The Best and Simplest Chocolate Chip Cookies
The name says it all. These chocolate chip cookies come together with basic ingredients, straightforward instructions, and look and taste like the classic chocolate chip cookie we all know and love.
Equipment
- Stand Mixer
- Baking Sheet
- Ice Cream Scoop (1 to 1½ Tablespoons in Size)
Ingredients
- 1 cup Salted Butter Room Temperature
- ¾ cup Light Brown Sugar Packed
- ½ cup Granulated Sugar
- 2 Large Eggs Room Temperature
- 2 tsps Vanilla Extract
- 1½ cups Bread Flour
- 1 cup All-Purpose Flour
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1 tsp Salt
- 12 ounces Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips / Bars
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ and line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a stand mixer beat on medium speed butter and the brown and granulated sugars together for approximately 5 minutes until creamy and slightly light and fluffy.
- Add eggs and vanilla extract to the butter and sugar mixture and mix on medium speed just until the eggs and vanilla are incorporated.
- In a separate bowl mix together the bread flour, all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the mixed dry ingredients into the sugar and butter mixture and blend on medium speed until just blended.
- If using chocolate bars, chop up the chocolate into desired sizing.
- Add the chopped chocolate or chocolate chips into the mixing bowl and stir gently on low speed or by hand just until chocolate is incorporated.
- Using a 1 to 1½ tablespoon sized ice cream scoop, scoop the dough into balls and place on the prepared baking sheet approximately 2 to 3 inches apart.
- Bake in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are beginning to brown.
- Once done baking allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for approximately 5 to 10 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Notes
- Storage: Once completely cooled, the cookies can be placed in an air tight container or baggie and stored on the countertop for around 5 days.
- Measurements: Be sure to measure your flour and sugars using a scale. If you do not have a scale measure the flour by spooning into your measuring cups and then level off the top. The brown sugar should be packed in the measuring cup and for weighing purposes. My scale currently does not have an option for grams which I would prefer but in ounces the measurements would be as follows: 1 1/2 cups Bread Flour (6.4 oz), 1 cup All-Purpose Flour (4.2 oz), 3/4 cup Light Brown Sugar (Packed) (5.2 oz), 1/2 cup Granulated Sugar (3.6 oz).
- Bake Time: Be sure not to overbake cookies if you want them to have a nice soft middle and crispy edges. Keep a close eye on the cookies. My oven seems to cook quickly so I generally only have to bake them for 8 minutes but depending on the size you choose to make your cookies and your oven you may need to go longer around 10 to 12 minutes.
- Temperature of Ingredients: The eggs and the butter need to both be room temperature. This allows the ingredients to mix better and provides a smooth cookie dough. Leave both the eggs and the butter out on the countertops for around 30 minutes to achieve this. The butter should allow a slight indentation if you push down with your fingers but not sink in or slip that would mean your butter is too warm. It should still be cool to the touch and not have a lot of give.
Chilling Dough: This recipe does not require the dough to be chilled, but what I like doing is baking cookies in batches and chilling the remaining dough. Once the baked cookies are cooled enough to put on a wire rack I will take the dough in the refrigerator out and do another batch and put the remaining dough back in the refrigerator, and so on until all the dough is gone. Chilling your dough makes the cookies a bit thicker as they spread less and can bring out more flavor. With that being said, chilling the dough is not necessary for this recipe, but if you want a richer and thicker cookie feel free to chill the dough. The dough can be chilled anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour or longer if you would like, but note that it will be harder to scoop and form the dough into balls the more chilled it is. If you have the refrigerator space, you can always go ahead and scoop the dough and form into balls and place on baking sheet and chill.
Dough Shape and Size: After I use the ice cream scoop I like to roll the cookie dough into a perfect ball before placing on the baking sheet to bake, but you can just use the scoop and directly place the cookies onto the baking sheet. This recipe makes a lot of cookies using the 1 1/2 tablespoon ice cream scoop, so if you want a few less but bigger cookies then you can do two 1 1/2 tablespoons rolled together. I like doing a few larger cookies in each batch just for some variety.
Egg Yolk Recipe: If you are looking for a slightly richer cookie with naturally less spread then replace the two large eggs with 3 large egg yolks only. The yolks contain more fat than the white of the egg and contribute more moisture leading to the richer taste, chewiness, and softer texture of the cookies. A decadent treat! (If you are not sure what to do with your egg whites I find that my husband and daughter enjoy them scrambled, but you can also find recipes that call for just egg whites. If you plan to make these cookies with just the egg yolks then this can be a great opportunity to plan out making a recipe needing egg whites.)