This recipe is for the best chewy chocolate chip cookies. They have chewy centers, crisp edges, pockets of dark chocolate and a sprinkle of flaky salt.
If you're looking for other cookie recipes, try my pumpkin cheesecake cookies, chocolate caramel cookies, double chocolate cookies, white chocolate macadamia nut cookies or Biscoff butter cookies!
Chocolate chip cookies are very personal and I know everyone has their favorite way of making them. This is my personal favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. I’ve worked hard to create what I think are the best cookies I could come up with. They are chewy, have chunks of dark chocolate, and are topped with lots of flaky sea salt. I present you with the best chocolate chip cookie recipe. I hope you enjoy these as much as I do!
Recipe Video
Why These are The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie
We are using a bar of dark chocolate, chopped in large chunks. This will create large pockets of gooey chocolate. I personally use nothing less than 60 percent dark chocolate just because I love the contrast between the sweet and salty dough, and the rich dark chocolate. You can use whatever percent your heart desires though!
We are using mostly brown sugar. This will make the cookie chewy in the most satisfying way. The more a cookie calls for white sugar, the crispier it tends to be. So, we are using almost all brown sugar to create a very chewy centered cookie.
We are using egg yolks only. This makes the cookie richer in flavor than using the whole egg. We are going for the richest version of a chocolate chip cookie if you haven’t noticed yet!
We are using a lot of butter. These are a buttery cookie so yes there will be some butter on the bottom of the cookie and the parchment paper after they're baked. I like buttery cookies but I know others do not like when they're extra buttery and that's again another reason why chocolate chip cookies are so personal lol!
We are using lots of sea salt on top. I am a huge fan of the salty/sweet thing. I don’t like chocolate chip cookies that are exclusively sweet, so this recipe calls for sea salt on top of the cookies right after they bake. The coarser/ flakier the better!
One last note about these cookies. If you can resist and chill the dough overnight the cookies will taste better. Think about meat marinating overnight in the fridge, or how good spaghetti is the next day. The ingredients in the chocolate chip cookie dough have time to marinate and get real close to each other. The flavor profile just expands! (You can also bake them the same day if you would rather not chill the dough).
Okay without further ado I present you the best chocolate chip cookie!
Ingredients for the Best Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies:
- Flour-good old fashioned all purpose flour is used for these cookies
- Sugar- mostly brown sugar and some granulated sugar are used in these cookies
- Eggs- two egg yolks are needed
- Baking soda and baking powder- helps the cookies rise slightly
- Dark Chocolate Bars- 6 oz of dark chocolate gets coarsely chopped and added to the batter (I recommend nothing less than 60%)
- Butter- we're using salted and make sure it's softened (you can use unsalted butter if that's all you have on hand)
- Salt- to help bring out all the flavors in the cookies
- Vanilla- I recommend vanilla bean paste for the best flavor, but vanilla extract works well too
- Flaky sea salt- for sprinkling after the cookies are baked
Step by Step Instructions for Easy Chocolate Chip Cookies:
Please see recipe card below for complete measurements and baking time for these delicious cookies!
STEP ONE: Add softened, salted butter, light brown sugar, and granulated sugar to a large bowl. Cream the butter and sugars together with an electric hand mixer on high speed for two minutes, or until light and fluffy.
STEP TWO: Add in the egg yolks and vanilla and mix on medium speed for two minutes, or until the mixture is pale in color and fluffy.
STEP THREE: In a small bowl combine the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed just until combined.
STEP FOUR: Chop the dark chocolate in large chunks, then add to the cookie dough. Mix in with a rubber spatula just until incorporated.
STEP FIVE: Scoop the dough into 20 balls with a 2 tablespoon capacity cookie scoop. Place the balls of dough on a baking sheet. Cover them with cling wrap and let them chill over night for the best flavor. (Additionally, you can just scoop them onto a baking sheet and bake right away).
If chilling the dough, let it come to room temperature before baking.
STEP SIX: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and arrange the dough balls three inches apart on a prepared baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake the cookies for 10-11 minutes just until you see the edges getting golden brown.
STEP SEVEN: Remove the cookies from the oven and sprinkle them with flaky sea salt. Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Then dig in!
FAQs
Why didn't my cookies come out chewy? You used too much flour. Be very accurate when measuring your flour. See my pro tips and recipe notes on this.
Do I have to chill the dough? No! You can bake them right away. The cookies do taste best when the dough is chilled, but I've made them both ways and both are excellent!
Do I have to use a large cookie scoop? No. If you don't have a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop, or if you just want to make smaller cookies, you can use a smaller scoop. Baking time will be different though. Start with 8 minutes and add more time as necessary, just until the edges are a light golden color and the cookies have spread slightly.
Do I have to use a chopped dark chocolate bar? No, you can use semisweet chocolate chips if would like! I just think a chopped dark chocolate bar tastes the best and gives you the best pools of melty chocolate chunks.
How do I store these cookies? Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to three days. Freeze for up to 2 weeks.
Pro Tips:
For best results, measure your flour properly. This is always my #1 baking tip. Do not ever scoop a measuring cup into your flour. This will always lead to using too much flour. Instead, sprinkle spoonfuls of flour into your measuring cup and swipe excess flour off with the back of a knife. Or better yet, weigh your flour. 1 cup of flour equals 125 grams.
When the cookies are straight out of the oven, scoot a circular cookie cutter around them to make them perfectly round!
If you make these cookies, please leave a star rating! Tag me on Instagram @inbloombakery_ so I can see your bakes, and follow me on Pinterest for more dessert ideas! Happy baking!
Other Recipes to Try Next Time:
Chewy Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups (219 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled please see notes
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¾ cup (168 g) salted butter, softened
- ¾ cup (165 g) light brown sugar
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 2 egg yolks, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 6 oz (170 g) dark chocolate bars, chopped 60% cacao
- flaky sea salt for sprinkling
Instructions
For the Dough:
- In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Then set aside.1 ¾ cups (219 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon sea salt
- Add the softened, salted butter, light brown sugar, and granulated sugar to a large bowl. Cream the butter and sugars together with an electric mixer on high speed for two minutes, or until light and fluffy.¾ cup (168 g) salted butter, softened, ¾ cup (165 g) light brown sugar, ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- Next, add in the egg yolks and vanilla and mix on medium speed for two minutes, or until the mixture is pale in color and fluffy.2 egg yolks, at room temperature, 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- Add in the dry ingredients and mix on low speed just until combined.
- Add the chopped dark chocolate in and mix just until incorporated.6 oz (170 g) dark chocolate bars, chopped
Baking the Cookies:
- Scoop the dough into 20 balls. Cover them with cling wrap and let them chill over night for the best flavor. (Additionally, you can just scoop them onto a baking sheet and bake right away).
- If chilling the dough, let it come to room temperature before baking.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and arrange the dough three inches apart on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
- Bake the cookies for 10-11 minutes, just until you see the edges getting light golden brown.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and sprinkle them with flaky sea salt. Transfer to a cooling rack after 5 minutes. Let them cool for 10 minutes and then dig in!flaky sea salt for sprinkling
Made these cookies for the first time today, and they are fantastic!!
Delicious cookies that I will absolutely make again along with share the recipe! I did make some adjustment to utilize what I had on hand. I substituted 1 teaspoon vanilla for the vanilla bean paste and used packaged chocolate chips that were 60% cacao. I don't have a cookie dough scoop so I used a table's spoon making 36 cookies total which required 12 minutes baking time. I also used coarse sea salt to very lightly sprinkle on top as I didn't have flakes.
Hi Victoria! I'm so glad you enjoyed! And yes, those are all great substitutes! (The vanilla bean paste and flaky sea salt are really just a preferences, but not necessary.) Thank you for your kind review!
These were the best chocolate chip cookies I have ever made and I’m sitting here missing them right now since I made them all!! They are the perfect chocolate chip cookie! (Even better than Joanna Gaines, for real) make them today!!😭🥰
Hi Ginny, massive thank you 🙏, for sharing your incredible recipe,definitely i will try tomorrow and i will tag you.xxx
I struggled to find a good chocolate chip cookie recipe until I found this one. It’s my go to recipe now, I’ve made it a few times and it’s always a hit!
These cookies are to die for. So rich and chewy. Just so so yummy!! Make them!
Did you change the recipe by any chance? I used a recipe back in February that only called for 1 and a 1/4 cups flour + 2 tbsp. Can you confirm? Thanks!
Hey Lauren! I don't know if you follow me on Insta or not but I did a whole story about how to properly measure flour which resulted from me realizing I have been measuring flour incorrectly my whole life! (If you do follow me on Insta I would highly recommend watching the highlight titled "FLOUR") The recipe is the exact same, but with the proper measurements of flour. If you read the recipe notes I go over how to properly measure flour. The old recipe's flour measurements were completely off if you are measuring flour correctly. Instead of scooping a measuring cup into your flour, sprinkle spoonfuls into your measuring cup, then swipe excess off with a back of a knife. That will give you the precise amount of flour needed! Hope this helps!
Everyone’s favorite of the holiday cookies I baked. Definitely will make again.
Amazing! Where do you reccomend buying vanilla bean paste? I haven’t found one in stores yet 🙁
Hey Jasmine! Amazon (of course haha) or the Fresh Market carries it usually! 🙂
The best freaking chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever eaten. Make these!!!
Hi, please can you provide the recipes in grams by any chance???? Could help a lot. Thanks
Hi, can you provide the recipe is grams. Could help a lot. Thanks
Can’t wait to try these! If I don’t have the paste do I use 1 tbs vanilla extract? I read the comment earlier from someone saying they used 1 tsp. Thank you!
Hi Kristina! Use 1 tbsp whether you're using vanilla bean paste or extract 🙂
I haven't tried this yet but can I use this recipe in an air fryer instead if an oven? Can I use the same temp and cooking time? Thank you!
Hi Niki! I have never tried baking them in an air fryer so I'm not sure!
This recipe came out exactly as I hoped. I like that you said how many cookies to make. I ended up making my balls of cookie dough slightly bigger than I normally would to get 20. They came out perfect! So delicious and chewy.
Hey, could you put in grams please
Updated! 🙂
I've made this recipe twice already and it's one of my favorites. I was wondering if you could possibly add double/triple the recipe buttons on this? I want to make more but I have no idea how to double recipes correctly.
Best recipe ever!!! The first time I made these, they turned out PERFECT! But when I did it a second time the edges of my cookies had little splits. Has this ever happened to anyone? Could you advise me on what I might have done wrong?
great recipe !
I'm french, here we don't have any brown sugar, the closest thing that I found was brown "cassonade" and these cookies were absolutely delicious, the best I ever had
@Jasmine I find my vanilla bean paste at Homegoods, but it is hit or miss. I buy it whenever I see it there. Have not tried to make these yet but I love how yours are all perfect circles of the same size. Do you bake inside round cookie cutters or ?
Hey! Can you chill the dough for longer than overnight?