These classic chocolate chip cookies have buttery, golden edges, soft centers, and plenty of semisweet chocolate in every bite. They are made with a straightforward creamed-butter dough and bake right away, with no mandatory chilling time.
A mix of brown and granulated sugars gives the cookies a tender center with lightly crisp edges, while careful flour measurement and softened—not melted—butter help control the spread. Pull them from the oven while the centers are still soft, then let them finish setting on the hot baking sheet.
Why This Dough Gives Soft Centers and Golden Edges
The sugar blend does most of the work. Brown sugar keeps the centers soft and chewy, while granulated sugar helps the edges set and brown, so the recipe uses more brown than white. Two eggs bind the dough, and one 12-ounce bag of chips keeps the chocolate generous without overwhelming the crumb.
Softened butter matters just as much. Beaten with the sugars, it traps air and gives the cookies a tender texture and an even spread. Melted butter behaves differently: the dough turns slick and usually needs chilling to hold its shape, which is a different cookie from this one.
Getting the Butter, Flour, and Pans Right
Good butter for this recipe is soft but still cool. Press it with a finger: it should leave a clean dent without sinking in or looking shiny. That usually takes 30 to 60 minutes on the counter, and cutting the butter into pieces speeds it up. Butter that is too warm melts as soon as it hits the oven and the cookies spread thin.
Weigh the flour if you can (281 g). If you use cups, spoon the flour in and level it instead of scooping, because packed flour makes dry, cakey cookies. Once the flour goes in, mix only until the last streak disappears and fold in the chips by hand.
Bake on light-colored half-sheet pans lined with parchment, one pan at a time on the center rack, so the bottoms brown gently and the cookies bake evenly. Let each pan cool before reloading it. A hot pan starts melting the butter before the cookies reach the oven heat.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
Buttery homemade chocolate chip cookies with golden edges, soft centers, and plenty of semisweet chocolate chips, made from a classic dough that goes straight into the oven
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Ingredient quantities change with servings. Metric amounts appear when an equivalent is available. Cooking times, temperatures and method steps do not scale automatically.
Ingredients
Measurement help for this recipe
Metric equivalents use the values entered for this recipe or GUSTANA conversion data when available. Ingredients without an equivalent remain in their original units.
| 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour | 281 g |
| 1 teaspoon baking soda | 5 g |
| 3/4 teaspoon fine salt | 4.5 g |
| 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter | 226 g |
| 3/4 cup light brown sugar | 150 g |
| 1/2 cup granulated sugar | 100 g |
| 2 large eggs | 100 g |
| 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract | 10 mL |
| 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips | 340 g |
Instructions
- Arrange an oven rack in the center position and heat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line two light-colored half-sheet pans (18 × 13 inches) with parchment paper.
- Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl until evenly combined.
- In a large bowl, beat the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes, until lighter in color and creamy. Scrape down the bowl as needed.
Soft butter holds air as it beats; melted butter would give flatter cookies.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla, until the mixture is smooth.
- Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed just until the last dry streaks disappear. Fold in the chocolate chips with a spatula.
Overmixing after the flour goes in makes tougher cookies.
- Scoop 12 portions of dough, about 2 tablespoons (34 g) each, onto each prepared pan, leaving about 2 inches between them. That uses 24 portions; cover the bowl with the remaining dough.
- Bake one pan at a time on the center rack for 11 to 13 minutes, until the edges are light golden and the centers look soft but no longer wet or glossy.
Start checking at 10 minutes; the centers finish setting on the hot pan.
- Let the cookies rest on the pan for 5 minutes, then move them to a wire rack. While they rest, bake the second pan the same way.
The short rest firms up the soft bottoms so the cookies lift off in one piece.
- Let the first pan cool until you can touch it with bare hands, line it with fresh parchment, scoop the remaining 12 portions onto it, and bake as before. Cool all the cookies on the rack for about 30 minutes before storing.
A hot pan melts the butter in the dough too early and makes cookies spread.
Recipe Notes
- Butter usually needs 30 to 60 minutes on the counter to soften; that time is not counted above.
- Use softened butter, not melted, for even spread and a tender texture.
- Weigh the flour for the most consistent results.
- For about 5 dozen smaller cookies, use rounded tablespoons of dough and start checking at 8 minutes.
- Store fully cooled cookies airtight at room temperature for up to 5 days, or freeze dough balls or baked cookies for up to 3 months.
- Bake the dough before eating it; it contains raw eggs and uncooked flour.
Nutrition (per serving, estimated)
- Serving Size: 1 cookie (1 of 36)
- Calories: 150 kcal
- Total Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Cholesterol: 24 mg
- Sodium: 90 mg
- Total Carbohydrates: 19 g
- Dietary Fiber: 1 g
- Total Sugars: 12 g
- Protein: 2 g
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How to Store and Freeze Chocolate Chip Cookies
Cool the cookies completely, then keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. The refrigerator is unnecessary and tends to make them firmer.
To freeze unbaked dough, scoop the portions onto a lined pan and freeze them until solid, about 4 hours or overnight. Move them to a freezer bag and bake straight from frozen at 350°F (175°C), allowing a few extra minutes and starting to check at 13 minutes. Baked cookies freeze well too: cool them completely, wrap them tightly, and thaw at room temperature. For the best texture, use either within 3 months.
How to Fix Common Cookie Problems
The cookies spread too much
Butter that was too soft or melted, too little flour, and a warm baking pan are the usual causes. Check the butter with the finger test, weigh the flour, and start each batch on a cooled pan.
The cookies are dry or cakey
Too much flour or too much time in the oven is usually behind it. Take the pan out while the centers still look soft; they finish setting as they rest.
The cookies are tough
Mixing for too long after the flour goes in develops gluten. Stop as soon as no dry streaks remain.
The bottoms are too dark
Dark pans brown the bottoms faster. Switch to a light-colored pan with parchment and keep the rack in the center position.
Helpful Tools for This Recipe
2-Pack Aluminum Half-Sheet Baking Pans with Rims
Gives cookie dough room to spread on the baking sheet, helping batches bake evenly without crowding the pan
View on Amazon
5-Speed Electric Hand Mixer with Metal Beaters
Creams butter and sugar until fluffy, then blends the wet ingredients before you finish the cookie dough
View on Amazon
Digital Kitchen Scale with Gram and Ounce Readout
Measures flour and other baking ingredients by weight for consistent cookie dough without overpacking the flour
View on Amazon
2-Tablespoon Spring-Loaded Stainless Steel Cookie Scoop
Portions cookie dough into evenly sized scoops, helping chocolate chip cookies bake at a similar rate in the oven
View on AmazonSome links may be affiliate links. If you purchase through them, GUSTANA may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to chill chocolate chip cookie dough before baking?
Not for this recipe. The dough is made with softened, creamed butter and is designed to be scooped and baked right away. If your kitchen is very warm or the dough feels unusually soft, chilling it for 20 to 30 minutes can help reduce spreading, but it is not required for the intended texture.
Why did my chocolate chip cookies spread too much?
The most common causes are butter that was too warm or partially melted, too little flour, or placing the dough on a warm baking sheet. Use butter that is soft enough to dent but still cool, measure the flour accurately, and let the pan cool before loading the next batch.
Why are my chocolate chip cookies dry or cakey?
Too much flour or overbaking is usually the cause. Weigh the flour if possible, or spoon it into the measuring cup and level it rather than scooping directly from the bag. Remove the cookies when the edges are golden but the centers still look soft; they continue to set on the hot pan.
Can I use chocolate chunks instead of chocolate chips?
Yes. Use the same 12 ounces (340 g) of chopped semisweet chocolate in place of the chips. Chocolate chips hold their shape more during baking, while chopped chocolate creates irregular pieces and softer pools of melted chocolate throughout the cookies.
Can I freeze chocolate chip cookie dough?
Yes. Scoop the dough into portions, freeze them on a lined baking sheet until solid, then transfer them to an airtight freezer bag or container. Bake the dough from frozen at 350°F (175°C), adding a few extra minutes and watching for golden edges and soft centers rather than relying only on the clock.
How do I know when chocolate chip cookies are done?
Take them out when the edges are light golden and the centers look soft but no longer wet or glossy. The middle may appear slightly underdone when the pan leaves the oven, which is normal. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes so the centers can finish setting without becoming dry.
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