Small changes can make a big difference. We took our basic chocolate chip cookie and made one isolated change at a time. We added, swapped, melted, baked low, baked high and chilled. But mostly we had fun. And with each slight tweak we made a new cookie with a different texture, look and taste from the last. Use our guide as a way to find the perfect cookie for you. No big changes necessary.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 1 hr 35 min |
| Active: | 20 min |
| Yield: | about 30 cookies |
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (see Cook’s Note)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- One 12-ounce bag semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Position oven racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven, and preheat to 375 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
- Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Beat the butter and both sugars with an electric mixer on medium-high speed in a second large bowl until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the eggs to the butter mixture, one at time, beating after each addition to incorporate; beat in the vanilla. Reduce the speed to medium, add the flour mixture, and beat until just incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Scoop 12 heaping tablespoons of dough onto each prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Roll each into a ball with slightly wet hands. Bake until the cookies are golden but still soft in the center, 12 to 15 minutes, rotating the baking sheets halfway through. Let the cookies cool for a few minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer them to a rack to cool completely.
- When the baking sheets have cooled completely, scoop the remaining dough onto 1 sheet and bake. Store the cookies in a tightly sealed container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Variations:
- For cakey cookies: Replace the light brown sugar and granulated sugar with 1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar. Bake at 375 degrees F until golden and tender, 12 to 15 minutes.
- For crispy-cakey cookies: Bake the cookies at 425 degrees F until golden and crunchy on the outside, 8 to 10 minutes.
- For chewy cookies: Use 1 cup light brown sugar and 1/4 cup corn syrup and omit the granulated sugar. Bake at 375 degrees F until golden and crunchy on the outside, and chewy on the inside, 10 to 12 minutes.
- For super-chewy cookies: Substitute cake flour for all-purpose flour. Bake at 375 degrees F until golden with caramelized edges, 12 to 15 minutes.
- For extra-crispy cookies: Bake the cookies at 300 degrees F until flat and crunchy, 24 to 28 minutes.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 30 servings |
| Calories | 173 |
| Total Fat | 8 g |
| Saturated Fat | 5 g |
| Carbohydrates | 24 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 16 g |
| Protein | 2 g |
| Cholesterol | 25 mg |
| Sodium | 93 mg |
Reviews
This is a solid, easy recipe that yields excellent results. I made a few very minor adjustments. I added 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon to the flour mixture because I like cinnamon. I only had dark brown sugar but this did not seem to affect the quality of the cookie. Although it took a little extra time I weighed each dough ball so I had about 30 cookies of 1.5 oz each. I also refrigerated the dough balls for 1 hour before baking. Baking time at 375 was
12-13 minutes. Crispy edges, soft in the middle, just the right amount of sweetness.
12-13 minutes. Crispy edges, soft in the middle, just the right amount of sweetness.
10 minutes at 375 was plenty of time for my oven
Delicious and easy to make, good and chewy. Next time will add pecans.
Basic recipe is really a winner. We want to try a variation the next time, just for the fun of it.
I only made half a batch. And I found 375 was too hot in my oven. Cooked for 10 minutes and it wasn’t long enough. Added 2 minutes on the timer and that was too long. Second batch i cooked for 11 minutes and the cookies still were over cooked. Next time I’ll try the oven temp at 350
Delicious!
Easy and delicious. My family loved the taste and texture.
It was okay. Didn’t really have a lot of flavor. It felt like it was missing something. Wasn’t buttery or sweet enough. Tried walnuts & pecans with it and it still had a “meh” kind of taste.
Really good flavor! Not too sweet, not to bitter but the perfect amount of chocolate
DELICIOUS!! Baked at 375 for 10 minutes for perfect crispy/chewy texture. Will make again.