15 Delectable Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes
There's something about being home that awakens the baker in us all. And one of the most quintessential items to bake is a good old-fashioned chocolate chip cookie. They're easy to put together, don't require much in terms of ingredients, and the smell of fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies just makes you feel all warm and cozy. Plus, they're a total crowd-pleaser.
Whether you like them thick and cakey, thin and crunchy, and with or without a tall glass of milk, we've put together some of our favorite chocolate chip cookie recipes to try out in your kitchen.
Photo Courtesy of Food & Wine
Milk Chocolate Chip Cookies
Let's start off with a traditional take on chocolate chip cookies.
Feel free to sub in whatever chocolate chips you have on hand, whether that be semi-sweet, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, or sugar-free chips.
Ingredients
2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pound milk chocolate chips
Directions
In the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with the paddle, beat the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs and vanilla at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
In a medium bowl, whisk the flour with the baking soda and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the mixer and beat at low speed until incorporated, scraping down the bowl occasionally. Stir in the chocolate chips. Cover and refrigerate the dough until chilled, about 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 350° and line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop up 2 tablespoon–size clumps of the dough and roll into balls. Place the balls on the baking sheets about 3 inches apart (the cookies will spread quite a bit).
Bake in the lower and middle thirds of the oven for about 17 minutes, until the cookies are lightly browned around the edges but still very soft in the center; shift the pans from top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking.
Slide the parchment onto racks and let the cookies cool. (Run the baking sheets under cold water between batches.) Repeat with the remaining dough. Serve the cookies warm or at room temperature.
Photo Courtesy of Co+op
Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies
There's something about chocolate and nuts that pair so perfectly together, especially when they're in a cookie.
Don't have any walnuts handy? Sub in peanuts or sliced almonds!
Ingredients
3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup unbleached flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
1 package chocolate chips
Directions
In a medium bowl, mix the pastry flour, unbleached flour, baking soda and salt, reserve. Preheat the oven to 375⁰F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a stand mixer with the batter paddle, or in large bowl, using a fork, cream the butter with the brown and white sugars. Beat until fluffy.
Beat in the egg, salt and vanilla. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix until thoroughly combined, then stir in the flour mixture. When almost fully incorporated, add the nuts and chocolate chips and stir just until combined.
Use heaping tablespoon-sized portions to form balls of dough, and place them on the prepared pans with two inches in between.
Bake for 6 minutes, then switch the position of the pans between upper and lower oven racks - and bake for 6 minutes longer.
Remove the pans from the oven, and allow them to cool on racks for five minutes before using a spatula to transfer the cookies to the rack. Cool completely. These keep for a week, tightly covered, at room temperature.
Photo Courtesy of Thrive Magazine
Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups
Sweet, salty, and totally vegan, these cookie cups definitely don't skimp on the chocolate and will satisfy the vegans and vegetarians in your world, too.
Ingredients
2 cups organic white flour
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 1/4 cups bittersweet or semisweet vegan chocolate chips, chunks or disks (I used a mixture of each)
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup + 1 tbsp neutral oil (I used grapeseed)
5 tbsp water
Flaky sea salt, for topping
Directions
In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt.
Add the chocolate chips to the flour mixture and toss to coat.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugars with the oil, water, and vanilla extract until very smooth and incorporated, approximately 2 minutes, making sure there are no clumps of sugar remaining.
Stir the flour mixture into the oil mixture just until combined and no streaks of flour remain, then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for at least 12 to 24 hours.
Remove the dough from the fridge when ready to bake and preheat the oven to 350°F.
Grease your muffin tins (makes approximately 12 to 16 cookie cups depending on the size of scoop).
Use a cookie scoop and scoop the dough into the muffin pan. For super chewy cookies, freeze the balls of dough in the tin for 10 minutes before baking.
Remove the muffin tins with cookie dough from the freezer and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Bake until the edges are just golden, approximately 12 to 13 minutes, rotating the muffin tins halfway through baking. Do not overbake; the cookies will still continue to bake out of the oven in the muffin tin.
Let the cookies cool in the pan until firm enough to transfer to a cooling rack, about 5 minutes.
Slide them out of the tin with a butter knife or small spatula and onto a cooling rack and allow them to cool completely, or do as I do and eat them while they are warm and still a bit gooey.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Photo Courtesy of Bon Appetit
Salty Buckwheat Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Combining both all-purpose and buckwheat flour, these salty, chunky chocolate cookies have a nuttier flavor than your traditional chocolate chip cookie.
Ingredients
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 8 equal pieces
1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (63 g) buckwheat flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/4 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¾ tsp. Morton kosher salt, plus more
6 oz. bittersweet chocolate (65–75% cacao) bars or wafers (disks, pistoles, fèves)
2/3 cup (133 g; packed) light brown sugar
1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 large egg yolks
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Directions
Heat 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter in a small saucepan over the lowest heat possible until melted (you don’t want it to sputter or brown), about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, whisk 1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup (63 grams) buckwheat flour, 1/2 tsp. baking powder, 1/2 tsp. baking soda, and 1 1/4 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 3/4 tsp. Morton kosher salt in a medium bowl.
Coarsely chop 6 oz. bittersweet chocolate. Set aside a handful of chocolate in a small bowl.
Scrape butter into a large bowl and add 2/3 cup (133 grams) brown sugar and 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar. Whisk vigorously until butter has been absorbed into the sugar and no big lumps remain, about 30 seconds.
Add 1 large egg, then 2 large egg yolks, one at a time, whisking until fully combined after each addition. Whisk in 1 tsp. vanilla extract. At this point, your mixture should look much lighter in color and be smooth, almost creamy.
Add dry ingredients and use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to stir until just incorporated and almost no dry streaks remain. Add chopped chocolate (but not the chocolate you reserved in the small bowl) to batter. Gently mix just to distribute. Cover bowl with an airtight bowl cover, a kitchen towel, or plastic wrap and chill 2 hours. (If you’re crunched for time, 1 hour will do, but cookies will be best after 2.)
Place racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 375°. Using a tablespoon measuring spoon, scoop out scant 2-Tbsp. portions of dough (or, if you have a scoop, this is a leveled-off #30 or a heaping #40) until you have 10 portions divided between 2 parchment-lined baking sheets (you want five per sheet—these will spread a bit!). Roll portions into balls and gently press a piece or 2 of reserved chocolate into each one. It’s okay to cram the chocolate on there—some pieces can even be vertical. Cover and chill any remaining dough.
Bake cookies, rotating baking sheets top to bottom and front to back halfway through, until edges are golden brown and centers are puffed, 8–10 minutes. (Pull at 8 if you like your cookies softer and want to guarantee they’re still soft the next day!)
Working one at a time, pull baking sheets out of the oven and tap lightly on the stove to deflate cookies. Sprinkle with Diamond Crystal kosher salt (if you’re using Morton, skip it: the crystals are too large). Let cookies cool on baking sheets 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. Let baking sheets cool (to do this fast, run them under cold water), then turn parchment paper over. Repeat process with remaining dough, dividing evenly between baking sheets, to make 6–8 more cookies.
Photo Courtesy of Half Baked Harvest
Browned Butter Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies
If you've never indulged in browned butter before, you're really in for a treat.
Even though browning butter is super easy, it transforms the butter into something that's rich and flavorful, and especially tasty when there is sugar involved.
Ingredients
2 sticks (1 cup) salted butter
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup unsweetened flaked coconut, lightly toasted
2 ounces milk or dark chocolate chunks
Flaky sea salt, for topping (optional)
Directions
Add the butter to a skillet set over medium heat. Allow the butter to brown lightly until it smells toasted, about 2-3 minutes. Stir often. Remove from the heat and transfer the butter to a mixing bowl, let cool until it's room temp and no longer a liquid.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
To the mixing bowl, add the brown sugar and granulated sugar, beat until combined. Beat in the eggs and vanilla, beating until creamy. Add the flour, and baking soda, beating until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips and toasted coconut.
Roll the dough into tablespoon-size balls and place 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Press 1-2 chocolate chunks into each dough ball. Sprinkle with salt, if desired.
Transfer to the oven and bake for 8-11 minutes or until the cookies are just beginning to set on the edges, but still doughy in the center. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool 5 minutes on the baking sheet. Eat warm (highly recommended) or let cool and store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Photo Courtesy of Martha Stewart
Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies
Bananas and chocolate are another classic combo, and these are essentially the cookie equivalent of chocolate banana bread.
And as with banana bread, if you're super patient while your fruit ripens, you'll be rewarded with some really spectacular banana flavor.
Ingredients
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
6 tablespoons granulated sugar
6 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 very ripe banana, slightly mashed
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter or line 2 baking sheets.
Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
In a large bowl, beat together butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla. Add the flour mixture and stir to combine. Mix in the banana and chocolate chips until just combined.
Drop by the tablespoons onto the baking sheet, spacing dough an inch apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until lightly golden brown. Remove to cooling racks.
Photo Courtesy of Cultures For Health
Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies
Has staying at home inspired you to take up bread making?
If you have a sourdough starter that just keeps on growing and you can't keep up with it, consider trying out this sourdough chocolate chip cookie recipe!
Ingredients
1 cup butter
3/4 cup Sucanat
3/4 cup cane juice crystals
1 egg
1 cup fresh sourdough starter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 to 2 cups organic chocolate chips
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Cream together butter and egg.
Mix in the sourdough starter and vanilla extract.
In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients.
Mix the wet and dry ingredients. (Careful not to over-mix!) Incorporate the chocolate chips.
Allow the dough to rest for 15 minutes. Shape the dough into small balls (2 tsp. per cookie). Flatten and place on a cookie sheet.
Bake for 10 to 15 minutes.
Photo Courtesy of Bob’s Red Mill
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Millet Cookies
This recipe swaps out all-purpose flour for millet and tapioca flour, resulting in a thin, crisp cookie that's perfect crumbled over some Cones ice cream or served with a big glass of milk.
Ingredients
1/2 cup unsalted Butter, softened (112 g)
3/4 cup creamy Peanut Butter, unsalted and unsweetened (190 g)
1/4 cup Granulated Sugar (60 g)
3/4 cup Packed Brown Sugar (165 g)
1 Egg (50 g)
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
3/4 cup Millet Flour (120 g)
1/4 cup Tapioca Flour (30 g)
1/2 tsp Baking Soda (3 g)
1/2 tsp Baking Powder (2 g)
1/2 tsp Salt (2 g)
1 cup Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips (225 g)
Directions
Cream together butter, peanut butter and sugars. Add egg and vanilla and beat until fully incorporated.
In a separate bowl, whisk together flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until combined.
Stir in chocolate chips. Cover and refrigerate cookie dough for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place dough by the tablespoon.
Bake for 12–15 minutes, or until the edges begin to brown. Allow cookies to cool, about 5 minutes.
Photo Courtesy of NYT Cooking
Giant Crinkled Chocolate Chip Cookies
If you're all about thin, crispy, chewy, crinkly chocolate chip cookies, here's a fantastic recipe from The New York Times.
Wondering how to get those crinkles? Bang the pan a few times during baking to get the cookies to fall into themselves to create that crinkly texture.
Ingredients
2 cups/256 grams all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound/227 grams unsalted butter (2 sticks), room temperature
1 1/2 cups/302 grams granulated sugar
1/4 cup/55 grams packed light or dark brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/2teaspoons pure vanilla extract
6 ounces/170 grams bittersweet chocolate (about 60 percent cacao solids), chopped into coarse pieces, bits and shards
Directions
Adjust an oven rack to the middle position. Line 2 baking sheets with aluminum foil, parchment paper or nonstick baking mats.
In a small bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda and salt.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, beat the butter on medium until creamy. Add the granulated and brown sugars and beat on medium until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla and 2 tablespoons water, and mix on low to combine.
Add the flour mixture, and mix on low until combined. Add the chocolate and mix on low into the batter. (At this point, the dough can be refrigerated for several hours or overnight.)
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Form the dough into 3 1/2-ounce (100-gram) balls (a heaping 1/3 cup each). Place 4 balls an equal distance apart on a prepared pan, and transfer to the freezer for 15 minutes before baking. After you put the first baking sheet in the oven, put the second one in the freezer.
Place the chilled baking sheet in the oven and bake 10 minutes, until the cookies are puffed slightly in the center. Lift the baking sheet and let it drop down against the oven rack, so the edges of the cookies set and the inside falls back down. (This will feel wrong, but trust me.) Bang it down, if necessary, to make the center fall.
After the cookies puff up again, 2 to 3 minutes later, repeat lifting and dropping the pan.
Repeat a few more times, every 3 minutes, to create ridges around the edge of the cookie.
Bake 16 to 18 minutes total, until the cookies have spread out, and the edges are golden brown, but the centers are much lighter and not fully cooked.
Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack; let cool before removing the cookies from the pan.
Repeat with remaining cookies, using the first sheet pan for the third batch of cookies.
Photo Courtesy of Half Baked Harvest
Healthy-ish Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Keyword: healthy-ish. Cookies will never really be healthy but adding in coconut sugar, whole wheat flour, and almond butter makes this cookie bar at least a little healthier. And that big gooey chocolaty center is pretty delectable.
Ingredients
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter softened
1 cup coconut or granulated sugar
1/2 cup almond butter
2 eggs
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon maca powder (optional)
1 1/2 cups dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter and coconut sugar until light, fluffy and fully combined. Add the almond butter and beat until smooth. Add the eggs, and vanilla, beat until combined and creamy.
Add the flour, baking soda, salt, maca powder, if using, and 1 tablespoon water, beat until combined. If the dough seems dry, beat in another tablespoon of water. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Spread the dough out in the prepared baking pan. Transfer to the oven and bake for 18-20 minutes, just until set in the center. It's important not to overbake these. I found 18 minutes to be the perfect time. Eat warm or allow to cool. Store for up to 5 days in an airtight container.
Photo Courtesy of Nature’s Path
Chocolate Coconut Oat Cookies
Speaking of healthy-ish cookies, this recipe from Nature's Path includes flax seeds, oats, and flaked coconut, adding lots of crunchy texture and flavor.
Ingredients
2 tbsp ground flax
1/4 cup soymilk or milk
3/4 cup vegan butter or butter, softened
3/4 cup organic cane sugar
1 1/2 tbsp molasses
1 1/2cups sifted all-purpose flour
3/4 cup Nature’s Path Organic Old Fashioned Oats
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup chocolate chunks
1/2 cup large flaked coconut
1/4 cup dried cranberries
Directions
Preheat oven to 325°F/163°C.
Combine flax and soymilk and set aside for 5 minutes.
Cream together butter, sugar, and molasses. Stir in flax mixture. Mix in remaining dry ingredients to form a thick dough.
Drop spoonfuls of dough onto a baking sheet. Flatten slightly and leave 1” between cookies. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until cookies are golden brown around the edges.
Cool on a baking sheet.
Photo Courtesy of Food52
Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies With Rainbow Fennel Seeds
When you think of fennel seed, you probably associate it with Italian sausage or a tea blend. But here, rainbow fennel seeds are added to chocolate chip cookies to provide a malted nutty flavor.
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 stick unsalted butter, absolutely at room temperature
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon pure vanilla
1 egg, plus 1 egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup rainbow candy-coated fennel seeds
Flaky sea salt, for topping
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Sift the dry ingredients (flour and baking soda) and set aside.
Cream the butter and sugars for a good 5 minutes; add the vanilla, eggs, and salt and cream for another 5 minutes. To these wet ingredients, stir in the dry ingredients, along with the chocolate chips and fennel seeds.
Scoop dough with a medium-sized ice cream scoop onto a couple of half-sheet pans lined with parchment paper (these are pretty fat cookies, so space them out, 6 to a pan).
Place both sheet pans in the oven and bake cookies for 15 minutes. Once out of the oven, top cookies with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt.
Photo Courtesy of Bon Appetit
Whiskey and Rye Chocolate Chip Cookies
These cookies aren't particularly sweet but are still very rich and flavorful. Some reviewers of this recipe suggest adding in an extra teaspoon of bourbon to round out the overall flavor.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups chocolate wafers (discs, pistoles, fèves; preferably 72% cacao), divided
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup rye flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
3/4 cup (1½ sticks) plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract or vanilla paste
1 teaspoon bourbon
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1 teaspoon flaky sea salt
Directions
Pulse ¾ cup chocolate wafers in a food processor until pea-sized pieces form. Whisk all-purpose flour, rye flour, baking soda, and kosher salt in a medium bowl.
Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in a large bowl, scraping down sides of bowl as needed, until light and fluffy, 3–4 minutes.
Add egg, vanilla, and bourbon and beat until fully incorporated, about 1 minute. Reduce speed to low and slowly add dry ingredients, mixing just to blend. Fold in chopped chocolate and remaining chocolate wafers.
Portion dough into 16 balls (about ¼ cup each) and transfer to a rimmed sheet sheet as you go. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and chill at least 3 hours or up to 1 day.
Position rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350°. Scrape vanilla seeds into sea salt in a small bowl and mix to combine (save pod for another use).
Divide dough balls between 2 parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 3" apart. Flatten each ball to about ¾" thick and sprinkle with vanilla salt. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until golden brown around the edges, 14–18 minutes (cookies will firm up as they cool). Let cool slightly on baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks and let cool completely.
Photo Courtesy of Fine Cooking
Mocha Cinnamon Chocolate-Chip Cookies
If you like your cookies crisp and thin, check out this chocolate chip cookie recipe with a mocha twist.
Ingredients
9 oz. (2 cups) all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
10 oz. (2-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter softened at room temperature
3 Tbs. instant espresso powder (or 4 Tbs. instant-coffee granules, crushed)
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1-1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
About 1/4 cup granulated sugar for dipping
Directions
Heat the oven to 350°F. Line a cooling rack with paper towels.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. In a larger bowl, beat the butter and coffee until well combined.
Add the confectioners’ sugar and brown sugar and beat until combined. Stir in the flour mixture about 1/2 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Put the granulated sugar in a small, shallow bowl. Scoop out about 1 Tbs. dough and flatten it slightly into a disk.
Dip one side into the granulated sugar and then set the disk, sugar side up, on an ungreased baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough, spacing the disks about 2 inches apart.
Bake until the edges start to darken, 12 to 14 min. (Begin checking after 12 min., but don’t be tempted to remove them too soon.
Let the cookies cool for 1 to 2 min. on the baking sheets. Transfer them to the paper-towel-lined racks to cool completely. Bake the rest of the dough the same way.
Recipe and photo adapted from Fine Cooking
The Co-op's Own Take & Bake Cookie Dough
If you've got a sweet tooth that needs to be taken care of ASAP, skip the homemade recipes altogether, and pick up some take and bake cookie dough from the Co-op.
In addition to chocolate chip and peanut butter chocolate chip, we also have shortbread and oatmeal cookie dough.