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.
I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect thin and crispy chocolate chip cookie for forever, and this was such a great find! Turned out perfect and so delicious. My only complaint is that the corn syrup did seem to slightly alter the flavor, but maybe I used too much. 10/10!
Came out perfect, thank you so much for the recipe!
Well, they look the part but that’s as far as it goes . As with any other recipe for cookies that’s called for corn syrup, this is no different as far as results go. I was super excited when I looked in the oven because they LOOKED perfect! However, they are chewy, sticky, and only sort of crispy on the very edges. If we weren’t in the middle of a quarantine, I’d go buy more chocolate chips and try them without the corn syrup because I think they might have potential, also a bit more salt. Sorry to leave a negative review.
I don’t have corn syrup is there anything I can sub??
I don’t have corn syrup… is there anything I can sub?
Oh my! These are good cookies!!!
Followed the directions to a T and they came out great!!
These are the best cookies ever! I was a huge fan of Tate’s cookies, I even bought their cookbook and made the recipe many times. I was very happy with them, until I tried your recipe Tessa. These cookies blow them out of the water, such a wonderful butter flavor and the exact crispness and chewy center. They are irresistible! Thank you Tessa!
AMAZING! THANK YOU for educating me on the proper way to measure flour! I followed the directions to a tee and the cookies were PERFECT! My family loves them! The only problem is….now they expect me to make these every day!
I may have rated these already but omg they are so good! I made them according to weight and added a few extra grams of chocolate chunks, as well as sea salt on top. I found mine only needed 9-10 mins to bake. (Maybe my oven runs hot?) They are delightful and a perfect comfort food during quarantine. Thank you so much, Tessa!
Tried this recipe probably 5-6 times. Unsure of what the issue is but the cookies rise and end up the opposite of what I want every time. I do not have a scale unfortunately but I use the leveling off method. I’ve tried different variations of the recipe in order to try to obtain the flat crunchy cookie I want. Even tried adding less flour than it calls for since that’s a common mishap but they end up the same.
Many of us have the same disappointing results: not at all thin and crispy, but thick, puffy and cakey. What is happening here? I also followed the recipe to the letter, though I admit I used monk fruit sugar instead of traditional cane sugar.
I’d recommend using a digital scale to measure your flour as puffy cookies are due to too much flour in the dough! And monk fruit sugar will definitely not yield the same results, granulated sugar is a must for this recipe. I hope this helps!
I have been looking for a better recipe for years and this one is The best one I have found after
trying many along the way! For some reason my
Cookies always turned out in a lump and were never the right consistency although they tasted ok. These cookies spread out beautifully and are a wonderful texture- chewy in middle with crisp edges. So happy I found this recipe !!! My exhaustive search has finally ended!
Can these be made any crispier by chilling the dough?