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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!
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! 😉
The Chocolate Chip Cookie Experiment: RECIPES
| Test | Tip, Trick or Recipe Used (see photos below) | Chilled? |
| A | Sally’s Baking Addiction Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe | YES |
| B | Increased brown sugar to sugar ratio | NO (although tried both) |
| C | Hot water added to the dough | NO |
| D | Hot water added to the dough | YES |
| E | Instant vanilla pudding mix added | NO |
| F | Instant vanilla pudding mix added | YES |
| G | Half butter and half shortening (Crisco) | NO |
The Chocolate Chip Cookie Experiment: RESULTS
| Test | Result | Score (1-10) |
| A | Nice appearance, cookies didn’t spread much, good flavor and texture, overall really good! | 9 |
| B | Really nice color! Crisp edges and soft interior. The all around favorite! | 10 |
| C | These cookies turned out very flat. Slightly crisp edges, reminded me of the cookies at Subway | 6 |
| D | Similar to C, but had more flavor! Chilling this dough did help with flavor for sure, but still flat | 7 |
| E | Really nice appearance! The cookies were too soft (no crisp edges) and the flavor was too artificial for my liking | 6 |
| F | Like E, but better flavor. Chilling this dough seemed to enhance the flavors a bit, but still too soft | 7 |
| G | Good appearance and texture. Flavor was a little flat and I missed the real butter flavor! | 8 |
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!
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!
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….
- 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!
- 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!!!)
- 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.
- 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 Variations
- Butterscotch Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Equipment
- Cookie Sheets
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter softened
- 1 1/4 cups brown sugar
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips + additional for topping or chunks
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F 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!
Did you by any chance try the Hilton Double Tree Inn knock-off recipe? It’s close to the standard except these additions: ground oatmeal, 1/2 tsp lemon juice, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1 full Tbsp vanilla & extra chocolate chips. Supposed to chill dough but I don’t. I am a very picky chocolate chip cookie girl & these are the BEST! I’ll happily share the recipe!
Hi Lynda! I don’t have that recipe….if you want to email it to me, I’d gladly take it! 🙂 ~Kelsey