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    Home ยป Recipes ยป Dessert

    May 20, 2021

    Chocolate Chip Cookies

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    After a long experiment and several taste tests, I've finally got the BEST EVER Chocolate Chip Cookies! They're crisp around the edges, soft in the center, perfectly buttery and full of chocolate chips!

    Jump to Recipe
    Chocolate chip cookies with extra chocolate chips on top

    Ever since I did the Scotcheroo Experiment a couple years ago, I've been wanting to come up with the BEST chocolate chip cookies. And after consuming wayyyy too many cookies, I think I've NAILED IT and can't wait for you to try these out!

    If you follow me on Instagram, you probably remember me asking any tips and tricks you've heard of to make the perfect chocolate chip cookies. I tallied up the most popular responses and got to work in the kitchen! Below you can find all of the different tips and tricks I tried and how they scored! Cookie testing is a tough job....but someone's gotta do it! ๐Ÿ˜‰

    Chocolate chip cookie experiment and young taste tester!

    The Chocolate Chip Cookie Experiment: RECIPES

    TestTip, Trick or Recipe Used (see photos below)Chilled?
    ASally's Baking Addiction Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie recipeYES
    BIncreased brown sugar to sugar ratio NO (although tried both)
    CHot water added to the doughNO
    DHot water added to the doughYES
    EInstant vanilla pudding mix addedNO
    FInstant vanilla pudding mix addedYES
    GHalf butter and half shortening (Crisco)NO
    Chocolate Chip Cookie experiment - samples A, B, C, D, E, F and G
    Chocolate Chip Cookie experiment - samples A, B, C, D, E, F and G (view of the center of the cookies)

    The Chocolate Chip Cookie Experiment: RESULTS

    TestResultScore
    (1-10)
    ANice appearance, cookies didn't spread much, good flavor and texture, overall really good!9
    BReally nice color! Crisp edges and soft interior. The all around favorite!10
    CThese cookies turned out very flat. Slightly crisp edges, reminded me of the cookies at Subway6
    DSimilar to C, but had more flavor! Chilling this dough did help with flavor for sure, but still flat7
    EReally nice appearance! The cookies were too soft (no crisp edges) and the flavor was too artificial for my liking6
    FLike E, but better flavor. Chilling this dough seemed to enhance the flavors a bit, but still too soft7
    GGood appearance and texture. Flavor was a little flat and I missed the real butter flavor!8
    Using a spoon to press the edges of a cookie in toward the center

    Other ideas I tried & how they worked

    • Pressing chocolate chips into the cookies while hot out of the oven. I'll be honest, I did this for the looks. I mean, how pretty do the melty chocolate chips look on top?! But then I realized that it's more than just appearance (and extra chocolate flavor!)....it's how it affected the texture that I LOVED. When the chocolate chips were pressed into the warm cookies, it made the center of the cookie a bit more dense, moist and chewy. HIGHLY recommend doing this!
    • Pushing in the sides of the cookie. (I heard this from an Instagram follower. She uses a large spoon to press the edges of the cookie in just a little bit right when they come out of the oven - see above photo). Maybe I didn't push them in enough, but I didn't think it made much of a difference in the cookies.
    • Adding flaky sea salt on the cookies right when they come out of the oven. I'm a fan, but I think this one is completely personal preference!
    A cookie being dunked in milk
    a chocolate chip cookie on top of a stack of other cookies.

    Do you have to chill Chocolate Chip Cookie dough before baking?

    When I started this experiment, I was certain that chilling the dough would be a must. Turns out, that's not the case! (And yes, I tried both ways numerous times!!)

    What I learned was that some recipes for chocolate chip cookies are better after the dough gets time to chill. And although no cookies were worse after chilling, if it doesn't make a difference, who wants to wait to indulge in a warm, chewy chocolate chip cookie?! The recipe I liked the most didn't seem to rely on that chill time for incredible flavor. Keep scrolling.....the recipe is coming!

    A hand breaking a chocolate chip cookie in two

    Experiment Summary!

    I'll be honest - I've never been a huge chocolate chip cookie fan. They always seemed too flat, too fluffy, too blahhh....well, not anymore!! These cookies are the perfect chewy texture, and full of buttery, chocolatey goodness!! Here's what I learned that lead me to the ultimate chocolate chip cookie recipe....

    1. Having more brown sugar than sugar is the way to go! Did you know that brown sugar is essentially a mix of white sugar and molasses?? The molasses gives these cookies great flavor and the incredible chewy texture!
    2. Chilling the cookies isn't necessarily a must. Although it won't hurt the cookies, this cookie doesn't rely on chilling to have great flavor! (Woohoo!!!)
    3. Don't add anything weird. Skip the Crisco (butter is best!), say no to the pudding mix (unless you enjoy the flavor!), pass on adding hot water.
    4. Add more chocolate chips after baking. This was probably my biggest "ah-ha!" when making these. I loved the dense, chewy texture (and extra chocolate) when pressing chocolate chips in the cookies right after they came out of the oven.
    Chocolate chip cookie

    And FINALLY.....here it is...
    The ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe!!

    Chocolate Chip Cookies

    kelsey
    These Chocolate Chips Cookies are crisp around the edges, soft in the center, perfectly buttery and full of chocolate chips!
    5 from 4 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate this Recipe
    Prevent your screen from going to sleep.
    Prep Time 15 mins
    Course Dessert, Snack
    Cuisine American
    Servings 24 cookies

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 c salted butter softened
    • 1 ยผ c brown sugar
    • ยฝ c sugar
    • 2 eggs
    • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 3 c all-purpose flour
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1 ยฝ c semi-sweet chocolate chips + additional for topping or chunks

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat oven to 350ยฐF and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
    • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter, brown sugar and sugar. Mix on low until combined then on high until light and fluffy.
    • Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until well-combined, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula halfway through mixing.
    • Add the flour, baking soda and salt and mix until incorporated.
    • Add the chocolate chips and stir just until well-dispersed throughout.
    • **Optional** Cover the dough and refrigerate for up to 36 hours.
    • Use a cookie scoop to evenly scoop the cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheets. You should have 24 cookies. Do NOT press the cookies down to flatten them at all.
    • Bake one sheet at a time for 10-12 minutes or until a light golden brown around the edges (the center might still look a bit doughy). Do NOT overbake!
    • Press a few additional chocolate chips onto the cookies while they're still hot!
    • Let them cool completely on the pan. (The heat from the pan will continue to bake the cookies)
    • Repeat until the pans of cookies have all been baked and enjoy!
    Keyword chocolate chip cookie, cookies
    Tried this recipe?Follow me at @dancearoundthekitchen.kelsey and let me know how you liked it!

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    about kelsey

    About Kelsey

    Combining my love for food and family is a pretty easy calculation. Almost all family gatherings include foodโ€ฆ After all, a party without cake is just a meeting right? Read more...

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Carlee says

      May 27, 2021 at 6:13 am

      I love this experiment! I am always a fan of more brown sugar and I'm going to start adding chocolate chips after they bake, what a great tip!

      Reply
    2. Becca Lowney says

      June 25, 2021 at 4:20 pm

      5 stars
      I made these cookies yesterday and cannot stop eating them! They're incredible! Also I love how they're holding their moisture--they're just as yummy today as when I took them out of the oven!

      Reply
    3. Chocolate chips says

      July 16, 2021 at 1:38 pm

      5 stars
      Good quality chocolate is a healthy snack. There are many dishes can be done with chocolate chips, choco chips cookies are one of the famous and it has many fans.

      Thank you for sharing the nice recipe, the pics also came out too good.

      Reply
    4. Nikole says

      July 20, 2021 at 7:05 pm

      5 stars
      The BEST chocolate chip cookies EVER! Iโ€™ve tried so many times, with different recipes, to get them right. Thankfully, my girl Kelseyโ€˜s done all the hard work of perfecting the chocolate chip cookie and I no longer have to be disappointed in the outcome. 10/10 for me!

      Reply
    5. Lauren says

      September 08, 2021 at 4:40 am

      What size cookie
      Scoop do you use? Thanks!

      Reply
      • Kelsey says

        September 16, 2021 at 9:50 am

        I like to use a medium-large scoop. I just looked and it doesn't have a size on it....but I'm guessing it's a little less than 1/4 cup.

        Reply
    6. The Best Cookies! says

      September 13, 2021 at 11:47 am

      5 stars
      These cookies are SO GOOD!! Everyone raves about them and requests the cookies to be made for gatherings! I add in more chocolate chips (mixture of chips and chunks) and use coarse sea salt instead of salt. Delicious, soft and gooey! Definitely going to be my go-to recipe!

      Reply
      • Kelsey says

        September 16, 2021 at 9:43 am

        Yay!!! Thanks so much, Katlin - made my day! And now I want a chocolate chip cookie...... ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    7. Kit Lawson says

      January 30, 2022 at 4:50 pm

      Absolutely perfect! Iโ€™m always searching for the perfect chocolate chip cookie and I think this is it! Thank you!

      Reply
      • Kelsey says

        January 31, 2022 at 4:47 pm

        Wooohoooo!! I'm so happy to hear that, Kit. Made my day! ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    8. Sara says

      February 23, 2022 at 11:10 pm

      This is my favorite chocolate chip recipe EVER!!!! Thank you so much!

      Reply
      • Kelsey says

        March 23, 2022 at 9:48 pm

        Day made!!! Thanks so much Sara! ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    9. Sara Brock says

      February 26, 2022 at 2:12 pm

      I LOVE this recipe. Best ever. Question, is this good base recipe? Can I add other things in there? It stayed great for 3 days! They were gone after that. ๐Ÿ™‚

      Reply
      • Kelsey says

        March 23, 2022 at 9:53 pm

        Absolutely!!! There are so many fun ideas when it comes to simple variations... try triple chip cookies (equal amounts of semi-sweet, white and butterscotch chips!), M&M cookies (1/2 M&M's and 1/2 chocolate chips) or make them white chocolate macadamia nut cookies! ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Kelsey! I am a wife, mother and BFFs with my KitchenAid mixer, happy to bring you easy meals and decadent desserts! Welcome to my blog!

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