The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies | Soft and Chewy

I originally published this recipe in 2020 and have since added new photos and a few more success tips.

Since I first published my soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies recipe on YouTube, it’s gotten close to 10 million views and over 155,000 likes. (And that’s just from 2020!!) Over time and many interactions with my audience, I’ve gathered a ton of new tips, tricks, and recipe variations to share with you. 

Whether you’re looking to make a batch without brown sugar, want to make them extra thick and gooey, or need dietary adaptations to fit a gluten-free or vegan lifestyle, consider this your ultimate guide for making chocolate chip cookies from scratch. Let’s get baking!

Ingredients & Substitutions

• Brown Sugar & White Sugar – These two sweeteners don’t just look and taste different, they also create different chemical reactions in the oven. Brown sugar is moist and acidic, while white sugar is neutral and dry. Together they create the perfect balance of lightly crisp edges and a soft, chewy interior.
• Unsalted Butter & Salt – Starting with unsalted butter and adding your own salt is the best way to ensure consistent results every time. Why? Salted butter can vary widely in terms of saltiness, so different brands can yield wildly different results!
• Large Egg – Make sure to let it come to room temperature for easier mixing.
• Vanilla Extract – A classic addition to any chocolate chip cookie! Feel free to swap in an equal amount of vanilla paste or powder.
• All-Purpose Flour – Plain white flour is all you need. Note that different brands have different protein content. The lower the protein content, the softer the cookie. The higher the protein, the chewier.
• Baking Soda – Not to be confused with baking powder, this leavener requires the acidity of brown sugar to properly activate.
• Chocolate Chips – Semisweet chocolate chips are classic, but you’re welcome to use white, milk, or dark chocolate if you prefer.

This is just a short review of the ingredients; for the complete recipe, including quantities, scroll down to the recipe card 👇

Chocolate Chips, Bar Chocolate, Chocolate Chunks, or Feves?

The type of chocolate you use can completely change the texture, melt, and flavor of your cookies. Chocolate chips are the most common choice. They’re convenient, hold their shape well, and are great for distinct little pockets of chocolate rather than big molten pools.  

Bar chocolate is ideal when you want the most control. You can chop it as fine or coarse as you like, and high-quality bars melt into rich, glossy ribbons that spread beautifully through the dough. This often results in a softer, more decadent cookie. The downside is that it can spread more, so it works best in chilled doughs and more structured cookies.

Chocolate chunks (store-bought or small pieces chopped from a bar) strike the perfect balance: bold chocolate flavor, clean ingredients, and glossy, uneven pools of molten chocolate. They’re ideal if you want both melty bits and some that stay intact.

Finally, (thin, disc-shaped pieces often used in pastry kitchens) are the most luxurious option. They melt into dramatic pockets and create that signature “puddled” look you’ll see in high-end bakery cookies. They’re pricier, but they deliver unmatched texture and chocolate flavor. 

For the gooiest, most luxurious cookies, feves or high-quality bar chocolate are the top choice. For structure and a classic look, chips or chunks are perfect. I personally think the best cookies use a combination, chips or chunks for texture, bar chocolate or feves for melt, giving you the best of all worlds.

How to Make Soft & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Watch the full video recipe to learn how to make the BEST Bakery-Style Chocolate Chip Cookies From Scratch.

Prefer the written recipe? Scroll down to the recipe box for the full written recipe! 👇

Optional Variations & Dietary Adaptations

• Vegan – To make homemade vegan chocolate chip cookies, simply swap the butter for vegan butter or coconut oil and replace the egg with a flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tablespoons water). Just be sure to choose dairy-free chocolate chips so the cookies stay fully vegan.
• Gluten-Free – Check out my gluten-free chocolate chip cookies recipe for all the details!
• No Brown Sugar – If you’re out of brown sugar, you can swap it for white sugar. Your cookies will turn out a little crispier, but still delicious. To help keep them soft and moist, add a tablespoon of molasses, honey or maple syrup to the dough.

Expert Tips & Tricks 

• Chill the dough. Cold dough spreads less, giving you thicker, chewier cookies. Chill for at least 1 hour, or overnight for even better flavor and structure. You can also freeze dough balls for soft chewy chocolate chip cookies on demand! Just add 1-2 minutes on the bake time as needed.
• Use more brown sugar than white sugar. Brown sugar adds moisture and chewiness thanks to its molasses content. 
• Make them bigger. Larger cookie dough scoops naturally bake up thicker and chewier. Try 3-tablespoon scoops for jumbo cookies with gooey centers.
• Underbake slightly. Remove the cookies when the edges are set but the centers still look soft. They’ll continue to bake on the hot baking sheet, staying chewy instead of crisp.
• Use room-temperature butter, not melted. Creaming softened butter with sugar incorporates air and creates a stable structure that keeps cookies thick and tender. Melted butter leads to spreading.
• Don’t overmix. Stop mixing as soon as the flour disappears. Overworking the dough develops gluten, which can make cookies tough instead of soft.
• Give dough balls plenty of room so they spread evenly and don’t merge into one giant cookie, unless that’s the vibe, in which case proceed.
• Looking to turn your passion for baking into a side hustle? Learn my best tips for pricing homemade cookies so you earn what your talent is worth!

How to Serve

Soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies are at their best slightly warm, when the centers are gooey and the chocolate is melty. Serve them fresh from the oven with a glass of cold milk, a cup of hot coffee, or rich Italian hot chocolate for the ultimate cozy treat.

They also make a fun dessert base. You can use them to build ice cream sandwiches (they’re particularly good with salted caramel ice cream) or crumble them over ice cream for a less fussy approach. You can also layer them into a cookie parfait with 2 ingredient chocolate mousse, whipped cream and chocolate sauce. 

If you’re hosting, pile them on a platter alongside my best brownies or gooey pecan pie bars, cookie butter truffles or chocolate banana bark, and fresh berries for an easy, crowd-pleasing dessert spread. And if you manage to save a few, they’re perfect for lunchboxes, after-school snacks, or midnight cravings.

How to Store Chocolate Chip Cookies

• Room Temperature: Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 4-5 days. Add a slice of bread or a tortilla to keep them soft—the cookies will absorb moisture while the bread dries out.
• Freezer (Baked Cookies): Freeze fully baked cookies in a single layer, then transfer to a freezer bag. They’ll keep for 2-3 months. Thaw at room temp or warm for a few minutes in a low oven.
• Freezer (Cookie Dough): Freeze scooped dough balls for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen, just add 1-2 extra minutes to the bake time for perfect cookies anytime.

FAQs