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.
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
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- See ALL of my cookie recipes + tips on the SCIENCE of cookie baking here!
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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.
Notes
This recipe was originally published in October 2013 and has been updated with more baking tips and new photos. Photos by Constance Higley.
These are my absolute favorite! The chew is perfect. The texture is perfect. They bake up beautifully and are so good, everyone in the family is wanting the recipe! Thank you, for the clear explanations of chilling dough, and for finally helping this old lady make exceptional chocolate chip cookies at home! I followed the directions exactly. Room temperature eggs and butter, didn’t over beat the butter mixture, wrapped the dough tightly in saran wrap for chilling & used parchment paper on a commercial baking sheet for baking. Fantastic! Now, the challenge of waiting for the next batch to chill in the fridge for the next few days………hope we can make it that long!! THANK YOU!!!
I’m so thrilled to hear these are a new favorite! Thanks for sharing all your notes 🙂
Hi, how long should I bake this for if only using a small cookie scoop (1.5 tbsps)? Thanks
Hi Tricia! If using a 1.5-tablespoon scoop, bake the cookies for about 11-14 minutes. Enjoy!
I made these cookies at the 71st hour of chill time. Let me tell you these cookies did not disappoint! Can’t believe how delicious these cookies are. The textures are amazing! I’ve made a lot of chocolate chip cookies and these are the best yet! Definitely will be making these cookies over and over. I made a dozen today and froze the remaining dozen for another time!
Hello from Germany, this cookies are the best I ever ate thanks!!
I love making these cookies! Specially when freshly baked out of the oven. They are my favorite and also the family.
Sometimes the cookies get soft after cooling them down, I wonder if I thawed the chilled dough too much, or if making the balls by rolling them in my palm and then pressing them (so that it would spread to the desired size) has an effect on it 🙂 thanks for the help guys
I baked a double batch about three weeks ago – for the first time. Brought them to my mom’s to share with my family. They couldn’t keep their hands off the cookies. So I’m making another batch Thursday morning – doubling it, of course.
Maura, for the double batch, did you use a stand mixer or hand mixer?
Stand mixer.
These cookies were INCREDIBLE.
We made them using Bob’s Red Mill egg replacer as I have a newly diagnosed egg allergy and they were still perfection.
I want to make them for a friend who is celiac and also has an egg allergy. Any tips for using gluten free flour?
Thanks for the allergy friendly tips and for such a wonderful blog. Baking is a science I have struggled with and you break it down and make it easy to succeed!
Hi Jenny! We’re thrilled to hear that you enjoyed these cookies and found an egg substitute that worked well for you! Unfortunately, we don’t test gluten-free substitutes for our recipes, so we can’t say for sure how they will turn out. Feel free to experiment and let us know how it goes. Happy baking!
I use Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour in this recipe and many others. As the name says, it is a straightforward 1-to-1 substitution. I use a scale and measure the same weight as white AP flour. Perfectly yummy results every time. There is no difference in taste or texture to me and most people have no idea it’s GF.
I use Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour in this recipe and many others. As the name says, it is a straightforward 1-to-1 substitution. I use a scale and measure the same weight as white AP flour. Perfectly yummy results every time. There is no difference in taste or texture to me and most people have no idea it’s GF.
I marked this recipe 5 stars but it’s showing 4?
I use Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour in this recipe and many others. As the name says, it is a straightforward 1-to-1 substitution. I use a scale and measure the same weight as white AP flour. Perfectly yummy results every time. There is no difference in taste or texture to me and most people have no idea it’s GF.
Can I put the whole dough in the fridge for 24 hours and then I make the balls? or do I have to make the balls in the fridge ?
Hi Noah! Either way works perfectly! Learn more about chilling cookie doughs here. Let us know what you think of these cookies once you have given them a try 🙂