Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
These are the chocolate chip cookies I dreamed about as a kid—lightly crisp on the edges, chewy and melty in the center. I have been known to eat them for breakfast—because I was never allowed to eat them as a kid. Here’s to adulthood!
Makes 40 cookies
Difficulty: Easy
Make Ahead and Storage: The cookies can be stored airtight for up to 1 week, though they are at their chewiest for the first 2 days. The scooped cookie dough can be frozen on parchment-lined baking sheets until solid, at least 3 hours, and then stored airtight. Bake directly from the freezer, adding 5 to 7 minutes.
- 227 g / 8 oz unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 99 g / ½ cup granulated sugar
- 213 g / 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 113 g / 2 large eggs
- 7.5 g / 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 331 g / 2¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 5 g / 1¼ teaspoons baking powder
- 4.5 g / ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- 3 g / ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 283 g / 2 cups semisweet chocolate chunks (see Pro Tip)
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C, with racks in the upper and lower thirds. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl, using a hand mixer), cream the butter and both sugars on medium-low speed until light and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes.
3. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing on medium speed until each one is fully incorporated. Add the vanilla and mix to combine. Scrape the bowl well.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add to the butter mixture and mix on low speed just until incorporated, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the chocolate chunks and mix to combine. Scrape the bowl well.
5. Use a #30 / 2-tablespoon scoop to portion the cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheets—stagger the cookies, leaving at least 1½ inches between them to allow for spreading.
6. Bake the cookies, rotating the sheets from front to back and top to bottom at the halfway mark, until golden brown at the edges, 13 to 15 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool.
✻ Why It Works
The key to the chewiness of these cookies is the high ratio of brown sugar, which contributes more moisture than granulated sugar. Also important: The right amounts of butter, for additional moisture as well as richness and tenderness, and flour—enough for structure, but not so much that the cookies become dry and crunchy.
★ Pro Tip
You can use regular chocolate chips if you like, but I prefer a jumble of variously sized chunks in my cookies. Plus, bigger bits stay melty longer.