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Actually Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies
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If you’re only going to bake one Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe, this is it. These cookies are thick, chewy in the middle, crisp on the edges, and loaded with two types of chocolate for the best balance of flavor. They’re the kind of cookie that makes people stop mid-bite and go, “Oh, wow.” Trust me, you’ll want to save this recipe forever. They’re actually perfect.
Ingredient Notes
This dough is simple, but each ingredient does its job to make these cookies rich, soft, and packed with chocolate. Here’s notes on a few of the ingredients.
- Butter – Melted butter gives you a chewier texture and helps the sugar dissolve for that glossy cookie dough finish.
- Brown sugar – Adds moisture and a deep caramel flavor that makes these cookies extra soft.
- Egg + egg yolk – The extra yolk adds richness and chew.
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips – Rich and bold.
- Milk chocolate chips – Sweeter and creamier, the perfect contrast to semi-sweet. Be sure to use both!
How to Make Chocolate Chip Cookies
While it’s easy to think all chocolate cookie recipes are basically the same because they all use the same ingredients, it’s simply not true. Method plays a huge part, and I’ve tested and retested these to arrive at ACTUALLY perfect cookies. For full recipe details, including ingredients needed and measurements, see the printable recipe card down below.
Step 1: Cream the Butter + Sugars
Mix melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until smooth.
Step 2: Add Eggs + Vanilla Extract
Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract and mix until the mixture lightens in color.
Step 3: Add Dry Ingredients
Stir in flour, baking soda, and salt until combined. Scrape the bowl well.
Pro Tip: Make sure you are measuring your flour correctly using the fluff, spoon, and level method. Fluff the flour in the bag or container with a spoon to loosen it up. Spoon the flour lightly into your measuring cup—don’t scoop directly from the bag, or you’ll pack it down and end up with too much. Level it off with the flat edge of a knife. Voila! An accurate measurement.
Step 4: Stir in Chocolate Chips
Hand mix both kinds of chocolate chips. Let the dough sit 20 minutes so the flour hydrates.
Step 5: Scoop + Bake
Scoop dough onto lined pans and bake at 325° F for 8–9 minutes until edges look set and centers still look soft.
Step 6: Cool + Enjoy
Leave cookies on the hot pan for 5–7 minutes before transferring to a rack. This helps them set without over-baking.
Tips for Success
- Chill the dough if your oven runs hot, otherwise your cookies may spread.
- Don’t overbake, they’ll finish setting up on the pan.
- Use a cookie scoop for even sizes and perfect rounds.
- Let the dough rest before baking, it makes a big difference in texture.
- Rotate pans halfway through baking for even results.
These chocolate chip cookies check every box: soft, chewy, buttery, and loaded with chocolate. Keep this recipe close, because once you make them, they’ll become your forever go-to. The printable recipe card is below. Have a great day, friends!
Actually Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies
This is the best chocolate chip cookie recipe! Soft baked, very chocolatey and impossible to ruin. Made with both semi-sweet AND milk chocolate chips for the ultimate bite.
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter melted
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup milk chocolate chips reserve a handful for after baking
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325° F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large bowl, using an electric hand mixer, mix together melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until well combined.
- Add in egg, egg yolk and vanilla extract. Mix until lighter in color, about 2 minutes.
- Mix in the flour, baking soda, and salt. Using a rubber spatula, scrape the sides of the bowl and the bottom really well to ensure a smooth, well combined batter.
- Hand stir the chocolate chips into the batter and let it sit 20 minutes to let the flour soak into the rest of the batter.*
- Scoop cookie dough onto prepared pans 2 inches apart, using a two tablespoon cookie scoop.
- Bake 8-9 minutes, rotating sheets half way through baking. When you pull your cookies out of the oven, they will looked cooked around the edges and undercooked in the center. DO NOT OVER BAKE!
- Carefully place a few chocolate chips on top of each cookie immediately after removing from oven, pressing into the warm soft cookie just slightly.
- Leave the cookies on the hot baking pans for 5-7 minutes or until you can remove them without falling apart. Place onto cooling racks and cool to room temperature before storing in airtight containers.
Video
Notes
*If your oven tends to run hot (which will flatten cookies) refrigerate the dough for 20 minutes.
Storage Instructions
- Room Temperature: Keep baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. They’ll stay soft if you tuck a slice of bread in the container.
- Freezing Cookies: Once cooled, place cookies in a freezer-safe bag or container. Freeze up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
- Freezing Cookie Dough: Scoop dough into balls, place on a sheet pan to freeze solid, then transfer to a freezer bag. Bake straight from frozen at 325° F, adding 1–2 extra minutes to the bake time.
- Make Ahead: You can chill the dough in the fridge for up to 48 hours before baking. This not only saves time but also develops deeper flavor.
Nutrition
Calories: 151kcalCarbohydrates: 20gProtein: 2gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 22mgSodium: 86mgPotassium: 48mgFiber: 1gSugar: 14gVitamin A: 147IUVitamin C: 0.03mgCalcium: 18mgIron: 1mg
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Variations
- Swap half the chocolate chips for chunks or chopped chocolate bars.
- Add 1/2 cup chopped nuts for crunch.
- Sprinkle with flaky sea salt right after baking.
- Stir in mini M&Ms or toffee bits for a fun twist.
More Cookie Recipes to Try
- Copycat Swig Sugar Cookies
- Hot Pot Sugar Cookies
- Chocolate Chunk Cookies
- The Best Oatmeal Cookies – reader favorite!
- Shortbread Cookies – #1 on google!
If you make this recipe, I would really appreciate it if you would give it a star rating and leave your review in the comments! If you have a picture of your finished dish, post it on Instagram using the hashtag #laurenslatest and tagging me @laurens_latest.
Wish I could give it a zero rating. This is the worst recipe. I followed it exactly and the first batch was terrible. Will keep looking for and actual “Perfect Chocolate Chip Recipe”.
The butter amount changed (used to be only 3/4 cup) and now the cookies are flat and oily. Need to remember to use less butter next time, they used to be perfect.
Wish I had listened to the few poor reviews reviews. I”m a very experienced baker, followed the recipe to a T, and ended up with pans full of mush. Cookies spread even after refrigerating the dough. Wish I could take a photo before I dump all in the trash. I had the same outcome as those other poor reviews. Although my batter looked like your photos, the final product was a disaster.
AMAZING COOKIES
Amazing yep
Best cookies ever!!
These are the best chocolate chip cookies Iv ever tasted. I made sure to cream the butter and sugar. Amazing texture and taste.
I think the recipe is great? I would use my next smaller scoop next time because they spread. Thank you. I will bake these again.?
on the flour did you ever try sifiting the flour? Growing up we always did that in our recipes in fact that’s what they did way back when instead of the bag thing you said to do.
Bravo to the best chocolate chip cookie ever created!! I’ll never make a different recipe again.
Thank you!!
Awesome …. the texture is spot on, crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. My electric oven need to bake for 12 min total. A keeper recipe.
These cookies are perfect with or without a cup of walnuts. This is our new favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. The cookies freeze really well and can be eaten right out of the freezer. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe. We use Ghiradelli milk chocolate chips and 60% Cacao chips. I doubled the recipe one time, forgot to double the flour and they were still delicious, just very thin.
I have never been a huge fan of choc chip cookies. My husband doesn’t like them either. But our son does and he is leaving for college so I wanted to make some cookies for him to take. Made this recipe (the only change was I only keep self rising flour so used it and no baking powder) cookies were delicious! We really enjoyed them and have found a recipe of choc chip cookies we actually like! Love following you and seeing your family! Have missed you this summer but I’m sure you needed the break!
Very good. I turned mine onto a round pizza pan and made a cookie cake, per my son’s request (just a giant cookie).
We took to our youth bible study and was loved by all! Thanks Lauren!