Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies

This Classic chocolate chip cookies recipe is the best chocolate chip cookie recipe ever! You will love the chewy and gooey texture with crisp edges and chocolate chips in every bite!

Love these chocolate chip cookies? Be sure to check out these Tahini and Honey Chocolate Chip Cookies and Vanilla Bean Butter Pecan Cookies! Oh, and this Three Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie, too!

classic chocolate chip cookies

What makes the the classic chocolate chip cookie so delicious? Is it the texture? The combination of a sweet brown sugar dough and chocolate chips? Or is the flaky salt on top? I say it's everything! When I think of the perfect chocolate chip cookie, I think of a cookie that's slightly gooey, a little chewy, full of chocolate chips, with slightly crispy edges. Well, I brought my idea of the perfect chocolate chip cookie into fruition with this recipe. And honestly, I could not be more pleased to share this recipe with you!

the quest for the perfect cookie

So let's just say, I dedicated the week between Christmas and New Years to perfecting this recipe. I mean, I really wanted to create the PERFECT cookie. It had to be just right. I played around with quantities of sugar and butter. Then I toyed around with different types of flour. I decided to tackle these ingredients first because I feel like these three ingredients, along with vanilla extract are the basis of the flavor of the cookie.

Once I got all of those ratios just right and the taste was superb, I needed to work on the spreadability of the cookie. I have mentioned SO many times that I hate flat cookies. That being said, I could not have a flat cookie on my blog! When I say I hate a flat cookie, what I mean by that is that I don't like cookies that don't have any chew to them. A cookie (in my humble opinion) should have character. No matter how plain the cookie. Even shortbread! So when I was developing this recipe, it was crucial that I have a recipe that was both easy and didn't spread too much in the oven. After 3 attempts, I have mastered it.

Speaking of the perfect cookie, check out these Everything Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies and these Hot Chocolate Cookie Sandwiches!

i did a bunch of research

So, in my quest for the perfect cookie, I did a bunch of research. Specifically research on how various ingredients affected the cookie itself. Well, more so how the cookie would behave in the oven. After reading and youtube-ing a bunch of stuff, I toyed with amounts of baking powder and baking soda. On my first attempt, I used both baking powder and baking soda. It spread too much. Then, I reduced the amount of baking powder and upped the amount of baking soda. Not as much spread, but still more than I wanted. So, third attempt? I nixed the baking powder completely. I used solely baking soda and it gave me just the affect I was looking for. It was perfection.

Now, is baking soda the sole culprit that prevented the spreading? No. But it was a good start! I also used Bread Flour in this recipe which attributed to keeping this cookie chewy and providing structure for the shape of the cookie. In addition, the amount of butter versus the amount of flour and sugar also contributed to the texture and spreadability of the cookie. I know that this is a lot but I did a DEEP dive into cookie science this past weekend ... and enjoyed every minute of it. lol

do you need bread flour for cookies?

Do you need bread flour? No, but it REALLY makes a huge difference in the texture and spreadability of the cookie. When I tell you the difference between the all-purpose flour cookie and the bread flour/all-purpose flour mix was pretty big, it's true. The all-purpose flour cookie is great, don't get me wrong. However, is it perfect? Eh, just a step below. Great, just not perfect.

What is the best way to bake classic chocolate chip cookies from scratch?

There are SO many ways to bake cookies, so I can only speak from my perspective! I think when answering this question, you need to first define what your ideal cookie is. If your ideal cookie is chewy and gooey, with crisp edges and warm chocolatey center - then I can definitely answer this question for you!

To answer plainly, it's really simple!

1. Ensure that you always level off your ingredients when measuring. This ensures that you are using the correct amount of flour/sugar etc. What does this mean? It means that when you measure a cup of flour (or whatever ingredient), that you remove excess flour that doesn't fit in the measuring cup.
2. Use room temperature butter (for this recipe). When beating the butter, beat the butter for the full 3 minutes as listed in the recipe. This will absolutely make a difference, I promise! Also, be sure to add the eggs one at a time.
3. ... this is the hardest thing to do but SO worth it. Let the cookies cool. Let. The. Cookies. Cool! It gives them time to set. If you love warm cookies, you can always warm them back up, but it's SO crucial to allow them to cool when you first take them out of the oven. I cannot stress this enough. Allowing them to cool lets the cookies set and gives you that lovely texture that we know and love. Also, this gives time for the flavors to come together! You can't skip this step!
4. Follow the recipe. Exactly. Measure your ingredients, follow each step, and most importantly, have fun!

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