Thin and Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Yield: about 20 cookies
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook: 40 minutes
Tessa's Recipe Rundown...
Taste: These cookies really have that caramelized butterscotch flavor which I think 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! They’re also slightly chewy and crunchy.
Ease: Super easy, you don’t even have to wait for butter to come to room temperature or use your electric mixer.
Appearance: You can just see the texture from the flat texture and browned edges of these cookies.
Pros: Quick, easy, and satisfies that thin crispy craving.
Cons: None.
Would I make this again? Yes! Every once in a while this is the texture I want.
It’s day four of Chocolate Chip Cookie week! I’ve already shared recipes for Soft Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies and my Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies, now I’m sharing a cookie that’s at the opposite end of the texture spectrum.
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. 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. Another key trick is using more granulated sugar than brown sugar which will also help produce flat, chewy, crunchy cookies. A touch of corn syrup in this dough aids in browning and caramelization, giving the cookies great flavor and browned crunchy bottoms. Lastly, a splash of milk added into the dough also helps to create flatter cookies. Actually, many of the cookie recipes in my ice cream sandwich cookbook, Cookies & Cream, call for a splash of milk because I wanted the cookies to be relatively thin so that the final ice cream sandwich wasn’t so tall that you had to unhinge your jaw to take a bite.
If possible, avoid baking these cookies on nonstick or greased baking sheets. Use unlined metal sheets that have been fitted with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. The dark nonstick finish can enhance browning and even cause cookies to burn on the bottom, especially in this particular recipe. The 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.
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cups (5.88 ounces) all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Directions
-
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
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.
Drop dough by 1 1/2 tablespoon rounds onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing at least 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.
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 5 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
If you make this recipe, be sure to snap a picture and share it on Instagram with #handletheheat so we can all see! 
62 Responses to “Thin and Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies”
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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.