Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies
These soft chocolate chip cookies are thick, buttery, and loaded with melty chocolate. The centers stay soft and bendy for days, the edges bake up just golden, and the dough comes together with simple pantry ingredients — no mixer required.
Why you'll want it now — Warm, bakery-style cookies with gooey chocolate and centers that stay soft for days.
Why this recipe works
Melted butter plus an extra egg yolk makes a rich, chewy dough. Leaning on brown sugar over white keeps the cookies soft and moist, while a short chill firms the dough so the cookies bake up thick instead of thin and crisp. Pulling them while the centers still look underdone is the whole secret to a soft chocolate chip cookie.
Ingredients
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled (140 g)
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar (160 g)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar (50 g)
- 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (210 g)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (255 g)
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- Whisk
- Rubber spatula
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Cookie scoop (about 2 tbsp / 55 g)
- Kitchen scale
- Cooling rack
How to make it
- In a large bowl, whisk the melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until smooth and glossy, about 30 seconds.
- Whisk in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla until the batter looks thick and a little shiny.
- Add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Switch to a spatula and stir just until no dry streaks remain — don't overmix.
- Fold in the chocolate chips. The dough will be soft; cover and chill for 30 minutes so it firms up and bakes thick.
- Heat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Scoop the dough into 2-tablespoon balls (about 55 g each), rolling them tall rather than wide, and space them about 2 inches apart. Weighing each ball keeps the cookies even and bakes them at the same rate.
- Bake 10–12 minutes, until the edges are set and lightly golden but the centers still look soft and slightly underdone.
- Let the cookies sit on the hot pan for 5 minutes to finish setting, then move them to a cooling rack.
How you'll know it's ready
The edges are set and lightly golden, but the centers still look soft, puffy, and a touch underbaked. They finish setting on the hot pan — if you wait for the centers to look fully done in the oven, they'll be dry.
Troubleshooting
- Cookies spreading too thin? Your dough was too warm — chill it longer, and make sure the melted butter cooled before mixing.
- Cookies came out cakey? You likely added too much flour. Spoon flour into the cup and level it off, or weigh it (210 g).
- Dry or crumbly? They were overbaked. Pull them when the centers still look soft; they set as they cool.
- Want them extra thick? Roll the dough balls tall, and press a few extra chips on top right after baking.
Storage
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Tuck a slice of sandwich bread in the container to keep them soft. They also warm beautifully — 10 seconds in the microwave brings back the melty chocolate.
Make ahead
Scoop the dough into balls and freeze on a tray, then bag them. Bake straight from frozen, adding 1–2 minutes. Baked cookies freeze well for up to 2 months.
Variations
- Brown butter: brown the butter first, then cool it slightly for a deeper, toffee-like flavor.
- Chocolate chunks: swap the chips for chopped chocolate for melty puddles and thin edges.
- Sea salt: sprinkle flaky salt on top right after baking.
- Double chocolate: replace 1/4 cup (30 g) flour with cocoa powder.
- Birthday cake: add 1/3 cup (60 g) rainbow sprinkles with the chips.