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 a slight hint of chewiness in the center which I really enjoy.
How to Make Thin and Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Butter
To achieve thin and crisp cookies I’ve discovered 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.
Do I have to use corn syrup?
A touch of corn syrup in this dough aids in browning and caramelization, giving the cookies great flavor and browned crunchy bottoms. 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 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.
That’s because it’s ALL too easy to accidentally over-measure your flour by compacting too much into the measuring cup. If you’re not already measuring your flour with a 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.
Why is there milk in the cookie dough?
Lastly, a splash of milk added into the dough also helps to create flatter cookies by adding more moisture to the dough so it spreads faster in the oven.
Baking Crispy Cookies
If possible, avoid baking these cookies on nonstick or greased baking sheets. Use unlined metal sheets that have been fitted 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 your oven isn’t properly preheated or if it tends to run cold you won’t get crispy cookies.
Serving & Storing
These cookies are definitely best served soon after baking, 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!
How to Freeze Cookie Dough
I love freezing 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 even straight from the oven! But to ensure that distinct texture you may want to defrost the dough first.
I think I need to make a batch of these right now! They sound perfect!
I love a thin and crispy chocolate chip cookie! These look phenomenal.
Pinning! 🙂
In searching for a Thin and Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookie on Google, I came upon this recipe. So I made them tonight (been craving a crispy cookie for several weeks now). Three words…..You. Nailed. It.!!!! They are exactly what I was looking for. I never knew a cookie could be Crispy AND Chewy. FANtastic! This one is going in my personal recipe book. This is the kind of cookie you crave and can’t find anywhere but in your kitchen. Texture is perfect and taste is delectable! Thank you so much!
I have been searching for a chocolate chip cookie recipe that actually spreads thin when you bake them. I will admit, the corn syrup made me skeptical. Literally, the only time my bottle of corn syrup sees the light of day is when I make homemade marshmallows. I put my doubts aside and made a batch this afternoon. Can I just say … OMG! By far, the best thin, crispy & chewy chocolate chip cookie I’ve ever made from scratch. Fantastic recipe … it’s a keeper!
These cookies are amazing!! I made them this weekend and my husband and mother insisted I make these EVERY weekend. They both said it was the best home made chocolate chip cookie they’ve ever had. They are incredibly chewy and great flavor. My favorite cookie recipe so far.
I followed this recipe and my cookies were NOT thin & crispy. They puffed up.. ugh.. what a waste.
Just followed this recipe to the T. My cookies came out thin, big, and tasty…but not crispy. They were chewy and soft. The only thing I did differently was let them cool on parchment paper placed on my counter because I don’t yet have cooling racks. I’m hoping this is the only reason they weren’t crispy because I definitely want to try again after I get wire racks. They also need a little more flavor for my liking so I’ll probably add some toasted nuts. Thanks for this post, though. Its really interesting! All the possible cookie outcomes!
I made this recipe , doubled it and used mini-chocolate chips. This recipe is very easy to make and the cookie came out great! It was thin , crispy and slightly chewy. A few changes I will make next time (due to my preference of how I like cookies), is to use less sugar, make smaller sizes, and bake for only 13 minutes.
I followed the recipe exactly because I was desperately craving a crunchy cookie to dip in milk. They came out large and flat and super, duper chewy without a bit of crunch. I was so sad. ): I might try them again because the flavor was good and I am hopeful.
Hi Katie! Sorry to hear they didn’t turn out very crispy. Try baking at 375°F next time, your oven might run a little cold and the higher temperature will help get them darker and crunchier. Good luck!
Tessa…these are ideal for me to make for my sons wedding favor..cloud you please tell me how many cookies this recipe yields? Thank you!
About 20 cookies. Enjoy your son’s wedding!!
Is there a way I can NOT use corn syrup? I try to use the most natural ingredients as possible, and I don’t even own corn syrup…and I don’t really want to buy a bottle just for these cookies…
You can leave it out but it does aid in creating the thin texture of these cookies.
For those that don’t want to use corn syrup (not all corn syrup is high fructose, but it is almost certain to be made with GMO corn, which is a negative in my book), I have read of several people substituting Lyle’s Golden Syrup for the corn syrup. I have not tried this yet, but I did finally find it in a store while traveling and plan to very soon. People seemed to be happy with the substitution results who tried it. Lyle’s is a very British staple ingredient and is not always found at American grocery stores. But it is a standard ingredient across the pond! Hope this helps!
I have tried a variety of thin chocolate chip recipes but none of them acually
came out thin. This did. The color and texture were as I expected; and they
were thin! Thank you.
So happy to hear that!
will it be ok if i add nuts to the dough, tq.
I don’t usually comment, but these cookies came out perfect!!! This is thee best thin and crispy cookie recipe that I have ever found!
So glad to hear that! Woohoo 🙂
These are exactly what I was looking for. i’ll try them next week. I wanted a recipe that would emulate Tate’s chocolate chip cookies. They are so delicious and thin. Will keep you posted and thanks for this blog. i love it.
i have tried 6 times to make flat ccc so today I just tried yours still got cake like cookies???? Please tell me what I’m doing wrong? Thank you…..
Check out my cookie troubleshooting guide, I’m thinking it’ll be a huge help to you! https://www.handletheheat.com/ultimate-cookie-troubleshooting-guide/
Hi,
Will these be fine if i don’t have corn syrup or is it a really crucial ingredient?
It definitely helps create the thin crisp texture, but you can leave it out if you must.
Is it ok to add nuts to the batter? Thanks. Can’t wait to try.
Don’t see why not!
O Thank God for you !!! I have been trying since I was 14 for a cookie just for me …the rest of the family likes the puffy soft kind, but they get stale so quickly ( in my opinion )
othankGod for you !
laurie
Great recipe! Super easy tomake and turns out wonderful. The cookies are cruncy and chewy in the middle. A keeper! Thank you 🙂
I almost never post comments, yet this recipe absolutely required I do so. I bake a lot and have experimented with almost every chocolate chip cookie you can imagine. This recipe really stood out as something different and with the promise of crispiness I had to try it. I made them last night and all I can say is we have no idea how they taste the day after because we ate them ALL (thankfully the recipe only made 20). They inspired such a binge for everyone in the family. This is the most perfect ccc I have ever come across and my new de facto recipe. Thank you Tessa! You are amazing.
Thank you so much Jules!! Your comment made me smile 🙂
Hi Tessa, I LOVE this recipe and it is one of the few cookie recipes that actually worked with me. I want to do this recipe again but unfortunately I ran out of light corn syrup and I can’t find it in stores near me, is it okay if I use dark corn syrup instead? & if I do, do I change the measurements or does it just stay the same? Thankss
I just made these cookies because I wanted flat crispy cookies and they came out fat chewy and cakey 🙁
hey, would it be ok to substitute the light corn syrup with honey? thanks in advance!
I just made these cookies and they came out perfect and delicious. I follow the recipe exactly as it says only thing I did was turn up my oven to 375 because I know it’s an older oven. I love this recipe will try it again too bad I can’t post pics.
Thank you,
Nicole
Would it be okay to completely use brown sugar instead of some granulated sugar? All I have in the pantry is brown sugar.
Good dept 🙂
I made these today and they are soooo good. Just how I like them, thank you for sharing your recioe
Can u use margarine instead of unsalted butter? Beth
Wow – So impressed by your website. Cookies were perfect. Thin, crispy on the edges, good chew to the middle. I found the batter a bit sweet, so I sprinkled sea salt on the top before throwing them in the office. The salt adds a nice edge on top of the sweetness. I also made your old fashioned dough nuts last week. They were amazing!! Thank you so much for your tips and tricks!
Made these this afternoon, however not to my liking. They came out thinner than I like and were greasy. Guessing from the melted/cooled butter. The taste of cookie itself is good.
I had to let you know, that this is the BEST cookie recipe I have ever come across. I moved to Europe 11 yrs ago, and had all but given up on making a great “American” cookie. Ingredients here are just a little bit different, and it’s enough so that they either always come out too cakey for my taste, or just don’t have the right flavor. Thank you for sharing this recipe. It is now the base for most of my cookies. Made it today with chopped up butterfinger…yum! Crispy, chewy, delicious! 10 out of 10.
Yay! So happy to hear that! 🙂
Can I double this recipe, and if so should use exactly double of all ingredients?
I made these and they turned out small and about an inch tall, and puffy inside – so far from what I was expecting that it was funny! XD If anyone could let me know why they turned out this way, that would be great!
I followed the recipe exactly. Cookies turned out chewy and a little crispy but the flavor was not good at all. Tasted blah. Money wasted.
Hi, Jennifer! I’m sorry to hear that. Since I’ve made this recipe many times with rave reviews, and many other readers have made and enjoyed it, I’m wondering if the ‘blah’ flavor had something to do with the ingredients used? I try to use the highest quality ingredients I can get when baking, it truly does make a difference!
Hello~ I’m just curious, after reading your cookie guide, why does your thin & crisp chocolate chip cookie recipe include brown sugar? I read that if you want crisp to use just white sugar. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a choco chip cookie recipe w/ just white sugar. Is it because of flavor? Thanks!
I’ve just been having an impossible time of achieving a thin crisp cookie.
If the cookies didn’t have brown sugar, then they’d basically be sugar cookies. You’re right, the brown sugar is necessary in creating that richer more butterscotch sweet flavor 🙂
Made these exactly as stated and they were really good. Thanks for the recipe! Gonna make more this weekend for my sons lunchbox next week:)
Wonderful!! Your son is a lucky kid 😉
I enjoy your cookies recipes. Thanks for sharing.
Wish you greater success for your baking passion.
Have a blessed n joyous Christmas.
Jess Lee
Singapore
hi Tessa, im experimenting many recipes to get the thin and crisp and melt in mouth choc chip cookies. I come across your website and will do right after works. Will update soon… cross finger to get my dream cookies..
Top 3 chocolate chip cookie recipes!! My family all loved it…and they are pretty picky!! They are truly the perfect crispy yet slightly chewy cookie. We did half semi sweet chocolate and half milk chocolate chips because that’s what we preferred. Happy to report it taste perfectly delicious the next day too. No ore having to wait for my dough to chill…we can enjoy these in about 30 minutes!! Thanks for sharing this new favorite!!
Yay!! So glad your family enjoyed the recipe 🙂
I just made these cookies and my family gave them a thumbs up. you do make a huge cookie and they are thin and crispy. I’m going to try and bake at a higher temp as I had to keep adding time. Definitely will make again.
Perfectly crunchy! My 5 yr old thoroughly enjoyed them!
These cookies ROCK!!!!!
Worst recipe ever in all my life! The syrup is nasty and leaves awful taste and consistency, the cookies stuck to the paper so bad I threw out the whole mess! I should have known with milk and syrup there was something really wrong.
Perfect crispy thin with great flavor! Followed recipe exactly so not sure what went wrong with some of the other posters. Will make these again and again! Thank you for the recipe!
Can I substitute water for the milk? Can you provide weights for the sugars?
Thanks!
Baked these cookies today. I substituted maple syrup for corn syrup since I didn’t have any corn syrup. First batch came out a bit cakey and the batter didn’t flatten while baking to give them that thin and crispy cookie that I am looking for. I also like my cookies to be crunchy/crispy all the way through. Not into chewy, cakey or soft middles.
Decided to turn up my oven to 375 ( my oven is not real hot even on convection) and baked them for 13 minutes instead of 12. I also flattened the batter on the cookie sheet with a fork to make them thinner. Bingo! Much better, crispy and thin if a tad on the sweet side.
Will do them again with less sugar or omit the maple syrup maybe.
@J
The sugar weight measurements should be 100 grams of white sugar, and 65 grams of brown sugar. No problem:) !!!
Hi Tessa,
I made these last week and tutu were very good but after about 4 hours, they turned soft.
Any idea what happened? When they were fresh from the oven, like literally, they could still burn your fingers, i took one and ate it. Boy, it was good, a lot of choc chips and was very crisp on the outside. But the center was kind of not so cooked. I’m suspecting that the gooey center caused the cookies to become soft after a while.
Hi Tessa,
I’m just speaking my mind and being as honest as i can. And i don’t mean any harm at all. But i think there is a con. U cant make the same cookie with less sugar. I’m very sad to hear this myself. I wish it could. Thank you so much anyway for this recipe that inspired my own! 🙂
Francid
I’ve been searching for a thin and crispy cookie recipe, but these turned out more cakey, and my batter was not like batter. I even tried making different sized cookies to get thin batch, but it didn’t work. Not sure what I did wrong…
I love crispy cookies and these did not disappoint! I made them following your recipe exactly, they are so easy to make and sooo good! Thank you
These are a keeper. I followed the recipe with only a minor adjustment or two. I only used a half a cup of mini chocolate chips, half cup of heath toffee bits and quarter cup of chopped bacon. Also, since I was making “miniature” cookies, about 1 tsp, I found using a pipping bag to be a lot quicker and easier. I only baked for 9 minutes. Cookies turned out spectacular. Thank you for sharing this recipe..
Way to rip off Stella Parks. The recipe is different, but given the number of plagiarized recipes on your site it fits the pattern of your behaviour. do you ever have original ideas?