I would like to go on record as stating that I was not in the market for a new chocolate chip cookie recipe. Maybe I’m getting a little cranky in my advanced food blogging age, but I have found little evidence over the years that there’s anything new to add to the chocolate chip cookie conversation. (See: Item #9.) In fact, whenever there has been a new/perfect/ideal/ultimate/consummate recipe making the rounds and I have eventually caved and tried it, I’m generally underwhelmed, not because they are not good — I mean, I’m not dead inside, no chocolate chip cookies go to waste around here — but because they’re just weren’t new or different or special enough to get me to permanently stray from my go-to. *
There is one core recipe for chocolate chip cookies, that which was named after the Toll House Inn in Whitman, Massachusetts, where Ruth Graves Wakefield’s invention was published in a 1936 cookbook. Most modern versions play off of it in one way or another, always in the pursuit of a “better” cookie but rarely through the practice of simplicity. Some require cake flour, bread flour, or a combination thereof, which has always perplexed me as you’d think a mix of high- and low-gluten flour would average out back to approximately an all-purpose flour level? Regardless, I follow these recipes to the letter, hoping to glean something new.
Several use whole-wheat flour, and while they are quite delicious (with the unspoken qualifier for something with whole wheat flour in it), I would rather get my whole grains from toast or grain salad bowls and keep my cookies as tender and devastatingly unhealthy as possible. There’s the recipe that sent almost every one of us scurrying off to track down expensive Valrhona feves, because nothing else would do. Indeed, the results are grand but the ingredient obscurity all but guaranteed we’ve rarely made them since. Many these days have you brown butter, which is of course delicious, but in my findings rarely a flavor that comes through enough in the final cookie to be worth the compromise in tender chewiness, even when water is added as compensation. A good lot of the current ones making the rounds tell you that if you’re going to make the cookies at any size less than coffee shop humongous, don’t expect the results to be transcendent, and indeed, when I make them only spoonful-sized, they’re unitextured and dull.
Finally, a popular chocolate chip cookie teaching insists that you rest the batter overnight for best texture and ingredient absorption, which is great if you’re the kind of person who plans your chocolate chip cookie cravings at least 24 hours in advance, i.e. nobody I’ve ever been or met.
So what happened? Once again, I succumbed to the lure of a recipe I heard many people going on about — Ashley Rodriguez’s, of Not Without Salt and Date Night In fame — but this time, I wasn’t disappointed at all. I am, in fact, in love. We have a new house cookie. And get this: it doesn’t use any special flour, the butter isn’t browned, the dough is as good baked the second after you finish mixing it as it is in scoops straight from the freezer days later and it doesn’t require any special chocolate (although hand-chopping a bar — but any brand you like at any budget will do, hello Trader Joe’s pound-plus — into colossal chunks does have its perks). Okay, it does request that you use three different types of sugar but I suspect that you already have them around and if you do not, even two of them will suffice. You will not have an easy time making a mess of this recipe.
The results are thick, crisp-edged, soft-but-not-cakey within, finished with a faint crunch of sea salt and absolutely puddled with chocolate ponds and if I’ve done my job well, you’re already halfway to the kitchen to make these. Aren’t you?
* which are, by the way, the only dessert I make for crowds these days because warm chocolate chip cookies, straight from the oven, even still on their baking sheet, are the only dinner party trick worth having. Let it be known.
Tonight at the 92nd Street Y: At 7 p.m., all 1.5 of me will be on a panel with Dorie Greenspan, Kristen Miglore and Michael Ruhlman discussing what makes a recipe great this evening. If you’re around, I hope you can stop by and join the conversation. [This is a ticketed event. Details and ticket sales over here.]
Or you could buy these, instead: Grocery shopping is a pain. Ashley Rodriguez recently created a mix for her famed cookies — gorgeously packaged and gift-ready — and you can buy it right from her site. Be warned: don’t watch the video if you think you’re strong enough to resist these. [Salted Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix for sale]
One year ago: Lamb Meatballs with Feta and Lemon
Two years ago: Ramp Pizza
Three years ago: Classic Ice Cream Sandwiches
Four years ago: Crispy Potato Roast
Five years ago: Blue Cheese Scallion Drop Biscuits
Six years ago: Pasta with Favas, Tomatoes and Sausage
Seven years ago: Almond Cake with Strawberry-Rhubarb Compote
Eight years ago: Margarita Cookies
And for the other side of the world:
Six Months Ago: Cauliflower Cheese
1.5 Years Ago: Apple Slab Pie
2.5 Years Ago: Pear, Cranberry and Gingersnap Crumble
3.5 Years Ago: Roasted Pear and Chocolate Chunk Scones
Salted Chocolate Chunk Cookies
From Ashley Rodriguez’s Not Without Salt (site) and Date Night In (book)
A couple recipe-specific notes: The version I originally made from the Not Without Salt site called for light brown sugar, says you can bake the dough right away and calls for 8 ounces of chocolate. The version in the (excellent) Date Night In book calls for dark brown sugar, says the dough is best after resting in the fridge for a day or two, and calls for only 6 ounces of chocolate. The good news: both versions work perfectly, but I must insist you use the full half-pound (8 ounces) of chocolate. You will not regret it. In both versions, like most baking recipes, the dry ingredients (salt, flour, baking soda) are to be mixed separately but I’m a lazy cook, and include my own hack below to skip this. Finally, yes, that’s 360, not 350 degrees as the baking temperature. Rodriguez says the extra 10 degrees makes for a better cookie, and I’m not one to argue with such clear mastery of the chocolate chip cookie arts.
So what makes this cookie different? Being me, the second I took the first spectacular bite of the cookie, I lined the recipe up to the Toll House classic because I needed the language to be able to explain what was different. And I found that for the same amount of butter, Toll House cookies use much less sugar, much less flour, a bit less baking soda, less salt and less chocolate. I reiterated this my husband, who I like to torment with boring recipe babble as often as possible, and he — proving once again that he always listens, swoon — said “wouldn’t that just mean that there’s more cookie batter?” Duh, RIGHT. In fact, you could flip what I said to note that this uses a little less butter and egg than the cookies you may be used to and the result is a worrisomely crumbly dough — “The dough exists only to hold the chocolate in place,” says Rodriguez — that bakes up like a freaking dream, mostly because it barely encapsulates almost unseemly-sized puddles of melted chocolate and the whole thing is finished with flakes of sea salt, as all chocolate chip cookies on this earth should forever be.
I swear, I took almost an entire breath while typing that last sentence. (I’m lying. I took a bite of cookie instead.)
Yield: Approximately 18 to 24 cookies
1/2 cup (4 ounces or 113 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tablespoons (25 grams) granulated sugar
2 tablespoons (25 grams) turbinado sugar (aka Sugar in the Raw; you can use more brown or white if you don’t have this, but the subtle crunch it adds is delightful)
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (165 grams) packed light or dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
Heaped 1/4 teaspoon (or, technically, 1/4 + 1/8 teaspoon) fine sea or table salt
1 3/4 cups (220 grams) all-purpose flour
1/2 pound (225 grams) semi- or bittersweet chocolate, cut into roughly 1/2-inch chunks with a serrated knife
Flaky sea salt, to finish
Heat oven to 360°F (180°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat.
In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars together with an electric mixer until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add egg and vanilla, beating until incorporated, and scraping down the bowl as needed. Beat in salt fine sea or table salt and baking soda until combined, then the flour on a low speed until just mixed. The dough will look crumbly at this point. With a spatula, fold/stir in the chocolate chunks.
Scoop cookies into 1 1/2 tablespoon (I used a #40 scoop) mounds, spacing them apart on the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle each with a few flakes of sea salt. Bake for 11 to 12 minutes, until golden on the outside but still very gooey and soft inside. Out of the oven, let rest on baking sheet out of the for 5 minutes before transferring a cooling rack.
Extra dough — I know, what’s that?! — can be formed into scoops and frozen on a sheet until solid, then transferred to a freezer bag. I’ve baked these right from the freezer; they need, at most, 1 minute more baking time. You could also form them into a 2-inch log, freeze it, and slice and bake the cookies off as desired. The only difference I’ve noted between the cookies baked right away and those baked a day or more later is that the older cookie dough is less puffy when baked.
I’ve been using the Trader Joe’s pound-plus bittersweet bar chopped into cookies for 2 years now! Guess I was ahead of my time. It really makes a huge difference. Much better than chocolate chips.
This was the very best advice EVER! Since seeing this suggestion, I’ve used it and never looked back. Thanks!
Are they sweet enough? If so I will try!
Just made these to satisfy a late night chocolate chunk cookie craving. SO. GOOD. You’re my favorite.
JOHANNA Used callebaut semisweet chocolate chunks, it turned out great!
Deb! Is there a conceivable way to make chocolate chip cookies without an electric mixer?
It’s called “elbow grease”.
I made these tonight in a food processor. The dough was a little crumblier but they seemed to bake just fine.
I’ve always made my chocolate chip cookies by hand! A bowl and a wooden spoon!! It’s not that hard :)
What is that fab looking liner for the baking sheet? I go through a TON of parchment paper and am always looking for an alternative.
It is called a Silpat. Works great. Find at gourmet kitchen stores or online.
YES! I was so intrigued by your instagram after you commented on cookie making. Can’t WAIT to make these. Thank you!
Roy — I didn’t test these by just melting the butter first (basically, it’s the butter-sugar creaming that you need the electric mixer for), but it would be worth finding out. Or, you can Julia Child it by beating the soft butter and sugars together vigorously with a whisk until fluffy/soft/smooth. Quite an arm workout, but then you’ll probably earn at least one extra cookie.
Nicole — They’re Silpats, and they’re reusable. I actually put mine in the dishwasher, not sure if you’re supposed to be there’s been no harm yet.
Sally — Funny, I wasn’t even going to post them here but then I saw all the IG comments and thought “maybe people DO want another recipe?” (Because I sure did, although I didn’t know it at the time.)
Round numbers and simple ingredients FTW! My ultimate salty chocolate chip cookies have two secret ingredients (beyond salt): cinnamon and ground pecans. Trust: http://wewhiskaway.blogspot.com/2010/04/salty-cinnamon-chocochip-cookies.html
Just curious…can you sub kosher salt for the flaky sea salt on top? Or is using the flaky sea salt essential? Thanks!
So I have this cookbook out from the library right now and had been eyeing this recipe, but haven’t yet done it for two reasons: 1. The softened butter and 2. the overnight refrigeration. That part of the recipe reminded me of that whole wheat chocolate chip cookie recipe which requires an overnight, but uses cold butter so you can make it on the spot, but then there’s the waiting. Good to know that you can actually bake these immediately.
I’m trying to think if there are any other recipes from this book that have struck a chord with me but can’t think of one. Have you found any others that are also a thumbs up?
Hi Deb!! I love your blog, and yes, I was halfway into the kitchen to check that I had the ingredients before I even go to the ingredients list! You are my go-to for good recipes, and your passion is infectious! Thank you!!
I feel the same way about chocolate chip cookies. There is my ‘house’ recipe that I make all the time, and I am cranky at all the fine-tuning, but I love cc cookies too much not to try them all. Who lets their dough rest overnight in the fridge? That just makes me irritated because not only did I not get cookies on the day I wanted them, I sort of hate myself for eating all the dough on day one! Also – totally with you on the salty top – I always sprinkle kosher or sea salt on top of each dough ball before baking. And though I wish I had the patience to chop good chocolate for cookies, I just use the chips… Cranky though I am, I am going to try THIS version. This afternoon, in fact! :)
::sigh:: DEB, I just decided that your crispy chewy cookies were my favorite! I GUESS I’ll have to try these now….
Marisa — I find kosher salt a little coarse (unless you’re using that fine/light Diamond stuff) but if you just use a couple granules (not even a pinch), you might be fine.
Re, the flaky salt — I know I call for it so often, because I’m obsessed, and it’s a luxury ingredient, which is usually not something I try to promote here, but I found that the one full-price box I bought ($8, and still just shy of that on Amazon today) several years ago lasted me for years because I only use a pinch to finish things. And, I admit, I’ve since been to London and found it at a chain drugstore for all of 2 to 3 Euros. And brought back 6 boxes as gifts. Definitely worth loading up on if you’re on that side of the pond for whatever reason.
Molly — Re, softening butter — If you have a stand or electric mixer, you can totally just chop the butter into cubes and beat it with the mixer until soft. You’ll want to scrape the bowl down a bunch of times, it takes a couple minutes, but I hedge on the softened butter part of recipes all of the time with this hack. Some people swear by the microwave, but I always end up with warm butter and melty pockets. Beating cold butter until soft works best in a pinch.
In the microwave you only have to lower the power setting to 30%-40% (normal-cold weather), if your using a stick of butter try first 15-20 sec (try 2 times) then 10-8 sec intervals.
You won’t have melted butter pockets that way. 🍪👏🏻✨
Deb- just wanted to share that I’ve been making these for nearly half a decade now (since your original post) and they really are the best chocolate chip cookies ever.
I’ve found using dark muscavado sugar (for the 3/4c dark brown sugar) is the key here – they become so moist and molasses-y. Thank you again for this recipe!
OMG – these bad boys look absolutely right! I can tell you’ve done much more R&D on cookie science than you’re willing to admit ;) And I know what we’ll be baking next!
Btw, how easily can you clean the Silpats? Not having to clean the dishes is (almost) the main reason we still use parchment paper!
I’m so glad to see you mix the salt and baking soda into the wet batter before the flour. I’ve been doing that for years out of sheer laziness, but always wonder if I’m giving up something essential by doing so…
Deb, you are ruining me. By the time this tiny human comes out of me, he or she will be bigger than my first 9 lb 10 oz baby. Because, obviously, I will be making these as soon as possible. I’ll test it against my house cookie, which has browned butter. I too am wooed by the newest and fadiest, but all too often disappointed. I’m trusting your words on this one!
That’s it – making these next time … and I too was wondering about not using a mixer – or can I use my hand mixer instead of getting the KitchenAid out of the closet? Thanks!
I like the cookie part of chocolate chip cookies. Is it still worth it to try this one?
The recipe reminds me of my current favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. It’s the salted dark chocolate Oatmeal cookie from Real Simple. The salt on top is so good.
deb, what is your favorite hack for bringing butter to room temp quickly? when i want to make cookies, i-want-to-make-cookies-NOW. drives me nuts to wait for the butter….
Grate the butter on the large holes of a box grater. Done!
Thank you (years later) – obvious when pointed out, but that grating tip is so so useful.
Oh, these look delicious! Everyone needs a new chocolate chip cookie recipe, if for no other reason than to make another batch of chocolate chip cookies :)
Coincidentally, my son has requested a chocolate chip cookie cake for his birthday. Do you think this (or the other recipe you reference) would work in this application? If so, any suggestions of tweaks you would make to the recipe concerning baking time/temp?
Thank you!
Yes! I’ve been using this recipe with success for a couple of years now. I just did a taste test with these vs the America’s test kitchen cookie that calls for brown butter, and I have to say the browned butter does make a flavor difference if you have the time. These two have become my perfect go to recipes! I’ve tried a few different salt flakes- Maldon was my favorite, but the Jacobsen with Stumptown Coffee added a little kick too.
I literally made browned butter chocolate chip cookies last night and they are currently “resting” in the fridge. It looks like I’ll be making these tonight for a head to head comparison. For science, right? These look amazing – exactly like the cookie of my fantasy.
Drooling!
Ruhlman is one of my heroes of cooking – have fun on stage with him tonight!
Ashley’s book (and cookie recipe) is one of my absolute faves. That woman knows her cookies like nobody’s business.
I really love the consummate recipe and get requests for it. I never bought the special chips and just used the jumbo size chips that Ghiardelli sells. That being said, I will MOST CERTAINLY be trying these. They look delightful. There can never be too many chocolate chip cookie recipes. I’m not dead inside either. LOL
These sound amazing! Will it totally ruin the recipe if I don’t have brown sugar? I think I have granulated, turbinado, and palm – could I use a combo of those 3 instead?
I’ve tried the recipe with granulated sugar and I can confirm:
They still taste great!
You wrote *exactly* what I was thinking when I made my last batch of chocolate chip cookies a week ago – I’m just so over this recipe already! I did it anyway because I was making ice cream sandwiches with them and because nothing works best as an air freshener than chocolate chip cookies and/or brownies. I’ll be trying this recipe out, though, as I’m willing to bet that the flaked salt pushes this cookie over the edge of ecstasy!
Num. Buti fail to see mention if the batter good too? (darn, you’ll have to make another batch to test the batter? :) )
FYI: all-purpose flour in the northern US has a higher proportion of hard wheat (high gluten) flour, for bread, and in the southern US all-purpose flour has a higher proportion of soft wheat (lower gluten), for biscuits. A recipe with a make-your-own mix of cake and bread flour(even higher gluten) would help to standardize the results across an audience with regional differences like this.
Shouldn’t it be 8 oz / 226 grams butter for half a cup?
Oops nevermind!
I’m glad you think that mixing cake flour and bread flour essentially equals all-purpose flour. That always struck me as an annoying and unnecessary step. These look amazing!
This recipe has become my go-to dessert. I go the parchment log route and keep a log in the freezer. I’ve made the dangerous discovery that two cookies will bake up just fine in my toaster oven, so there is very little keeping me from a nightly cookie habit.
To commenter #2 Roy: You can use a wooden spoon to cream the butter and sugar together instead of an electric mixer. Just make sure the butter is at room temperature (soft) by leaving it out of the fridge for at least 30 minutes before you start. I’m from England and that’s the old school way of doing it here, but I’m sure you will have wooden spoons (they are large like tablespoons with long handles) or the equivalent in your baking aisles. Cheers!
Omg. This looks absolutely delicious. I love salty and sweet pieces :) Defo going to try out this recipe :)
I have been eyeing this recipe for ages but avoided making it because I too have a house favorite that I love so much I can’t imagine an improvement exists. But now I’m feeling like I should give this one a shot too.
It has never occured to me to add the salt and baking soda to the wet ingredients, but I’m all for dirtying fewer dishes, so thanks for the tip. Does the soda always get well distributed this way, or do you ever end up with little lumps of leavening?
I am always searching for “the best” chocolate chip cookie! So, I will try this one and then the tollhouse one and then another recipe because…well, I can’t stop!
These look perfect.
Question – for various reasons we cook with spelt flour. Is there a good way to sub it in here? It works great for muffins, etc, but for cookies it doesn’t – they turn out dry and cakey, not the deliciously squishy kind I prefer. Do we need to use a little less? Add more of something else? You are supposed to be able to sub one to one but it just doesn’t seem to work for my cookies. :(
I love Ashley’s chocolate chip cookies. They are our go-to cookie as well since she shared the recipe on my blog last year (I have a column called Be My Guest). I also love that the recipe gives you a huge batch, which we often freeze half of it – perfect for a chocolate chip cookie emergency!
just noticed that she must have decreased the amounts for the book. The recipe she shared with me makes about 5 dozen cookies!
Thanks for providing the cookie scoop size! I so appreciate knowing that I can reliably replicate the results at home. (Also, I might be a little OCD. Ha.)
Hi Deb,
Do you think I could make.brown butter first and refrigerate and use that? Love added nutty flavor of brown butter!
Funny, I always make my cookies that way (in France it’s difficult to find chocolate chipes, so I always cut chocolate myself), and your recipe seems better with weights and temperatures in the european system (350°F doesn’t exist on french ovens for examples), but I never make cookies that big, I will try it because they really look great.
PS: why not salted butter instead of unsalted butter+salt? I understand for the final sprinkle on hot cookies, but at the beginning?
Half a cup of butter is 4 oz (1 stick or a quarter pound). It’s also 8 tablespoons, which is why I sometimes get confused!
Oh great Deb, there goes my diet!!! I will HAVE to try these this weekend!
Love the addition of raw sugar. I use that in my recipe as well. Also, I sub out coconut oil for the butter and it gives it a delicious coconut flavor if you use unrefined coconut oil. I also use less flour and sub in a TBSP cornstarch and less sugar overall (.25 raw, .25 granulated, .25 brown). It makes 1 dozen cookies perfectly. The cookies are perfectly chewy but moist. I need to try the salt on top of mine! Keep on perfecting! :-)
Question – and this may be the wrong place for it – do you intend to find or create a brownie recipe with chocolate chunks on it, such as those found in the Starbucks baked goods cases? I bet there is a recipe out there, but honestly, I trust your cooking more than a lot of other sites (why I bought the book!).
With my last pregnancy, I had one primary craving: chocolate chip cookies. At work, the catering department served chocolate chunk cookies at many of our recruitment events, so I got to settle my cravings for days on end with those big bites of chocolate. This recipe of yours, this little number, will be on my bake-next list – right after our family is done preparing for an Army PT test (yes, the whole family prepares – I am at a want for butter and cooked fat!).
One of my friends gifted me some cookies just like this when I had my baby a few months ago. She made the dough into balls, froze them, and then put the baking instructions on the bag with the note to add sea salt when I took them out of the oven. Then I could have fresh cookies whenever I wanted….which is every day. Not kidding. She gave me that and some dinners from Whole Foods….best home from the hospital dinners ever. My freezer is always stocked with frozen cookie dough balls now that I happily top with sea salt each and every night. xoxo from San Diego!
I laughed because yours was the third photo in a row of chocolate chip cookies on my IG feed. Any tips on how well these would keep for a couple days if airtight? I’m tasked with bringing a dessert to a party but there is a day of traveling in between, so I’m looking for something that I can bake on a Thursday night and have it still taste amazing Saturday afternoon.
Just for future reference, I NEVER use an electric mixer to make cookies. My mom always used a wooden spoon to cream sugar and room temp butters for cookies, and didn’t like doing cookies the “lazy way” with a mixer, haha. And my cookies always turn our amazing. Mixers aren’t needed at all for almost any cookie dough :).
i use a recipe from bon appetite but i need to try these for a thicker cookie next time! they never last long when i make them and it’s been way too long.
ill stick to the classic tollhouse recipe for the 20+dozen project that I take on annually
But definitely trying this for my next girls night!
Trader Joe’s Pound Plus bittersweet is fine if you plan to chop it. In mousse and soufflé recipes that call for melting it with liquid (coffee, brandy etc.), I’ve found that the chocolate “locks up” into an unusable solid mass no matter how gently I warm it. No such problem with Ghirardelli 60% cocoa bars–more expensive than Joe but way, way less than Valrhona.
I MUST make these. Just as soon as I find a nut-free bitter- or semi-sweet bar of decent chocolate. Sigh.
Sarah R. — I’d expect them to keep well, but personally, I always make sure to underbake by a minute if I want to get a few days out of cookies like this without them seeming dry.
Laura — I’m unfamiliar with these. Are they dark chocolate brownies with soft or hard chunks in them? Or more like blondies?
Audrey — I think you’ll be just fine if you use salted butter, of course, but in general, in recipe writing, people tend to call for unsalted butter for consistency, because at least in the U.S., 1 “stick” (1/2 cup) of salted butter might have anywhere from 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt in it and it’s hard to control for outcomes.
Jen — Yes, you can, but I do find it helps to add a spoonful of water to compensate for the volume loss when you brown butter.
Suzanne — I haven’t made cookies like this with spelt flour so I have no idea how it’s going to work. In general, for me, when swapping in a new flour, I try not to go over a 1/3 to 1/2 swap in the first round, to be safe.
Lindsay — I’ve never had a problem with baking soda forming lumps in a wet batter, personally. I do sprinkle it over. Plus, once you’ve thoroughly mixed it in, then the flour gently, it’s impossible to imagine that it wouldn’t be distributed well by then.
mimi — Do you have molasses? You can make your own brown sugar. Brown sugar plays an important role in drop cookies, both softness and chew. You’ll probably not wreck them without, but the flavor is pretty central.
Nancy — Maybe I’m not picturing it, but do you mean like giant chocolate chip cookies as cake layers or maybe the dough pressed into cake pans for cake-shaped cookies?
elllen — See my suggestion to Molly in #12.
Sarah — If you just like the cookie part, I might go more in the direction of the Toll House classic. The cookie part here is more crumbly, it serves as a perfect contrast to the boulders of chocolate but alone might not be as exciting.
Ella — No reason to use a stand mixer. I use my hand mixer most of the time for small things like this (but we’re in a fight right now; I basically need to replace it because my current one is terrible).
FoodCrafters — I agree, I avoided them for years for the same reason, but as I mentioned in Comment #5, I run these through the dishwasher (not sure if Silpat officially condones this, but hasn’t been an issue for us) so it couldn’t be easier.
So.. for those of us with simple ovens that have knobs with 300, 350, 400… do we just guess? I don’t have the magical powers of typing 360 in on my oven, but I would like to try these. Thoughts?
There is no way I’d ever be able to wait long enough to let my cookie dough chill overnight, so I’m very glad this new method has none of that ridiculousness! These really do look like they’re in a league of their own.
Can’t wait to try these, but also wanted to offer yet another shortcut. TJs is now selling chocolate chunks in the baking section! While the package says semi-sweet, they have a cacao percentage close to bittersweet and they are divine.
When I come to TJ, I no longer see the chocolate chunks in the baking section. Do you know where else I can grab one? I’ve prepared all other ingredients, just missing this last one piece!
Mmm! Mmm! That flaked salt with that chunky chocolate is going to taste out of this world! Glad you couldn’t see me drooling just a bit….
To Laura in #26 – I’m not sure exactly what Starbucks has, but my favorite substitution in brownie recipes is to take the line where it says to add nuts, and add chocolate chips instead. So… Pick a favorite brownie recipe and go wild? :) I’m fond of the one out of the Kids Cooking book from Klutz Press – doubled, of course, in a 13×9 pan instead of square; it bakes more evenly that way (also, yknow, more brownies!).
You had me at melted chocolate puddles. I need to make these cookies; asap.
Thanks Deb!
Um, yes…you did your job VERY well. I am in the kitchen whipping these up as we speak…and God bless Trader Joe’s for those Pound Plus bars…YUM! <3
ellen — My favorite hack for quickly bringing frozen butter up to room temperature is to put a stick into a 2-quart zip-lock bag, squeeze out as much air as possible, and drop it into a sink that’s partially-filled with room-temperature water. If I start with that, by the time I pull together all the other ingredients, the butter’s ready to be cut into chunks for creaming in the mixer or whatever.
…You had me at, “puddled with chocolate ponds”…[swoon] :o)
…I have a tried and true chocolate chip cookie recipe from an old cookbook and have never strayed from it, but this is temptation beyond belief. I must try this.
…Thank you Deb!
…Peace & blessings. :o)
Ha – glad I am not the only one who always serves chocolate chip cookies as dessert. They are easy, perfect, my husband’s favorite, and a huge crowd pleaser. I always have dough in the freezer for fresh cookies on short notice :).
**sigh** just back from Trader Joe’s and yeah – I’m on a clean eating fest for the next 10 days – going to Cali – gotta be in ship shape form out there! NOT LIKE ANYONE IS LOOKING AT ME IN THE FIRST PLACE – WHO AM I KIDDING! I just put the stick of butta on the counter to soften! THESE.COOKIES.LOOK.FAN.DAMN.TASTICK!
I know what I am doing when I get home:)
I have a terrible time preparing the batter ahead of time. Overnight? No way??
But I have heard that using melted butter is a good cheat for the overnight rest. I will confess that I have never noticed a difference- soft butter, melted, or rested dough, in my cookies. But I have disliked the overnight dough.
So I stick with melted butter just to be sure and now I have to try your new recipe… but with toasted pecans… and a splash of bourbon… oooh…
To Roy–One of the reasons I *love* Deb’s chewy chocolate chip cookies, linked to in the first paragraph of this post, is because it uses melted butter. This means no mixer required, you just need a sturdy spoon!
I would say they aren’t dark chocolate, (http://www.starbucks.com/menu/food/bakery/double-chocolate-chunk-brownie?foodZone=9999). It’s a really rich chocolate, though, and there are semi-sweet chocolate chunks that sit throughout he brownie itself. The picture shows how they generally look, and they are excellent warmed up. What I would say, though, is that the brownie itself is as tasty as the chocolate chunks. I recently made brownies that I LOVED in my childhood and realized that either the ingredients and those who make them have changed, or it wasn’t actually that great of a brownie. This brownie from Starbucks is excellent, but I a. don’t want to pay ~$3 for them and b. eliminate junk like brown rice syrup(why?!), which I just don’t like.
And yes, cookies are the best dessert. My favorite food, pregnancy craving aside. Total crowd-pleaser, and who cares – if it’s dessert, you eat what you like! :)
Sounds crazy but try grating your butter before assembling the rest of your ingredients. With a few minutes it will soften but if not a mixer will make light work of it.
Cookies look awesome. I think I’ll give them a try now :)
This will sound crazy, but I don’t like chocolate chip cookies. I just do not like melty chocolate. Yes, I am aware of how very strange that is. That said, I love the cookie part of chocolate chip cookies. Do you think, if I made these without the chocolate, I would need to adjust the salt?
It was your instagram picture that got me. Saw that and had to try the recipe. I have to say we were sadly unimpressed. Our love is the buttery, brown sugar toffee tasting cookie part and that was sadly missing in these for us.The cookie part was actually quite bland and served only as glue to hold the chocolate together and not as a complimentary flavor to the chocolate at all. We’re back to the cooks illustrated version but with simply melted butter rather than browned. Will definitely have to give the Trader Joe’s chocolate bar a try next time though.
I should not have clicked through to see this recipe. Yes, yes I am halfway to the kitchen as we speak. My waist line says “I hate you” (just kidding – you’re a genius).
Deb, have you tried making cookies with sweetened condensed milk (and regular white sugar)? Also, you don’t then need an egg to bind it together (good for those allergic). They’re a classic NZ biscuit/cookie from the Edmonds cookbook.
yupp. I am drooling now. These look absolutely amazing! I love the idea of adding the salt – salt and chocolate is an incredible combination! Never thought of it in a classic chocolate chip cookie though, such a fab idea! x Motte
Just like you predicted, I saw the recipe and headed straight to the kitchen to bake. I followed the recipe exactly, they came out of the oven 10 mins ago and half the tray is gone already. Marvellous. We also have a house cc cookie recipe, we use the ‘Toll House’ recipe from the 1957 Betty Crocker cookbook my mother received as a wedding present. Funny thing is it never turns out the same way twice. I appreciate the recipe suggestions by the other commenters as well, I’ll use any excuse to keep baking cookies. : )
OMG – there’s not much I miss having gone gluten free…but these cookies look so so good!!
My teenager makes incredible bacon chocolate chip cookies. 1 1/2 cups of butter, 3 kinds of sugar, 2 extra egg yolks, plus BACON. We have been known to add a couple of handfuls of wavy potato chips in order to make the truly the world’s least healthy cookie. Recipe here: http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2012-09-19/features/os-thot-peterbrooke-bacon-chocolate-cookies-20120919_1_soda-and-salt-cookie-dough-large-cookies
I did run straight to my kitchen and made a batch of these cookies. Heavenly, divine, outstanding! Will now be my go-to recipe. Thanks for the tempting post!
oh shoot! okay . . diet will wait one more day. and 2 more pounds!
Oh my goodness!! Just read the recipe AND the cookies are baking as I write.
Have been making Baked Brewers blondies recently and I like to mix up my chips so I happened to have 8 oz mixed mini semi sweet guittards milk chips and ghiradelli bittersweet.
These should be legendary and my husband says thank you for the impromptu birthday cookies.
About the hand mixer: I wore out my kitchen aid 5 speed hand mixer after about 10 years and had to look around but I replaced it with another kitchen aid 5 speed. Good luck!
I made these today and you’ve solved my high altitude problem! Sadly, I had given up on making chocolate chip cookies in Colorado because they simply always come out lack luster and flat. These cookies, however, are perfect!! They remind me of my warm chocolate chip cookies of my childhood in Massachusetts. My children, who just wolfed down three each, are eternally grateful!
I knew it was going to be Ashley’s famous salted chocolate chip cookies! Which I have yet to try. I need to get on that! In the meantime, I have very much enjoyed her cookbook, Date Night In.
They look so good and since chocolate is my favorite these cookies are my favorite:)
I kept seeing these all over the internet and decided to cave and try them (and stray from my tried and true beloved choco chip recipe). I was so underwhelmed I considered not even baking off the rest of the batch. I followed the recipe to the letter but found the texture to be strange and they were oddly flavorless. I chalked it up to my own errors and asked my mom to try them too to discover what I did wrong, but she had the same results. I have assumed that they were just all hype. Maybe you need to air mail some to me so I can test yours out. :)
We just finished making a version of these, with the ingredients we had in the closet. Oh my, they are terrific!
I almost just took a bite out of my computer.
Handle the heat has this futzing with tollhouse (I’m paraphrasing here) guide that I use every time for chocolate chip cookies. It’s a pretty good illustration of all the changes you can make depending on how you like your cookie. I make mine with all brown sugar and melted butter because I like them butterscotch-y and don’t have a good mixer.
Hi! I’ve made the site version a couple of times already, and I can definitely vouch for these! I’ve also been on the hunt for the perfect chocolate chip cookie and have tried the bread/cake flour one, too (and I, too, thought the same!! shouldn’t it equal regular flour, ha! good, but cumbersome).
Anyway, if I can’t wait a day, I’ll just make a handful of cookies to stave me for a night or two, then refrigerate the rest… sitting in the fridge does make a difference in taste AND texture, I’ve found. I actually like the ones straight from the freezer the best!
Lastly, I’ve used Alexandra’s Kitchen method of measuring out 48g balls and freezing them that way, too… a bit tedious upfront but great in the long-run (I make the full batch from the site; great for those “i need a cookie now” moments). Maybe a bit OCD and defeats the easy peasy factor, but I find that it works for me (and my neurotic-ism and meticulousness!).
P.S. I love, love, lover your site, Deb!
Outstanding! Heavenly! Delish! I made it exactly as directed. Liking chopping my own chocolate lately too, it’s convenient d/t having bars of chocolate for other recipes. Goodbye Tollhouse, which always ends up flat for me. Wine and cookies for dinner! BTW, I love your website and refer to it often for many of the categories. Thank you!!
So hilariously and beautifully written once again! On my way to my cupboard now!
Ashley’s cookies are indeed fabulous, and if you are especially lazy (ahem, me) Trader Joe’s pre-chopped chocolate chunks are a still-fabulous sub for hand-chopped chocolate.
It is amazing how different yet how similar chocolate chip cookie recipes are. I used the recipe in Advanced Bread and Pastry by Michel Suas a few years ago and haven’t looked back. After creaming sugar and butter, you add all the dry ingredients at once, mix until 50% incorporation then add the chocolate chips and finish until just incorporated. It prevents over mixing. He also has you roll the dough into a parchment log and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes prior to baking. Then you slice and bake. I finish with flaky salt the second I take them out of the oven. Seriously perfect!!! BTW I make your Spinach and Cheese Strata and Big Crumb coffee cake whenever we host brunch (I know a lot of bread) and they are always huge hits. :-)
Hi Deb!
These cookies look insanely good. I’m a teenage baker in NYC with a blog and I realized I still haven’t posted a good old chocolate chip cookie recipe! I guess I’m still on the hunt for my favorite. I might need to try these next :)
AKC
I also find the softened butter to be an impediment to chocolate chip cookies when a craving strikes. I usually fill the sink with hot water and let the kitchen aid mixer base it in it for about 5 minutes, without getting water inside the bowl. Then I add diced butter to it and beat it while scraping it. This helps warm but butter so the sugar can absorb it without melting it, or worse, getting 50% melted and 50% cold (which is what happens when I try to microwave it).
Holy hell. I’m salivating. Those photos can make you taste ’em.
I was struggle with what sweet to make for the hubby and kids. I work weekends night shift and I was always leave a special treat. You hit the nail on the head with this recipe. Thank you. I can always count on finding an inspiration on you site. Even when I am suppose to be doing work for graduate school, I can easily procrastinate with you blog and bake instead. It want help me get my FNP but it helps with my stress. Thanks Deb.
I amdefinitely making these. I love my current recipe (bread flour) and it is a pretty crumbly dough. And I think the #40 scoop makes the perfect size cookie.
Oh, and to wash my Silpat I leave it on the cookie sheet and wash. Then just wipe the cookie sheet dry :)
Help! I’m just about to add the chocolate but my dough is reeeeally crumbly – the consistency of dirt! It’s as if I left out some wet ingredient – can you advise?!
Rad. Thanks for the hack. My father-in-law makes Tollhouse every week, and his butter softening hack is to put the stick on the stove top while the oven preheats. But every time I try it, I end up with a pile of melted butter. Will definitely be giving your suggestion a shot in the very near future.
Hi everyone,
In regards to the room temperature butter dilemma I read a great tip once to grate the butter into the bowl with a cheese grater and let sit for 5 mins. I’ve done this a couple of times, it can be a bit messy depending on how cold the butter is you start with, but seems to work quiet well. Unfortunately I can’t remember where I read this tip so can’t give proper credit to the person who thought of it.
Just casually drooling like crazy here.
I will get on making this very, very soon.
Harper – thanks for your suggestion!
Emily — Yes, the dough is definitely crumbly! Don’t sweat it. It should come together if you press it (into a spoon or scoop). The thing is, usually dry doughs are bad but here, it’s essential because there’s so much molted chocolate, a gooey/soft dough would offer little contrast or structure.
Something I forgot to mention — The only difference with baking the cookies right away (which is fine) vs. waiting a day or more is that the immediately baked ones will be puffier. Because the baking soda is fresh and still quite active. I meant to mention this; just in case anyone who baked them tonight thought theirs looked a little puffier.
Mellybrown — Oh no! Did you bake them right off or let the dough rest? Did you use the 6 ounce or 8 ounce chocolate measurement?
Sara M — As I mentioned earlier on, I think for a chocolate-free cookie, I wouldn’t use this recipe, which is on the crumbly side for a plain cookie (but dreamy with the colossal chocolate quotient). I’d use the classic Toll House for a chocolate-free cookie.
This has been my go-to for years now and totally lives up to it’s reputation. As a cheat for the chocolate chopping, sometimes I buy the “chocolate chunks” from TJ’s which are already pretty jagged and a mix of sizes/textures. You could also throw them in the food processor for a bit for more texture.
Also worth mentioning, Ashley sells a just-add-butter-and-egg MIX now:
http://not-without-salt.myshopify.com/collections/frontpage/products/salted-chocolate-chip-cookie-mix
i just took a batch out of the oven :) i’ve had a tried and true chocolate chip recipe for a while now but its always good to try something new once in a while!
If anyone is wondering, I made them with a flax egg and Earth Balance vegan butter and it worked perfectly, they are delicious!
Uh ohhhhh! I’m kinda glad I didn’t see this post at work as I usually do, or I would have had to take the day off to make them! But….I’m off tomorrow!
Thanks, Deb! I was looking for a cookie to make today for a little party I was hosting, so I saw this post as a sign I should look no further. It was sad to find only one left for me at the end of the night – because I wanted to eat them all. I did use Kosher salt and they were still amazing, but I think the flaked would be nicer.
Deb, Just pulled these out of the oven. How can you go wrong with warm chocolate chip cookies. OMG! So good :)
Just made these tonight for my sister in laws baby shower!! I am hoping this recipe appeals to in-laws and pregnant women. Many of the guests are paleo- so no pleasing them! Wish me luck!!1
I will always make room for another cookie!! Excited to bring this one into the family!! xx
Hi deb, so the only place to get fkaky sea salt is Amazon? Also, do u think i can triple the recipe because i have boys and always like to make alot and some to freeze. Will tripleing it change the way they turn out? May be a dumb question….
looks so good! definitely have to try
Hi Deb…I know you said the higher temperature for the cookies are best but when you write the temperature is that fan assisted or not? Not sure if that is just a UK thing though (to require for the oven)?
YUM! That’s all I have to say. I somehow missed these on Not Without Salt, thank goodness you have highlighted them, I will be making them asap.
@colleen #110–“Many of the guests are paleo–so no pleasing them!” We all know people like that! ;-D
I have a general “cookie” question….. Do you find any difference baking cookies on a Half- sheet pan (one with sides) and a regular cookie sheet(flat without sides)???I have baked in a production kitchen and of course the only pan used is a sheet pan but those ovens are all convection. I always worry that the heat won’t get to the cookies properly? I have been using the same cookie sheets for 50 years( they were my mom’s), but I love the stability and feel of my sheet pans. I’m not willing to sacrifice a tray of cookies to make the call. I never use my convection setting to bake. Would be interested in your thoughts. Thanks!
Brought these to a party last night and they were gone within ten minutes. We don’t have a mixer, so our version included a good bicep workout, but with the butter pretty softened, it went fine.
I think I overcooked them a little, though — the bottoms were on the darker brown side and a little hard. I waited until 12 minutes and probably should have pulled them at 10 or 11, but they really weren’t golden at the edges ever.
Thanks Deb! Delicious as always. We already talked about making them again today.
Do you know the weight of each 1 1/2 tablespoon cookie? I like to weigh out my cookies before baking since I don’t have the right-sized scoop. (Our new kitchen was just completed LAST NIGHT and this is totally going to be the first recipe I make…)
Oh.My.God. These were everything you promised and more. Double and triple this recipe at your own risk. I used nestle’s dark chocolate chips and substituted brown sugar for the turbinado sugar. Love, love, love.
You have GOT to go to CityCakes- a little basement shop on 18th between 7th and 8th. Their half-pound cookies are insane. Better than Levain. That hint of salt put them in my mind.
Your posts always make me laugh, and your writing is so good I feel like I know you! Such a joy to read. xo
“Some require cake flour, bread flour, or a combination thereof, which has always perplexed me as you’d think a mix of high- and low-gluten flour would average out back to approximately an all-purpose flour level?”
Yes! I always wonder this too! I was going to add that on a similar vein, it always confuses me when recipes call for granulated sugar and dark brown sugar; why not just use light brown? But then I saw that this recipe does just that! Okay, when it calls for dark brown sugar, it really calls for light OR dark, so I guess it’s not the same. You are excused. But I still find this amusingly ironic. :D
@Laura (looking for a brownie recipe): You might want to try America’s Test Kitchen’s brownie recipe. It’s studded with semisweet chocolate and delicious!! (for those without a subscription, BEB made them here: http://www.browneyedbaker.com/chewy-brownies/)
Ahh I made these straight away but I think I screwed it up :(. I didn’t like the weird soft texture at all and I think that’s partly my mistake and I guess partly I must just prefer your crunchier choc chip recipe (the one with the walnuts). Also my sweetness level is off coz my mix of semi sweet and unsweetened was off (we don’t get bittersweet here). Baking screw ups make me so sad, I may make another SK Classic to compensate :)
Made these last night- I took them out at 10 minutes and thought they were overcooked. Dang. Does using chocolate chips instead of chunks make a difference?
This just made my weekend so much better! Thanks, Deb. Can’t wait to try!
I made these last night and the dough was super crumbly. I had to form balls with my hand by pressing firmly and one of my cookies completely fell apart in the oven. I’m not sure where I went wrong. It seemed like too much flour to the ratio of wet ingredients. But despite all my aesthetic issues, the cookies still tasted wonderful.
Started this morning off with coffee and your latest blog. Now I know what to make for breakfast! Thanks for this exquisite version of chocolate chip cookies. Thanks, Deb!
Silly question, but do you scrape in all of the chocolate shards, too? Your photo looks like there are only chunks.
Thanks for spreading the good word Deb!
Ashley’s cookies have been my go-to chocolate chunk cookie ever since I discovered them on her blog in 2009. She calls them “The last Chocolate Chip Cookie”, since this is really the last one you will ever need to try.
The 1/4 cup of Turbinado sugar gives such a great subtle crunch to these cookies. While they are great with ordinary dark chocolate chunks, they are sublime with Valrhona feves.
I have also added some chopped up caramels to the batter for a salted caramel chocolate chunk cookie.
http://www.saltandserenity.com/2011/12/holiday-baking-day-2-chocolate-chunk-caramel-cookies/
Okay, you got me. I’m a sucker for any type of chocolate chip cookie. Three of my four girls bake so it’s easy to beg for them. I’ve even custom ordered white chocolate, macadamia chip cookies to send to an author friend as a holiday gift.
I’m putting this on my pinterest page and sending the girls the recipe.
Sorry I cant meet you at the 92nd. St Y tonight but it’s the Sabbath and I have to make sure I’m home to cook for FIL.
Oh my GOSH. Yes, making these today. Thank you!
I made these last night and this is hands down the BEST chocolate chip cookie recipe I’ve ever tried. All the cookies were gone in one hour. Thank you!!
Good Morning Darling Girl, Please give us the weight of the scooped dough. If you have to make another batch of cookies to answer this question, Oh Well! And if you don’t have a place to put said extra batch of cookies I can IM you my address. Luv your Blog, -DB
These look delicious! There’s nothing like a good chocolate chip cookie recipe!
This is great. I have always felt that the chief virtue of the basic Tollhouse recipe was the difference between the simplicity of their preparation and the big payoff, and have always experienced immense fatigue when I encounter a set of long, detailed instructions for making them that don’t seem to effect much difference in the end anyway.
OK! Take this one step further and add a pinch of cayenne. You won’t be sorry. Heavenly in that it’s slightly different but still unbelievably addictive!
I made these last night and they are so delicious I can barely stand it. Mine spread quite a bit (maybe the butter was too warm?) and the sea salt on top disappeared while baking, but no one was complaining. I think next time I’ll try sprinkling the salt on top mid-way through baking to see if that helps. Seriously, these are some of the best cookies I’ve ever made. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Deb, I just pulled a tray of these out of the oven and they’re amazing! I used a #30 scoop for slightly larger cookies and just baked them a minute or two longer. Yielded a total of 16 cookies with that size scoop, and I have a feeling they’ll be gone by the end of the day tomorrow!
OK! I am in. Can’t wait to try these! I am a sucker for chocolate chip cookies. Yes we did the browned butter, over night rest cookies at Christmas and I thought they were very good. But that is so long to wait! Now I must be off to get a bar of chocolate.
Just found your Blog and this cookie recipe.
I will be making this Monday.
I have never heard of leaving drop cookie batter in the fridge overnight prior to baking.
If I were to leave cookie dough in the fridge overnight, when I got up in the morning the bowl would be empty.
Yay! Good chocolate chip cookies are my go to dessert too and Ashley’s cookies are the best! It makes me so happy to see a recipe from one of my favorite people on one of my favorite sites!
Trader Joe’s just opened by my office and I’m into all things Joe at the moment, so I’m trying these asap!
Deb, these look REALLY intriguiging. How do these compare to the NYTimes chocolate chip cookie by David Leite? Those are my current best in class cookie, and even though they require 36hrs of resting, it was worth it to me because they are literally the best cookie I’ve ever had in my life. I also use neither bread nor cake flour in his and just sub all purpose flour (per Molly Wizenberg’s advice) and they have come out amazing. Even better than those from Levain. My other favorites are Kim Boyce’s whole wheat chocolate chip cookie, which is a quicker recipe than Leite’s but not as amazing in flavor (though I actually love the whole wheat flavor that comes out in hers). Would love your thoughts on this comparison.
Deb–
I too have been on the search for a better than Ruth Wakefield’s toll house cookie. Michelle Norris had a chocolate chip cookie recipe in her blog, Browneyedbaker.com, that referred an 2008 article in the NY Times as the starting source for her cookie. Now, for a little background, I’ve been looking at different chocolate chip cookie recipes in many cookbooks, on blogs, on the TV cooking shows, etc. For anyone interested in the details, you can look at my blog at trustforce.wordpress.com for the March 15, 2015 post.
I assume that you’ve looked at this article as well (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/09/dining/09chip.html?_r=2&adxnnl=1&pagewanted=1&adxnnlx=1426461985-2l7wZ43hFSY/Tzbyds0I5Q&) as you reference using a refrigerated dough and the curious equal mix of cake and bread flours. I also assume you’ve seen the America’s Test Kitchen reworking of the Toll House cookie because you talk about browned butter. I agree with you that many of the recipes that are out there are just reworks with no particular advantage, but I do think that the NY Times article has very valid points and that the results are clearly superior. The ATK’s brown butter based cookie is a better Toll House cookie, but not as good as the Times cookie.
I did testing of the NY Times cookie batter at batter finish, and refrigerating at 12, 24, and 36 hours. There is no question that the longer batter refrigeration time produced the best cookie. Now, I agree with you that deferring pleasure for that long when one wants a cookie right now is difficult, but if you are looking for the best results, it pays to wait.
So my question is this:if you had put the NY Times cookie in direct cookie bake-off against this recipe, which would win?
I couldn’t WAIT to make these (a batch of cookies is the salve for a bad day). The dough was really, really crumbly. I found I had couldn’t use a scoop to dole out the dough but had to spoon a bunch into my palm and moosh it together to get it to be a ‘ball’. Anyone else encounter this? Did I do something wrong?
I’m telling you, THIS is why I read your food blog and stick with it over the years. I have sheepishly felt the SAME WAY about the myriad chocolate chip cookie recipes – and brownies, and bars, and pies – muddling up my Pinterest page with their new, caramelized, imploding, honeyed, salted, browned butter methods to the result of something either lackluster or just too darn arduous to try and repeat. Thank you for sharing this recipe. It is exactly how I want a cookie to be. Bless you, dearest Woman!
I love this recipe! I too, have made this my go-to chocolate chip recipe after trying it out last year after coming across it on the great Not Without Salt blog. It replaced my previous recipe from The Village Baker’s Wife. I even made them this week for a school function. So glad you found them too! :)
I made these last night with a home made gf flour mix. I didn’t have any flaked salt so used some coarse sea salt for the top and they turned out fine. For the salt in the dough itself I had made some vanilla salt a while ago and used that. They were bloody delicious! Thanks for posting Deb, keep the fantastic recipes coming!!!!!
I must stop reading your blog on break at work. MY KITCHEN IS TOO FAR AWAY.(So yes, you are doing your job very well !) Then again, I laughed out loud more than once. Thank you. As a matter of fact, after this weekend I will be in a new kitchen and these cookies will be the christening recipe!
Using the chopped chocolate makes all the difference in the world to a CC cookie. the texture is so much better, ie..creamier bite and mouth feel. I don’t know what the powers-that-be have done to chocolate chips over the years, but the chips just turn to pellets when the cookies cool.
I just made these. They are perfection in a bite! Right out of the oven, they melted in my mouth. Thankfully, my husband doesn’t like desserts. Fantastic recipe! Thanks so much!
Great post!! I was craving something chocolate today and this will be it… am heading to the kitchen to start baking as soon as I hit ‘post!’ :-)
Just a comment for Roy, who asked about making these cookies without an electric mixer. I often just use a potato masher to cream butter and sugar. Works like a charm and much easier than using a whisk.
I love your site! These recipes look delicious and I can’t wait to try them!
You had me at salted…yum! These are definitely getting added to my “to make” list!
Salted Chocolate – DELISH! We shared a bar of salted chocolate after dinner last night, will definately be making these cookies soon!
Dorie Greenspan! Be still my heart! How very exciting. Let us know how it went.
i’m confused about your comparison to the toll house recipe. (apologies if this has already been brought up…)
you say that the toll house recipe uses less chocolate. but the toll house recipe calls for 12oz (i.e. a bag) of chocolate, and your recipe calls for 225 grams, which by google’s conversion is only a bit less than 8oz. am i missing something?
i want to try these out tonight but i want to make sure i put in “enough” chocolate, heh.
YUMMY! I have an unopened pound plus of dark chocolate from TJ’s. Would you ever use dark chocolate instead of semi-sweet or bitter? Thanks for the advice!
unless this makes half the cookies? now i’m confusing myself more, lol.
Thank you for another outstanding recipe! I was delighted to find all the needed ingredients in my cupboard so got right to work. Just pulled out the last sheet of cookies and the recipe made exactly 3 doz. … the most time consuming part was chopping up the chocolate. I followed the recipe exactly…used Scharffen Berger Bittersweet which was excellent but pricey so I plan to pick up the Trader Joe’s bar next time I’m there. I used pink himalayan salt to sprinkle on top. My husband enhaled three cookies before I could blink and then snatched three more. I rarely make chocolate chip cookies because of the inconsistency but will definitely be making these often. I will be adding finely chopped pecans next time.
When the part came to incorporate the flour on low speed, it just wasn’t incorporating. I was afraid of over mixing so instead used the gloved, 5-finger approach, which is also how I folded in the chocolate chunks. It worked well for me.
Deb – I wanted to love these, I really did cuz I usually trust your judgment but we were underwhelmed! I followed the recipe exactly and I think for my taste there was just not enough butter to give that buttery-carmelly flavor I love in a chocolate chip cookie. These were a bit crunchy, chocolatey-pooled enough (and I used trader joes dark) for sure but, again, I think the recipe lacked sufficient butter to be called one of the best out there.
Update – these are outstanding!! I generally don’t post comments but felt compelled to post here… if for no other reason than to get me out of my kitchen before I inhaled yet another cookie:-) I especially enjoyed the little crunch from the turbinado sugar, and of course the delightful chocolate puddles. I used 4oz of Bulk Barn Belgian dark chocolate discs and 4oz of Baker’s semi-sweet squares. I didn;t have any flake sea salt so had to leave that out, but was sure to put the full ‘1/4 + 1/8 tsp’ salt in the batter. Will definitely make these again – and will put them on the menu the next time I have company for dinner ( love that idea!).
Hot damn, these were good cookies! There were only three leftover after a party last night. Trying so hard not to eat all three bc the boyfriend texted me twice to ask me to save one for him when he gets home….I don’t think I am going to make it….he better hurry home….
Wow! These were delicious…straight from the oven at 10:40pm! Used all 3 sugars as stated in the recipe. That finishing sprinkle of salt is perfect. Deb’s tweaked recipes make me look like a star baker! (And that’s not easy to do!)
Deb, you are the genius! You always blog about the recipes that make me want to run to my kitchen and start making them immediately! It’s a real talent finding these recipes and writing about them the way you do. You just make them sound more special, even though hunderds of people before you may have talked about them. Thank you for making me a better cook! And lovely to meet you at the book signing event – I was the cauliflower taco lady.
Deb, I love you and your recipes, but I made these last night and they were rock hard after they cooled. Is it the sugar content? Me using dark brown sugar instead of light? I didn’t make any other alterations, I even baked them at 360. And they spread. A lot. They looked nothing like the picture. What did I do wrong?? I’m doomed to make bad chocolate chip cookies forever!
So i usually dont comment on recipes but I had to for this. I take my chocolate chip cookies seriously and am so glad to find others who do!! My go-to recipe is the jacques torres recipe, however it is a lot of work and prep. But they *are* really good cookies. But I have been searching for a new recipe for conveniences sake. So…. I just made these….followed the instructions the best I could, and they absolutely posituvely rock. Pretty darn good. I baked half the batch and cookie scooped the rest out into a tupperware in the fridge for later (such as tomorrow morning haha) and am excited to see what the next batch will be like! Thank you so much!
Deb! I LOVE your blog but I’ve never been a fan of chocolate chip cookies (I know blasphemy!). But I made these cookies and I’m forever a changed woman, or at the very least a convert to the glory of the chocolate chip cookie. Totally utterly delicious. Thank you for making my (and my roommate’s) Friday night! I didn’t have baking soda so I subbed a scant 2 teaspoons of baking powder, couldn’t tell the difference.
These cookies are keepers. I made these at 02:00 a.m. so I had to go Pioneer style and not use the noisy mixer so I wouldn’t wake-up the house. I made one pan, ate two delicious cookies and made the second pan after sleeping about 5 hours. At work, everyone went for the cookies before the warm biscuits, or the potato/egg Hungarian dish with a side of broccoli.
Just made these.
Amazing.
I have never had luck with chocolate chip cookies– they end up too dry, or they spread, or they just don’t taste right.but these were awesome, easy, and fun for the kiddos to help with. I didn’t have the right mix of sugars, so I did 100% “vegan” granulated sugar mixed with 2 tbsp molasses (I weighed the molasses first then added the sugar to get to the total 215g of molasses plus sugar).
Good but seemed heavy. I think my Better Homes and Gardens chocolate chunkers beat these out. Maybe it’s all the butter?
Ok, I did not think chocolate chip cookies could be perfected but these are amazing.
I like them thick and soft in the middle and they are rich enough
Once again this is why Smitten Kitchen is a go to for me. Only thing missing for me was the sea salt and have to find somewhere to get that here in Bangkok, Thailand.
(by the way, thanks so much for making it simple and including grams and oz and cups as well as Centigrade–I did not have to go to my conversion tables and was so happy about that!)
You did your job. I made these yesterday and they were AMAZING! I used Belgian chocolate and increased the salt in the cookie dough. Both were good decisions. I generally use demarara as a substitute for brown sugar because I don’t get soft packed brown sugar where I live. I did happen to have good quality soft brown sugar at home and it added a world of a difference- these were so soft, a dream. I baked 12 and rolled the remaining batter into a log shape to freeze. Thanks so much for the recipe, I’ve found my perfect chocolate chip cookie!
Good Morning Deb
To stray from my tried and true choc chip cookie recipe, (just the “off the bag” instructions) voted best -in -town by my kid’s friends… Ok, maybe for research purposes.
I have to defend my Whole Wheat Flour (100%) and vegan margarine substitution; the cookies are tender and stay that way for a long time ( if they aren’t gobbled up before nightfall)
Try using only whole wheat, or 50/50, and you may never go back!
Oh yeah, these are pretty spectacular. I just used packaged chocolate chips, and they worked out fine. For my oven, 360 was a bit high – I pulled them out at only 9 minutes or so, because they were getting too brown. For the next batch, I backed the oven off to 350 and left them in for 10 minutes, and it was perfect. The sea salt on the top adds the final touch. This also gave me a chance to use the raw sugar I’ve had for years and rarely use.
Thanks so much. I plan to be a frequent flyer on your website in future!
Just made these and they were great, but I have a question regarding butter quantity (I looked through all comments and didn’t see it addressed so hopefully I’m not asking the same question as many others): on the original recipe she uses 2 sticks of butter. Is it purposeful that you left out the extra stick? I ask mainly because my cookies looked very different than yours, so I checked the original and noticed the difference in amounts. Thanks!
All right it happened again…I saw something on your site and made it ASAP! I also was totally skeptical about new chocolate chip cookie recipes – I’ve been using Joy the Baker’s recipe with brown butter for months now and they are amazing. I was of course still skeptical here – like does 2 tbsp of plain white sugar really make any difference at all?? Why is it even there? Do I really have to measure out 3/4 tsp of baking soda – why can’t it just be 1 tsp?? Anyway, I don’t know the answers to these questions, but what I do know is that this recipe really is fantastic. I have to say I *do* definitely notice the absence of the brown butter taste myself, but here I really like the addition of a crunchy sugar (I used chunky white sugar that I had on hand instead of turbinado) and I couldn’t say which recipe I like better! advice to people trying it out – don’t be shy with the salt sprinkling on top!! the batter itself isn’t very salty at all so you need to add enough in teh sprinkling to have a good contrast!
I thought you should know that I made these last night for a block party and I’m making another batch for a birthday party tomorrow. They are indeed the Platonic ideal of a cookie.
Yes, yes I am! Going out to buy chocolate :)
I just got weak in the knees staring at your beautiful photos. Your recipe seems very simple so I may try this out for my weekend baking. I can’t promise there will be any left to photograph, though. Thanks for sharing this delish recipe, Deb!
These look divine!
Do you think I could make them in bar form?
(I was hoping to make them for a party but need 200 of them so cooking them in a pan would be easier)
Made these this afternoon, and am now testing my third sample :) I had never used turbinado sugar before–this added such a nice crunch, as you said. Couldn’t find flaky salt in our local store, so will get some next time I go to Penzey’s. This time I just sprinkled coarse sea salt, slightly crushed. Thanks!!!
Hi Deb (and anyone who might know!), I am over in England and used “plain flour” instead of all purpose. However, my cookies came out very flat. I’ve made this same recipe in the US and had them turn out as pictured, nice and thick. My baking soda is new/not expired. Any ideas on the flour situation? Thanks!!
I made these today and they were fantastic! Because I hate chopping chocolate, I used Trader Joe’s chocolate chunks–they’re the perfect size and no chopping required. Just a heads up in case anyone else doesn’t want to chop.
I was in the business of finding the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe for a while…almost all of them turned out too sweet and kind of bland/one-dimensional. I discovered that salt was the missing ingredient! A little extra salt cut the sweetness and brought out the flavors in the cookies perfectly! I love the idea of salted chocolate chunk cookies—these will be my next batch! They look delicious!
We just made these last night. I followed the recipe exactly with sea salt and Trader Joe’s Pound Plus (the dark chocolate one). When I took these out of the oven, they almost fell apart they were so over-laden with chocolate. Warm, they were good, but a little hard to eat because of the abundance of chocolate. Today, however, after they had cooled and set, they were the best cookies I’ve ever made. The turbinado sugar? The sea salt? The huge chunks of chocolate? Game changed. Thanks, Deb!
I’ve never had a standby choc chip cookie recipe, but I do now, these don’t disappoint. I’d like to try these with half the chocolate replaced with chunks of toasted almonds for a bit of nutty crunch.
Hi Stephanie,
I’m an American currently living in the UK and have made these from Ashley’s blog on both sides so thought I’d chime in. In general, yes, “plain flour” is a substitute for all-purpose but I’ve found that there’s a much wider variety of quality within that product than what I encountered with “all-purpose” in the US. I don’t know what the difference is (not a scientist here…), but the *only* plain flour i buy now is Waitrose store brand (red and white packaging). Don’t know what it is, but that seems closest to what I’m accustomed to. But if I try to make (American) biscuits with, say, tesco plain flour, they end up tougher and flatter and the flour seems less ‘refined’ somehow to me. But, that said, my cookies never (stateside or here) looked as puffy as Deb’s, but I roll, chill and slice, so I don’t know if they would…
Amazing cookies! I didn’t want to buy Sugar in the Raw, so I used Sugar in the Raw packets from a cafe, and needed almost 6 packets… just FYI!
Deb, you had me at “salted.” These look fantastic! I’m also loving using the chopped chocolate rather than chocolate chips recently. Can’t wait to try this!
My husband made me these for my birthday on Thursday and they were perfect! They almost had a toffee flavor to them. SO delicious! and chewy! and chocolatey! and salty!
I followed the recipe to a “T” and my cookies spread flat like pancakes. :( I’m so disappointed. I love, love, love a thick cookie.
“I mean, I’m not dead inside”. Oh god deb I don’t know which I love more … your writing or your recipes. Please marry me!
man you’re a good writer. i thought i had already found the best chocolate chip cookie (which uses melted butter and yolks). but i’m going to make these.
i can’t make chocolate chip cookies anymore because i eat them all. ALL. ALLLLLLLLLL. often before they even get transformed from dough to cookie. allllllllllll.
I keep my baking butter in the freezer because I hate it when it goes a bit rancid around the edges in the fridge. But because I’m never organised enough to get my butter out of the freezer, I just grate the butter into the sugar using a cheese grater. It’s easy then to whip it with my 25 year old hand held mixer (or a knife if I’m feeling too lazy to get the beater out). My Gran always used to hold the bowl on her lap and this warmed the butter up enough as she beat it. Took her minutes.
Made these for a birthday party and they were amazing! I used Ghirherdelli 60% dark chocolate chips and bread flour (because I was out of AP flour), sprinkled kosher salt on the top (~4 -5 flakes per cookie). Thanks, Deb for another great recipe.
Thank you! this is officially the first cookie recipe I legit want to run to the kitchen to make. I have never had tollhouse cookies come out right – they always ‘melt’ to the pan into flat cookie puddles. This sounds like the recipe to fix that problem.
For Abby at 181: It looks like Deb halved the whole recipe, so there’s less of each ingredient, not just the butter;-) HTH!
I LOVE the smell of chocolate chip cookies!! Gives me the warm fuzzies :)
I thought I’d already found my go-to CCC recipe, but these salted chocolate chunk cookies are seriously insane, in the best way possible. Even right out of the freezer (because frozen baked goods are the best baked goods) they’re crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.
Thank you again for another great recipe… I work as a TEFL teacher in Barcelona, and sometimes use your recipes for lessons. Having the measurements in grams is invaluable. You’re the best. Your stories also provide for good lessons (vocab, use of phrasals, personality flair) for my advanced students.
Just quadrupled the recipe and made masses of these for a youth shelter in my hometown. Absolutely fab. My 11 year olds chopped the chocolate bars so we got some big chunks and some slivers but the overall result is amazing. Definitely making more of these to have in the freezer for dinner party deserts – genius idea. Thanks!
Ahhhh, you’re killing this pregnant woman!! :D In the best way, of course. Off I go to soften some butter and check out my chocolate supply…
I just made these, followed the recipe exactly, except I chilled the dough for 4 hours before baking. Mine ended up spreading like amoebas on the pan and did not look like the picture. Any ideas on what went wrong? Should I have chilled longer?
I usually agree with Deb 100% but on this one I’m torn. Made these last night and just can’t drop other cookie recipes in favor of this one. A friend made the comment that these cookies taste “low fat”, I assume due to the lower butter/higher flour ratio. They are still good (come on, nothing from this site every tastes horrible!) but I’ll probably stick with Debs Crispy Chewy Chocolate chip cookies.
The owner of our local kitchen supply store is retiring so with all of her inventory on sale I scored a couple of silpats and a #40 scoop (among other things)…hit Trader Joe’s on the way home and somehow wound up with a pound-plus chocolate bar in my cart…now what could I do with these goodies? Oh yeah, make cookies, specifically these cookies. A breeze to make (followed recipe to the letter), wonderfully melty and gooey, a great success. And I even found a way to use some of the sea salt my husband has been giving me such a hard time over. Said husband came home early and didn’t even complain when he found that I was baking something so calorie laden. Thanks, for a fun and very satisfying morning in the kitchen!!!
Oh my goodness. I am typing as I am eating a cookie warm out of the over. This recipe is amazingly yummy. This will be my new go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe.
Thank u Deb!
I tried this recipe last night no it was a roaring success. I too have my fave tried and true choc chip that I don’t stray from but tasted choc chip was way too tempting. Everything you wrote was spot on for me right down to the crunch from the raw sugar.
I used dark choc morsels because it was late on Sunday night when I baked and Himalayan salt because that is what I had. Both worked beautifully. Prefect salty sweet treat and a welcome new addition to my rotation.
THANK U!!
Amazing recipe! I made these mainly for the rest of the people in my house – as I am not a big chocolate chip cookie person – but now I am totally hooked on them, as well. Thanks!
I made these today. Oh heavenly heaven! They were so good that I had to get in my car and drive directly to my daughter’s dorm at UT-Austin and deliver some to her while she was studying. Why ever eat any other dessert? Love the one-bowl part! Less clean up. Thanks Deb!
Wow. Super wow! Super duper wow! So yummy! I saw this and immediately knew I had to try them. My only problem is that they seemed to bake too quickly at 360. I baked them in a Breville convection oven. Could that cause it to cook too quickly? In any case, I will make them again and again! I combined bittersweet, semi sweet and milk chocolate (2 oz, 4 oz, 2 oz, respectively). The salt is the perfect finishing touch!
Now that you’ve put this recipe through its paces, I can’t wait for your take on the version in Mindy Segal’s Cookie Love! The side-by-side would be really interesting.
FABULOUS recipe! Great fun on a relaxing Sunday. I always use chocolate chunks in place of chocolate chips. While mixing this I was worried I had added too much flour (just because it was a different consistency from other cookie dough I’ve made), but the cookies turned out perfect. This is our new fave!
I made these today and they were phenomenal! I was skeptical of the tiny size, but these cookies are so rich and chocolately, it felt indulgent to have even one (and then two!)
For people that are seeing their cookies spread, I strongly recommend NOT beating the butter and sugar until light and fluffy as you would for a cake. From my experience, no matter what recipe I use, this always results in flatter cookies, even if you chill the dough before baking. Once the butter and sugar are just combined (i.e. no lumps of sugar/streaks), STOP the creaming process, and move on with the other ingredients.
haha you are so right. Chocolate chip cookies should remain devastatingly unhealthy. That’s what makes them sooo goood.
I don’t think you can ever try too many cookie recipes! But if you ever get tired of it, I’m here for you ;)
Cookie spread — I am completely STUMPED over this. And that’s not like me, is it? These cookies are so dense, and the dough so firm, I cannot for the life of me imagine what would cause them to spread (although I know this must be happening for some people, of course, I read all the comments!). I’ve even written a whole article at one point on why cookie spread — in general, it’s too much butter or a too-greased cookie sheet, but that shouldn’t be happening here. Re, the suggestion above that it has to do with how much air has been whipped it (which can be a culprit with some cookies), here, I question this, because Rodriguez insists that you beat the butter and sugars together for 5 full minutes, and I know she’s tested these up and down.
The only other thing I can think of is maybe it’s the shape of the chocolate chunks. From photos I’ve been tagged in, the ones that have looked flatter to me sometimes are the ones using flat baking discs or wider pieces vs. the 1/2-inch-ish cubes/chunks I went for here. Since the chocolate immediately melts in the oven, I could see it stretching the cookies side to side. If your cookies flattened, do let me know if any of this rings true for you, or if there was an ingredient swap you tried (a butter substitute might have a higher oil content, more brown sugar more moisture, etc.) and maybe we can suss it out from there.
Weight of cookie dough scooped with a #40 or 1.5 tablespoon scoop — Ranged from 28 to 35 grams; I’m sure the range had to do with how much chocolate was in each scoop.
Stephanie — I am not sure I’d use these for a bar cookie, but I have a blondie recipe in the archives that’s fantastically easy and adaptable. And gooey.
stephanie — So, looking at the Toll House Cookie recipe online, the version on the Nestle site (I think Nestle owns Toll House now), this recipe is for 2 sticks of butter, i.e. double. If you halve it and line it up, you’re looking at 1 1/8 cups flour (vs. 1 3/4 here), 1/2 teaspoon baking soda (vs. 3/4 here), 1/2 teaspoon salt (I presume they mean table salt; vs. actually a little less here inside the cookie), 3/4 cup sugar evenly split between brown and white (vs. 1 1/8 cups here, mostly brown, some white, some raw) and more pertinently to your question, 6 ounces of chocolate. Here we use 8 ounces.
Alene — Well, she rubbed my belly so now we have to TOTALLY revisit our baby names list. ;)
Steve R., Mai and others that asked for a NYTimes cookie comparison — You’re done your research! I covered the cookie when it was published. Mine actually came out flatter than they were supposed to; I never knew why as I rested the dough and follow recipes obsessively. Aside from all of the persnickety ingredients and steps, I resented that they really don’t work unless you’re baking them with 1/4-cup scoops. That’s huge, and not really the way I want to eat at home. But, it’s more fair to compare the flavors. There’s definitely more toffee, and depth of flavor, in the NYTimes version. But I’m so enjoying the thickness, flexible use of chocolate and how easy these are to make right now, I don’t see going back to the NYT version anytime soon. There is also a personal taste factor. The NYTimes version aspires to what they consider the City Bakery/Jacques Torres ideal which is (sotto voce) just not my favorite chocolate chip cookie. I always find them too sweet and not salty enough; I will literally rewarm a CB one at home with flakes of sea salt on top. Because they’re huge and I’m a big proponent of humble portion sizes, we always split them, if not quarter them. They’re more crisp than chewy. But, I am in a minority. I also don’t turn them down (see above: not a monster).
Re, personal taste factor, in the archives, I also have two brownie recipes, both with legions of fans; my favorite one-bowls and Alice Medrich’s cocoa brownies. They’re both excellent, but different. I like the one-bowls, they’re a little more bitter, chewy and so so so easy to make. But Medrich’s taste like the best box mix brownies that have never existed. They’re practically fudge. There isn’t a “better,” but most people prefer one over the other.
Abby — It’s not a stick of butter that’s been left out; it’s that I halved her original recipe. She also uses a half-yield in her Date Night In book.
Kelly — It could be the convection; I think they are more robust.
Adele — I do scrape in all of the shards, but I do my best to make as few as possible. A serrated knife helps.
Sora — Dark and light brown sugar won’t bake up terribly differently in here, but I wouldn’t say that dark plus white averages out to light brown, unless you were using dark brown and white in almost equal quantities, tipped more towards white. Here’s a formula for making your own brown sugar to give you more of an idea of what I mean. That said, if I were only going to keep one brown sugar around, it would always be dark, because I’d rather have the max flavor I can get.
Cindy — I suppose, theoretically, a flat cookie sheet is better for heat access but I’ve never used one; mine always have rims and it’s never been an issue. Then again, ovens work via indirect heat, yes? So maybe it shouldn’t matter at all.
CQ — Okay! Also, I STILL have not had a Levain cookie. There’s always a line! I think if I actually lived in the UWS, I might be more patient with it but I’m usually just passing through and don’t want to spend a lot of time getting a cookie I probably don’t “need.” Is there a secret time when it’s better to go?
Barbie — Amazon is the only place I can say with authority pretty much anyone can get the flaky salt, but it’s also sold at a lot of kitchen and upscale grocery stores, and sometimes even regular ones. Tripling the recipe will not be an issue.
Tamara — I do not have a fan assisted oven … if you’re nervous, I’d dial down the temperature just a little to be safe.
Hi Deb! My cookies spread out so much :( the only thing I changed was using chocolate chips instead of chocolate cut into pieces, do you think this is a reason why the cookies became so flat?
Deb, as far as spreading goes, it could be an altitude issue. Granted, most people who live at high altitude are aware of how that will affect their baking, but it does cause cookies to spread a lot more.
Made these cookies this weekend for a dinner party. I had no problems with the cookie spreading – actually, quite the opposite, mine stayed the shape of the round scoop and barely spread at all. My dad even commented on how domed the cookies looked. The cookies have a very different texture and taste. The dough is very crumbly as you mentioned. I think they are very good and a more complex special cookie than a typical back of the chocolate chip bag Tollhouse recipe. I am not sure I am sold on the texture and think it may be too crumbly of a cookie for me – a little messy to eat, lots of chocolate melting on hands, make things a little more interesting for a party.
The family was ambivalent about this cookie. It was really about the texture of the cookie itself, and possibly it was *too* much chocolate? Sounds crazy. Alas, my house cookie remains your chocolate chip with pecans: http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2008/01/chocolate-chip-cookies/
thanks deb! i realized after posting that the toll house was probably a double batch compared to what you were doing. doh! thank you for taking the time to clarify :)
I made these ASAP! I loved them — out of the oven warm — almost too chocolatey. But as they cooled they were just perfect. I loved that is really was about the chocolate with just a bit of cookie holding it together. I didn’t have spreading problems or find the cookies to be crumbly. I baked them up without resting the dough. I did not add the coarse sugar because I didn’t have it but I will try it in my next batch.
Hi Deb – the whole resting for 24 hours thing? I make a double batch of my recipe, refrigerate for 24 hours then break it down into approximately 12 logs that I wrap with cling wrap and freeze. Then we bake on an as-needed basis (cutting the log into perfect rounds and salting). Perfect!
Deb! I got caught up in the hunt for the Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies and have done the browned-butter-refrigerate-for-three-days-$20-per-pound-chocolate Thing. And, while I’m not dead inside either, I’ve found all of these recipes to be underwhelming, at best. I mean, for the effort involved, these recipes have been disappointing. So I was done with the quest. And then I saw your latest post, scoffed at the title, and read with gradually lessening skepticism. I tried these cookies for a casual get-together we had this weekend, and they were The Best Cookies I’ve ever made. Each cookie sheet was scarfed down within three minutes of coming out of the oven (my husband mumbled, “I could get fat on these cookies” as he downed his third one). It’s my new go-to recipe. So easy, and so good. It’s cookie perfection. Thank you. Also, I made your spaghetti and meatballs recently for my first ever venture into homemade spaghetti and meatballs, and I kept complimenting my own cooking as we ate. So delicious. I love your blog.
Hey Deb, I was one that had a huge spreading issue. I followed the instructions exactly. Measured my flour carefully, used chopped chunks as indicated, I dont know what happened but I’m so bummed. I can email you pictures of them of that would help?! I even added 2Tbsp more flour after the first two batches came out so flat and greasy. If helped a tiny bit but they still weren’t thick like the picture.
Oh and I’m not at high altitude, I know that was one persons suggestion.
Deb – thank you so much for posting this recipe! Made them this weekend and they were perfect. My very discerning husband declared this recipe the best chocolate cookie he’d ever eaten.
I’ve tried all the famous cookie recipes, and they’ve been fine. They were all good right out of the oven–because warm chocolate chip cookies always are–but there was never anything that sung to me. Until these. My favorite part about these, other than not having to clear space in my fridge for batter, was the chocolate. I threw in all the little half bags of dark chocolate chunks and mini semisweet chips and Guittard discs languishing in my pantry, and I chopped up a bar of semisweet. It ended up being 240 grams of chocolate, so I ate some chips to get rid of the extra. I used a tablespoon as a scoop and heaped them. It made 27 cookies that way. I baked half and froze the rest. They were beautiful–they looked like yours, albeit a bit smaller. They took 11 minutes exactly. My husband and I agreed that these are the best cookies we’ve ever had, and they were still soft on day two. (None survived to day three, so I can’t comment past that.) I found myself marveling at the texture from the turbinado sugar. How did two tablespoons of sugar change an entire batch of cookies? I don’t know, but thanks for passing this recipe along!
In regards to softening butter, I usually just put the stick on a plate on top of the stove for a few minutes while it’s preheating, and turn it over a few times so one side doesn’t get too melty – it usually does the trick!
Also, I had to share the story of my devotion to making these: I went to Whole Foods and bought all the special ingredients, including the $8 salt and fancy bulk chunk of bittersweet chocolate. I was even so restrained as to not sample anything prior to taking them out of the oven. BIG MISTAKE. Whole Foods had mislabeled the chocolate and let me tell you, unsweetened baking chocolate is DISGUSTING in chunks baked into cookies, and the salt flakes do nothing to complement the flavor except intensify its grossness. After some futile attempts to separate crumb from chocolate and salvage some sort of cookie-ness, I had to trash ’em.
Not to be deterred, I got a refund for the chocolate and the salt, took my business to Fairway for the correct kind of chocolate and made them again last night. PERFECTION!!!
Fin.
Just want to share that I made two batches – one measuring the flour by the cup amount and one measuring the flour by the grams and the grams is much more accurate! When I used my scale, it came out to closer to 1 1/2 cups flour (I pour the flour into a container by a 1/2 cup measure). It’s hard because everyone packs their flour into the cups differently. All in all, delicious cookie!! Thanks Deb :)
so good!!!
I just.made them today n hats off result is awesome
Honestly, this is an exhausting read. But it was all worth it. I appreciate the detailed recipe. Can’t wait to make this recipe at home. Sure to be going back here to post the experience I had with this salted chocolate chunk cookies recipe. Please do make a recipe with cheese as the major ingredient. Thanks and Best!
Hello Deb
These cookies were delicious! I got the “Best cookie I have ever had” from two people who proceeded to finish the entire half dozen cookies in a minute. Also has the prestige of being the first cookie ever to be given to the twins :) That said my cookie did spread. Here is what I did- butter was out for about 5 hrs in a fairly cool kitchen. I used bittersweet Valhrona bars from TJ(about 7 oz total) Flour was weighed and so were the sugars. I used dark brown sugar and used a medium Oxo cookie scoop. The dough was slightly crumbly but not too much. We loved the cookie though from the crunchy exterior to the soft middle.
Love this discussion: my mother (married in 1941) faithfully used the Ruth Wakefield’s Toll House Cookie recipe from the bag of chocolate bits and other sources–and the original Toll House restaurant wasn’t very far from where we lived. But my mother had a tweak with an unknown source: she used the same amount of baking powder specified in the Toll House recipe but dissolved it im about 1/4 c. of warm water before adding. She claimed it enhanced the cookies’ lightness. Hmmm.
I made these tonight, they are dangerously delicious. I even had my husband try the batter before I baked them, because I just couldn’t believe how good they were. This is our new go-to. This may have even forever changed my normal favorite of oatmeal cookie. It’s the dough, it’s the game changer.
I’m planning to make these and wondered if you thought coconut cane sugar would be a good sub for turbinado? It’s so crunchy and sort of has a richer flavor than regular sugar, though I know it’s not the same as turbinado. I just hate to have 4 different sugars in my house at one time… Thanks Deb!
Responding to #241 (Marilou). We also lived not too far away from the Toll House Restaurant–in Whitman, wasn’t it? And yes, my mom made the recipe with either the soda or baking powder dissolved in about a teaspoon of water. I actually have her old copy of Ruth Wakefield’s cookbook, with lots of wear and tear and food stains.
I’m going to have to try these. And your standby ccc’s. And my standby, just for comparison’s sake. My standby ccc recipe is really a chocolate chip oatmeal cookie – the oatmeal cookie from Joy of Cooking, and add a half bag of chocolate chips. Or, since that’s just wrong, double the recipe. (My mom and I made these when I was still too small to look over the table, and I’ve been making them ever since.)
Deb, thank you sooo much for these cookies! They are amazing! Wonderful! And, unfortunately, almost gone at our house (the final three are in the freezer waiting to be baked).
SO good. Thank you! These are so simple and are my new go-to summer cookout contribution. My husband commented that he liked them even better the second day, after they sat in a ziplock bag overnight. I had to send them to work with him, because I was getting out of control. The great part about this recipe is that it only uses a little turbinado and a little maldon salt. Once you have those two in the pantry, you can make this over and over again without needing to buy anything at all!
Deb – First, thanks so much for the blog. You have helped me learn how to cook the fun way, and I love it. Second, this is the first time I’ve had something useful to say on your comment board; here I go. Frozen cookie dough = brilliant time saver. But freezing on a sheet? Totally unnecessary use of space. I freeze all my dough by wrapping individual dough balls in wax paper and packing them into ziplocs with clear bake instructions on the front. This has revolutionized desert time at my house as well as made some of my friends really happy. People love pre-frozen cookies as gifts!
These are fabulous! When cutting my chocolate, some pieces (well, a lot!) were broken into small pieces-and some to chocolate “dust”…stirred it all in, and what a beautiful result! Almost like leopard-spotted cookies….I subbed in 2TB coconut sugar for the turbinado/cane sugar (i.e. I only added 2TB, left the other 2TB out). So good…especially with iced coffee!
I’m living in the UK and made these with Be-Ro plain flour and they came out great. I also baked at a rather vague temperature as my oven is pretty crummy and definitely doesn’t indicate 360 on it. Perfect chewy choc chip cookies, definitely the best recipe I’ve tried!
I made these for my 7 year old stepson and his response was “We need to tell the WORLD about these’. Thank you for a wonderful recipe!
I previously only made the NY Times chocolate chip cookies (they are incredible, but do take 1-2 days advance planning). Made these last night (with 1/2 a chopped up TJ’s pound plus dark chocolate bar) and am a convert. Holy &$#% these are good! I didn’t want to buy a whole bag of turbinado sugar so I ended up “borrowing” a few packets of Sugar in the Raw from my office’s kitchen. For anyone who wants to know, 6 packets = 2 tablespoons.
Nicole — Sorry, I might have been unclear. Freeze on a sheet until solid, then transfer the frozen balls to one big ziplock. Very space efficient!
Danielle — I haven’t baked with coconut sugar before — I, too, am resistant to buying a single other type of sugar! — but I can’t imagine it wouldn’t work in place of the turbinado. There’s just not enough of it to throw much off.
Aarthi — Sounds like we did the same thing (minus the 5 hours of softening; I at best do 1 but I don’t think this was is). I still haven’t gotten to the bottom of the flattening but appreciate your feedback! P.S. I think it’s time to pull down my Bakewise book! Will report back.
eg — I hope you got your money back on that chocolate! Yikes. Unsweetened chocolate is my favorite way to prank the kid, however. (I’m terrible. I know.)
Deb, try Levain on a random weekday, avoiding rush hour. I live on the UWS and have never seen the line longer than 5-8 people. Last time I went there was on a Wednesday around 3pm and the line was minimal. I love that their cookies are crispy and craggy on the outside while still being soft and melty on the inside. (And while I’m here, thanks for plugging Orwasher’s a while back on IG, I tried their donuts and bread, and both were amazing! Chocolate-covered, sour cherry-filled donut, yes please!)
I, too, was not looking for a new chocolate chip cookie recipe, but you convinced me, like always, to give this a try and we were delighted, like always, by your recommendation. The dough was so crumbly that I felt a little apprehensive, but they turned out amazing and delicious and exactly how I like my cookies to taste. I used half dark chocolate chips and half milk chocolate chips and didn’t measure them because: 15 weeks preggo and lazy. Thanks for posting something we needed and hadn’t yet didn’t realized we did!
Somehow this recipe takes all the features I usually avoid in chocolate chip cookies (crispy texture, more chocolate than cookie, chocolate that doesn’t hold its shape) and uses them to make the best cookies I have ever eaten. I almost didn’t want to like them. I’ve spent an embarrassing amount of time testing and changing recipes to arrive at what I thought would be my forever cookie, and now this recipe just shows up and, without a single alteration (except the replacement of turbinado with demerara sugar, because I don’t have room for both in my cupboard), becomes the new champion. I’m kind of sad…good thing I have these delicious cookies to cheer me up!
Do you have any suggestions for those of us from places without access to semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate? I live in NZ, and semi-sweet just doesn’t exist here. Ditto bittersweet or classic Baker’s Chocolate (RIP brownies as I know them). There is a sneaky product called Baking Chocolate, but do not be fooled.
I made these tonight using 62% cocoa dark chocolate because I was too afraid to go for milk chocolate lest they turn out too cloyingly sweet. I thought there might be enough sugar in the recipe to balance out the dark chocolate. My boyfriend is extremely happy with the results – he loves dark chocolate – but apparently no sugar is enough for my supertaster palate to handle the ashy bitterness that is dark chocolate. I hate it.
Any suggestions? I’ll give milk chocolate a try, I suppose.
In australia I only have access to dark chocolate bars (either Lindt or Green&Black’s dark 70% or 85%). How can I make it semi sweet or bittersweet? So perfect for this cold wet weather.
Wonderful! They were a hit with my husband and my building staff! These are my new go to cookies.
These look delicious! Do you think there would be a problem doing a triple or quadruple batch? I have six kids plus friends in and out of the house…one or two batches wouldn’t be enough especially with teen aged boys…..
Anne — No, I don’t think there would be any issue with scaling this recipe up. In fact, the original on her site is for double this.
Kay — 70% should be just fine here.
Tewtally — I consider anything in the 60 to 72% range to be semi/bittersweet. But, you can of course go sweeter (milk, in the 50s, I think) if it’s your preference.
I made these at the weekend and I can confirm that they are indeed bloody delicious! They are also my new go-to cookie recipe after being devoted to a Nigella recipe for so many years, it takes some effort to get me to move away from a Nigella recipe, so thank you Smitten Kitchen! I couldn’t find turbinado sugar in any supermarkets over here in the UK, does it go by another name here or is it more of a speciality ingredient over in the USA?
These cookies look great, but I am Gluten Intolerant so I changed the out flower so I could try making them.
– 1/2 cup (4 ounces or 113 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
– 2 tablespoons (25 grams) granulated sugar
– 2 tablespoons (25 grams) turbinado sugar (aka Sugar in the Raw; you can use more brown or white if you don’t have this, but the subtle crunch it adds is delightful)
– 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (165 grams) packed light or dark brown sugar
– 1 large egg
– 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
– 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
– Heaped 1/4 teaspoon (or, technically, 1/4 + 1/8 teaspoon) fine sea or table salt
– 1 3/4 cups (220 grams) Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flower
– 1/2 pound (225 grams) semi- or bittersweet chocolate, cut into roughly 1/2-inch chunks with a serrated knife
– Flaky sea salt, to finish
The cookies turned out pretty good, a little more dense than I was planning but that usually is the case when you substitute gluten free flower for regular flower.
Great option if you are Gluten Free.
I made your obsessively good avocado cucumber salad for lunch today (http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2015/04/obsessively-good-avocado-cucumber-salad/) and just finished making these cookies. They are divine. At 8 1/2 months pregnant I will be taking these with me should I go into labor tonight. Every book/website suggests you bring something yummy for when you are done with the delivery. These would be perfect.
Any suggestions to sub out the egg? We have allergies and I’m always on the lookout for desserts without the eggs!
@263 Jonathan, note that most GF flour tends to be denser in weight/volume than regular AP, so if you do lighter cups (like 120g to a cup, so a total of 210g max) you should end up with a much lighter consistency than if you measure exactly the same as you would regular flour. make sure if you measure by cup and not by weight that you are fluffing and spooning, not scooping and leveling. it will be way too much flour that way.
this is what i find, anyway. just made coffee cake with GF AP flour and measured by the gram according to the brand’s measurements in the nutritional info and it was light and fluffy as regular flour. good luck!
I made these tonight and did not have the spreading issue. In fact, I usually have spreading issues and was worried about it. Didn’t happen this time. These cookies are divine. The bittersweet chocolate (I did Theo’s 80%) really cuts the sugar and makes for a divine cookie.
So I NEVER comment on anything. I made these today and they are absolutely the most perfect chocolate chip cookie. EXACTLY what I have been searching for most of my life. :) Crispy on the outside, chewy inside, lots of chocolate with a salty kick. No spreading which always happens to me. I’m so happy. I followed the recipe word for word except doubled it. Thank you so much for this recipe.
These were seriously amazing! I made them to pass out during an event where I knew we would get hungry, and they were a huge hit! Everyone complimented me and could not believe the texture and lightness of these cookies. I only did 3/4 cup sugar and found it to be to mine and others’ liking. Trying to cut back some ;) Thanks for sharing! YUMMMM!
Longtime reader, rare commenter, but here I am out of the woodwork to say these are the BEST choc chip cookies I have ever made. Hooray. Thank you! I topped them with blueberry sea salt that I was gifted from the Alaska Pure Sea Salt Co. Amazing!
I just made these with trader joe’s chocolate chips and they were still awesome- I can tell that chocolate chunks would push them into the realm of sublime; I plan on making them again after a trip to the store. I love that I don’t need to chill the dough ahead of baking- what a foolproof recipe. Perfection.
I’m still ogling the Silpats. They seem to weather the dishwasher, you say? I need to get me some of them! I’ve been using silicon cookie sheets, which work pretty well, especially at displacing some of the heat on the bottom rack. I notice my bottom rack cookies don’t burn on the bottom when I use the silicon sheet. I’m guessing that the Silpat screen allows for good heat transfer on the upper racks.
Ok, I made these last weekend instead of desert for a dinner party. They looked s, like your chocolate cake for simplicity. Just one change to both with awesome results. I put a tablespoon of very runny riversdale farm organic marmalade in. If you really want to add another dimension then let me tell you this is the one. Everyone was raving about them leaving just two (I hid those so I could have one when I needed a hit). I love all your recipes so far and thank you for keeping them coming.
Oh no I forgot to add that I also reduced the sugar.
Deb, I have never once commented on your site but as I sat eating the most satisfying chocolate chip cookies this morning it came to me that almost 3/4 of everything I make, sweet or savoury, is from your site. I am never disappointed when I try something new and when I need something specific, your site is the first one I check. Thank you again for all that you do — eating from your site since 2008.
Hey Deb,
My husband and I discussed chocolate chip cookies a few different times this week, ending with him talking about how boring they are. You should have seen his face yesterday when 1) I was mixing up this choc. chip cookie recipe, and 2) When he tasted one warm off the cookie sheet.
YUM. They were SO good. Thank you!
We can always count on you. Looking forward to your next cookbook.
Chana
Thanks for posting this !!!
I have been planning to make a cookie-cake for my husband for his birthday . Do you think recipe will work? I want to make a small quantity in an 8oz ramekin , as opposed to a skillet since its just the two of us.
These truly are the BEST CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES EVER! I’ve already made 2 batches in less than a week. You are evil ;)
I did however reduce the brown sugar to just 3/4 cup (omitting the 2 TBSP) because the first batch for me was a little too sweet, and I used (2) 4 oz. Ghirardelli Bittersweet Chocolate bars.
Absolute perfection.
Thank you Smitten Kitchen!!
Soo so good! I’m abandoning my normal recipe. I too have never commented on your blog. I usually just try, enjoy, and repeat. I also read many comments, which I usually don’t do either. After trying a few variations that other people were curious about, figured I would put in my two cents.
I am a fan of melting the butter in my chocolate chip cookie batter, then blending with the sugar. I did so with this recipie and had perfect results. I did not have fancy flake salt, but used TJs fine crystal sea salt and sprinkled it on each cookie after taking out of the oven, while they were still glistening. I used both bitter sweet chunks, and chopped milk chocolate (TJs pound plus). I think I added too much chocolate in general, needing to strategicly spackel my cookies together with batter, but it was still amazing. I’ve eaten two while typing… so maybe they’re actually really bad.
LOVE!
These look fantastic, I can’t wait to make them! Quick question though – any salted cookies I’ve ever made have called for the salt right after they come out of the oven – won’t sprinkling it on before baking cause it to dissolve into the dough in the heat?!
Thanks Deb for bringing us this recipe!!!! Just made these tonight and my Husband and I both agree these are by far the BEST CCC’s ever made!!! These would be the perfect ending at a dinner party, warm from the oven and for gift giving!!! My dough was not to dry or crumbly either. I did make sure the chocolate was really mixed into the dough by hand and that helped bring it all together. Also used my scale to weigh all the ingredients (thanks for putting the measurements in weights!) to make sure it had the correct amounts and my dough was perfect! For those comments who had thought their dough was too dry or crumbly, a kitchen scale is one of my favorite tools, (mine is oxo~not expensive) and you’ll never use too much flour, sugar etc. than the recipe calls for and you won’t have to worry about putting too much flour into your recipes. Or just use a “light” hand when measuring by volume. I used 1/2 semi-sweet Nestle Chocolate Chunks and 1/2 Whole Foods bittersweet chocolate chunks. Seriously, The Best CCC EVER!!!! Thanks Deb!!!~Shannon f/Osceola WI~We met when you came to MN on your book tour, Remember I’m the red-haired gal that sat next to Zoe Francois in the front row:)!, and when you signed by book I told you how it all started w/Chocolate Babka?:) That’s the recipe I googled way back when and found your site!!:) We’d love for you to come back on your next book tour!!!:))
These seriously came out AMAZING! Honestly they are the best I’ve ever made!
Hi this is the 3rd time I tried these cookies the first time they were perfect the second time I substituted half quantity of flour with oats and my cookies turned in puddles :( so I’m back to using the original recipe….pls tell me if there’s anyway that I can successfully use oats in this recipe
Deb, these are GREAT! I made a first batch yesterday, and while they were delicious, they *did* spread on me a whole lot, which I wasn’t expecting — I then read through the comments here and found I wasn’t alone :)
Today, I made another batch with a couple of tweaks:
1) I made sure I only only beat these a scant 5 minutes on medium-low. I hadn’t known this could be an issue, and since I don’t have my standing mixer at my mother’s and had to make do with her not-very-powerful hand mixer, I had ended up mixing the first batch for close to 10 minutes to get the right texture. Today, I made sure the butter was softer (a minute or 2 in the warming oven helped my room-temperature butter get there without melting) and only beat on one speed for the time prescribed.
2) I actually weighed my egg and saw that the one I had used yesterday was likely over 70 grams (which counts as extra-large, almost jumbo). Today I actually weighed my eggs and used the smallest one, which was still 60 grams. I’m lucky enough to be visiting a place with home-grown eggs, but the one downside is that sizes aren’t listed on a box :)
3) On the flour end, I ended up going by volume today, and not weight. I realize this seems backwards, but yesterday when I measured out 220 grams of flour and it didn’t reach my 1 3/4 cup measurement, I thought weight would be more accurate. My dough yesterday wasn’t crumbly at all, and I think the extra (if went by weight that is) flour I used today may have made a difference.
Today’s batch came out like the pictures and more importantly tasted AMAZING. I may never buy packaged chocolate chips again, too.
My effort also yielded a flat, crisp cookie not a lot different from toll house. I think 360 is too hot, and I also followed the directions, including creaming the sugar and butter for 5 solid minutes. My mixer is an old reliable Kitchen Aid, where they’ve always said mixing will not take as long. I also used Ghiardelli baking bars, which means THIN pieces of chopped chocolate. Can’t get thick bars of chocolate without driving forever to find them. Oh yes, I usually use half butter and half shortening, but this was all butter. Too many variables here to really solve the problem.
Might try these, but I’m happier with toll house.
Sorry about the fight with your hand mixer. I have a recommendation for you: the 9-speed KitchenAid Architect model (KHM926CA). It’s on sale at Amazon right now for quite a good price (http://www.amazon.com/KitchenAid-KHM926CA-9-Speed-Digital-Accessories/dp/B00CT9Y6J6). So far it’s worked very well for us.
Another brilliant recipe. Thanks Deb. Made these with my little ones just now and we’re currently standing by the oven in anticipation. Can’t imagination these will last long!
I wasn’t in the market for a new chocolate chip cookie either, but your recommendation is worth too much Deb! And they were great. I followed your directions but not obsessively and they turned out perfectly! (no spreading like some others had). I would put slightly more salt next time than I did this time around but that’s it. Thank-you!
I love your blog! These recipes look delicious and I can not wait to try them now and Thanks for spreading the good word Deb! By the by In last night,I made a recipe and this is hands down the best chocolate chip cookie recipe I have ever tried.
I did not change a thing and have never had the spreading issue. I always thought if you have the spreading issue, is it because the dough is too warm or the baking soda is too old or the scoops put on the pan are too flat? My kids and husband ate all of these within the hour I baked them. I think they are the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever made hands down. We also do chocolate chip cookies as dessert after dinner parties! Sometimes a little vanilla ice cream to go with them too! I would like to turn this into a cookie cake for my son’s birthday and will post the results if it works. Has anyone tried the cookie cake with any success?
I am an American but I live in London… I am meeting a friend tomorrow and realised I needed a quick gift so I thought I’d have a look on your fabulous site for a cookie recipe. I made these this evening and they are by far the easiest, most delicious chocolate chip cookies I have ever made… Since, Maldon’s sea salt is one of the staples in my cupboard, I didn’t have any trouble sourcing the finishing touch. I thought about leaving out the turbinado sugar as I didn’t have it on hand and don’t regular use it… but I caved while I was at the supermarket, and I’m not sorry. My husband and I are still sitting at the table swooning. A dangerous recipe to have on hand… but I’m still grateful. Xx
Deb, first of all, thought you’d like to know that Syracuse, N.Y., LOVES you. Nary a Rosh Hashanah or Passover goes by that we aren’t congregating with friends and talking about your latest postings. Thanks for mentioning the #40 scoop. I never use a scoop but I did with this recipe and the uniformity of the cookies makes me feel like I did a more professional job. The recipe is unreal! One suggestion: when eating the cookie, turn it upside down so that your tongue immediately tastes the flaky sea salt that is sprinkled on top. UNBELIEVABLE!
These were amazing- hit of the church potluck.
These came out perfectly – no spreading problem.
Unfortunately, we could only bake half the batch, because we made the mistake of trying the batter and it’s even better than the baked cookies…the crunch from the turbinado sugar really makes it. The rest of the batch was consumed raw.
Ha! @Jeff we made the same mistake in trying the batter!! To. Die. For. Best batter I’ve ever snuck. I made a few adjustments 1. GF flour (Pamela’s brand) 2. High altitude (little less sugar & smidge more flour) 3. Chopped roasted pecans (because who can resist roasted pecans?) Delish & the new go to cookie recipe. Thanks a bunch!! :)
Simply magical. Baked these last week and sort of regret sharing them with friends because now we have zero left to munch on! ;)
these are WONDERFUL. no adjustments. i took them out of the oven after 12 minutes thinking no way they were done, but once cooled it was clear they were done perfectly. these definitely don’t spread out the way normal cookies do – the finished cookies are super puffy – almost identical to the way they looked when they went into the oven, only firmer and slightly golden. really, really delicious take on the traditional.
Made these and am embarrassed to say they disappeared the same night. (family of four). I’d almost quit trying new chocolate chip recipes as I figured I’d found the one after years of experimenting. Good thing I’m always open to new possibilities. These are almost like something available from an outstanding Canadian cookie store called George’s Cookies. I am thrilled and terrified at the same time but at least I really can finally stop looking for the perfect cookie, because this is it.
These. Were. Awesome. I already had a chocolate chip cookie recipe I was happy with and not looking to replace, but these looked so good I had to try them. I used a TJ’s milk chocolate bar and otherwise followed the recipe to the letter. Rounded 1T scoops yielded 32 cookies (!). This is my new go-to!
I freaking LOVE these cookies! My whole family ate them up in literally the blink of an eye….and I have to attest to the fact that there isn’t too much you can do to mess them up…I think I forgot the baking soda. They still baked up beautifully and most definitely TASTY! ALSO– thanks for the many suggestions of the Trader Joe’s pound plus. I got a bar of milk and bittersweet and used equal amounts of both. LOVE!!!
These are great. I love the crunch from the turbinado sugar and there is something about freshly chopped chocolate. I used 4 ounces semisweet and bittersweet Guittard. I’ve made these twice, the first time to the letter and the second time with brown butter. Both times I scooped and froze the dough balls. Absolute cookie perfection, both batches. I especially liked the caramel-ness of the brown butter batch. Thanks again for another go-to recipe, Deb.
My trick for softening butter to room temperature is to place the butter in the microwave with the paper still on. I microwave each side of the butter for 5 seconds, for a total of 20 seconds. So microwave 5 seconds, turn the butter to the next side, micro 5 more seconds, turn, micro 5 seconds, final turn, micro 5 seconds. After that, the butter is perfectly softened but not runny or melted. Then proceed with your recipe, take the paper off and cream with your sugar. It works wonderfully.
I am a sucker for the latest, greatest chocolate chip cookie recipe, so of course I had to make these! They did not disappoint…chewy, puffy, delicious. However, they were very rich and decadent, a good cookie for a party or maybe a bake sale, not an everyday cookie for me. I will stick with your Crispy Chewy go-tos for my cookie cravings. :)
Hi Deb,
I made these in Denver – high altitude always messing with my cookies, so I used 1/2 tsp. of baking soda and added 1 1/2 tsp of flour. Used Murray River Flaked Sea Salt. Just scrumptious and just made them for the 3rd time. And I’m a fan and often-time baker of the Jacques T. cookies too. And always a sucker for a new cc cookie or brownie recipe if from a good source like you and of course, Ashley. Thanks. Anita
Deb,
If you love a recipe, we will love the recipe! Even if it takes two ingredients, or it’s just another iteration of a previously seen recipe – we want it. Well, at least, I want it, because those recipes that have made you happy have also made me (and my family) happy.
Not to give your ego a complex or anything, but never question your taste; it’s excellent.
And thanks for testing and sharing.
Remember the difference between white sugar and brown is molasses. There’s no need to buy brown sugar when you have molasses in the house. You can make the brown sugar as light or dark as you want by adding less or more molasses to white sugar.
I’ve found that molasses adds an extra dimension of smokiness to baked goods that brown sugar does not.
Great recipe, but I agree with others regarding whether there’s quite enough butter. Maybe this ratio is critical for the “crispy outside, chewy inside” texture, but I’m going to try this one again with +1/4 cup butter.
Or maybe just try chunked chocolate in the go-to chewy recipe that it seems most of the thread prefers.
These are currently in the oven and we are so excited to try them! Theoretically we will be gifting them to my fiance’s coworker tomorrow, but to be honest I’m not sure they will last the night.
Luckily I thought ahead and bought enough ingredients to make a second batch :)
The second time I used this, I chopped up chewy caramels and tossed them in at the end for a salted caramel effect. With or without the addition, this is definitely my new go to, when your chocolate chip needs a little oomph!
Hands down, these are the best chocolate chip cookies I have ever made OR consumed! Thank you, thank you, thank you Deb!
Deb! These are amazing! Best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever made. Perfect use for some of the fleur de sel I had hanging around in my cupboard… Thank you!
Made these last night. They were less fussy than I expected (I had all ingredients on hand) and they turned out perfectly. The salt was a genius touch, and the chunks of chocolate made them almost inappropriately gooey and delicious, especially when warm. A-plus. Thank you!!
These had to be made as I saw them on IG by the original author and then here. They were delicious of course, although not sure if worth all the irregular instructions. Turbinado sugar, chopped chocolate 360 degrees… Just sticking to your cc recipes!!
Hi Deb, amazing cookies…. quick question: mine have flattened both times, not like your beautiful mounds…. any suggestions? Thanks!
uh-mazing recipe. The 3 x sugars really gave the cookie such a depth of flavour, especially the dark brown sugar – gave them an almost caramel-y taste (I used muscovado, white granulated and packed dark brown sugar) – YUM!
Tamsin — Sadly, I still haven’t gotten to the bottom of why these are flattening for some people. Extensive discussion in this comment above.
Deb,
I made a huge batch of these for the many cookie bringing events I had all in one week. I was able to freeze some and pulled them out on Mother’s Day. If my family loves me they never take me out to dinner on that day, I cook what I want and they clean up Yay! My two oldest, hadn’t sampled these yet. My daughter, who baked cookies all summer long at a Michigan resort, said these were so good she could cry. Mine have turned out beautifully, fresh or frozen. I never thought I would find a cookie better than Nestle’s…but I have now. Thank you!
Two cents about the flattening… King Arthur just put something out about creaming butter and sugar complete with pictures and explanations: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/blog/2015/04/27/creaming-butter-sugar/. People may be beating at too high a rate. So 5 minutes on setting 8 of a CuisinArt mix master will make everything too light and airy and then cookies will spread. I have made these several times because friends said they were “best ever” and requested them. For some reason my dough is never really crumbly and I think my scoop must be smaller because the cookies need only 10 minutes.
This recipe is AMAZING. I used half the amount of chocolate and added 1 cup of Skor pieces….they turned out incredible. I will never use another recipe for chocolate chip cookies again. Thank you!
So I couldn’t resist reducing the sugar in these (as always), using only 1/2 cup dark brown sugar but I should have probably reduced the flour accordingly, as mine are high and domed! I also only had 80g very dark chocolate :-( (and I agree, I think 80% is too dark for these) so I used about half cup chopped nuts to bulk them out. And I’ve now had two out of the oven :-) So they’re very good and I will make again as specified soon!
Made these the other day for book club and they were to die for! This has become my new cookie recipe. The only thing I’d change is too cook them for a minute less. My oven gets a bit too hot to do the full 11-12 minutes. I used Ghiradelli dark chocolate, 70%, for these and loved it, but those who prefer a little more sweetness might want 50-60% dark chocolate.
These have replaced my former “perfect” cookie recipe. They have turned out perfectly every time I’ve made them. I used a whiskey vanilla and it adds just the perfect “What the heck is so special about these?” element. Thanks!
I love this recipe. I’ve already made it twice. I use espresso salt to finish it instead of the sea salt. It’s delicious!
These were delicious.! loving it.!!
I’m not entirely sure how to describe my experience of making a double batch of these cookies… “existential” comes to mind. It had been a loooong day and I was so tired that I thought twice 1 3/4 cups of flour equaled 2 1/2 cups (the cookies turned out wonderfully still! soft and thin). My body and mind were in somewhat of an auto-pilot mode until I was hovering above the cooling rack with a browned, fragrant cookie balanced on my spatula and I thought, “I made this”. Something beautiful and elegant came into being because I allowed it to, because I allowed the truth that I am also beautiful and elegant. A poignant reminder of the importance of art, risk, and presence.
These cookies are ruining my life!
Made these to bring to work – they were a big hit, especially with my pregnant boss! :) I can’t believe how soft they are.
I do have a favorite cookie and yes, it has browned butter but more importantly instead of brown sugar it uses a combination of granulated sugar and molasses. I’ve been seeing everyone fawn about these cookies but I think I must make them with that hack; it makes such a huge difference in the depth of flavor.
I just found your website and this recipe. I made them and they are indeed delish. Thank you so much! It’s amazing. I really like the way you describe your process (and the pictures are dreamy too) and of course the awesome cookies.
Did you use bleached or unbleached all-purpose flour? That might be part of the reason for spreading. Bleached AP flour tends to create more tender baked goods. I used bleached and mine spread more than in your photos, so I’m going to try a batch with unbleached next time. I know my favorite brownie recipe (Alice Medrich’s cocoa brownies) work better with unbleached for me, with a noticeably different chew.
Catherine — I use unbleached flour, most of the time.
A question for those whose cookies spread — Did you beat the butter and sugars for the full 5 minutes? I suspect that a lot of us don’t actually go that long, and was wondering as I made them again this weekend with no spreading if there’s an overlap between 5 minutes beating and spreading vs. beating for less time and not spreading. Thanks.
Okay-I’ve made these wonderful cookies twice. The first time, they turned out exactly how I imagine yours turned out. The dough was crumbly, the cookies looked just like yours, and they were amazing. Tonight I made them and they flattened. I also noticed the dough wasn’t as crumbly as the first time. It is considerably warmer/more humid since the first time. I’m wondering if that has anything to do with it. Either way, they still rock.
Thanks for this awesome recipe, Deb!
Always chewy on the inside just like you promised. I brought some to a friend and she didn’t tell her husband about them when he got home because they were gone! And I so agree with you that the browned butter chocolate chip cookies are a nice idea, but the amount of bowls and time (24 hr) involved are not worth it for the marginal flavor improvement. These are delicious. I generally just use http://allrecipes.com/recipe/best-chocolate-chip-cookies/ . However, these are a serious contender! Actually, they’re probably better. Even frozen they have a chewy interior (though they didn’t flatten as well). And yes, they’re still pretty good with half whole wheat. :)
may I never make another toll house cookie again….this is the bomb cookie and I’ve never had a more perfectly formed (height, color) cookie come out of my oven…i love you!
I make these for a dinner party and they were a hit! Everyone loved them. I mixed them up the night before and stashed the dough in rolled form in the refrigerator overnight. I definitely didn’t run my hand mixer a full 5 minutes but I don’t think they spread significantly. I forgot the baking soda and only remembered to add it in at the end, but luckily it wasn’t a problem. I also forgot the sprinkle salt prior to baking, but did add a tiny bit after they came out of the oven. No harm done. Forgiving recipes are good for sleep deprived moms. Super delicious!
I am making my second batch if these cookies because the first was so amazing!!! These are by far my favorite chocolate chip cookie. You have a loyal fan and follower cannot wait to try all your other recipes. I love how detailed you are!!
So I am going to make these cookies sometimes over a weekend, and I have little confusion regarding sugar measurements.
2 tablespoons (25 grams) granulated sugar –
2 tablespoons (25 grams) turbinado sugar (aka Sugar in the Raw; you can use more brown or white if you don’t have this, but the subtle crunch it adds is delightful)
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (165 grams) packed light or dark brown sugar
So on the 3/4 cup +2 tbsp light or dark brown – does this 2 tbsp replacing the 2tbsp of turbinado sugar or if you turbinado sugar, do you still have to add 2 tablespoons to 3/4 cup packed light or dark brown sugar? Please clarify.
So in total = 2 +2+2 tbsp +3/4 cup sugar??
Shally — No, if you don’t have turbinado or raw sugar, use 2 tablespoons additional brown sugar, so basically 1 full cup.
Hi Deb. Is there any way to stop the constant pop up ads on your site? I’m reading your site on my iphone and each time I switch to a different page I get a pop up ad for bagels. It’s really irritating and I love to read your recipes to relax usually – this is very off putting!
Thanks. Jo
Hi Jo — Sorry for the trouble. This is not something we’re getting on this end at all, or would have approved of. But, ads are messy business and the same ads don’t show for most people. Is it a bagel brand? I can try to trace its origin and have it removed from the rotation.
I was so excited about the cookies based on the picture and also because I’ve literally never tried a SK recipe that I didn’t like!
For me, these cookies were a disappointment-I’m so surprised and I followed the recipe to a T (aside from the turbinado sugar which I just replaced as directed). They were not puffy at all, as mentioned, but spread quite thin. I wouldn’t have minded this at all, but they had literally no flavor. I’ve never had this happen before and I’m not sure what actually did happen. I used the pound plus bar from trader joe’s. I don’t know if that chocolate isn’t high quality enough, but it seems to have worked for a number of others. I think it had to be more than the chocolate though. I’m not sure I’ll even bake the rest of the cookies, which is really saying a lot!!
Hopefully it will
Thanks for the quick response Deb. It’s for the New York Bakery Co new bagel thins. I’m based in England – I don’t know if that makes any difference and it doesn’t happen with my laptop, just my iphone. I enjoy your site on a weekly basis and have noticed this the last few times I’ve used the site.
This is a fab opportunity for me to say you’re my favourite American food blogger and have been for years. I really enjoy everything on your site from the layout and photography to the tips from other readers and, of course, the recipes!
Jo — Bagel thins? Ugh, they don’t even TASTE good. Thanks for the heads up, and I’m glad you’re enjoying the site. We will try to track down this ad.
I made these this weekend and did not get any spreading. Sadly, I didn’t even get to taste one, but I was told they were good. I softened the butter in the microwave for about 10 seconds and then set it on the counter for about 10 minutes, beat the butter and sugar for the full five minutes and followed the rest of the recipe exactly. Oh, except I did not have turbinado sugar so I used the equivalent in brown sugar, and I accidently bought the Trader Joe’s chocolate with almonds in it. I also live at sea level in California if that helps.
Wow you know, it’s yummy. Thank you Deb, for those incredible recipes! I always love chocolate cookies. Gonna make it tonight! I can’t wait.
Made these a couple of days ago. Delicious, but may dial down the salt next time. I only had self raising flour, but omitted the baking soda, and that worked well. Also used a random mix of Lindt lime chocolate, left over chili chocolate hearts, and 100% cocoa chocolate.
Sadly, mine spread as well — luckily I made two test cookies! Obviously, the spread out cookies were still delicious, but after looking at the other comments I decided to add 3 Tb flour to the rest of the batter and chilled it before scooping the cookies and that helped a lot, although they still weren’t as thick as yours. I do live in a very hot/humid climate and I’d be interested to know if that has anything to do with this issue. I did NOT mix the batter a full 5 mins — worried that that was contributing to the spreading — but the butter/sugars were very light and fluffy when I stopped the mixer (prob after 3 mins). My butter was a good temp (not SUPER soft, but more like temp if I lived in a cold climate). One other note, I don’t have a scale, so am always careful to sift/ aerate the flour and spoon it into measuring cups… maybe I was overly cautious at first and used too little flour. Thanks for another great recipe — I’ll be sure to make them on a cold day, next, to see if that has anything to do with this
Wow-just finished baking my first batch of these and have to say they are amazing. I too am always on the lookout for a really good CC cookie recipe and have tried many of the aforementioned variations and liked (but maybe not loved) many of them. Some 50 years ago (yikes, that means I’m old and have baked thousands upon thousands of cookies!) I decided the Toll House recipe would be better with mostly brown sugar and more vanilla and have had many compliments on that variation through the years. Lately, my favorite chocolate chip cookies have dried cherries and toasted pecans in them but this recipe brought back my appreciation for the more basic form-excellent dough and lots of yummy chocolate. I used TJ’s chocolate chunks and they worked great. The salt on top is the perfect counterpoint to the intense chocolate-Yum! I did beat my butter and sugar for close to 5 minutes and it’s warm and humid here today, my cookies weren’t too crumbly and they spread a bit but I had refrigerated them for about 7 hours which I think helped. My husband scarfed up 3 and declared them delicious. They remind him of something but after eating the 4th still isn’t sure exactly what. I’m sure he’ll try more to figure it out. Thanks for the great blog Deb-you regularly inspire me to keep cooking!
This is definitely a recipe I will keep bookmarked until I have enough time to bake! For starters, anything that is cookie related and also has to do with sea salt and chocolate is going to be something I want more of in my life. I feel as if I have just mastered a normal CC cookie, and I am ready for a new challenge of a most interesting and intriguing cookie. Can’t wait to try out this recipe and can only hope it goes as well as it is going for the other commenters!
To follow up – I did mix the butter/sugar combo the full 5 minutes, so I don’t think that was the reason mine spread. Thanks for the quick response!
I really, really LOVE these cookies and they are the first to not flatten out on me in years. Nice and thick. Perfect except I really want oatmeal cookies, or make an oatmeal version. Any idea of who much flour to take out so I can add in a few cups of oatmeal? Thanks, this recipe made my week!
These cookies are magical…so magical, in fact, that they may induce labor. I was pulling a tray of these beauties out of the oven when my contractions first started and my daughter was born seven hours later. And I was SO glad to have these cookies waiting for me when I came home from the hospital! (My only regret was that I did not take them with me…I longed for them while picking through mediocre hospital food during recovery). I’ve been praying for a well-timed afternoon nap so I can make them again.
“The only difference I’ve noted between the cookies baked right away and those baked a day or more later is that the older cookie dough is less puffy when baked.”
That might be a good thing!
I don’t know if it’s me, my ingredients, or the weather but my cookies, when baked fresh, come out of the oven looking very rotund. They taste great… they’re just a bit, ah, rotund.
First of all, I’m an OB nurse. And I guarantee your nurses will LOVE you forever if you bring these to the hospital. Secondly, I made a double batch of these to put out at my house showings. After all, nothing says “welcome” and “buy this house” like the perfume of freshly baked chocolate chunk cookies. In the interest of full disclosure, I used Nestle’s semi sweet chocolate chunks, but no matter. The realtor parade will come through the house tomorrow, and they will be greeted by these…if I don’t eat them first. I’m hoping the frozen lumps of unbaked dough will restrain me until then.
These cookies were delicious, but I did have the same issue with flattening and very thin appearance and I did beat for the full 5 minutes. Would you suggest less time? Also, I weigh my flour, but not the sugars…Could that make a difference, as I am not consistent. When I weighed the flour it was only 1 1/4 cups approximately, with 220 grams. As I said I did not weigh the sugars, so I wasn’t sure. Do you recommend if you are weighing flours to weigh all ingredients? Like I said the cookies were great-I just love the appearance of yours much more.
Good Luck in the next week or so:) Just curious…I know you were including these cookies for your nurses…what other treats will you be bringing along? Thanks!
These cookies are EVERYTHING. Baking more tonight for our weekend camping trip.
For those with spreading issues: consider replacing some or all of the all-purpose flour with bread flour. I tried it after making 3-4 batches of delicious but relatively thin cookies (varying mixing time and flour-measuring method), and it worked so well that my cookies didn’t spread enough! I was careful not to overwork the dough (mixed the last of the flour in by hand) and didn’t notice a significant change in cookie texture or flavor. This was the first time my dough was truly crumbly, as well.
We just made these and they’re FABULOUS. We adore Tollhouse cookies–but these were a lovely change of routine. What we LOVED: the cookies have structure, they sit up a bit, not flat. Second: the edges were crunchy/chewy and the insides were a little gooey. Amazing. It was hard to believe that such a dry dough could work out so gorgeously! Third: they look exactly like the ones in Deb’s photos–soooo pretty. Woo Hoo!
What I would do differently: pay attention to the need for very small scoop! Our cookies were Big! (I have learned over the years that, if you serve little cookies at a party, guests will take 4 or 5 over the course of two hours. But if you serve giant cookies at a party, many people will pass them by.) Overall: A++ Thank you.
HI Deb, I have been tasked to make 175 giant cookies in cute cellophane bags as wedding favors handed out as guests leave…the bride requested chocolate chip cookies and these sounded special with the sea salt flourish! So, do you think I should make all the dough a few days before and bake them off the day before? Make ice cream scoop sizes and freeze them on trays and bake off the day before? Do you think that one recipe size would make about 15 cookies? Will I be weeping after batch #10? I know, I know these seem like catering questions…any help would be great! Thanks!!
I made these and they seemed to have come out okay and they taste fine. But my dough was no where near crumbly. It had the consistency of peanut butter. I measured my ingredients and weighed them too just to verify. I used general purpose flour and weighed it at 221 grams. To get a crumbly dough I would have had to add more flour, maybe significantly more. The cookies are a good thickness and as mentioned taste fine. But it bothers me that the dough was so different than what others are getting. My kitchen was pretty warm but not overly so (~80F)
I love chocolate chip cookies.Love the way you have present this blog.Awesome recipe.Well done
I’m with you, Bob. I followed the recipe precisely and had a very traditional dough, not at all crumbly. I’m wondering what’s up with this. Cookies ended up fine; relatively flat, though.
Thank you,this is so detailed!! It sounds amazing and I will be making it this week.Very good vegetables can make a wonderful meal . I love that salad, it’s one of my favorites.
I am always on the hunt for the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe- and these are hands-down my new favorites! I didn’t have the turbinato sugar, but will get some for next time. I also had to pop the dough in the freezer due to time constraints and have been doling them out a few at a time each evening for the family to enjoy. They are soon good.
Just made these…. absolutely amazing. Hands down my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. Made exactly as written but used Godiva dark Cocolate with almonds. My friend who I made these for ate 4 in a matter of minutes!! I have no idea how someone could say these are flavorless unless they used low quality chocolate.
I just made these cookies, and they are my absolute favorite. For years I’ve been searching for the bestest of the best chocolate chip cookie recipe, and these undoubtedly take the cake!! (or should i say cookie?) I added chocolate toffee bits, so yah it was amazing and I highly recommend adding them. Thanks for the recipe, Deb!!
I made these THREE TIMES for my work colleagues (and have become a bit famous around the office for them). My boyfriend rightly pointed out it was high time I made them for him. I used milk chocolate and walnuts for his batch (his favorite combination) and he couldn’t get enough. This is totally my go to recipe now! I love it and so does everyone I share it with. :)
I just finished baking my first batch of this deliciousness. A few notes for people wondering:
-I made a double batch (in a kitchenaid stand mixer)
-rather than buying and cutting up a chocolate bar, I used Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate baking chips (it’s what I had on hand)
-I weighed all ingredients rather than using measuring cups
-I did not have Turbinado sugar so I used extra brown sugar instead
-instead of baking right away, I scooped and froze the batter (and transferred to a freezer bag once frozen) for about a week
-I have a convection/fan assisted oven (baked from frozen at 360 for about 14 or 15 minutes)
I mention all of these things first because my batter was NOT AT ALL crumbly. It looked like regular chocolate chip cookie dough. When I baked them, they were not puffy, but I also wouldn’t say that they had spread. I ate one after giving it enough time to be just cool enough not to burn my mouth and and they had scrumptiously crisp edges. I love that the salt on top brings out such great flavor (but I love salt, so take that with a grain of…well, you get the idea).
Anyway while I was mixing these up, I was looking at the comments to see if anyone else didn’t have crumbly dough, had to sub ingredients, etc so I thought this might be helpful to someone.
Great recipe Deb. I’m a long-time reader and I can’t sing your praises high enough. Thank you!
Having obsessed over countless chocolate chip cookies in 3 phases over the past 5 years and each time, coming back to the NYT cookies, this was the first time that it was a close call. I love the thick fudginess of this cookie but felt that the flavours of the NYT cookie along with its slight crispness was still more my thing. So I looked at the numbers by paring down the NYT recipe for 1 stick of butter and here is what we have (beyond the 26 hour wait of course):
– Though the total quantity of sugar here is exactly the same as the NYT cookie, much more brown sugar than white which makes for the taller thicker, more moist cookie.
– This cookie here, has about 27gm more flour for each stick of butter, further accounting for the thick, dense cookies
– This cookie also has 1/4 tsp more baking soda and no baking powder. (NYT uses 1/2 teaspoon of both baking soda and powder). Based on what Kenji says in his post at the food lab, baking soda makes cookies craggier and the lack of baking powder means less of the cake feel.
– Slight higher baking temperature also creates a more compact cookie
– Difference in the type of chocolate. (chopped vs diskettes)
Now planning to tweak the NYT recipe by adding a tad more flour along, increasing baking soda and reducing the baking powder and baking the cookie at a higher temperature.
Here’s another thought – Given that above are the factors that are responsible for the thickness of the cookie, barring those who used white sugar instead of brown, maybe uneven oven temperatures are affecting spreading? Just a thought..
I just made these with only coconut sugar, because that was all I had and sprouted whole wheat flour…also all I had, and they are delicious. They did spread but I was really skeptical that they would turn out well at all because of the substitutions. Thanks so much for the recipe!
I am so excited to make these this weekend! But I do have one question. I watched the video link provided (the ad for these cookies as a mix) and notice the cookies in the add seemed much thinner than the ones pictured on this site. Is it because they didn’t use a cookie scoop? I am planning to freeze some of the dough for later and had planned to just freeze it in a log (slice and bake cookie style). However, if it will result in thicker, chunkier cookies I will go to the extra effort and get out my scoop. Thanks for another gorgeous recipe!
Caitlin — I froze a log or two of these this summer and have been cutting them off in 1/2-inch or so segments to bake. They still bake up fairly thick.
By the way, if one accidentally doubles the butter (because one is also looking at another cookie recipe that one decides not to make) they’ll turn out just fine! They spread a bit more but taste just as good.
You really need to tag these as IDIOT-PROOF…despite making these on such a regular basis that I probably need to attend a support group, I managed to foul things up tonight. I blame my 80-year old father who had me on the phone talking about his canasta game, but I digress. While chatting with my dear old dad, I managed to 1) grab the wrong canister and use Whole Wheat flour, and 2) forget to add BOTH the egg and the vanilla, not realizing such until AFTER I added and had fully mixed the (wrong) flour. Channeling my inner-Deb, I went with it because…why not. Eleven blessed minutes later, out they came just as PERFECT as ever! Suffice it to say that my family long ago declared these the *only* chocolate chip cookies that I should ever bother to bake again, ever. Thankfully, even after making some colossal mistakes in preparation tonight, they proved once again to be the best…ever. Thanks Deb!
Deb, your tape-labeled bottle of vanilla extract intrigues me…do you make your own? If so, would you like to post your method?
Jessica — Here you go!
A little disappointed to not have crumbly dough on this end either. I used the correct amounts of everything, but maybe my butter got too soft or maybe I beat it for too long? I’ve got the dough hanging in the fridge for a little bit in hopes that helps it dry out a bit, but it doesn’t sound anything like it should. Hopefully the cookies will still taste as good as those of the other folks who had a similar issue!
i’ve made these tons of times and my dough is never crumbly. i always weigh ingredients, so it’s not that. i suspect after adding the flour, i mix it too long. but i don’t like the idea os seeing bits of flour still. maybe next time i’ll undermix (against my better judgment) and see what happens…
I was skeptical, but boy have these won me over….DIVINE! I used Trader Joe’s 72% dark chocolate. My only complaint is that I didn’t double the recipe. Thanks, Deb!
My husband and I really enjoyed these cookies. Thanks!
Thank you for this recipe. I was gifted some Theo chocolate and wanted to find a better cookie to feature the chunks. They came out exactly as you indicated except mine spread a bit more. I feel like I’ve found a “grown-up” chocolate chunk cookie recipe that is unique and will surprise the recipients.
So, when I first made these a couple months ago, I thought they were good but didn’t live up to all the hype. Digging through the freezer the other day, I found a small bag of cookie dough and couldnt even remember what recipe they were from until I baked a couple up tonight. Now, I don’t know if it was the rest/freezing time or the fact that I baked them at 375 (for about 10 min), but they were soooo much better than their earlier counterparts. They’re amazing, and totally hype-worthy. Clearly, more dough mixing/baking/consumption is in order to figure things out.
Way too much sugar to my taste.
So do you think I can pull these off with Cup4cup gluten free flower – or will I end up with puddles that don’t hold together?
whoops – FLOUR!!
Nicole – That very nice cookie sheet liner is a Silpat, a very popular nonstick baking aid, and it’s reusable!
I LOVE your food blog. I follow many, but yours is my favorite. Thanks for all the inspiration!
So good, I added roasted chopped almonds and used almond extract instead of vanilla I loved the texture change
Hey Deb, i just made these for the second time and both times the consistency has come out wonky. Theyre Kind of dry but yet a little doughy, and maintain their ball shape after baking. Is it just a matter of adding more butter? Am I just a baking dunce? I’m experimenting with the dough now But any advice would be appreciated!
Haha same thing happened to me
Sarah — See #263, who used a gluten-free swap and had some notes.
Made ’em, ate ’em, miss ’em. Thanks for another great recipe!
My cookie went flat like pancakes…..taste pheeeenomenal but look odd. My batter/dough was not crumbly. Would it be ok to add 2 cups of flour or did I over mix my butter and sugars in the Kitchen aid stand mixer. I want them to be puffy! I cooked at 360. They are so amazing tasting I really don’t care that they are flat but ….I shall try again tomo but if you have ANY suggestions I am all ears. Love all Smitten Kitchen recipes! without exception. xo
I put embarrassing amounts of thought into making these cookies, to the point that I had a rather pathetic dream about being crushed with disappointment when they spread out as soon as I put them in the oven. I finally made them today and they were hands down the best cookies I’ve ever made. No spreading — maybe because I froze them for 20 or 30 mins before baking as a few people have suggested. Just utter melting deliciousness in a wonderful fat cookie. (And because I froze them in scoops, I was able to bake just enough for us to all have one each after supper, and can bake the rest later.) I forgot to put the salt on, so sprinkled it on as soon as they came out of the oven, which worked fine.
I just made these and had to taste one… oh my word! No spreading at all. Came out like beautiful clouds of crispy, gooeyness (is that even a word?)!!! The flaked salt on top really is the kicker to send these cookies into the best cookie ever, so try not to skip this step. This recipe is just one more reason for me to always, always recommend this website to my friends and family. I trust these recipes implicitly. Thank you!! Now I just hope I can save enough for Thanksgiving in three days…
These cookies just came out of the oven. They smell wonderful, and look gorgeous too. The only modifications I made was reduce the quantity of sugars to a total of 1/2 cup, swap the brown sugar with raw cane sugar, and omit the flaked sea salt (because I didn’t have any ): ). They don’t spread, and I didn’t put mine in the fridge or freezer, but it was okay because I pressed the cookies down before baking. YUM!!!
Made these yesterday to serve to guests. I always add 2 tsp of cornstarch to choc chip cookie recipes. I think it’s some magic ingredient that keeps the cookie chewy. Anyway – I made this recipe, but added 2tsp cornstarch. Hands down, this is my new go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe! DEFINITELY!
YUM! I made these today…rainy day in. Now I read this when you first posted it, and although you said all the right things…like having tried other chocolate chip recipes that really were not THAT different…I thought…I’ve been seduced by new ‘IT’ recipes before,not sure. I pinned it anyway, thinking that maybe one day I might stray from my stand-by Alton’s Chewy (original recipe).Decided to finally make them and WOW.Glad I did. What I love about these…apart from the taste, texture and thickness, is that they look as scrumptious as they taste. They look exactly like the pics in your post. Now having tried several online recipes previously, I can’t tell you how ‘Accomplished’ this makes me feel…Kidding…not really.
Great recipe, crumbly batter as u said and I did have to use my hands to stick the chocolate chunks in when forming the batter in mounds, but they baked beautifully. I’ve got the rest in the freezer. Thanks for my new go-to chocolate chip cookie. Keeper !!!
Note regarding cookies that are spreading too much… King Arthur Flour had a blog post stating that an easy solution is to lower the baking temperature by 25 degrees, and increase the baking time. I’ve tried this technique and it definitely worked for me!
I’m going to try this recipe, but altering it a bit for dairy allergies. I have df chocolate chunks and df margarine sticks, so we’ll see how it turns out-wish me luck :)
Normally not one to comment but thought I would since there has been so much discussion on these cookies. I used mostly melted butter(asked husband to leave out stick while I nursed baby but he forgot), beat butter and sugars by hand for maybe 2 minutes?, and live at high altitude and these cookies came out perfectly with no spreading. Because the dough wasn’t looking too crumbly and I was worried about spreading, I did pop the mixing bowl in the freezer for 5-10 minutes while I cleaned up the kitchen. I think this really helped the cookies keep their shape. Hope this helps someone!
I’ve made these before and they came out perfectly–but this time I had the spreading problem. For the second dozen I baked, I followed the King Arthur suggestion above (bake longer at a lower temp), but they were flat too. I measured all the ingredients by weight except the butter. I wonder if the type of butter might be the culprit?
I discovered this post Friday and have sinced baked 100 of them! They went super fast at our children’s Christmas show cookie party and then I baked a few dozen as gifts for teachers and staff at their school. The only problem is I’ve eaten more than my fair share! I’m no baker, but this recipe was easy to follow and yielded the most delish cookie ever. So so good!
I had to comment again on these because I’ve made them so many times and they’ve always turned out great! I make a batch, roll the dough into balls and then freeze them until ready to use. I’ve also made them many times without an electric hand mixer (in France, everyone I know seems to have a food processor, but no hand mixer…go figure!) and they’ve turned out great – I just get the butter really soft (sometimes even using the microwave for 10-15 seconds) and then spread it into the sugar using the back of a wooden spoon. I just stop whenever it’s consistently mixed – which leads me to believe that maybe no cookie recipe really requires “mixing for 5 min until light and fluffy”? Worth investigating…!
Made these for friends and neighbors over the holidays (also your Pecan Sandies) and everyone LOVED! Thank you!
We love these cookies! I have to remember to double it. Thanks!
For all the folks raving about TJ’s Pound Plus bars, how on earth do you cut/break it into chunks? I used to use the Pound Plus (72% cocoa), but got so frustrated with the cutting that I switched to either using chips, or getting the TJ’s Belgian chocolate small bars (3 per pack). I think it’s the same chocolate as the Pound Plus, but it is more expensive per ounce.
I just made these cookies with Ghiradelli 60% cocoa chips and they are fantastic.
Wow~ This recipe is fantastic. Look like the lunch time is coming and you make me feel so hungry. I definitely will make it for dinner.
If, for whatever reason and let’s pray it’s not in August, that you decide to come to Tucson, Az you must go to the Time Market and get their house chocolate chip cookie. This recipe is the closest replica I’ve found and I’m basically in love now that I may end up saving the $2.50 from the daily cookie habit I formed while pregnant with twins. I now justify this habit through nursing twins:) they do use this ridiculously delicious chocolate that I can’t justify paying $15 for 4 ozs yet.
I know there were posted a while ago, but I thought I would leave my comments just in case anyone reads all the way to the end! I made these twice now, and there was a huge difference. The first time I made them as written, with the exception of the turbinado sugar. Also, I had giradelli bittersweet chips on hand, which are larger than toll house, so I used those. I had all of the other ingredients already on hand. I just increased the brown sugar. I made the dough and immediately baked them. They turned out beautiful, thick and chewy with nice crispy edges. I brought them to work and people cried when they were gone. I just made a second batch that I mixed up last night and put in the fridge. They taste great, but they had the spreading problem that people talked about. They are super thin in comparison. They still are tasty, but they have a very different texture. So, if you don’t want them to spread out, I would suggest baking them up the same day that you mix the dough.
michelle, i had the spreading problem after mixing them right up. i think the ones that spread were the ones that sat in the bowl longest because the last few i scooped out were pretty soft. about 2 or 3 of them spread. while that one was baking, i put the whole bowl in the fridge to firm it up, so it was in there for about 15 minutes. then i did the next tray full. none of them spread. so maybe your cookie dough got too warm?
Just have to comment again (I’m the other “Laura” commenter) to say that this is my favorite dessert! Made these tonight (with 2 tsp cornstarch added). As always, YUM! It yielded 28 cookies (I think I use a smaller scoop), and my husband will take 1/2 to work tomorrow (I’m on maternity leave, so not working – just cooking all kinds of smitten kitchen).
Hi Deb! First, I want to say that I LOVE your site and recipes. I feel like 9/10 when people ask for a recipe of a dish I made I just direct them to your site. :-) Anyways, I made these cookies and they turned out so hard after they cooled, and I was expecting something a bit softer. They weren’t burnt and I followed the recipe to a ‘t’. I scanned through the comments and it doesn’t look like you’ve discussed this yet. Any reason why they would be hard? Or is that how this cookie is supposed to be?
To JoshMe comment #404 A tip for breaking the TJ’s Pound plus bar is to point the tip of your chefs knife vertical into the bar (a la dexter) and wiggle the knife …and repeat until you get the desired size…i find this method gives me the best shape with very little shards and within a few minuted u r done..cheaper than buying choc chinks in a bag.
Also i wanted to add that i have made this recipe several times now and i have made it right away and also directly from the freezer and have never faced this spreading problem. I must mention that i roll out my dough into balls and then freeze them and they look and taste delicious.
OK. Now you’ve done it. I’ve been making this recipe for the last 5+ years. I lost my job and went on a quest to perfect my chocolate chip cookie to temporarily fill the void and this with a few mods was the hands down winner. It is by far the most popular cookie I make. People go crazy for them. Now everyone*’s going to know my secret. Dang you! ;) May I suggest a sprinkling of sea salt or kosher salt on top just before baking? People remark that that’s the icing on this chocolate chip cookie cake.
*So maybe not EVERYONE, but I do have quite a few friends who read your blog.
Oh, Deb….. not only are your recipes FANtastic, but you make me LOL with each post! Thank you so much. I envy your energy and commitment, but truly your sense of humor!!! Thanks for all your hard work.
These cookies are amazing! My family says they are the best chocolate chip cookies they have ever eaten. Thank-you for the recipe! They are wonderful!!
Deb, this is my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe of ALL time. These cookies are always a hit, and I always have frozen balls of the dough in my freezer to bake off for individual pick-me-up treats. My boyfriend can’t get enough of these cookies, and I’m hoping to convert this recipe into a skillet cookie (like this one, by Martha Stewart: http://www.marthastewart.com/1034356/skillet-chocolate-chip-cookie) for his birthday. Do you think this recipe would work by just pressing all of the dough into a 10- or 12-inch cast iron skillet and baking it off at 360, or would I need to make any adjustments to the ratio/baking temperature? Your advice would be very much appreciated—for the betterment of both my stomach and my relationship!
Thanks for an amazing recipe – just finished making these and they are delicious!! I’m generally not a big chocolate chip cookie fan (nor is my husband) but these cookies have changed our minds. This will be my go-to recipe from now on. Thanks again!
Made these for my boyfriend who can take or leave chocolate chip cookies. To my utter shock he ate 1/2 dozen out of the oven, then asked to take the rest of the batch home. He said they had a crisp exterior and nice chewy interior. He raved about the wonderful balance of chocolate and caramel flavored. He loved the texture from the turbinado sugar.
I found the dough smooth and moist–not at all crumbly. I used a #40 scoop. The cookies spread to a perfect 3 inches, and were a good 1/2 inch thick. The tops looked wonderfully craggy–just the way I love a chocolate chip cookie to look.
I used kerrygold salted butter; pure cane C&H baker’s sugar & dark brown sugar; Wholesome brand cane raw Turbinado) sugar. I increased the baker’s and turbinado sugars by 10 grams each. I used callebaut dark semisweet block chocolate.
As a celiac I cannot eat gluten. Because the boyfriend would not stop talking about these delicious cookies I decided to make a gluten-free version. With the exception of the gluten-free flour blend I made up on the fly and the addition of 45g of full fat cream cheese, I stuck to the original recipe. I am so very ashamed to admit that I ate that entire batch of cookies myself. This morning I ate cookies for breakfast! In the eight years that I have been gluten free I have never eaten a GF cookie this delicious. WooHoo! Cookies for breakfast–I’m so reborn!
Just look at these pictures make me feel hungry. You know, I’m a big fan of chocolate and this recipe is gonna be the newest recipe in my note book, thanks to you. Yummy!
This is absolutely the best chocolate chip cookie recipe ever. I will never stray. These are now a freezer staple at our house. So cool to pull out a few frozen balls of dough, and have fantastic warm cookies on demand. I have definitely noticed that the cookies improve as the dough ages in the freezer. After a week or so, the cookies bake up a beautiful dark golden brown with a more complex caramelized flavor. Amazing.
I’ve read through the majority of the comments and wanted to share what I’ve found re: the spreading issue, as it seems to still be a bit of a mystery:
First: make sure your butter is room temperature or colder, especially if your baking space runs warm. Someone upthread linked a very helpful guide from King Arthur Flour, I’d check it out if (like me) you’re not sure what proper creaming looks like or what it adds to a recipe.
Second: check your oven temperature! The first time I made these I ended up with (delicious) flat, wide cookies. On a whim I increased the oven temp by 10 degrees (F)– instant improvement!
Finally: try a looser scoop. Initially I was grabbing dough by the rounded tablespoonful and rolling between my palms for an even, dense ball. Skipping the rolling resulted in a lighter, puffer cookie.
With these adjustments I’ve arrived at fluffy, crispy-edged cookies that are just exceptionally pleasant. Hope this helps someone else :)
This recipe looks amazing. Can you quadruple this without compromising the results. Thanks. Keep up the good work. Tamara
If you have answered this already I apologize for the repeated wuestion. What brand of chocolate are you using inthis recipe? I see the gold wrapper but do not recognize the brand. I read a couple of references to TJ’s. Is that it?
Shannon — Scharffen Berger here.
Hi there!
Just wanted to add on here– I had the same issue with the cookie batter spreading too thin. I have been looking for the “perfect” choco chip cookie recipe to add to my repertoire- I have to say I was disappointed with the result of this recipe :(. Although the cookie had a good balance of flavor, (love the salt and the depth of flavor in the sugar medley!) the fact that the batter spread while baking led to a very crispy texture, there was no cheweyness to the cookie whatsoever- which is always my fave! I even underbaked at 10.5 mins! I have to say- I have self diagnosed the inconsistencies of some of my baking due to my kitchen environment- my oven gets hotter than I set it for (it’s gas and with a dial) and secondly I live in NYC- anytime it’s hotter and humid (like last night when I was baking these cookies) I find that the moisture gets in my batters and the result is always a thinner/wetter batter (in cheesecakes especially!)
Please let me know, Deb, if you think I’m onto something– I really want a solve for this humidity issue if there is one ( since you live in NY you may know of something! )
I for one definitely beat the butter and sugar for at least 5 minutes (I hand beat) in case this is helpful info.
Ps-you must eat a levains cookie :)
I made these yesterday for a cookout – 4 batches. They were absolutely perfect and everyone raved. One girl said she grabbed one as she was walking by and after the first bite had to sit down to finish it because it was good. lol.
They did not spread much and were perfectly chewy in the middle at 10 mins for me. I used both of my ovens – 1 on convection with the automatic temp conversion that it does and one regular at 360. Both baked at exactly 10 mins. I used a Pampered Chef 2 TBS scoop and spaced them 2 inches apart, they did not spread into each other. It was 90 degrees outside.
I’m not sure what made the differences people are seeing but I followed the recipe exactly, using a KitchenAid mixer with paddle attachment. I made 4 batches of dough and put it all in a giant bowl before adding the chocolate. I weighed my dry ingredients rather than scooping cups – I just find it so must faster and easier. I barely mixed in the flour and it was still very crumbly when I transferred it the big bowl. Added all of the chocolate and baked immediately.
Hope some of this helps – they really are the amazing.
I love these cookies, but used milk chocolate chunks instead to up the sweet factor a little.
These were good, but I much prefer the Leite’s. I did not have a problem with spreading, but I chilled the dough in the fridge overnight, as my butter was very soft (it was a hot day). They seemed kind of dry, and I was afraid to overbake them to get them quite to the brown that I like. I used an ice cream scoop and got 12 cookies from the batch and baked them for 12 minutes. I guess that is why there are so many chocolate chip cookie recipes. We each get our favorite.
So excited to make these and my chocolate chip loving coworker just had a baby so it’s a great reason to make and not eat them all:-)
Levain cookies are delicious (HUGE and sweet) but delicious. My tip is to go to the Harlem location for no line.
Useful post ! I Appreciate the insight . Does someone know where my business could possibly get ahold of a fillable FL 12.932 version to fill out ?
Hello rona nageles . my work colleague found a sample a form copy here http://goo.gl/P3GNTN
I just pulled the first batch of these out of the oven.I followed the recipe exactly. I’ve been making the Toll House recipe since pretty much before I could walk, and these just blew me away. Now that I have discovered the TJ’s pound plus bars, I’m never looking back. And the flaked salt on top. Wow. Im a believer. This is my new go to cookie. Thanks!!!!
I just made these and they’re amazing. Actually, the last batch is in the oven and they smell heavenly…or maybe it’s more accurate to say sinful (all that butter, sugar and chocolate!). ;-) I love that these cookies are a little thicker than the basic chocolate chip cookie recipe. My husband was hesitant about the sea salt, but now he’s a believer. Thanks for the recipe!
I just made these and pulled them out of the oven a few minutes ago. I thought I’d leave a comment to reassure those who have made the dough and are frantically skimming the comments wondering if the dough is too crumbly—like I was. After I added all the flour and the chocolate chunks, my dough was so crumbly it wouldn’t stick together AT ALL. Like, no amount of pressing or squeezing would get it to come together.
I honestly think weather might be a factor here in how your dough turns out. I live in a very dry, high desert climate—so I believe that that may be part of why my dough was so so crumbly.
I actually ended up adding a second egg (the whole thing!) and another teaspoon of vanilla. Then my dough was still crumbly, but would actually stick together. I baked them for 11 minutes in a conventional oven and they came out looking just like the picture. Little to no spread. And, most important, the cookies taste FANTASTIC! Exactly as promised.
Weepingly delicious. I can’t think of a reason to make any other chocolate chip cookie recipe. Thank you Deb!
I made these cookies a few months ago and put the dough that I did not bake into the freezer. During lunch hour, I popped two in the oven and they were amazing. I couldn’t remember the temp so I baked them for about 7 minutes at 425. Perfect!!
I’ve made these numerous times and are always a crowd pleaser. In fact every time we have an afternoon tea at work they get requested!! I have been putting the dough in the fridge pre-baking and find the biscuits keep their shape better. Otherwise I found they flattened out too much – not sure if this is because I have a fan forced oven?
Thanks for the amazing recipes (I’ve cooked many so will endeavour to write more comments as I go). New website looks great!
These are incredible. There’s nothing more to say. A great party trick!
These are amazing! I’ve tried dozens of homemade chocolate chip cookie recipes and was always disappointed – too dry, not chewy, too sweet. The Nestle TH recipe just ticked me off because the dough was 10x better than the finished cookie. These are *better* than ALL of them!!
I followed the recipe exactly, including the turbinado sugar, used Guittard baking bars (6 oz. semi-sweet and 2 oz. bittersweet), Maldon flaky sea salt, and the #40 1 1/2 tbsp scoop. For people like me [weirdos] who like chocolate chip cooking dough more than the chips, do not think about reducing the chocolate to get more doughy cookies. This is not a cookie where the dough is the star but the chocolate. Let me repeat, the puddles of chocolate are the star! They remind me of those Keebler Magic Middles cookies in concept, because you really do get something of a cookie shell with melty chocolate inside. I baked until the edges were turning golden-brown; my tops didn’t get much color.
This will definitely satisfy any sweet-salty craving you have, and knock everyone out at a potluck.
These are probably the best chocolate chip cookies that I’ve ever made. I followed the recipe exactly, but used a 10 oz. bag of ghiradelli bittersweet baking chips (60% cocoa) instead of the 8 oz. bar. They were phenomenal! I also used a 1 Tbsp. scoop so I ended up with closer to 3.5-4 dozen cookies of a still totally reasonable size. I would probably freeze half the dough in the future.
Deb, I’ve now made this while thoroughly drunk but desperate for cookies at 11pm & they still came out perfect, so thanks for this awesome recipe.
Achievement unlocked! :)
I made these yesterday and ohhh were they a hit! I (accidentally) used double the amount of *Irish* butter than the recipe called for (I always use Irish butter, it really adds to the flavor of baked goods) thus added an extra egg yolk, but kept the dry ingredient measures the same.
I also could not find bars of good bittersweet, or semisweet chocolate, so I used 70% cocoa dark chocolate. I, too, made them on the larger side. They are absolutely delicious. Perfect, I imagine this will be my new go-to cookie.
I’ve made these quite a few times (like you, I wasn’t looking for a new recipe!) but now my question is this: I want to make them for a friend’s wedding reception, and obviously they are best warm-from-the-oven. I want to spend as little time on them as possible the day of, so can I go so far as to bake them halfway the day before? Having never done that before, how do I store them in between the half-bake, and the next day? Any tips from Deb or anyone else? Thanks!
I think it would be a lot easier to bake them until they’re 95% done (i.e. soft-centered but mostly cooked) and then just rewarm them gently when needed.
These look amazing! What is the purpose of creaming the butter and sugar? I thought i read elsewhere that this adds air and makes the cookies cakier and less chewy. Could i do it by mixing sugar worn melted butter? Do you think this would make them chewier? Cheers
also sorry what is ‘flaky salt’? I haven’t seen this In Australia…
Do you ever see Maldon salt? If not, just a lightweight sea salt, or go easier on it.
You want some fluff in a chocolate chip cookie — I generally don’t see the point of a lot of creaming for, say, shortbread or a roll-out cookie you’d prefer to be crisp.
Thanks for the reply. I’m a little confused though as you say you want some fluff, then you say you don’t see the point of creaming for shortbread you want to be crisp… but I think creaming makes it crisper. Or at least firmer. The ‘fact’ below is from serious eats. Anyway I might give it a go with melted butter and see what happens. Will let you know!
Cookie Fact #5: Creamed Butter = Lighter and Firmer, Melted Butter = Denser and Chewier
just jumped up off the couch and made these! they are not my go-to cookie, but they are good! different. like you said, more like chocolate with some cookie to hold it together. i do like the sea salt on top, surprisingly, because i feel like all you can get nowadays is sea salt and chocolate. but i like it! and they were super easy, especially in the stand mixer, which i have been neglecting. i’ll make them again, but i won’t scrap my (brown butter) cookie recipe from ATK (which i tend not to make too often because too many pans and a lot of fussing). so this is a win! thanks!
Deb is it possible at all to make these without butter?
A few people in the comments have mentioned using Earth Balance with success. I haven’t tried it, but it sounds like it can’t hurt to find out.
These are pretty good, but I thought they were a little dry. I think the higher ratio of sugars and flour to butter is not necessarily a good thing, here…
These are the best cookies I have ever made! Thanks for sharing!
In the midst of cooking for the holidays I decided I needed something that smells way better than fish to mask…I mean eat as a treat after all my hard work. These cookies are incredible. They scream for a glass of milk and are well worth the little effort. Thanks Deb for all your amazing recipes. From Mom’s Apple Cake (of which I made 2 yesterday), snickerdoodles (made Wednesday), and of course these beauties…do you see a pattern??? All your recipes tried to date have been perfect. Have a happy and healthy New Year.
Delicious! Except I (accidentally) used unsweeted chocolate chunks instead of semisweet, oops! But they were easy to make, and the perfect amount of soft insides with crisp outsides. This recipe is a keeper!
In a chocolate frenzy, I accidentally doubled the butter in this recipe, mistaking a half-cup for a half-pound. Anyway, they still turned out outrageously good and once baked, were seriously delicious the next day. Also, this is my first time trying chopping up the pound plus, and I gotta say, I will never go back!
Mine came out ROCK solid when cool. Don’t think I mixed for a full 5 minutes…. is that why?
My house recipe is your salted white chocolate chip cookie. I think they are even better cold, the next day. But I will give this one a try!
I just made these….delicious.
I have made these twice in the past 3 days. Once for a party and then again today for a cookout. A huge hit both days! Oh, and the 18 month old is completely on to me when the kitchenaid and measuring cups come out.
This was my son’s first ever cookie, also enjoyed around 18 months, his eyes nearly popped out of his head after his first bite and he was asking for more before he swallowed!
One word to describe these cookies – perfection. I usually don’t bother with any other chocolate chip cookie recipes bc I believe the oatmeal chocolate chip cookies from the Frog Commissary cookbook are the best on the planet. Buuuut I am pregnant and was craving chocolate chip cookies and wanted to try something new. I followed the recipe exactly as written (used sugar in the raw, Maldon sea salt), didn’t chill the batter overnight, baked for 11 minutes in a convection oven. The consistency of these cookies is ideal being a little firm at the edges and perfectly soft and gooey in the center. They we so so so good. So good, that my brother in law did not believe I made them – he was convinced I was teasing him and that they were from our local bakery. Now that is a compliment.
Just wanted to echo that the Frog Commissary oatmeal chocolate chip cookies really are amazing! I found that recipe randomly 8 years ago and have been making them ever since. I could eat that whole bowl of dough.
But it’s a different cookie from this one. This one is mainly puddles of chocolate and a great salty/sweet interplay, with a surprise of crunch in the scant dough; that one is primarily a chewy, buttery oat-y cookie with happy little bursts of chocolate.
Love this recipe and now my go-to for quick and perfect cookies every time. I’ve used Ghirardelli 60% bittersweet cacao chips when I’m in a crunch and the 10 oz bag was just right!
This recipe is the best choc-chip cookie recipe I have ever made. My family said to ‘frame’ it which must mean it’s the best they’ve ever had too! I did put slightly less chocolate in (200g) as that’s the block size I had and I portioned them out with my 2 Tbsp scoop so baked them for 14 minutes. No other choc-chip cookie can compare; go make these now! =)
Oh, and I didn’t use any raw sugar. Not a big fan of that crunchy sugar thing.
That moment you bake these cookies for an office party and your co-workers ask you to be their “cookie mistress”…
I have been making these consistently since you published the recipe and they are universally loved. Made a double recipe for Thanksgiving and received rave reviews. They were especially appreciated since the pies (made by someone else) were forgotten and cookies and Ina Garten’s Pecan Pie Squares were dessert. Btw… thinking of you, I toasted the pecans first. Amazing! Thank you for all your recipes, thoughts and words.
I was asked to make cookies for a friend’s birthday event that was, otherwise, professionally catered. She didn’t mean to do it, but the pressure… Oh my.
My daughter recommended this recipe and it was wonderful and quite a hit. The dark chocolate and salt elevated the cookie and it was perfect alongside the other desserts.
I’ve made these several times since and find it to be easy, reliable, and a very attractive cookie.
My husband assures me that the cookie dough, which I often refrigerate for later baking, is also yum!
I was asked to make cookies for a friend’s birthday event that was, otherwise, professionally catered. She didn’t mean to do it, but the pressure… Oh my.
My daughter recommended this recipe and it was wonderful and quite a hit. The dark chocolate and salt elevated the cookie and it was perfect alongside the other desserts.
I’ve made these several times since and find it to be easy, reliable, and a very attractive cookie. I increased the vanilla, oh well I diybledvit. That’s My cookie weakness.
My husband assures me that the cookie dough, which I often refrigerate for later baking, is also yum!
Just wanted to comment in case anyone is thinking about doing the same thing:
I made these with half the flour subbed out with whole wheat pastry flour. They were still phenomenal and honestly I couldn’t tell the difference from when I had made it with only AP flour. Also used a mix of dark and milk chocolate. So good.
Hi Deb,
Would this recipe work for a skillet cookie, in about a 10-inch skillet? I’d obviously need to adjust the baking time. Thanks so much!
Priya
Sounds amazing! Can this recipe be doubled?!?
These flattened out like crazy for me! I’ll try a different cookie recipe next time rather than make these again
Can this recipe be doubled?
Hello! Extremely delicious, but mine were completely flattened after baking instead of what the photo looked like above. I weighed everything by the gram, and followed directions . Any advice, or ideas on where I may have gone wrong?
Thank you,
Cookie monster
Can you use coconut oil instead of butter?
I haven’t tried it but this commenter did and offered tips.
I love this recipe and have made it 4 times since May! However my last 2 attempts, my cookies look like mounds. What am I doing wrong! They taste good but they are not as pretty as my first 2 attempts.
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Okay, I have made this recipe probably 10 times now. I have to say that I do think ATK’s brown butter version is amazing. But geez, it takes forever, and there are so many steps and you have to be super careful to brown the butter just right. (Not enough and why did you even bother? too much and there’s a burned taste.) And then there’s the cleanup. I just don’t want to bother with it when I have another recipe that’s easy like this one. These, I make whenever I’m bored. Or when it’s raining. Or when I don’t want to do something I should be doing. I use just the one bowl from my stand mixer, and I weigh my ingredients right in that bowl (thanks for providing the weights). It’s awesome. Cleanup is a breeze. And they are gooood. I don’t think I liked the crunch of the turbinado sugar at first. Now I actually crave it. Thanks for the recipe. It’s my new go-to. :)
Oh and I have to say that I cheat on the chocolate. I use either Ghirardelli 60% cacao large chips or I use Trader Joe’s chocolate chunks, which are pretty large. I think they spread out great in the cookie. Am I missing anything by not chopping up my own chocolate? That step makes it seem not so easy and adds to the mess factor.
I followed the recipe precisely EXCEPT for the chocolate chips. All I had was Nestle Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips. This is hands down my new favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. These were SUBLIME!!!!
These are the best cookies! I have made them many, many times and they always turn out perfect – perfectly delicious and always a bit soft, even days after baking. They are the top dessert requested by friends and family!
If I cut back the sugar, by say 1/4, would it affect the texture too much? I find these a little too sweet and saccharine. I otherwise love the texture and pools of chocolate so don’t want to mess with it too much.
It might be okay but it’s a bit riskier than, say, using a more bitter chocolate to reduce the effect of the sweetness.
I reduced the sugar to 1/2 cup coconut palm + 1 TBL cane sugar and used a local whole wheat pastry flour… followed the rest of the recipe. The dough was super sticky and overall, they did not turn out! Somewhere between cookies, cake and scones, ugh, dry. My husband still thinks they are fabulous just out of the oven, ha, but not the gooey-puddle dream I had envisioned. DAAANNNNGGGGGG!
These cookies are THE BEST THING I’VE EVER PUT IN MY MOUTH. Whenever I’m craving chocolate chips cookies, I made these. Dark, bittersweet puddles of chocolate. You can’t go wrong. … Except that the last time I made these, they did go wrong and I don’t know why–the dough was much drier than other times I’ve made it… any ideas? Was it just because I’m not measuring with a scale? How can I fix this in the future? This time I added a little drizzle of water so they’d hold together, but meh, I feel like this was not a good solution. Should I have added a Tablespoon of egg or something?
I neeeeeeever leave comments on a blog, but I made these last night and I just had to say something. These are literally (LITERALLY) the best cookies I have ever made. I’ve had such bad luck with cookies in the past – they were flat, lifeless, charred – I’ve steered clear of them for years, sequestering myself to a lifetime of brownies and monkey bread.
BUT! Last night I made them exactly according to the recipe and they turned out exactly like the pictures. Round, beautiful little hills of half-gooey, half-chewy goodness, packed to the gills with chocolate and topped with flaky salt. I yelled for my husband to come into the kitchen and shoved the cookie into his mouth. AT LAST. I will use this recipe for the rest of my life. Thanks times a million. xoxo
If I don’t flatten my cookie dough after scooping them my cookies always bake in a mound and don’t spread properly. No my dough is not chilled. Yes I followed the recipe. Like in this recipe and pictures it looks like Deb just scooped and baked them and they turned out nice and spread out. Any ideas?
This recipe has been my go to since 2015 when you published it. Usually, the cookies don’t make it out my front door but yesterday I managed to sneak a double batch out to share with co-workers. Here are some of the comments I received from them – ‘Genius!’, ‘Heavenly’, ‘Best cookie EVER!’
I just made these kosher for Passover (gluten free) and pareve (dairy-free). With the new regulations about rice, I was able to use Trader Joe’s gluten free flour and I subbed oil for butter (unfortunately, one of the Seder attendees is very allergic to dairy). The cookies are definitely different but they’re the best “Passover” cookies you could ask for. They cooked in about 14 minutes, but don’t really brown.
Like you, I wasn’t looking for a new chocolate chip cookie recipe, when I happened upon yours, but whenever I make chocolate chip cookies now, I almost always follow your recipe! These cookies are delicious. I have a question, though. Why do you suggest a serrated knife for cutting the chocolate?
I personally find it cuts with less flaky pieces, but use whatever works for you.
THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH!!! I’ve never felt so much love before! Greetings from Holland.
I have to say….they are delicious. Nice feel to the dough when spooning, too. I used Ghiardelli semi sweet chips 2 heaped cups, half I put walnuts. This will be my new go to instead of toll house.
My chocolate chip cookies are generally known to fail (they taste ok, but always come out flat). However, I just made a batch of this recipe, with GLUTEN FREE FLOUR, I might add, and they came out beautifully!!!
Did the consistency of the cookie come out alright with gf flour?
In case anyone else was wondering I made them today with gf all-purpose flour and they are ok but not great. You can make much better gf cookies.
I’m the other woman and used this recipe to win the guy. Highly recommend these cookies.
XOXO
Hi Deb, I have made this recipe thrice now and I (and everyone around me that I’ve served these to) love these cookies! It’s the first thing I baked when I got my kitchenaid (<3,<3) and I keep going back to it. A few observations: While I prefer the results with chopped up chocolate, here in Hong Kong, chocolate bars are expensive and bulk-buying isn't an option :( (don't get even me starter on recipes that require valrhona feves, they would cost a week's rent!) So for not-special occasions, I like that packets of chocolate chips work just fine. I tried this recipe twice with APF and once with cake flour (last night, ahem) and the recipe works for both flour types however the ones made with cake flour spread out more and are a touch more fragile but that could also be due to the fact that for last night's batch, I used a much darker, wetter brown sugar. Taste-wise, I think both flours work. Every now and again, I want to try your other cookie recipes but this one is so effortless for such beautiful that I can't bring myself to make any other. Thank you so much!
p.s. Question: do you have a go-to all-chocolate cookie recipe?
I’ve made these a few times and they always come out great. Tip for the lazy: Trader Joe’s carries semi-sweet chocolate chunks for that irregular chocolate pieces effect without all the work. And TJs chocolate chips and chunks are way tastier than the toll house morsels.
The first time I made these they were fabulous. But yesterday I made them again, and they were so flat as to resemble coasters. Not what I remembered from the first time. Deb: Any idea why they turned out like flat pancakes? Thanks!!
Cookies can flatten from too much butter or too little flour or forgotten eggs or… it could be a bunch of things. I hope they taste good, nonetheless.
Yes, they still are delicious! No problem in that department! I’ll try again soon and maybe they’ll puff up a bit the next time.
I made these as a thank you for the crew at my final physical therapy appointment, and they were a huge hit. Actual quote from the clinic director: “You made these yourself? From like . . . ingredients?” (He’s a much better PT than a baker, clearly!)
Tried a cookie warm from the oven, of course, but my husband and I both agreed that that were MUCH better the next day after completely cooled.
One question for Deb or anyone, how can I get the sprinkle of salt on the cookie more evenly dispersed? Since I’m salting a ball of dough, it all ends up falling off the sides and only sticking in the middle. Any tips? Can I salt after baking/during cooling? I love the salt, but just want a more even dispersal.
Thanks for sharing, and ALWAYS thanks for the weight measurements!
They were okay. Made 1/2 the amount as Toll House. I think one could easily sprinkle some seas salt on some Toll House cookies and get similar results. The dark chocolate surely took it up a level. I expected “bam!” regarding the taste. It was nice, but not to die for. I once used Lindt dark chocolate in a Toll House recipe and had similar results.
Okay, I have a weird question. I live in Amsterdam and make these on a regular basis for events and such. My American, Dutch and other expat friends go nuts for them. I make a few adjustments based on the packaging here. I end up using 125 grams of butter and 200 grams of chocolate. They come out well every time. I have tried to make them when I go home to the San Francisco Bay Area and have had mixed results. The first time they took forever to bake and then just weren’t good, the second time they took forever, were hard by the time they looked dark enough and they had a weird texture. I definitely think I overbeat the batter the second which accounts for the texture. I thought maybe it was the dark brown sugar I use instead of the raw sugar and for some of the brown sugar since it’s so much darker and has a different texture. At this point, I brought dark brown sugar and chocolate with me from Amsterdam. They taste closer to what I’m familiar with this time (the third time!) but not totally and they spread way more. I’d question the oven here but it’s definitely nicer and newer than mine so I’m inclined to trust it. Do you have any idea what could be going on here?
This is by far my FAVORITE cookie recipe. I’ve been baking Toll House Cookies since I could reach the oven (over 30 yrs) and I will never go back. This is the best recipe. It’s super easy to make, and I love the weights. So much easier! My only change is I don’t add the salt at the end and I use a combo of semi-sweet chip and 70+% chocolate bar. I make sure the weights add up. I always double the recipe and end up with tons on of cookies. They keep at least a week in an airtight container and don’t get stale. LOVE this recipe! A total keeper and perfect.
This will be the only chocolate chip cookie recipe I use for the rest of my life. No more store bought chocolate chips, only cut up chunks from this day forward! These are so good. I could envision this recipe with any type of chocolate and no salt…it has quickly become my favorite, featuring chocolate chunks embedded in a crunchy and satisfying cookie matrix!
These are seriously THE bestnost perfect cookie of all time. Hands down. I love that there is just enough dough to hold the chocolate together. Gooey,soft and delicious. I use toll house morsels for convenience but I’m sure the original is even more amazing. I also skip the sugar in the raw… Out of laziness. F*ing amazing!
These are by far one of my favorite cookies and my go to when I want to impress guests. And you’re absolutely right, it literally is just dough holding chocolate in place. So much yum.
Wondering what the “made in France” sheets are the cookies were cooked on? what is it for?
They’re Silpats, reusable silicone baking mats that you can use instead of parchment. I try them out from time to time but much prefer using straight parchment paper — I feel like you get better color and texture, and the mats, like all silicone products, absorb smells. I confess my kid uses them more often for Play-Doh these days (fancy foodie kid).
Oh my word! I just made these cookies and they are everything I’ve ever wanted in a chocolate chip cookie! I am so glad I found your site and this recipe!
I didn’t even have the third kind of sugar or chocolate chunks so I just used white sugar and Nestlè Tollhouse chocolate chips and they are still fantastic! I can’t wait to try them with the raw sugar and chocolate chunks. Thanks again!
Thanks so much smitten kitten for the recipe
I have two houseguests from Peru, and I figured on their first night in the US I should make them a classic American dessert (but elevated sk style). These were a huge hit. Guittard was on sale at Whole Foods and 6oz (not 8, actually, because I didn’t want to open a second package) of semisweet was perfect for this batch. The Maldon on top is better than icing on the cake. :) Thanks for another instant classic, Deb.
Just wanted to say that I made these for the second time for a work based baking event and they were a HIT! Every time I make them to share someone asks for the recipe. These are my favorite chocolate chips of ALL. TIME. Thanks, Deb!
I have a question. I wasn’t paying (enough) attention and mixed the salt and baking soda in with the flour instead of adding them to the butter mixture first. What was the reasoning for adding them separately? They are delicious and I also thought I didn’t need another favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe! Thanks!
Help!
About 3 weeks ago I followed the above and these turned out FAN-TAS-TIC!! With a couple birthdays and friends visiting I wanted to redo this but make more dough… so I tripled this recipe and it was an epic fail! :( I used all gram measurements and tripled them… ended up with a very large bowl of powdery batter that I had to force mold into a scoop shape. When I cooked them, they came out EXACTLY like I put them in, sort of like shortbread – no spreading or shape changing. I then tried to fix it by creaming some more butter and an egg, but I had to work the flour more on this which made for a more moist batter but still, no spreading and they still tasted dry and the middle was not cooking well. Tried one final attempt by adding one more egg. Result: the cookies still hardly spread and the flour was now so overworked the cookies are becoming tough. What do I do with 3lbs of not-so-nice cookie dough?? Ideas? Also feedback on how to triple this recipe would be ever so appreciated :)
When I double a recipe, I do it in two separate bowls, meaning I make two versions of the single-based recipe. I read somewhere that this is a better technique than doubling everything and throwing it together in one bowl, as it were. So I suggest that technique for next time. So sorry about the unfortunate results!
Thanks! I’ll give it a try! :)
I was going to make The Consummate Chocolate Chip Cookies (revised) but I don’t have time to get the chocolate discs and actually wanted a little less chocolate / more cookie. So I saw this recipe but I want the jumbo size from the other recipe. Does this recipe work to make 5″ / 3 1/2 ounce cookies or should I use the other recipe & just cut back the chocolate and use chunks or large chips since I can’t get the discs?
Any thoughts on half-ing the chocolate and using some caramel bits?
Hi Deb! I want to make the dough the day before thanksgiving and bake them right before dinner. Can I scoop them out on a baking sheet and store in the fridge (not freezer) until needed? Do they need to be covered while sitting in the fridge/freezer? Thanks!
Hi Deb I have made these several times. The first time they came out puffy and didn’t flatten. The second time they flattened.
Have you seen this happen?
I did use the chocolate bar from Trader Joe’s.
By the way I was at your book signing last night in Kansas City.
Do you ever refrigerate your dough and bake later?
Thanks
Ann
Near perfection but for Walnuts! Lightly toasted first, then added to the batter at the end.
Thank you SK for all that you do. Both these cookies and the cheesecake recipe turned out so fabulous! I cant wait to try more recipes.
Made these this cold northeastern winter night. I always use Trader Joes Chocolate, for this a mixture of the bittersweet and dark. It is an odd crumbly dough, but the baked cookies are one of the best cookies I’ve ever had.
I thought this was a great tasting cookie. The first time I made them they held their shape and didn’t flatten.
I made them a second time they also tasted good but didn’t hold their shape. They flattened. I also used Trader Joe’s chocolate bars.
Great flavor! They come out pretty big so I will likely scoop 1 tablespoon next time.
Your cookies are very nice. i have very interest this type of items. vtsbharath conducted many cancer tests.
Best. Chocolate. Chip. Cookies. Ever. Thank you!
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THE COOKIES SPREAD OVER THE ENTIRE COOKIE SHEET. I WAS SO VERY DISAPPOINTED. I DOUBLE CHECKED AND FOLLOWED RECIPE 100%. WHAT WENT WRONG???
I made this exactly as written (an achievement for me!) about 25 times. Every time they are EXCELLENT and people ask me for the recipe. My husband has a men’s group and they are always asking him to ask his wife to make “those cookies”.
When I make them for us at home, I make a dozen and freeze the rest so we can have a cookie or two with coffee for a special treat.
Thank you!!
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I do not eat gluten, eggs, or dairy so I used coconut oil for the butter, a flax seed “egg,” and a 1-1 bobs red mill gluten free baking flour. The first batch came out so crumbly and dry. I mashed a banana into the rest of the batter and OH MY GOD THE TEXTURE. Chewy and a little tacky. If I reduced the sugar a bit I think this would make a great breakdst cookie. Thank you!
I have made these several times, always forming the cookies then freezing the dough balls unbaked. I like to serve them to dinner guests – they bake straight from the freezer while we are finishing dinner. Everyone loves a warm chocolate chip cookie right?!
I’ve been making almost identical cookies for years and they are always a winner. Try using brown butter – game changer!
We had an uneaten chocolate bunny from last Easter which I used for this recipe and supplemented with Guitard semisweet chocolate disks. I followed every step as written except for a 20 minute chill in the fridge before baking and skipped salt on top. My husband could not stop eating them. They were that good! But next time, I will do one sheet at a time. The cookies in the lower third of the oven were slightly overcooked.
I made these three times in a week, trying to get it as pictured. First two times, I followed the recipe exactly. Third time, I didn’t mix for the full five minutes–more like 3-4–on medium low, and chilled the dough for 24 hours. STILL a ton of spread. What am I doing wrong? I give up!
I also tried the recipe probably three times. Mine were flat as well. They tasted good but I wasn’t happy with the appearance.
Dear Deb,
I’ve been baking cookies for almost 40 years (typing that kinda sucked the air out of me, to tell you the truth). In all those years, I’ve never found a chocolate chip recipe that worked for me. The oft-touted Neiman-Marcus recipe came close, but to be honest, the spawn would rather eat Chips Ahoy! (I’m hoping that kids asking for store bought cookies comes with the territory of wanting something different than homemade…) Other recipes were just meh, even with tweaking that naturally happens when you work with recipes regularly. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for this recipe. It’s the most perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe I’ve ever tried. Words don’t do justice to the soft, crispy/chewy, salty-sweet chocolate bites of decadence that are these cookies. Keep being your awesome self!
HELP I tried to x 2.5 times this recipe and it was a disaster – cookies came out tough and nearly inedible. Any tips for increasing the yield to avoid throwing away 5 lbs of cookie dough ?? :) I want to make these this weekend but need about 100 cookies, so help much appreciated.
What kind of chocolate did you use?
Was good quality chocolate (I live in Switzerland) – but the problem was the batter, too much flour to liquid and the result was a cookie that never spread and was rock hard.
Did you weigh your flour? It shouldn’t be mandatory here but if the cups were more tightly packed and the chocolate not chunky enough, the cookie can definitely come out too solid.
I weigh everything here, we use the metric system :)
When you make such a large amount of dough at once, it’s very easy for it to get overmixed and that would make the cookies tough and nasty. You might consider just making three separate batches of the recipe instead. A drag, but much more likely to yield a happy cookie in large quantity.
I’ve been following your blog for a number of years now and well, I’ve finally gotten around to making these cookies, and O.M.G!! They are phenomenal! Why did it take me so long to make these? My first thought when I bit into one was, do I want some cookie with my chocolate bar? You’re right, the dough is basically there to (barely) hold the chocolate chunks together. My son will love these. Can’t wait for him to try them when he gets home from school. Thank you, Deb!
My chocolate chip cookie recipe add 1 tablespoon Frangelico and 1 tablespoon Kahlúa, along with 1 tablespoon vanilla, to the batter. I plan to try your recipe with these additions. Will let you know the results. Thank you for your website and your wonderful article in the New York Times Sunday.v I plan to try your recipe with these additions. Will let you know the results. Thank you for your website and your wonderful article in the New York Times Sunday.
Hi! I’m super new to baking and I made these following the recipe exactly but my dough came out super dry and crumbly and the cookies turned out dry as well :( do you have any idea what I may have done wrong?
It’s definitely a firm dough, more than other cookies, the chocolate chunks should pull it all together in the oven.
Thanks so much for posting your comments on trying the gf version of these cookies. I was wondering about that but decided not to bc I find gf flour to be even more dry than conventional flour and therefore, needs more liquid. I wonder whether adding an extra egg would help…? An experiment for another day. 😊
These were very tasty cookies. I followed the recipe, except swapped Guittard 63% chips for the chunks (that’s what I had) and baked them on convection (minus 25 degrees, of course). I like how these cookies didn’t spread much in the oven, and held together well.
This recipe has actually replaced my former go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe, and people loved those. These are even better. They are delicious plain, but the salt on the top really takes them to another level.
Every. Single. Time.
So amazing–
My only changes were: 1/2 cup packed brown sugar instead of 3/4 cup, 6 tbsp. of butter instead of 8, and 3/4 cup dark chocolate M&Ms (all I had on standby) instead of 8 oz. chopped chocolate.
Pricella I’m curious why you changed the quantity for the brown sugar and the butter?
I have made the cookies several times and while I thought they tasted good. They did not hold their shape. I thought they flattened to much.
You also decreased the m and m from what the recipe called for the choc quantity?
Thank you!
Okay, now that i’ve made these insanely chocolate chunk cookies, do I have to pay a universal penalty somewhere in time? Maybe live on green beans and rye crackers for a month? I wouldn’t care. These are just amazing!
Just made these and they taste great but they definitely spread more then yours did. Any advice to avoid that? I was hoping for thicker cookies.
I had the same issues. My cookies did not stay puffy. I made the recipe several times. I bake something almost everyday but did not have success with this recipe.
Refrigerating the dough before baking helps a lot. I also put the dough back into the fridge in between baking batches. Hope this helps. These cookies are the best. :)
Alex did you scoop your dough in balls before refrigerating the dough?
How long did you refrigerate the dough and how long did you bake the cookies?
I use a number 40 scoop.
Thanks
Ann
I’ve done both, when I refrigerate before scooping, I let the dough warm just enough so I can scoop without breaking the scoop, usually 15 minutes or so. I’ve left it in the fridge overnight but you can leave it in for a couple of hours too, just get the dough nice and chilled. When I scoop onto a cookie sheet and refrigerate, I’ll usually pop them right into the oven straight from the fridge. Keep an eye on them and adjust your baking time accordingly. Play with this a little and see what works for you. My cookies come out thick and chunky and don’t spread and puddle as long as I keep the dough chilly.
I don’t remember the number scoop I use but I use the OXO largest size. It’s a good 1/3 cup, I think. Good luck! :)
I just made these for the second or third time, and holly cow, if this isn’t my new favorite cookie recipe. I follow the recipe to a T (do not skip the turbinado sugar if you can help it – it adds a delightful crunch). I made them larger than I usually do and I like the larger size for having the chewy center, crispier outside.
Thanks, Deb! I absolutely love your recipes and website. Please keep it up!
Hey Deb!
I love all your recipes and these cookies look so amazing! But in my country it’s not possible to buy brown sugar. And I‘ve never figured out how to make good chocolate cookies without it… Do you have any recommendations?
What’s your country? (Also, you can make your own. But sometimes it has different names in different places.)
I’ve made these cookies many times and when my nieces and nephews came to stay with us over the summer, they also made these to great results. After Halloween, I had a lot of leftover candies. I chopped up the Butterfingers and used them instead of chocolate chips. I skipped the turbinado and white sugar because the candies are sweet. I still prefer the chocolate chunks, of course, but… Not bad!
These have been my go-to chocolate chip cookies for a few years now. Every six months or so I try a new recipe, but not one has come close to this! I can’t even count the number of people who have told me that these are the best cookies they have ever had.
I will sometimes add an extra tablespoon of turbinado sugar (and leave out a tbsp of brown sugar) for extra crunch. I also much prefer these with dark brown than light brown sugar – it makes the flavor more complex and molasses-y – and with semisweet rather than bittersweet chocolate.
It was through this recipe that I discovered the magic of chopped chocolate (I will never go back to chips!) and the importance of always having flake salt in my pantry (both for baking and for practically everything else).
Made these several times. They are the best! Need to replicate with an egg substitute, any suggestions? Many thanks.
I just got around to making these cookies! I only had 4 oz of unsweetened chocolate & 4 oz of white chocolate, so that’s what I used. I used turbonado sugar for the coating & sprinkled flaked sea salt before baking. The cookies are very tasty. Next time I’ll try them with semi sweet chocolate. Also, I had them in the refrigerator for 6 HRs (just the way the day worked out) & they sliced beautifully!
Thank-you, just thank-you. Made these tonight using dark brown sugar and semi-sweet chocolate and they were fabulous. I was a little worried that the dough was more crumbly than other recipes. You said it would be, so I pushed through. Smooshed it together to hold chocolate and made a bit larger cookie. Perfect.
Hi There!
I was hoping you might be able to help me with a problem I am having. I LOVE this recipe. My family requests them every holiday because they are so good.
The last few times I’ve made them however they have come out flat. I follow the recipe. I’ve went out and bought fresh ingredients thinking maybe mine went stale. But it didn’t make a difference. In fact they turned out even flatter!
Not sure what I’m doing wrong but any advice would be helpful. I don’t do very much baking…mostly these cookies and the occasional spritz cookie.
Thanks. 😊
Try chilling the dough either before or after scooping. Good luck!
Me too 😭 turns flat
This is my go-to choc chip cookie recipe, and I love it, but with all the mention above about whole wheat flour I just made them with all whole wheat and they came out pretty bad. (I realize that’s a lot of WW but I was out of AP!). They were super dry, probably needed more liquid, and they just tasted like virtuous little bricks.
Hi Deb, I measured the sugars on my scale but used the imperial cups/tablespoons and I got 30g each of the sugars, and 180g of the brown sugar. Maybe have a look again at the grams?
Delicious recipe, thanks!
I’d consider these small variances due to ingredients, scales, and cup sizes. Granulated sugar is pretty consistent between brands at 198 grams per cup. Brown sugar should be 190 grams per cup, but this has to do with how much you pack it. It’s always going to be a little different. Turbinado sugar can range a little between brands. Finally, I always round to the nearest 5. The recipe should work regardless.
Can I use Demerara sugar instead turbinado?
Yes; I think it’s just slightly more coarse.
Love your Salted Chocolate Chunk Cookies recipe and often substitute caramel M&M’s for the chocolate. Do you have a print version of the recipe? Thanks much.
There is a print icon that leads to a print template at the bottom of each recipe, where it says “DO MORE:” You can also click CTRL + P from any recipe post and it will take you to a streamlined print template.
These were very good, but I still prefer the crispy chewy chocolate cookies! They’re a bit too cakey for my liking.
These have become my go-to cookies because of the taste, but also because of the simplicity of the recipe. It doesn’t require a ton of ingredients and since I’m old and new to baking, that’s a very good thing. Of late, I’ve been substituting caramel M&M’s for the chocolate chunks and they add a little something, something.
This is my favorite chocolate chunk cookie recipe and I threw out all my prior chocolate chip cookie favorites…
I double the dough, use 16 oz chopped chocolate and slice up a bag’s worth of caramels for maximum puddles of deliciousness (do not use caramel balls-they don’t melt well).
This has become my favorite cookie recipe because of it’s great taste, but also it’s simplicity. I’ve been cooking for years but am new to the baking game and this recipe has a manageable number of ingredients. Of late, I’ve used Caramel M&M’s in place of the chocolate and have come to like it better.
Perfect! I’ve been struggling to find my go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe, and I think I’ve found it. I was listening to a podcaster talk about THEIR perfect choc chip cookie recipe, and the number of steps was just overwhelming (I mean, browning butter? Making the cookies 2 days before you need them? Who has the brain capacity to think “I need cookies on Sunday afternoon, so Friday I’m going to start baking”??) So I came here, because what I love about your recipes Deb is that you aim for the best taste with the least effort, which meant that I would get the similar or better result without the gazillion steps.
I did sub in extra brown sugar for the raw sugar (only because I didn’t want to buy raw sugar for one recipe), added an extra egg yolk (because the aforementioned podcaster says that’s one of her tips so I didn’t think it could hurt) and added all the salt into the dough (because, can’t read a recipe). And I did chill the dough, only because I have bad experiences with my cookie dough spreading, and I’ve found that chilling minimises the spread. These did spread a bit too, but I think that may have also been because of the size of the cookies that I made (I just used a spoon to scoop the dough and ended up with super-ball sized balls). Oh, and I used GF all purpose flour because, celiac.
BUT THE TASTE. OH MY LORD THE TASTE. So much chocolate. Sparkles of salt, crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside. Even though I forgot about my second batch and they caught a little, they were still amazing. Thank you so much!!
I am not an “expert” baker, in fact far from it. But this recipe , followed as written, with ghiradelli semi sweet bars chopped is phenomenal!!! Mine were a bit darker at 11 mins than shown in the pictures, but still soft in the center. Love the chunks of chocolate and the salt. Perfect, and if I make cookies again, these will be the ones I will make.
The temperature settings on our oven only adjust for every 25 degrees, so I’d have to bake these at 350. Would they still be delicious, despite not being baked at 360?
How do you like the cookie scoop you linked here? Mine just broke (making this recipe, which I get so many requests for!!) so I need to order a new one and came to see what you use. Amazon has mixed reviews on this one.
These were amazing and I will definitely be making them again. I’m not sure I put enough salt on top, but that didn’t matter – they were a huge hit! I made the dough ahead of time and baked them straight from the freezer.
I double the recipe and it worked just fine. I used an equal mix of semi-sweet and bittersweet chocolate chips though but it was still so yummy! Perfect balance of sweet and salty.
These cookies are soooo good. They are my new go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe. The recipe made exactly 2 dozen and they were so soft and chewy.
I love all of the recipes from Smitten Kitchen. I can trust that when I make one of Deb’s recipes that they will always turn out!
How long would you bake these for if you made them 3 tbs each?
Chelsea glad your cookies came out great.
Where they puffy like the picture or were they flat?
Can’t say for sure but longer, probably not much. I’d check in at the regular time to be safe.
Oops. I used the entire pound plus from Trader Joe’s… I thought they were more chocolate then cookie! Hahaha still good. But I upped the flaked salt on top to compensate for the chocolate overload inside
OMG. I will never make a different chocolate chip cookie again. These were AMAZING. On the second batch, I sort of “patted” the salt flakes into the dough, because when I merely sprinkled, only a few flakes actually stayed on and I wanted more of that salty deliciousness. They were really wonderful!
I love the addition of extra chocolate, and I can never go back to using chocolate chips (I will always have to chop up a bar of chocolate – there is no comparison!). However, I used less flour than the recipe called for, and mine were very crumbly and I had a hard time keeping them together as I scooped them onto the baking sheet. They were still crumbly after a day in the fridge and I had bits of chocolate left over that would not stay in the dough.
Good god these are spectacular. I always trust Deb’s recipes but this one takes the cake. Plus I really wowed dinner party guests by pulling these out of the freezer – always a dessert that impresses!
I used Ghirardelli 60% bittersweet chocolate chips, which are larger than regular chips, and I like the cookies better than any other chocolate chip cookie recipe I have tried. Perhaps it is because of the salt since other chocolate chip recipes seem too sweet to me.
I’ve now made these twice in two weeks – they are amazing. It’ll take a lot for me to ever agree to make another choc chip cookie recipe ever. I’ve made them with a mix of choc chips + chunks both times and can confirm it works well :) thanks so much Deb!
what would be the settings (temp and time) for a convection oven?
These are hands down my favorite chocolate chips cookies of all time. I’d been making them for years. I recently got into making edibles, in part because I wanted to smoke less, and was looking for some good recipes that I could use my weed infused butter in. These are perfect for this: they freeze great for baking one at a time as needed and if you use the scale measurements you end up with very consistent cookies. I weigh mine BEFORE adding chocolate and get 20 cookies of 30g then squish about 5g of chocolate in each. Sometimes my last cookie is about a gram short but that’s usually because the dough sticks a bit to my hands as I roll them and scraping that off usually makes the weights just perfect. This makes dosing fairly accurate, which is always difficult. I like to use 2g of weed for the 113g of butter which makes it super easy to calculate the per cookie dosage. If I use marijuana with around 17% thc, each cookie ends up with a nice 17mg dose of thc (10mg is recommended for beginners, 17-20mg would be for a regular user but not a heavy user). Delicious, easy and effective!
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made these cookies for my friends and family, and they loved it!!! such an easy recipe to follow, will be making more tomorrow! :)
My regular go-to chocolate chip recipe wasn’t doing it for me so I made these and they are AWESOME! I gave some to my sister and she said they were the best she’s ever had, and let me tell you, she doesn’t usually say things like that.
The dough was really crumbly. And it wasn’t really working.
Crumbly is fine. Just pat it back into the log or discs and it will bake up just fine/tender.
I’ve made these 5 times in one month: once it was a triple batch lol. Everyone I give them to obsess over them and ask for the recipe. The sugar in the raw is genius!!!!
THE BEST chocolate chunk cookie recipe I’ve made! And I’ve made a ton! I made this 4 times in one month, my friends would always request it on weekends! Seriously 10/10
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These are our favorite cookies!! We make them constantly. How would you suggest adapting to gluten free???
Good idea / bad idea – chill the dough before?
There’s no need in this recipe.
These are the household favorite…. they are perfect every time. I usually make them just with chocolate chips I have and I chop them up a bit to get some chocolate crumbles. I can’t wait to bring these to a party… whenever we have parties again.
Oh my goodness! These are easy and turned out beautifully–my only recommendation is to double this recipe!
Wow, I love that their cookies are crispy and craggy on the outside while still being soft and melty on the inside. (And while I’m here, thanks for plugging Orwasher’s a while back on IG, Thanks
So so good. We made them into ice cream sandwiches and the flavors work so well together. This recipe is a keeper for sure! The whole family liked it.
Wow, I just made these and from now on they will be my go-to recipe for cookies! Sooo good! Everyone loved them! Will have to make a double batch next time!
Fool proof!! And absolutely delicious!!
When you’re right, you’re right- this will now be THE only chocolate chip cookie made at our house. Used Schaffen Berger semi bar, didn’t chill the dough, they baked to perfection. And frankly I knew when I tasted the dough, something special was happening here. Delicious.
Well Deb does it again! I have tried countless recipes on this website and they are all amazing. The cookies are close to perfection. I somehow lost my maldon salt so I have just ordered some more and will redo this recipe when I can apply maldon but using kosher salt is just as good. I don’t use unsalted butter because I love salt that much. Perfect contrast with super dark chocolate bars that I break into chunks. Thank you for continuing my obsession!
I did not love these compared to the David Leite recipe Deb posted. The dough was a little hard to work with/ crumbly, and not enough chew. I guess I am just a dough gal!
Amazing! This recipe was perfect! I added 1/2 teaspoon of salt because my butter was unsalted, I added 1/4 cup of oatmeal and 1/4 unsweetened shredded coconut. I used cake flour since that’s all I had and they came out perfect, soft chewy on the inside and crispy on the edges!
Thank you for sharing this lovely recipe.
Once I found this recipe, I’ve never made another chocolate chip cookie! It is loved by our family and friends and I’ve shared it many times.
I made these yesterday, doubling the recipe because I used Kerry Gold butter that comes in one 8oz block. Also used Guittard chocolate chips, which come in 340g package so that was more like 1.5 times instead of doubled. It ended up being a great ratio of chocolate to dough.
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I’ll take it.
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When Deb first posted this recipe I thought it might be a little too salty for me and my family, but it is the only recipe I use now and will never go back to a “regular” chocolate chip cookie recipe. The only thing I change is using actual chocolate chips instead of chopped chocolate and maybe use slightly less because we really like the cookie part. Thanks for everything, Deb!
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Is 1/2 Cup butter a misprint? That’s only half a stick where most chocolate chip recipes call for two sticks.
The amount of butter is correct. Most sticks are 1/2 cup or 4 ounces, i.e. 4 to a 1-pound box, although some brands sell half-sticks (2 ounces) and some butter comes in 1/2-pound blocks (usually European).
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Delicious! Made them exactly as written except I had less chocolate at home and went with less, which I kind prefer anyway (I love the dough way more than chocolate). Very very good. Thank you!
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My cookies were flat. Thinking maybe butter was too warm. Maybe refrigerate dough beforehand? Any other suggestions?
These are usually so thick for people, I’m surprised. Here I round up the usual culprits of cookies that spread, but most of the time, it’s either too much butter or too little flour.
For years, Cook’s Illustrated’s Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie was my tried and true cookie recipe . After my friend Pam introduced me to these, I’ve never looked back at my old recipe and I never will. These are truly the best ever!
I’ve been trying to perfect my chocolate chippers for maybe 10 years now and these are THE best I have ever made. The sugar in the raw and massive amounts of chocolate are godly. I’m glad I bought the fancy sugar, it really does make a difference!
Deb, made these cookies this week for a Graduation party. When baking they looked pale and puffy until they didn’t. Once completely cooled these cookies turned into a perfect slightly crispy, slightly chewy, perfectly salted and filled with chocolate cookies. They were a huge hit, will definitely make them again. Only thing I changed was to add 3 kinds of chocolate 80% of it was dark chocolate, 10% milk chocolate and 10% dark chocolate with salt.
OMG! These look and sound divine. If I want to add chopped walnuts (or pecans), do I need to make any adjustments to the bake time or recipe? Thanks.
@Janelle– we folded in about 1/2 cup of toasted walnuts pieces in the dough and also pushed two or three into the top before baking and the ratio wasn’t affected at all.
These have been my go to cookie for several years-they came out beautifully and tasted amazing All of the sudden they are flat – not horribly so, but flatter than they used to be- they still taste awesome and are moist, but why suddenly flat?. I bought all new soda etc- still the same. Could the butter be too soft?
Hello from Melbourne!
It’s true, these are terrific! General question that plagues me every time I need to use the oven for any of your recipes; is your oven electric and is it fan forced? I too live in a rental with nice sunlight but a shitty, wonky, fan forced oven – I can’t turn the fan function off and I find that I need to adjust older recipes by reducing the temp of my oven (by 20 degrees Celsius) I couldn’t find anywhere on your site that mentions the type of oven you have. I baked these at 170 C and they were fine, but the mention of the difference of the extra 10 degrees drove me to pester you thus. Can you perhaps put something on the info page about oven temperature conversion? Sorry, not sorry. Gracias!
curious if you’ve ever frozen the already baked cookie (i tend to make a ton of cookies and freeze/thaw so i’m not baking last minute). are they still chewy when thawed? For some of my cookies i put a crust of bread in when i freeze so they’re still soft when they thaw)
also i live at high altitude, but i expect you don’t have tweak suggestions for that—i may just follow my tweaks when i make the tollhouse version
Hi Laura! I’ve lived at multiple different altitudes and I’ve never had to make any tweaks!
Hi
Did you ever freeze the baked cookies? I curious how they were?
Thank you
Hi. Never have I written a recipe review but I have to comment on the perfection of this one. The cookies came out exactly as you described– crunchy, tender and perfect sweetness– all in the first bite. The quality did not degrade even after refrigerating half of the dough for the next day. Sometimes you get a cookie that only tastes good while warm but not these; they were perfect at all stages. My husband is THE chocolate chip cookie conisseur and I’ve been searching and testing recipes for ages. Well, he reports that these are “perfect” so thank you for helping us find our new “house cookie!” BRAVA!
These are the most delicious chocolate chip/chunk cookies I have ever had. Every cook in my family makes them!
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I’ve claimed these as my signature cookie!!! They were the first cookie I made living by myself in grad school (Fall 2016) and have made them ever since. These got me a standing invite in perpetuity to any party hosted by my “adopted” grad school family. The compliments I get when friends and strangers try these go straight to my head. Delicious warm from the oven and after a day or two. Do yourself a favor and put some dough in the freezer for a future cookie emergency.
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So, I made these but had to deviate because I didn’t have the ingredients required. No sugar in the raw, used light brown sugar instead. Didn’t have the specified chocolate bar or regular chocolate chips so used 1 cup of mini chocolate chips and added substituted about 1/3 cup whole wheat flour.
These were scrumptious, even with the changes. Shared them with family members and, to a person, thought they were the best chocolate chip cookies ever. To quote one “these cookies are the sh*t” 😂
Will probably continue to make them with the mini as that was a real crowd pleaser.
Thank you for such a wonderful recipe.
I am about to make your salt choc chunk cookies. Could there be a typo 360 degrees? Did you mean 350?
This is my favorite cookie recipe! I was browsing your recipes to see if you have one for m&m cookies. Do you think I could use this recipe but substitute chocolate chunks with m&ms and omit sea salt on top? Thanks so much!
Also, I read comments below about using Trader Joe’s chocolate chunk bar — I have been doing this too and it is PERFECT with this recipe. :D
While I think it will work with M&Ms, from tooling around with M&M cookie recipes, I’ve realized that they can do better in chocolate chip cookies with more of a spread, as the chocolate pieces do not melt/spread as they warm, and this one stays pretty tall. Pancake Princess had an M&M cookie bakeoff a couple years ago and I don’t remember her favorite offhand, but I made it twice!
Love this recipe. I’ve been using it for years with minor modifications (I usually just use chocolate chips because it’s easier/cheaper, and I cut the salt a bit, either leaving off the flakes on top or just putting just a level 1/4 tsp in the dough itself). I just tried an interesting variation: I cut the flour (to 190 g instead of 220 g), and added malted milk powder (50 g) to the flour. Turned out great!
Has anyone frozen the baked cookies ? How were they ?
Thank you
Hi Jenna – you probably aren’t looking for an answer anymore, but these cookies are awesome from the freezer. I always make at least two batches and freeze half. And sometimes they’re still in the freezer when I go to eat one, but usually my husband has already emptied the bag. They’re good eaten thawed, semi-frozen, or microwaved for 20-30 seconds.
Use 220 grams of flour, do not use 1 3/4 cup. I weighed 1 and 3/4 cups and got 147 grams. I have made these tons of times, but I couldn’t remember what I typically do. I went with the 147 g. It was a very, very, very bad call. Luckily my husband will eat anything otherwise they would be going in the trash.
These are honestly the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever had outside of Levain’s in New York. I’m dead serious. Deb has – as usual – done it again. The recipe is perfect, it is described to perfection so you know what to look for. The only thing I ever have trouble with is quantity. I only got 15. I’m sure my scoop is a different size or I scoop differently or something but since these are perfect, I have no complaints.
YUMMMMMM. I added 1/2 t of cinnamon, and I used 1/2 of the TJ big red bar, and 1/2 of the big milk chocolate bar. They are truly delicious!!!
As many others have mentioned, these came out flat. Next time I’ll freeze or fridge them. Otherwise they were great.
Deb can you help me! I have been tasked with making a chocolate chip cookie cake for my friend’s husband. She always buys him a Mrs.Fields chocolate chip cookie cake with frosting. What would you suggest as a frosting for these? Thank you!
I think this one is too thick and chunky. Maybe these?