Homemade chocolate chip cookies

This is the best chocolate chip cookies recipe ever! No funny ingredients, no chilling time, etc. Just a simple, straightforward, amazingly delicious, doughy yet still fully cooked, chocolate chip cookie that turns out perfectly every single time! 

Overhead view of one chocolate chip cookie surrounded by four other chocolate chip cookies and chopped chocolate

Everyone needs a classic chocolate chip cookie recipe in their repertoire, and this is mine. It is seriously the Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe Ever! I have been making these for many, many years and everyone who tries them agrees they’re out-of-this-world delicious!

Plus, there’s no funny ingredients, no chilling, etc. Just a simple, straightforward, amazingly delicious, doughy yet still fully cooked, chocolate chip cookie that turns out perfectly every single time!

These are everything a chocolate chip cookie should be. Crispy and chewy. Doughy yet fully baked. Perfectly buttery and sweet.

Overhead view of one chocolate chip cookie torn in half with melty chocolate chips surrounded by three other cookies and chopped chocolate

 How to make Chocolate Chip Cookies

Let’s walk through how to make chocolate chip cookies step-by-step, and don’t forget to watch the video.

The first step in making these easy chocolate chip cookies to to combine the dry ingredients in a medium size bowl.

When doing this, make sure to Measure the flour correctly. Be sure to use a measuring cup made for dry ingredients (NOT a pyrex liquid measuring cup). Then, measure flour by scooping it into a measuring cup and leveling it with a knife.

two photos showing How to make chocolate chip cookies - mixing dry ingredients

Next, cream together butter and sugars, make sure to soften the butter early by taking it out of the fridge at least two hours before baking so it’s ready to go when you need it. You can also warm it in the microwave for about 7 seconds, but be very careful not to melt it.

Once butter/sugar mixture is beaten well, add the eggs & vanilla and beat to combine.

two photos showing How to make chocolate chip cookies - combining butter and sugar, adding eggs & vanilla

Add dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Then add the chocolate chips and beat until they are evenly distributed throughout the dough.

Use LOTS of chocolate chips. You want at least two gooey chocolate chips in every bite.

two photos showing How to make chocolate chip cookies, adding dry ingredients and chocolate chips

The chocolate chip cookie dough should be easy to roll and not sticky. It should not be dry or crumbly. See photo below for the optimal texture.

overhead photo of a bowl of chocolate chip cookie dough

Portion & roll dough

Once the cookie dough is finished, it’s time to portion and roll the dough. I know many people eyeball it when making cookies, however I highly recommend using a cookie scoop.

Using a cooking scoop ensures that all the cookies are uniform in size so that they bake evenly. I love this stainless steel cookie scoop and use it every time I make cookies.

At this point you can either bake your dough or freeze it.

photo showing How to Make Chocolate Chip Cookies - portioning cookie dough with a cookie scoop

Since this chocolate chip cookie recipe makes so many cookies, I always make a full batch and freeze some. That way I have dough on hand for unexpected guests or whenever the cookie craving strikes.

I prefer to flash-freeze the cookie dough before putting it in an airtight container. To do this, roll the cookie dough into balls and space them out on a parchment lined baking sheet. Then put the baking sheet in the freezer for about 30 minutes, or until the dough slightly freezes.

Once the dough is slightly frozen, transfer the cookie dough balls to an airtight container or plastic bag and freeze for up to 2 months.

How to bake frozen dough

There are two ways to bake frozen dough:

  1. Thaw it first: I love having dough ready to go in the freezer for impromptu guests. When you want to bake them, remove the dough balls from the freezer, set them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and cover with a light cloth towel or napkin to let them thaw. Then, once they reach room temperature (after about 1-2 hours depending on the temperature of your kitchen) bake as directed in the recipe (at 375 degrees F). SO easy!
  2. Bake from frozen: Place the dough on a parchment lined baking sheet. Then, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (ONLY if you are baking the frozen dough) and put the cookies in the oven in the beginning of the preheating time. (So put the cookies in the oven as you preheat it). Set the timer for 15 minutes and remove the cookies after 15 minutes. The top will look a little more brown than usual, but they will still taste amazing.
two overhead photos showing How to Freeze Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough - left shows dough flash-frozen on a pan, right shows dough in a plastic bag

Bake until they just barely look done

If you are baking the cookies immediately simply roll them into balls, place them evenly apart on a baking sheet (about 1.5 to 2 inches apart) and bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

The most important piece of advice I can give you is – DO NOT over-bake these chocolate chip cookies! They will not look done when you pull them out of the oven, and that is GOOD.

At the end of the baking time, these chocolate chip cookies won’t look done but they are. They will look a little doughy when you remove them from the oven, and thats good. They may be lightly browned in a few places, which is exactly how you want them.

They will set up as they sit on the cookie sheet for a few minutes. I never bake them for more than 9 minutes

two photos showing How to Make Chocolate Chip Cookies before and after baking on a baking sheet

Cool

Cool the chocolate chip cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely (or just eat them warm while the chocolate chips are melty)!

Store

Store these chocolate chip cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.

front view of chocolate chip cookies cooling on a copper wire cooling rack

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