Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
If you're of the school that believes chocolate chip cookies should be soft and chewy, you'll love this recipe. These superb cookies are made with lots of butter and a combination of white and brown sugars to produce a rich and chewy cookie with caramelized edges. The recipe also has more brown sugar than white sugar which gives the cookies a more caramel flavor. The cookie dough is easy to work with -- however, you may need to chill the dough before baking as the dough has a tendency to sometimes be soft because of all the butter.
If you're of the school that believes chocolate chip cookies should be soft and chewy, you'll love this recipe. These superb cookies are made with lots of butter and a combination of white and brown sugars to produce a rich and chewy cookie with caramelized edges. The recipe also has more brown sugar than white sugar which gives the cookies a more caramel flavor. The cookie dough is easy to work with -- however, you may need to chill the dough before baking as the dough has a tendency to sometimes be soft because of all the butter.
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2-sticks) - softened but still firm
- 1 cup light brown sugar - firmly packed
- 2 large eggs - cold, straight from the refrigerator
- 1 12-oz package semi-sweet chocolate chips - frozen, straight from the freezer (i use ghirardelli)
- Carbohydrate 18.6871612847222 g
- Cholesterol 72.3069444444445 mg
- Fat 9.35255354166667 g
- Fiber 0.708869803361595 g
- Protein 2.80569954861111 g
- Saturated Fat 5.33522647569444 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Dozen (44g)
- Sodium 105.121798611111 mg
- Sugar 17.9782914813606 g
- Trans Fat 0.731697524305556 g
- Calories 163 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F with oven rack in center position. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicon baking pads, e.g., Silpad, if desired (*see note); set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
- In bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment (or an electric mixer, or by hand), beat butter at medium-high speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add granulated and brown sugars and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes (or 5 to 6 minutes by hand), stopping to scrape down bowl as necessary. Reduce speed to medium-low and add in eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition until well incorporated. Add vanilla and beat until incorporated. Reduce speed to lowest setting (or gently stir by hand); gradually add in dry ingredients, scraping down bowl as necessary, and beating until just incorporated; don't overmix. Fold in chocolate chips. (If you find that the dough is very soft, cover and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.)
- Using one heaping tablespoon of batter per cookie, drop cookies 2-inches apart, in staggered rows of 3-2-3-2-3 (**see note), on ungreased or prepared baking sheets. Place one baking sheet at a time onto center rack of preheated 350 degree F oven. Bake until cookies are golden around the edges, still have pale tops, and are soft in the center, about 8 to 10 minutes. (Do not overbake! They will firm up more during cooling.) Remove from oven, and let cool on baking sheet for at least two minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely. If you used parchment paper, remove baking sheet from oven and immediately slide cookies on parchment directly onto cooling racks. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. Cookies freeze well.
When counter space is limited and single-sheet baking is your only option, managing oven time efficiently dictates the final texture of the batch. Controlling how heat interacts with butter, sugar, and flour determines whether the cookie spreads thin or stays thick and pliable. A heavy-gauge aluminum baking sheet prevents hotspots that burn the bottom before the center sets. Keeping the butter softened yet structurally firm ensures the emulsion holds during creaming, trapping air without melting into a liquid mess.
- Use unbleached all-purpose flour for a stronger gluten network that supports the high butter volume without collapsing.
- Weigh or measure the brown sugar firmly packed to harness its moisture-retention properties, which maintain chewiness over several days.
- Keep eggs cold straight from the refrigerator to lower the overall bowl temperature and prevent the butter from breaking down.
- Freeze the semi-sweet chocolate chips prior to folding so they retain their shape and do not bleed streaks of brown into the pale dough.
- Pull the baking sheet from the oven when the edges are golden and the centers remain distinctly soft at the 8-minute mark.
Transferring the parchment directly to a wire rack stops residual heat from overcooking the bottoms. Stored properly in an airtight container, these treats maintain peak moisture for up to one week.
