Chocolate chip cookies with Butter
The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies
No chilling, no tricks, no odd ingredients — just a soft, buttery cookie pulled from the oven a minute before it looks ready.
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (about 410 g)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 cups chocolate chips (12 oz) — chips, chunks, or chopped bar
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line three baking sheets with parchment.
- Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl and set it aside. Measure the flour by scooping into a dry measuring cup and leveling with a knife.
- Cream the butter with both sugars until smooth and well combined.
- Add the eggs and vanilla and beat about a minute, until the mixture lightens.
- Mix in the dry ingredients just until they disappear into the dough. Don't keep going past that point.
- Add the chocolate chips and mix until they're evenly distributed. The dough should roll easily — neither sticky nor crumbly.
- Roll 2–3 tablespoons of dough per cookie into balls and space them about 1½ to 2 inches apart on the prepared sheets. A cookie scoop keeps them uniform so they bake evenly.
- Bake 8–10 minutes, pulling them the moment the edges barely begin to color. They will look underdone in the center. That is the point.
- Let the cookies firm up on the hot pan for 5 minutes, then move them to a rack — or eat one warm while the chocolate is still molten.
Don't over-bake: This is the whole recipe in three words. The cookies set as they rest on the pan. Nine minutes is usually the ceiling.
Convection ovens: Drop the temperature 25 degrees.
Refrigerating the dough: The dough keeps in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Cold dough may need an extra minute or two in the oven.
Freezing: Roll the dough into balls, flash-freeze them in a single layer on a parchment-lined sheet for about 30 minutes, then transfer to an airtight container for up to 2 months. To bake, either thaw the balls at room temperature (1–2 hours) and bake as directed at 375°F, or bake straight from frozen: put the sheet into a cold oven, set it to 350°F, and pull the cookies 15 minutes later. They'll brown a little more on top.
Substitutions: Unsalted butter works — taste the dough and adjust the salt. Dark brown sugar works but brings a heavier molasses note. Gluten-free all-purpose flour has been used successfully. If you're using iodized table salt instead of fine sea salt, start with ½ teaspoon.
Storage: Airtight at room temperature up to 5 days, or frozen up to 2 months.
Convection ovens: Drop the temperature 25 degrees.
Refrigerating the dough: The dough keeps in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Cold dough may need an extra minute or two in the oven.
Freezing: Roll the dough into balls, flash-freeze them in a single layer on a parchment-lined sheet for about 30 minutes, then transfer to an airtight container for up to 2 months. To bake, either thaw the balls at room temperature (1–2 hours) and bake as directed at 375°F, or bake straight from frozen: put the sheet into a cold oven, set it to 350°F, and pull the cookies 15 minutes later. They'll brown a little more on top.
Substitutions: Unsalted butter works — taste the dough and adjust the salt. Dark brown sugar works but brings a heavier molasses note. Gluten-free all-purpose flour has been used successfully. If you're using iodized table salt instead of fine sea salt, start with ½ teaspoon.
Storage: Airtight at room temperature up to 5 days, or frozen up to 2 months.
Per cookie: 183 cal · 26 g carbs · 2 g protein · 8 g fat (5 g saturated) · 18 g sugar · 153 mg sodium
Adapted from Laura Sandford, JoyFoodSunshine.