Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Name: Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Prep time: 26 min
Cook time: 22 min
Total time: 48 min
Yield: 18 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2¼ cups (280 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled; 1 teaspoon (5 g) baking soda; ¾ teaspoon (4 g) fine sea salt; ¾ cup (1½ sticks) (170 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled for 10 minutes until warm, not hot; 1 cup, firmly packed (200 g) light brown sugar, packed, any lumps broken up; ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar; 1 whole (50 g) large egg, at room temperature; 1 whole (18 g) large egg yolk, at room temperature; 1 tablespoon (15 ml) pure vanilla extract; 1½ cups (255 g) semisweet chocolate chips, plus a few extra to press on top, if desired; ½ teaspoon (2 g) flaky sea salt, for sprinkling (optional)

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

Thick, bendy-centered cookies with crisp golden edges, deep brown-sugar flavor, and big pools of melted chocolate. Melted butter, an extra egg yolk, and a short chill give the chewy texture with no mixer.

Prep: 26 min
Cook: 22 min
Wait: 55 min
Total: 1 hr 43 min
Makes: 18 large cookies (about 3 inches / 7.5 cm wide)

Jump to recipe ♡ Save

Ingredients

18 servings

2¼ cups (280 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
1 teaspoon (5 g) baking soda
¾ teaspoon (4 g) fine sea salt
¾ cup (1½ sticks) (170 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled for 10 minutes until warm, not hot
1 cup, firmly packed (200 g) light brown sugar, packed, any lumps broken up
¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
1 whole (50 g) large egg, at room temperature
1 whole (18 g) large egg yolk, at room temperature
1 tablespoon (15 ml) pure vanilla extract
1½ cups (255 g) semisweet chocolate chips, plus a few extra to press on top, if desired
½ teaspoon (2 g) flaky sea salt, for sprinkling (optional)

Equipment (7)

2 large rimmed baking sheets (about 13×18-inch / 33×46 cm)
Parchment paper or silicone baking mats
Small saucepan or microwave-safe bowl
Large mixing bowl and medium bowl
Whisk and silicone spatula
Spring-loaded cookie scoop (about 3 tablespoons) or large spoon
Wire cooling rack

Steps

Before you start

Take the egg out of the fridge 30 minutes ahead so it blends smoothly with the warm butter.
Measure flour by spooning it into the cup and leveling it, or weigh it. Scooping straight from the bag packs in extra flour and makes dry, cakey cookies.
Plan on about 1 hour 45 minutes in total, including a 30-minute dough chill and cooling time.
Position an oven rack in the center and have two rimmed baking sheets and parchment paper ready.

1
Melt and cool butter
- Cut the butter into pieces and melt it in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, or in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second bursts, stirring until completely liquid.
- Pour it into a large mixing bowl and let it cool for 10 minutes.
+ Show details− Hide details
Ready when: Butter is fully liquid and warm to the touch, not hot or steaming
Tip: Hot butter makes greasy, flat cookies. Cooling it is worth the wait.
2
Whisk dry ingredients
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and fine salt for 30 seconds so the baking soda is evenly distributed.
- Set aside.
+ Show details− Hide details
Ready when: No streaks or clumps of baking soda remain
3
Mix sugars into butter
- Add the brown sugar and granulated sugar to the cooled butter.
- Whisk vigorously for about 1 minute until the mixture looks thick, glossy, and like wet sand with no dry sugar visible.
+ Show details− Hide details
Ready when: Mixture is smooth, glossy, and no dry sugar is visible
4
Add egg and vanilla
- Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla.
- Whisk for about 1 minute until the batter turns lighter in color, thickens slightly, and looks smooth and satiny.
+ Show details− Hide details
Ready when: Batter is glossy, slightly lighter, and no streaks of egg remain
Tip: The extra yolk adds richness and chew, so don't skip it.
5
Fold in flour
- Switch to a silicone spatula.
- Add the flour mixture and fold gently, scraping the bottom of the bowl, just until no dry flour streaks remain.
- The dough will be soft and thick.
+ Show details− Hide details
Ready when: No visible flour streaks; dough is soft and cohesive
Tip: Stop mixing as soon as the flour disappears. Overmixing builds gluten and makes tough cookies.
6
Fold in chocolate
- Add the chocolate chips and fold 8 to 10 times until they are evenly spread through the dough.
+ Show details− Hide details
Ready when: Chips are evenly distributed throughout the dough
7
Chill the dough
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- The dough will firm up so it scoops cleanly, and the flour will hydrate for better flavor and chew.
+ Show details− Hide details
Ready when: Dough is firm enough to scoop and hold its shape
Tip: For deeper toffee flavor, chill up to 24 hours. Let it sit 10 minutes at room temperature before scooping.
8
Preheat and portionOven 350°F / 175°C
- Place a rack in the center of the oven and heat it to 350°F (175°C).
- Line two baking sheets with parchment.
- Scoop the dough into 18 mounds of about 3 tablespoons (58 g) each, placing 9 per sheet at least 2½ inches (6 cm) apart.
- Press a few extra chips on top and sprinkle with flaky salt, if using.
+ Show details− Hide details
Ready when: Oven is fully preheated and 18 evenly sized mounds are on the sheets
Tip: Keep the dough tall and rounded rather than flattened for thicker, chewier centers.
9
Bake in two batchesOven 350°F / 175°C
- Bake one sheet at a time at 350°F (175°C) for 10 to 12 minutes.
- Refrigerate the second tray of dough while the first bakes.
- Rotate the tray halfway through.
- Repeat with the second sheet.
+ Show details− Hide details
Ready when: Edges are set and golden brown, while the centers look puffy, soft, and slightly underdone
Tip: Pull the cookies when the centers still look a little raw. They keep cooking on the hot tray, and overbaking turns them crisp.
10
Cool on the tray
- Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes so they set, then slide the parchment or transfer the cookies to a wire rack.
- Cool at least 10 minutes more before eating.
+ Show details− Hide details
Ready when: Cookies lift off the tray without bending or breaking
Tip: For rounder cookies, use a round cutter or glass to swirl each hot cookie edge inward right after baking.

Good to know

Tips

Weighing ingredients is the most reliable way to get the same chewy result every time.
Bake one tray at a time on the center rack for even browning. Always use a cool tray for the second batch.
If cookies spread too thin, chill the dough another 15 to 30 minutes and check that the butter was cooled before mixing.
Slightly underbaked centers are the secret to chew. They set as they cool.

Make ahead

"Dough can be refrigerated, covered, for up to 48 hours (the flavor improves), or scooped into balls and frozen for up to 3 months. Bake frozen dough balls straight from the freezer at 350°F (175°C), adding 1 to 2 minutes."

Storage & reheating

"Room temperature: airtight container up to 4 days (add a slice of bread to keep them soft). Fridge: not recommended, as it dries them out. Freezer: baked cookies up to 3 months in a freezer bag. Reheat from frozen or room temperature at 300°F (150°C) for 3 to 5 minutes, or microwave one cookie for 8 to 10 seconds for a warm, gooey center."

Substitutions

semisweet chocolate chips → chopped bittersweet chocolate bar (255 g). Chopped chocolate gives larger melty pools and layered streaks in the cookie.
light brown sugar → dark brown sugar. Gives a stronger molasses flavor and slightly softer, chewier cookies.
unsalted butter → salted butter. Reduce the fine sea salt to ½ teaspoon (2 g).
all-purpose flour → bread flour. Makes a slightly chewier, denser cookie; use the same weight (280 g).