Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: These cookies really have that caramelized butterscotch flavor which is due in part to the sugars, including corn syrup, thoroughly dissolving in the melted butter.
Texture: Just like the title says: thin and crispy!
Ease: Super easy, you don’t even have to wait for butter to come to room temperature or use your electric mixer.
Pros: Quick, easy, and satisfies that thin crispy craving.
Cons: None.
Would I make this again? Anytime I crave that crispy texture!
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If you’re a fan of Thin and Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies, this recipe is for you!
With my immense cookie knowledge (don’t laugh, that’s a real thing), I knew I could create a recipe for thin and crispy cookies.
I know some people who love this texture and I do crave it every once in a while.
What Makes Cookies Chewy, Crisp, or Cakey?
My free guide reveals the ingredients and tweaks that matter.
If you’ve ever had Tate’s Chocolate Chip Cookies, then this recipe creates results that are almost identical. The only difference? My Thin and Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies have that same crunch but also a slight hint of chewiness in the center, which I really enjoy.
They’re positively addictive!
Be sure to read through the pink tip box just below for some crucial tips and tricks to make these cookies thin, crispy and utterly delicious!
Sprinkle of Science
How to Make Thin and Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Key Ingredients for Crispy Cookies!
- Melted butter – To achieve thin and crisp cookies, I’ve discovered that melted butter is really crucial. Melted butter helps the cookies to spread out and become flatter with crisp edges.
- Sugar – Another key trick is using more granulated sugar than brown sugar, which will also help produce flat, chewy, crunchy cookies. Learn more about sugar’s role in baking here.
- Corn syrup – A touch of corn syrup in this dough aids in browning and caramelization, giving the cookies great flavor and browned crunchy bottoms.
- Milk – A splash of milk added to the dough also helps to create flatter cookies by adding more moisture to the dough, so it spreads faster in the oven.
- Baking soda – Make sure your baking soda is FRESH for this recipe. It’s critical to the spread and browning of these cookies which gives them their crispy thin texture. Learn more about baking soda and baking powder here.
- Salt – Not a key ingredient for crispiness but since these crispy cookies contain three kinds of sugar for maximum spread, we want to be sure to balance the sweetness with the salt. I prefer fine sea salt but you can also use table salt. Just don’t use kosher salt because it won’t dissolve and mix in as evenly. Learn about the different types of salt here.
Do I Have to Use Corn Syrup?
If you can’t find corn syrup, you can use golden syrup instead. If you can’t find or don’t want to use either, you can technically leave it out of this recipe. You’ll still have a delicious cookie, but the texture won’t quite be as thin and crispy.
The Most Important Part of This Recipe: Measure Your Flour Correctly!
Anytime someone tells me they made this Thin and Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe and the cookies didn’t come out thin and crispy, I can all but guarantee it was because the flour wasn’t properly measured. It’s all too easy to accidentally over-measure your flour by compacting too much into the measuring cup. Here are some flour tips:
- If you’re not already measuring your flour with a digital kitchen scale, or at the very least using the spoon & level method, I highly highly recommend you read my post on How to Measure Flour ASAP.
- Also, make sure you’re using the RIGHT kind of flour. For best results in this recipe, don’t use a high-protein flour like King Arthur.
- This recipe was tested successfully with Gold Medal Bleached All Purpose Flour (blue label).
- Just take a look at what a difference measuring your flour correctly can make:
Tips for Baking Crispy Cookies:
- Don’t overmix the cookie dough. We really want to avoid activating webs of gluten in this recipe. That’s why you should avoid a high-protein flour. But you should also avoid over-mixing the dough (which is really more like a thick batter in consistency). Stir in the dry ingredients until JUST combined.
- Use the correct baking pans. If possible, avoid baking these cookies on nonstick or greased cookie sheets. Use unlined light-colored metal baking pans lined with parchment paper. The dark nonstick finish of some pans can enhance browning and even cause cookies to burn on the bottom, especially in this particular recipe. Nonstick cooking spray can increase spreading while cookies bake in the oven, which we don’t want in this particular recipe since the dough will spread enough on its own.
- Make sure your oven temperature is accurate. An oven thermometer is the best way to do this. If you’re unsure, at the very least preheat your oven for an extra 10 minutes before baking anything. If your oven isn’t properly preheated or if it tends to run cold, you won’t get crispy cookies. Learn more about ovens here.
- Bake time: I’ve had success with baking these Thin and Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies in my oven for about 12 minutes, rotating the tray halfway through for ultra-crispy cookie edges.
How to Shape Thin and Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies
A spring-loaded cookie scoop makes quick and easy work of portioning out the cookie dough – especially because this dough is more wet and sticky than others. Use a 1 1/2 tablespoon or medium-sized cookie scoop. Spray the inside of the scoop with nonstick cooking spray if you find your dough is sticking.
How to Store Thin and Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies
These cookies are definitely best served soon after baking, as that’s when they’ll be the crispiest. They will soften slightly the longer they’re stored. That’s why I recommend freezing this dough, so you can have perfectly thin, crispy cookies at a moment’s notice! You can also re-crisp by reheating the baked cookies in a 350°F oven for a few minutes.
How to Freeze Cookie Dough Instructions
I love to scoop out and freeze balls of cookie dough to bake whenever I crave cookies! Check out this post on how to freeze cookie dough and bake from frozen. To ensure that distinct texture, allow the dough to defrost in the fridge overnight before baking as instructed in the recipe below.
More Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes:
Check out ALL of my cookie recipes here!
Thin and Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies
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Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cups (169 grams) all purpose flour, measured correctly
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 stick (113 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup (67 grams) packed light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons light corn syrup or golden syrup
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon milk (any kind)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup (170 grams) semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
- In a large bowl, vigorously beat the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and corn syrup with a spatula until very well combined. Add the egg, milk, and vanilla and beat vigorously until very well combined. Gradually add the flour mixture and stir until just combined, being careful not to over-mix. Gently stir in the chocolate chips. The dough will be very loose, sticky, and more like batter in consistency.
- Using a medium (1 1/2-tablespoon size) spring-loaded scoop, drop balls of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing at least 2 1/2 inches apart. Don't worry if the dough isn't perfectly round. Bake for about 12 minutes, or until golden brown and flat, rotating the sheets halfway through baking. Bake one sheet at a time for even cooking. When you remove the baking sheet from the oven, tap it against the counter.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before using a thin spatula to remove to wire racks to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature. If desired, reheat the cookies in a 350°F oven for 3 to 5 minutes, or until warmed through.
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 has been updated with new photos and article improvements. Photos by Ashley McLaughlin.
This is a heads up for anyone trying to make these Gluten Free: I made these using GF flour and they didn’t turn out thin and crispy, they were definitely cakey. I didn’t add extra binding agent which I might try next time (I’m allergic to xantham gum, but would try again using psyllium husk instead). I also added a bit ofextra milk as the batter was too thick from what I could see. I know GF results are very dependent on flour, and I used Orgran Plain All purpose flour for these. I have had thinner / crispier results in the past using Dove Free From brand. Orgran uses guar gum instead of xantham and doesn’t have buckwheat. My rating doesn’t reflect my results as I’m sure it’s a good recipe if made as specified!
Great recipe for thin & crispy cookies! I also like that they are not over the top sweet. I did modify mine slightly by using almond flour in place of all purpose flour. The only additional ingredient I added was one egg white, because almond flour does require a little extra binding. I also found that only a very small portion of dough per cookie needed to be put on baking sheet, as they do spread quite a bit.
I was unhappy with this recipe. The crispy texture was not what i wanted. It was not like Tates cookie. Wasn’t happy with taste either. I’ll never use this recipe.
Mine came out fluffy with no crisp. I blame it on the freshness of my ingredients. Will try again with fresher ingredients
Followed exactly – used food scale to measure ingredients; they came out bake like and fluffy – was sure not to over mix..batter was definitely thinner than I was used to but did not expect fluffy cookies!
How strange, Caitlin! I’m sorry they didn’t turn out right for you! Normally the first thing I’d make sure is that you measured your ingredients, especially the flour, which you said you did, so that’s good. If you haven’t already, I’d recommend checking out all my other tips in the pink box above the recipe as there’s quite a few things that could make these cookies not thin and crispy.
My cookies were flat and brown but soft! I followed your directions exactly, other than using milk chocolate chips.
Did you use a digital scale to measure your ingredients? Too much flour will result in puffy cookies versus thin! Is your baking soda fresh? Hopefully by reading over my tips in the pink box above the recipe, it will help you figure out what went wrong as there are quite a few reasons as to why these cookies can turn out soft. I’d love for them to turn out perfectly for you, please let me know if I can help more!
Would like to add nuts and snipped dried cherries. Recommend 1/3 cup of morsels, cherries and nuts or is the dough to thin to support add in’s?
Thank you
I haven’t tried that, let me know how it goes! It definitely sounds delicious!
These were delicious & just as described. The whole family loved them & I didn’t feel too guilty letting the kids have 2 since they’re so thin. This recipe is definitely a keeper!
So happy your family got to enjoy and love these cookies, Alma 🙂
Loved this recipe for making on a rainy afternoon for my family GREAT recipe
I absolutely love baking on rainy days! So happy you enjoyed this recipe 🙂
I keep trying and I can’t get them just like this. Nothing better than that super / wafer thin CC Cookie that’s crispy on the outside, a little chewy toward the middle, and a hint of carmel. I’m following this and getting a great taste but. Not the thinness I’m looking for. Are smaller portions a trick? Not sure what I’m getting wrong. Help me avoid some common mistakes. – thanks!!! These are delicious either way and I’ll keep at it.
Sorry you’re having troubles with this recipe, Mike! Do you have a scale to measure your ingredients? Anytime someone tells me they made this recipe and the cookies didn’t come out thin and crispy, I can all but guarantee it was because the flour wasn’t properly measured OR the flour used has too high of protein. I talk about this in the pink box above the recipe. Honestly, there’s quite a few problems that could pop up, and I talk about them all in the pink box. Please let me know if you have any more questions, I’d love to help! Good luck!
My Family Loved it. I am definitely sharing Guys, Thanks For sharing this Great Recipe. this recipe and this website with my friend. Hope they also love it. Thank you again for sharing such a great recipe.
So happy to hear everyone enjoyed this recipe!
Loved the cookies.
BUT, I tried three times to get the Cookie Customization Guide. Never got an email from you, so no link to download the guide…I see it’s also called the Cookie Customization Chart.
Can you help me?
Thank you.
Hi Suzanne! Please send an email to [email protected], and Haley would be happy to look into that for you! Sorry for the inconvenience!