Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: Big butterscotch flavor without being too sweet. These cookies taste how you imagine a Chocolate Chip Cookie should taste!
Texture: The best part! Big, thick, super chewy yet soft on the inside, and crisp at the edges. Perfection.
Ease: Very easy, though I do use two different flours, and there is a chilling period, so some patience is needed – but I promise, they’re worth the wait!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe: My all-time favorite cookie recipe. I have extra dough stashed in the freezer at all times.
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I’m super excited to share with you my Ultimate Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies. They’re my version of the perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie!
If you’re anything like the hundreds of people who have taste-tested and tried this recipe, you’re going to love it! (Just read some of the comments below!)
You may be asking yourself what makes this recipe “ultimate?” Well, these cookies have HUGE butterscotch flavor, which is exactly what I adore in a Chocolate Chip Cookie. Beyond the flavor is the texture, which is nothing short of incredible.
What Makes Cookies Chewy, Crisp, or Cakey?
My free guide reveals the ingredients and tweaks that matter.
These cookies have my version of the ultimate texture combination: thick, super chewy, soft, and a little gooey in the middle, crisp and slightly crunchy at the edges, with gooey chocolate chips throughout. Does anything get better than that? I don’t think so.
I would want these cookies to be a part of my last meal on earth, that’s how much I love them!
This is a perfect recipe to learn some of the basics of the science of baking, because with cookies, it’s so easy to see how different tweaks impact the final result! Learn more about that just below.
Sprinkle of Science
How to Make Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Why This is the Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
- This recipe utilizes half bread flour, which lends chewiness to the cookies.
- It also uses a good amount of brown sugar, which lends that butterscotch flavor and a thick, soft texture.
- The extra egg yolk in this recipe also helps keep these cookies soft yet chewy and adds richness in flavor.
- You can think of the 24 – 72 hour chilling period as a “marinating” period. The flavors intensify and the texture will become thicker and chewier. It’s pretty amazing and I promise it’s worth the wait.
Do I Really Need to Use Bread Flour?
You don’t absolutely HAVE to use bread flour, but it adds a ton of chewy texture to these cookies that’s worth the extra trip to the store. If you can’t get bread flour, then use all AP flour in its place.
Do I Really Need to Chill the Dough?
The last key element is the 24 to 72 hour chilling period which is a huge pain in the butt, I know, but it is so completely worth it.
Why? The flavor and texture improve SO much as the dough chills!
If you’re absolutely strapped for time, you can bake off some cookies right away – but I’d definitely encourage you to try chilling and see all the wonders it works on your dough.
How to Chill the Dough
Make the dough and scoop into balls using a cookie scoop. Place in an airtight container and place in the fridge for 24-72 hours. Bake straight from the fridge when ready. Learn more about chilling cookie dough here. The colder the dough, the thicker the cookies!
Can You Freeze Chocolate Chip Cookies?
I love cookies straight from the oven, so I always keep pre-scooped balls of Chocolate Chip Cookie dough in a resealable bag in my freezer so I can bake cookies off and have them warm from the oven in a matter of minutes whenever I want. Here are more tips for freezing cookie dough.
How to Store Cookies & Keep Them Soft
The cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temp for up to 3 days. Be sure they are completely cooled before storing.
To keep your baked Chocolate Chip Cookies soft, you can add a tortilla on the top and bottom of the cookies to the container a day or two after baking them, or whenever you find the texture starting to harden. The moisture will migrate to your cookies, making them soft and chewy again.
How to Refresh Stored Cookies
If desired, reheat and refresh the cookies in a 350°F oven for 3-5 minutes. Your toaster oven should work just fine. This improves the texture, and there’s nothing like a warm Chocolate Chip Cookie!
Step-by-Step Video
If you want to watch me demonstrate how to make this recipe LIVE, with all of my scientific explanations, tips, and tricks, check out this live Facebook video I did a while back!
More Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes:
- Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies – my most popular recipe!
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake
- Soft Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Giant Reese’s Pieces Peanut Butter Cookies
- See ALL of my cookie recipes + tips on the SCIENCE of cookie baking here!
Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies
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Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups (191 grams) all-purpose flour*
- 1 1/4 cups (159 grams) bread flour*
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 sticks (227 grams) unsalted butter, at cool room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 1/4 cups (250 grams) lightly packed brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk, at cool room temperature
- 2 cups (340 grams) semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- If baking right away, preheat oven to 350ºF. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs and yolk, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla. Slowly beat in the flour mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Using a large spring-loaded cookie scoop, divide the dough into 3-tablespoon sized balls.
- If time permits, wrap dough balls in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 24 hours but no more than 72 hours. This allows the dough to “marinate” and makes the cookies thicker, chewier, and more flavorful.
- When ready to bake, place dough balls on prepared baking sheets, at least 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.
- Although I prefer cookies fresh from the oven, these can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days. See pink tip box above the recipe for storage tips.
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 October 2013 and has been updated with more baking tips and new photos. Photos by Constance Higley.
I can’t figure out what I’m doing wrong. Did the recipe exactly and still got cookies like ALL my cookies turn out – as if I used melted butter. Great flavors, but all run out and crispy.
This has been happening for years and I can’t figure it out!!!
Hi Kelly – there are a number of things that can be contributing to your flat crispy cookies and all of them are detailed fully in this post which I think you’ll love: https://handletheheat.com/ultimate-cookie-troubleshooting-guide/
Will run out and buy bread flour today! These sound perfect!
I searched the blog for a peanut butter cookie that would be crisp edges and chewy in the center, I didn’t find any. Is that in the plans?
These are my two favorite peanut butter cookies: https://handletheheat.com/giant-reeses-pieces-chocolate-chip-cookies/
And the cookie in this ice cream sandwich recipe: https://handletheheat.com/peanut-butter-cup-ice-cream-sandwiches/ (these are quite soft and chewy though). I just might have to experiment more with peanut butter cookies!
I live at 8000 ft. How can I modify this recipe because I made it as directed but the cookies just puffed up and did not melt from the original ball of dough. Please help
Hello there! I followed this recipe and the cookie taste amazing but I have one tiny problem! My cookies are super airy and they don’t sink upon cooling. What have I done wrong? Please enlighten! Thank you so much and have a nice day xx
It sounds like you may have over-beaten the butter and sugar. Check out my cookie troubleshooting guide: https://handletheheat.com/ultimate-cookie-troubleshooting-guide/
This recipe is perfection!! I made a batch for a girl’s weekend recently and they were a HUGE hit! I’m actually going to use this recipe for an upcoming friend’s wedding in a couple of week for her cookie bar. Is there any way you could tell me about how many inches a 3 tbsp scoop/ball of dough makes? I made 2 tbsp size when I made them, but I’m trying to plan for the approximate size so that it fits best in our bags. Thanks for a wonderful, yummy recipe!! There is nothing better than cookies!
Woohoo!! I’m not 100% sure, though I’d estimate at about 3 1/2 inch diameter for 3-tablespoon dough balls.
Hi there,
I made the cookies exactly as your recipe states and my cookies turned out like the “more flour” picture. Any advice!? I don’t have anything to weigh the flour, so I was not as accurate as your video. I do have an oven thermometer? The cookies were still very good.
We can’t wait to try your recipe. It seems you’ve covered it all even if things may not come out perfect with your trouble shooting page. One question however: shall we use bleached or unbleached flour? I’m not sure whether there is a practical difference when it comes to taste or texture but I think I better ask just in case:)
I always use unbleached when possible 🙂 Happy baking!
Can the dough be rolled into balls and freeze? So can make them whenever needed?
Yep, I mentioned freezing briefly in the post.
Why the bread flour?????
Grace
Please read the post and the previous comments, “This recipe utilizes half bread flour which lends chewiness to the cookies.”
I may have overbeat the butter because I didn’t know what is exactly ‘creamy’ but my creamy didnt look like your creamy. Because i just have a whisker on my mixer. So I found it difficult. I may have put a little more flour in because I did try to get the flour even with the measurement by shaking the cup and tapping it on the table. Thank you Tessa! 🙂
Good luck with your future cookie baking April!
What happened to my ultimate cookies? They turned out tasting buttery, pluffy, and no flavor? I waited 24 hours D:
Tasting buttery and no flavor, that sounds a bit contradictory! Please see my Ultimate Cookie Troubleshooting Guide – https://handletheheat.com/ultimate-cookie-troubleshooting-guide/
To jo: Okay. Well 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda and 1/4 baking powder. I saw a recipe above the other cookies on that page. Do I use that recipe or do I just substitute this into the recipe up there(the ultimate chocolate chip cookie)? Because I tried using that one on the page over there and substituted it in, but it turned out puffy. 🙁 I’m upset about it