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! They’re also very slightly chewy and crunchy.
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? Yes! Every once in a while, this is the texture I want.
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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 Cookie recipe has 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!
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 = Measuring 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. These cookies will bake up thin and crispy straight from the freezer! But to ensure that distinct texture, you may want to defrost the dough first.
More Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes:
- Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Ultimate Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- M&M Cookies
- Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies
Check out ALL of my cookie recipes and cookie baking science tips & tricks here!
If you like this recipe, find it and 50 others plus TONS of information on the science of baking in my cookbook – now available on Amazon US: The Ultimate Cookie Handbook!
Thin and Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cups (169 grams) all purpose flour, measured correctly
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon fine 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
This recipe was originally published in 2013 and updated with new photos and article improvements. Photos by Ashley McLaughlin.
Hi…Thanks for the recipe! I took my time and followed the recipe to the letter…but they didn’t turn out thin. I’ve made them before and they were super thin. Not sure what I did wrong. I do prefer salted butter.
Hi Chrissy! Salted vs unsalted butter will alter flavor, but that won’t change the outcome of cookie thickness. It sounds like you may have added too much flour accidentally! How do you measure your ingredients? By volume (using cups), or by weight (using a digital kitchen scale)? When measuring by volume, it’s so easy to mis-measure ingredients (particularly flour) and throw off the entire chemistry of a recipe – and in this case, if there’s too much flour, the cookies won’t be as thin as pictured. Tessa talks about how to best measure ingredients to ensure accuracy every time, in this article here! I hope that helps! 🙂
I tried this recipe last year and by far my favorite chocolate chip cookie. My whole family loves them! I also loved your piece on measuring flour that was so informative. Thank you!
LOVE the way you list the weight of ingredients!!!!!!! ❤️
Didn’t turn out how I was hoping. Cookies were large & soft. Not crunchy at all. Plus the worst part was they all stuck to the wax paper, everyone of them. Not sure what I did wrong but definitely disappointed.
Hi Kelly! I’m sorry to hear these cookies didn’t turn out as you had hoped! It sounds like there was too much flour, and/or maybe not enough sugar in your cookies. How do you measure your ingredients? By volume (using cups), or by weight (using a digital kitchen scale)? When measuring by volume, it’s so easy to mis-measure flour/sugar/etc and throw off the entire chemistry of a recipe. Tessa talks about how to best measure ingredients to ensure accuracy every time, in this article here! I hope that helps 🙂
Do the the baked cookies really softened after a night?
Is there any way to keep the cookies crispy and crunchy for a day without putting it in the refrigerator?
BTW. I’ve already try the recipe, it’s good and Delicious.
Hi Kimberly! It definitely depends on the climate you live in – the more humid your area, the softer the cookies will get overnight. Keeping them in a paper bag, rather than plastic or an airtight container, can help maintain their crispness! Tessa also recommends 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. I hope that helps! Happy baking 🙂
They turned out wonderful I really prefer thin and crispy and these hit the mark
Hi Kenna! That’s so terrific to hear! So glad you enjoyed these cookies!!
thank you for the recipe! very well written and easy to follow 🙂 something about the flavor of these cookies wasn’t my taste, so probably won’t make these again. that being said , the texture was perfect. thin and crisp, as promised
Hi Bea! I’m glad to hear the texture of these cookies was what you were looking for, even if the flavor wasn’t bang-on! Feel free to reach out to us with some more details if you wish to troubleshoot at all; we’re always happy to help!
I give up trying to print the recipe – I just get a blank page
Hi there! I’m sorry to hear you were experiencing issues printing this recipe! Were you having trouble bringing up the printable version, or was your printer having issues? In case this helps, here is the link to the printable version of the Thin & Crispy Chocolate Chip cookies. I hope that helps 🙂
Perfect. Made as you said. Measured with scale. Added 2 minutes to cooking time. My ovens a bit off. I only had sugar free chocolate chips. But they were fine too. Thank you
I’m so glad you loved these cookies, Gina! I just want to suggest purchasing an oven thermometer, so you can know exactly where your oven is at! They’re pretty inexpensive – here is a link to one of Tessa’s favorites. Tessa talks about how helpful they are in this article here! I hope that helps! Happy baking 🙂
Making for Pediatric Brain Cancer fundraiser , loovvvvvvveee thessssseeee
So happy you love these cookies, Barb!! 🙂
Going to try this recipe today but will NEVER go back to your website! WAY TOO MANY ADS that cover what I need/want to read and interrupt the flow of reading the recipe. Know this is what keeps you going, but not for me. Do you REALLY need all the obnoxious ads?
I’m so sorry to hear that you’re experiencing so many ads, Judy! This is something we’re currently working to improve! There should be a small “x” to close some of the ads. If this happens again, please take a screenshot of what you’re seeing and email me at support@handletheheat.com so I can share it with our tech team. In the meantime, if you click on the print icon for any of our recipes, it will “reformat” the recipe without ads. Here is a link for the Thin & Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies in this ad-free, printable format. I hope that helps!
I love this recipe! I use the little mini chips because I think with the thin & crispy they just belong there..anyway..I see people complaining about the pop-up ads & I don’t get any. There’s only one that comes up at the bottom but you might want to let them know it’s usually the device they use. All have ad blockers & if not they can download a free version. Thanks so much for sharing.
So glad to hear you love these cookies, Bea!!! Thanks for the tips for other readers regarding pop-ups 🙂
that’s how she makes income in order to keep providing you with her recipes
Does it matter what chocolate chips you use? I have mini chips & the Ghirardelli dark chocolate chips which seem bigger than regular chips. I know sometimes the chocolate you use can make a difference in the recipe. I’m excited to make these and I want them to turn out thin & crispy. Thanks for your thoughts on this.
Hi Jamie! We use normal-size chocolate chips in this recipe, but feel free to experiment with minis and just weigh out the same amount! Let us know how they turn out 🙂