Tessa's Recipe Rundown
Taste: This cookie has big butterscotch flavor! The small amount of cream cheese in the dough adds an almost indiscernible tang that takes these cookies over the top.
Texture: Ultra SOFT and perfectly tender.
Ease: Super easy!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe: Soft, ooey-gooey Chocolate Chip Cookies with TONS of flavor – and, bonus, they’re super quick and easy to make!
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This is the only recipe you’ll ever need for Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies! These cookies are ultra tender but still hold their shape and are loaded with tons of ooey-gooey chocolate chips.
If you haven’t noticed, I’m obsessed with Chocolate Chip Cookies. But sometimes I crave different textures. Sometimes I want super soft cookies. Other times, I crave Thin and Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies, or perfectly Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Don’t get me wrong, practically any homemade Chocolate Chip Cookie is good with me. It’s just every once in a while, you have a texture craving that must be satisfied.
After creating dozens of Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes for my cookie cookbook and my website, I can safely call myself a Cookie Expert. And these Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies will not only meet all your soft cookie needs, but all the flavors you crave in the perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie.
Sprinkle of Science
How to Make The Perfect Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies
Brown Sugar in Chocolate Chip Cookies
Brown sugar is hygroscopic, which means it takes in and retains moisture better than granulated sugar. Adding moisture to your cookie dough can help make it softer and chewier, and stay soft for longer. That’s why I use much more brown sugar than granulated sugar in this recipe.
I prefer to use light brown sugar here, but dark brown sugar will work too (just note this will make your cookies a little darker in color and slightly more molasses-y in flavor). Learn how to make your own brown sugar here.
Cornstarch?
Cookies with cornstarch are ultra soft, often slightly gooey, and paler in color. Cornstarch can also aid in lift and height, as it is a thickening agent. Just be sure not to add too much extra cornstarch, otherwise, your cookies will develop an almost glue-like pudding consistency. I find in this recipe, 2 teaspoons is the Goldilocks measurement.
Cream Cheese
Not only does cream cheese add richness and flavor, but it also tenderizes the cookies so they’re super soft, even slightly chewy, without being cakey due to the fat content. I know it’s a bit of a hassle to add in cream cheese here, but believe me, it’s these small details that take your cookies from good to great.
Be sure to use full-fat brick-style cream cheese. Don’t use cream cheese meant for spreading on bagels.
Measure Your Flour Correctly
It’s super important to measure your flour correctly in any recipe, but it’s particularly important here, where we are trying to achieve a soft texture.
I highly recommend using a digital kitchen scale to weigh your flour, but if you don’t have a scale, use the spoon and level method. Too much flour can yield dry, hard, or cakey cookies, or cookies that don’t spread.
How to Bake Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Be sure your oven isn’t running too hot. If your oven does run hot, you may want to reduce the temperature slightly to avoid overly browning these cookies.
- Remove these from the oven just before they actually look done baking. The residual heat will continue to cook them and they will solidify as they begin to cool.
- Avoid using a dark-colored baking pan. Learn more about the best (and worst!) baking pans here.
How to Bake Thick Chocolate Chip Cookies
The key to making sure your Chocolate Chip Cookies bake up nice and thick instead of flattening into those little sad puddles:
- Make sure your butter isn’t too warm. Your butter should be at a cool room temperature, about 67°F, before creaming with the sugar. Learn more about why butter temperature matters in baking here.
- Next, make sure your balls of cookie dough aren’t warm when they enter the oven – otherwise, the dough will melt too much.
- If you experience issues with your Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies spreading too much, try popping the tray of shaped dough into the freezer while the oven preheats.
- If you live in a very humid climate, try adding a couple extra tablespoons of flour to the dough to combat that added moisture.
How to Store Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies
Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 4 days. You can also freeze your cookie dough balls. Learn more about freezing cookie dough, and baking from frozen, here.
More Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes:
- Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies – my most popular recipe!
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Soft Batch Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
- S’mores Cookies
- Marbled Chocolate Chip Cookies
- See ALL of my cookie recipes here!
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Ingredients
- 2 3/4 cups (349 grams) all-purpose flour,
measured correctly - 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 10 tablespoons (141 grams) unsalted butter, at cool room temperature
- 1/4 cup (57 grams) cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups (250 grams) light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, at cool room temperature
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 cups (340 grams) semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- If baking right away, preheat oven to 350ºF. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter, cream cheese, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on medium-high speed until light and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. Slowly beat in the flour mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- If time permits: Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours but no more than 72 hours. This allows the dough to “marinate” and the final cookies to become thicker and more flavorful. Let dough sit at room temperature until it is just soft enough to scoop.
- Using a medium (1 1/2-tablespoon size) spring-loaded scoop, drop balls of dough onto prepared baking sheets.
- Bake for 10 to 11 minutes, or until barely golden brown. Don’t overbake – the cookies will continue to cook from residual heat. Cool for 5 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Notes
This recipe was originally published in 2013 and was recently updated with new photos, weight measurements, and more recipe tips. Photos by Ashley McLaughlin.
I have made these three times now, using the exact ingredients, weights/measurements, and instructions. They turn out so pale. I used the book recipe. I’ll check to see if there is a difference between the updated online recipe. They taste good!
Thanks for your feedback, Lindsey! The recipe in our cookbook and online is the same; however, I’d encourage you to check out page 88 in the troubleshooting section of the cookbook where Tessa shares some tips to prevent pale cookies. I’m so glad they still tasted good, and hopefully your next batch will turn out perfectly! 🙂
I replaced the cornstarch with instant clearjel. Came out perfect. The softness are similar to pudding cookies that I’ve made for years the only difference is the cream cheese taste in these.
Do you use a fan oven? If not, how should I adapt the cooking?