 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 vanilla and the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. 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 for the final cookies to become softer, 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.
This recipe was originally published in 2013 and recently updated with new photos, weight measurements, and more recipe tips. Photos by Ashley McLaughlin.
I really love the flavor of these cookies, and how soft they are, even a few days later! I tried baking them using my conventional oven, and then tried one tray using the convection bake setting on my oven, and liked them even more that way. My only negative (and this may be because of my ingredients) is that they didn’t brown very much at all. I wanted them to get slightly more golden in color, but I didn’t want them to over bake. Maybe it’s just not the recipe for much browning, and I just need to make another of your recipes the next time I want a more golden-brown chocolate chip cookie. (And hey, who doesn’t like more cookies? )
I always love a cookie recipe with cream cheese! So glad to have found this recipe, they turned out amazing!
I made these for the August Baking challenge and I’m so glad I did! They are so soft and chewy and I love the golden tops! I chilled my dough overnight and they came out fantastic! I got rave reviews from my kids so I’ll definitely be making these again.
BEST chocolate chips cookies EVER! I always want fluffy cookies and most times they fall flat. These were fluffy, soft, and not too sweet as some chocolate chip recipes can be. Less white sugar, more brown and the cornstarch . These are now my go to cookie!
Wonderful cookies! The taste is sensational. I struggled with flattening – I think my butter was too soft so I made a second batch. Thanks Tessa for yet another wonderful recipe!! ❤️❤️
Super soft with ooey goooey chocolate, as promised! Made two dozen and three hours later there are now only 6 left lol. Only three adults in the house! Needless to say, they’re delicious and addictive.
Thanks Tessa
Perfect soft cookie texture! Mine finished baking in 10 minutes. I scooped the dough into balls first then refrigerated over night. It made it easier to just transfer the cookie dough balls to a sheet pan and bake!
This is as easy as any chocolate chip recipe, and it is very tasty. I baked up a dozen cookies after letting the dough rest for 2 hours, I froze the rest and will bake them as needed.
Very good, thick, light and gooey. I was a bit skeptical about adding cream cheese, but you can’t taste it at all. I made mine with half bittersweet and half caramelized white chocolate chips, they turned out a bit doughy in the middle, but guess it’s just my ancient oven. I popped them back for a couple minutes and they turned out perfectly soft. Sooo good served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Yum!!
LOVING the cream cheese addition to this yummy cookie!
My family and I love to bake together! When we saw your challenge on instagram we couldn’t resist. This was one of the best chocolate chip cookie recipe that I’ve ever used. So delicious! Thank you so much for sharing and happy Chocolate Chip Cookie day!