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.
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.
Check out ALL of my cookie recipes here!
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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.
Notes
This recipe was originally published in 2013 and has been updated with new photos and article improvements. Photos by Ashley McLaughlin.
I wish I could rate it a 4.8. It’s almost as good as the recipe I have lost that I was looking for. The one I was looking for you have to start with oats and grind your own flour, use mini-chocolate chips and there’s twice as much butter. If I had never used that recipe, these would be a 5.
That’s pretty close to perfect, we’ll take it 🙂 Glad it was close to the recipe you’re searching for, I hope you find it!
Exactly what I was looking for! As a child I accidentally melted the butter too much I start making thin crisp cookies and became a lover of them. Forgot the recipe because it’s been about 15 years if not longer and this is it! Will definitely make again!I did not use the corn syrup it’s not necessary and just adds extra calories to be honest. If you want them fully crisp, leave them in for half an hour flip halfway through drop the heat to 300 at the 20 minute mark
So happy you found this recipe, thanks for taking the time to comment! 🙂
I love all of Tessa’s recipes but these were AMAZING! I made mine with King Arthur Gluten-Free Measure-For-Measure flour and Green Valley lactose-free butter. They are so sweet and so crispy! I’m in love!
Great to hear! We always appreciate hearing how substitutions work, thanks for commenting!
Best chocolate chips ever!
I just made these, and they are great! My grandchildren loved them! I didn’t have any of the syrups, so I used honey. The came out perfect! Thank you for this recipe!
Glad your substitution worked and that your cookies were a hit, Valerie!
I followed the recipe accordingly and my cookies were nice and crispy the way I like it ! It didn’t thin out as much as shown in the picture. I subbed corn syrup for a little bit of honey. I want to make this next time but I don’t have butter anymore and I was wondering if subbing butter for oil will the cookies still be crispy. Also my whole family loved these cookies these were so delicious! Definitely making this a whole lot more .
I’m glad you enjoyed them! The honey would definitely have changed the texture a bit, but I’m sure they still tasted delicious 🙂 I haven’t tried substituting the butter for oil, so I can’t say for sure how they’d turn out, but I don’t think it would work well in a thin and crispy cookie as the melted butter is crucial (see the pink tip box above this recipe). I have experimented in the past with coconut oil in my Ultimate Guide to Chocolate Chip Cookies, check that out here: https://handletheheat.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-chocolate-chip-cookies-part-3/. Hope this helps!
After reading all the comments, I decided to just weigh everything correctly. Worked out perfectly.
I didn’t have golden syrup or corn syrup, so subbed it with pancake syrup!
Still worked beautifully. 6 cookies on one cookie tray, used a mechanical ice cream scoop for uniformity.
6 mins then turned the trays round then another 6 mons at 175deg C.
Perfect flat discs of browned, crunchy CCC.
Thank you! This recipe is a keeper!
Wow, I’m happy to hear it worked with pancake syrup haha! So glad you enjoyed these cookies 🙂
Hi Tessa
I really want to make these cookies but I have 2 bags of King Arthur AP flour on hand on don’t want to buy more flour. I do have cake flour on hand, which is low in protein. Could I possibly use all cake flour or a mixture of the King Arthur AP and cake flour? Interested in your thoughts here. Thanks.
I haven’t tried cake flour so I can’t say for sure how it’d turn out. Normally cake flour in recipes results in a very fine, light, and delicate cake-like crumb with pale color and little browning.
These were excellent cookies! Crispy and thin just as hoped. I used 1/2 cup Skor bits and reduced chocolate chips to 1 and 1/2 cups. Don’t sub margarine, you will not get the same result as with butter because margarine has a higher moisture content.
You are absolutely correct! Butter makes everything better 🙂 Glad you enjoyed these cookies!
Doubled the recipe but forgot the extra egg and the cookies still turned out perfectly! Now it is time to start playing with adjustments and ingredients. Thank you, Tessa.
Happy to hear they still turned out ok!
I used maple syrup instead of golden and added some crushed pecans. Worked really well.
Glad you enjoyed these cookies, Wayne!
Excellent. You can be creative with these cookies — if you don’t like chocolate, add toffee chips — or add toffee chips to the chocolate chip recipe.