The Best Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

If you’ve ever craved bakery-style cookies with soft, tender centers and gooey chocolate in every bite, these are absolutely The Best Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies you can make at home. Their irresistible texture comes from a perfectly balanced mix of butter, sugar, and just a touch of cornstarch, resulting in treats that stay soft long after they cool. Whether you’re baking for a celebration or just looking for comfort with your next cup of coffee, this recipe delivers nostalgic, crowd-pleasing magic every single time.

this Recipe

Ingredients You’ll Need

Every ingredient in The Best Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies brings something special to the party. Simple, familiar staples work together to create a cookie that’s golden on the edges, luscious in the middle, and packed with melty chocolate bits.

• Unsalted butter (1 cup, softened): Provides richness and a tender crumb—the key to chewy cookies! Make sure it’s softened for easy creaming.
• Brown sugar (1 cup, packed): Supplies deeper flavor and moisture, keeping the cookies beautifully soft.
• Granulated sugar (1/2 cup): Adds sweetness and helps the cookies spread just enough in the oven.
• Large eggs (2): Act as the binding agents, giving structure and a little lift.
• Vanilla extract (2 teaspoons): Infuses every bite with classic, fragrant warmth.
• All-purpose flour (2 1/4 cups): The sturdy backbone that holds everything together without making the cookies dense.
• Baking soda (1 teaspoon): Lends just the right amount of rise and keeps cookies from turning cakey.
• Salt (1/2 teaspoon): Balances the sweetness and amplifies all the flavors.
• Cornstarch (2 teaspoons): The secret to extra-soft and chewy centers—don’t skip it!
• Semisweet chocolate chips (2 cups): The star of the show, delivering gooey pockets of chocolate throughout the cookie.

How to Make The Best Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Step 1: Preheat the Oven and Prepare Your Baking Sheets

Begin by setting your oven to 350°F so it has plenty of time to heat up evenly. Grab a couple of baking sheets and line them with parchment paper—this ensures your cookies won’t stick and helps them bake to golden perfection.

Step 2: Cream the Butter and Sugars

In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter together with the packed brown sugar and granulated sugar. Keep mixing for a few minutes until the mixture becomes light and fluffy, almost mousse-like in texture. This step introduces air into the base, making your cookies thick and tender.

Step 3: Add Eggs and Vanilla

Add in your eggs one at a time, making sure the first is thoroughly beaten in before adding the second. Pour in the vanilla extract as well. This is where the cookies start to smell downright irresistible—don’t be surprised if you find yourself sneaking a taste!

Step 4: Mix Dry Ingredients

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cornstarch. This might seem like a tiny extra step, but it means your baking soda and cornstarch get distributed evenly, a must for the chewy texture The Best Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies are famous for.

Step 5: Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients

Gradually add the dry mixture to the wet, stirring gently with a spatula or on the lowest mixer speed. The key is to stop mixing as soon as the flour disappears—overmixing is the enemy of chewy cookies!

Step 6: Add the Chocolate Chips

Dump in all those glorious chocolate chips and fold them through the dough until evenly distributed. If you love variety, try mixing in some chocolate chunks, too—they give you little pockets of molten chocolate in every bite.

Step 7: Scoop the Dough and Bake

Using a tablespoon or cookie scoop, portion out balls of dough and place them about 2 inches apart on your baking sheets. This spacing prevents them from running into each other as they bake. Pop them in the oven and bake for 9 to 11 minutes—just until the edges are golden and the centers look a little soft. That underbaked look is the ticket to chewy heaven!

Step 8: Cool and Enjoy

Let your cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before gently transferring them to a wire rack. This little rest allows the centers to set up to that dreamy, chewy texture. Now, all that’s left is to pour a glass of milk and dig in!

How to Serve The Best Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Garnishes

For a little flourish, sprinkle your cookies with a pinch of flaky sea salt right after baking. It melts slightly into the chocolate pools and delivers the sweet-salty balance everyone loves. If you want a bakery-finish, press a few extra chocolate chips into the tops while they’re still warm.

Side Dishes

Pairing The Best Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies with other snacks or beverages brings out their best. A cold glass of milk is a classic, but try them with vanilla ice cream for an instant dessert. Coffee, chai lattes, or even a cold brew also make the melted chocolate pop.

Creative Ways to Present

Build a cookie tower for a birthday surprise, tuck a few into parchment bags for homemade gifts, or use these beauties to make ice cream sandwiches. Arrange The Best Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies on a wooden board with sliced fruit and nuts for a playful dessert “charcuterie.”

Make Ahead and Storage

Storing Leftovers

Keep any leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature—this helps lock in their signature chewiness. They’ll stay fresh for up to five days, making them perfect for baking ahead or packing into lunchboxes.

Freezing

You can freeze both the baked cookies and the unbaked dough! Place baked cookies in a freezer bag for up to three months. For dough, scoop balls onto a tray and freeze until solid, then transfer to a bag. This way, you’re just minutes away from fresh-baked cookies any time a craving hits.

Reheating

Pop a cookie in the microwave for about 10 seconds to bring back that just-baked warmth and meltiness. If you’re reheating several, a few minutes in a 300°F oven will wake them right up without drying them out.

FAQs

Can I use salted butter instead of unsalted?

Yes, you can use salted butter in a pinch! Just reduce the added salt in the recipe by half to balance the flavors in The Best Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Why add cornstarch to chocolate chip cookies?

Cornstarch is the secret weapon for softness, creating a more tender bite and helping these cookies retain their chewiness for days.

What’s the benefit of chilling the dough?

Chilling the dough helps prevent the cookies from spreading too much and results in a thicker, chewier texture. For The Best Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies, a 30-minute chill works wonders if you have the time.

Can I mix different kinds of chocolate?

Absolutely! Mixing chocolate chips and chunks, or trying dark, milk, or even white chocolate, adds extra bursts of flavor and melty pockets throughout your cookies.

My cookies look underbaked in the middle. Is that okay?

Yes, that’s exactly what you want! Take The Best Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies out when the centers look slightly underdone—they’ll finish setting as they cool, giving you that perfect chewy bite.

Final Thoughts

There’s nothing quite like the comfort and nostalgia of biting into The Best Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies, still warm and gooey from the oven. I hope you’re inspired to whip up a batch soon and share them with your favorite people—or maybe just keep a stash all to yourself. Enjoy every chewy, chocolatey bite!

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