Chocolate Chip Cookie
Chocolate Chip Cookie Say it: CHOK-lit chip KOOK-ee
The chocolate chip cookie is the classic American drop cookie: soft, buttery dough studded with semisweet chocolate and baked until the edges are golden and crisp while the center stays chewy. It is an everyday treat and bake-sale staple across the United States, often served warm with milk. New England is its spiritual home, and the formula—creamed butter and sugar, flour, egg, vanilla, chocolate—has stayed remarkably unchanged since the early twentieth century. Its appeal is the contrast: caramelized edges, tender middle, and pockets of melted chocolate.
Chocolate Chip Cookie
Chocolate Chip Cookie
Pronounced CHOK-lit chip KOOK-ee
- Serves
- 24
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Total
- 35 min
- Level
- Easy
Also nut-free.
Allergens: contains gluten, milk, egg, soy. Check labels on packaged ingredients.
Ingredients
Amounts are scaled. Cooking times and pan sizes stay the same.
Method
Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl.
Beat the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar in a large bowl until pale and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.
Beat in the eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla and mix until smooth.
Add the dry ingredients on low speed and mix just until no streaks of flour remain, then stir in the chocolate chips.
Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto the prepared sheets, spacing them about 2 inches (5 cm) apart.
Bake one sheet at a time for 9 to 11 minutes, until the edges are golden and the centers still look slightly underdone.
Cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
Regional variants
For a crisper cookie, bake 1 to 2 minutes longer; for a thicker, chewier cookie, chill the dough for 30 minutes before baking. Stir in 1 cup (100 g) toasted walnuts or pecans for a classic nut version.
Cook's notes
- Pull the cookies when the centers still look a little soft; they firm up as they cool.
- Measure flour by spooning it into the cup and leveling it off, or use a scale, so the cookies stay tender.
- Let baking sheets cool between batches so the dough does not spread too much.
Serve with
Cold milk, coffee, or vanilla ice cream for cookie sandwiches.
Make ahead and storage
Dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen in scooped balls; baked cookies keep for 4 to 5 days in an airtight container.
