My Big, Fat, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
These Chocolate Chip Cookies are a chewy cookie studded with lots of chocolate chips. These tried and true cookies are one of my absolute favorites.
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Big Fat Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
It was Sunday night and I had to make cookies.
I have been on a cookie kick lately much to my husband’s detriment who is trying to lean up.
He has amazing self control but he even succumbed to these.
They kind of remind me of Paradise Bakery cookies except for they are BIG with a buttery taste.
These are regulars at our house.
WHAT MAKES A COOKIE CHEWY?
The secret is the melted butter which gives them that chewy texture.
WHAT MAKES COOKIES SOFT?
If you want soft cookies, you’ll want to try my other recipe Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies. They aren’t that much different than this recipe but definitely have more softness then chewiness because of the added ingredient of cornstarch.
HOW TO PROPERLY MEASURE FLOUR
In order to properly measure flour, fluff the flour so it’s not packed down and spoon the flour into the measuring cup. Level off the flour with a knife. If you scoop the flour with the measuring cup it packs down the flour and causes you to add too much to the dough.
HOW DO I MAKE COOKIES THICK?
You want to roll the balls of dough taller rather than wide. That makes for one thick cookie! Look how tall those balls of cookie dough are on the baking sheet above.
HIGH ALTITUDE BAKING
There is a great resource for high altitude baking here. There are various things you can do like increasing oven temperature, decreasing sugar, and increasing liquid.
For this recipe, I tried some of the variations. This recipe dough is fairly liquid already so I didn’t want to increase that and they aren’t incredibly sweet so I didn’t decrease the sugar. I tried baking at 25 degrees higher but liked my control group at 325 degrees better. The one change I did find helpful was to increase the flour. King Arthur Flour says this: “At 3,500 feet, add 1 more tablespoon per recipe. For each additional 1,500 feet, add one more tablespoon.” Since I’m at 5,000 ft I added 2 tablespoons of flour.
Look at the difference in the two cookies! Just by making that adjustment.
OTHER COOKIE RECIPES
- Salted Peanut Butter Pretzel Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake
- Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
- Salty Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Monster Cookies
- Chewy Coconut Lime Cookies
- Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- S’mores Cookies
- Sugar Cookies
- No-Bake Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake
My Big, Fat, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. If baking at high altitude, add 2 tablespoons of flour to the flour mixture.
- In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. If your butter was still hot when you added it your dough may be really wet at this point. Let it rest at room temperature for a couple of minutes if this is the case (or chill in the fridge until a little more solid) and then it will be cool enough to scoop into cookies.
- For big cookies, roll 1/4 cup balls of cookie dough and for small cookies roll 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough. Roll dough taller than wider. Bake, reversing position of cookie sheets halfway through baking, until cookies are light golden brown and outer edges start to harden yet centers are still soft and puffy, approximately 11-14 minutes for big cookie and 8-10 minutes for smaller cookies. Do not overbake. The cookies will continue to cook as they cool.
- Cool cookies on sheets until able to lift without breaking. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Notes
These are amazing. This is my go to recipe now. I double the recipe and make 2 doubled recipes in a day. Then I roll and freeze them. This lasts us months. I can pull them put any time and make as many as I want. Or make a bunch to take for a potluck. The only changes I made was that I use self rising flour and salted butter. Then eliminate baking soda and salt. I also use one bag semisweet and one bag white chocolate chips.
Ooh sounds delicious!!
I’ve been using this recipe for a couple years now, and everyone (myself included) absolutely loves these cookies! I am super meticulous about following recipes, and these turn out perfect everytime. Something about melting the butter first makes them so different from other recipes I’ve tried. Thanks for the recipe!
Thank you Rachel. I’m glad you love it!
It was really good but didn’t turn out right. They became flat for me, though they still tasted great.
Sorry. Not sure what happened.
I have found that the cookies flatten too much if the dough is not cold enough. Balling them and freezing them first works best for me. I’ve made them over and over. Perfect every time.
Made these cookies a few times and the first time I made them they did not turn out so great, but today I made them and they turned out perfect!! I let the unsalted butter sit out for a day, I also sifted the desired ingredients not once but three times. Baked them no longer than what what suggested and wala AMAZING!!!
Thank you so much. This is by far the best choc chip cookie i’ve ever
tried. Absolutely thrilled with the outcome.
This cookie recipe was delicious thank you for sharing
OMG so freaking good! I just made these and they are my new favorite cc cookie recipe. My batch made 10 huge cookies (a heaping 1\4 cup a piece!) that will probably be gone by morning lol. This is definitely my new go to. They were a little flat but I’m pretty sure that’s because my wimpy arms got tired and I didn’t beat the butter and sugars long enough lol.
Oh and I worried about the sweetness of these so I added 2tsp of almond extract to help balance it out and they were perfect!
Wow. Those are huge cookies! Wish I could see them.
I had such high hopes for these! Bad idea to melt the butter. I knew that going in, but trusted the recipe. Also, there were actually too many chocolate chips! Going to try again with some of my own tweaks.
Best.cookies.ever!!! I never ever write reviews, but had to about these. Wow! I’m a cookie lover and these are my absolute favorite. The ingredients and the method make them THE perfect chocolate chip cookie! I made them with my 4 year old yesterday and will be using this recipe for my girls’ birthday cookies in December (no cake allowed!)
Well I feel honored that you left a review. Thank you!
Omggggg best chocolate chip cookie recipe EVER!!!!
Thank you!
These were AMAZING!! One of THE best I’ve ever tried! Thanks for sharing šš
Thank you!
This is an awesome cookie recipe! If you follow the directions exactly, you will end up with a perfectly chewy, thick cookie with a hint of salt and the perfect amount of chocolate to keep you satisfied.
Thank you!
This recipe sounded amazing!! But for some reason my cookies came out flat as can be! My dough definitely did not look like yours pictured above. Perhaps I should’ve let the dough rest in the fridge for a few hours or over night? What do you think? So sad! But I’m sure they will still be tasty haha Thanks for sharing!
I figured it out. I used baking POWDER instead of SODA!!! =( Duhhh silly me!
THE PERFECT COOKIE!!! I added pecans….yummy!
This recipe has been my go to chocolate chip cookie recipe for years. The melted butter is the best part. No need to remember to take the butter out of the fridge prior to mixing these up. It’s just perfect.
Did you melt the butter completely? Like into a liquid?
Question, Is this one whole egg(with whites and yolk), and then just one egg yolk?
Yes, that’s correct!
Oh my goodness! These are soooo good! I don’t know how many cookies these are supposed to make, but I barely made 20. I probably made them way too big. But they were amazing!
Halfway through making them I realized my eggs were expired, so I used 1/3 cup applesauce and added some baking powder for the lift. They still turned out great.
So glad it still worked out for you! I usually make around that many too.
Best recipe for cookies I’ve found yet , made a batch for afternoon tea and the kids loved them , thanks for sharing !!! ššŖšŖšŖ
You’re welcome!
The cookies came out wonderful. I did melt the butter about 90% of the way, let it cool while prepping the ingredients, then beat it with the sugars until it was light and fluffy. I like recipes that call for melted butter because when I decide I want to bake cookies NOW, my frozen butter doesn’t hold up the process. I thought the tablespoon of vanilla was a typo but no one has mentioned a thing about it. I used 2 tsp instead and it was more than enough for my tastebuds – next time may use less although others like them just the way they are. I formed the dough tall like you suggested and they really came out nice. Thanks for a recipe that has appeared to stand the test of time.
The tablespoon of vanilla is not a typo. Trust me!
Mine were not gooey but came out flat! I have no idea where I went wrong. I usually blame it on my 9 yr old, but she didn’t help this time. LoL
Are you sure you measured the flour right? Cookies can be flat because of too much sugar or not enough flour.
I have been on the hunt for the perfect chocolate chip cookie. I really like this one since you don’t really have to plan ahead with the butter and the whole letting it sit out thing. My problem(s) is that they have come out different all 4 times I’ve made them. 1st time pretty good, just too chewy, like stale. 2nd time big but very pale and too crunchy. 3rd time very airy, like airpockers were actually in them, still crunchy. 4th time darker in color, too crunchy and still air pockets. I’ve tried different temps with the butter after melting but I’m just at a loss. HELP!!
Oh no! I can’t be sure because I’m not there but is your butter melted and cooled.
I noticed that if they are kept on the table for a few hours, they harden badly. I still have half of the uncooked dough, what should i do better next time?
Definitely keep them in an airtight container. Where do you live?
First off I want to say that this is an amazing recipe that has produced amazing results for me every time (with a few *tweaks) sometimes I add peanut butter to the dough before mixing through the chocolate chips for an even yummier results.
*just a note about step 3, to “cream” butter, you need to beat it for an extended period of time, incorporating air into it and bashing the fat molecules at high speed until they realign with the water molecules, the butter will turn almost white and will take on the appearance and texture of whipped cream, while creaming together butter and sugar is certainly a valid baking technique, used not only to dissolve sugar into fat but also for leavening, it is impossible to achieve with melted butter, as the fat has been turned into a liquid and will not trap air.
I was quite confused when I first used this recipe, but have tried it both ways (melted butter with the sugar, and creaming cold butter with the sugar) found the best results come from omitting the “melt the butter” step.
Thank you for your knowledge. I appreciate it. I’ll have to try it your way.
These were amazing! My husband told me to keep this recipe handy, because the thought they were “delightful.” I have been looking for a great chocolate chip cookie recipe and this one definitely is it. Thanks for sharing!
** My dough was goeey too, but I let it sit for about 15 minutes then gave it another quick mix and THEN added the chips. It was fine and rollable at that point.
Great tip Lisa!! Glad he loved him!
I have these in the oven right now..i’m on the search to find an amazing cookie recipe. I melted the butter on the stove top and allowed it to cool completely..longer than i actually intended so i liquified it but didn’t get it hot. creamed the sugars and butter. sifted the flour. it’s an extra step but i figure recipes say it for a reason. My batter has been super easy to work with..batter-y but not runny/gooey like some commenters described. they are looking delish! timer going off now! . . . oh these look beautiful! can’t wait to taste it
Sounds delicious! I actually have a batch in the oven right now.
My biggest issue with making large batches of cookies is that I can never seem to store them properly. Any suggestions?
You should store them in a tupperware or something airtight. You can also freeze them but mine never get that far.
Any suggestions for high altitude baking? my cookies always come out flat.
Oi. I would be lying if I told you I had tips. King Arthur Flour is a reliable source and give tips here: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html
I thought I’ve found my CC cookie recipe already 2 years ago, until I’ve tried yours and made it on nye. They are so so delicioso, not so sweet, perfect if I may. Everyone in the house including my husband who’s not a fan of cookies, said by far the best I made.
Thank you so much. I’m making them again today, everyone is waiting for them already.
You’re so welcome. SO happy to hear that.
I made these cookies today and they were a hit. I added walnut pieces, white chocolate chips and 2 different chocolate chips. If you follow the directions, your cookies will be perfect.
Thank you,
I’m making these for Christmas gifts.
Thank yoU!!!
Try melting the butter in the microwave at 12 second intervals instead of the stove top to avoid making it too hot. My dough was not runny at all.
Excellent cookie!
These are the most perfect chocolate chip cookies! I made them and they were exactly what I was looking for!! Thanks you so much!!!!
You're welcome!Hi,
Do you think I could use solid shortening for these ? I do not have butter and if so would I still melt it ?
Thanks
Shortening will give you a different texture. You do not have to melt it though. It won’t make a difference.
I rarely leave reviews but had to because these were so fabulous. I consider myself to be a pretty good baker (although not like you course!) and have tried many chocolate chip cookie recipes and this has been the best. Just a little crispy on the outside and chewy in the middle– and get this– I had to use half a cup of whole wheat flour instead of white flour and they were still amazing. Ditching my other chocolate chip cookies recipes for this one. Great work.
So glad to hear that!!
Love, Love, Love this recipe just made them. Better than the toll house recipe I always make. Going to switch to this one from now on. Thank you for the recipe. I didn’t do no sifting, I used a scoop # 40 to scoop my dough onto a pan. Just made and baked no refrigerator time. Turned out very good for me.
Thanks. I tend to skip chilling time too because I’m impatient!
Excellent cookies, the absolute best!!
Thank you!
My batter turned out great maybe the butter was measured incorrectly cause 3/4 cup is stick and a half.
I added raisins to mine cause I only had almost a cup oh chips. Can’t wait, putting them in hubbies lunch for surprise. .. Also I can’t wait to dip them in my morning coffee yay treat to me!!!
Thanks for recipe!
Verdict the cookies were amazing. I did 12 to a sheet and I forgot how cookies spread out but it wasn’t bad. I have a gas stove so I did it at 340Ā° to ensure to bake enough for 13 min.
Now I’m really looking forward to my morning coffee
RECOMMEND! !!!!!!
Thank you!!!
Made these with my toddler helper today, they came out perfect and beautiful! We only had 1 cup of chocolate chips left after this weeks pancakes so we added 1 cup of peanut butter chips. Delicious! My new go to cookie recipe for sure!
Well peanut butter chips were probably amazing. Good thinking.
These cookies look irresistible. Forgive me for mentioning this, but you referred to your ‘husband’s demise.’ Demise refers to someone’s death. You may want to correct that if your husband is still living and eating your delicious food.
Thanks! I will keep that in mind. Haha.
I have to admit, this is by far the best cookie recipe I have ever made! I’ve made it around 5 times and each time it turns out amazing! I’ve spent 5 years looking for a good recipe and I find an amazing one! Thank you alot for this delicious recipe!!
You’re welcome. I’m so glad you love it!
Two things, THANK YOU! AND FINALLY! I have tried recipe after recipe and have never been too satisfied. I saw this recipe and read the comments so thought I’d give it a try. I was assuming it would be just like all the others, just not too great but I loved them! I’m going to hold on to this recipe for when it’s time for cookies.
I love hearing that Natasha!!
I have made the batter or the cookie sheet and they already smell good! What an amazing sign!
Hope you love them!
Hello, I’m french and I would like to cook your cookies. I wondered if you could tell me the weight in gram of a cup.
Thanks.
VĆ©ronique.
Here. Hope this helps:
http://www.convertunits.com/from/cups/to/grams
Great cookies! Been looking for the right recipe for a long time, and this is IT! Thanks for sharing! Greetings from Argentina šš¦š·
Laura
Oh thank you! Hello and welcome Laura.
Waaaaaaaaay too sweet! They turned out fine with just a third of the suggested amount.
These are the best chocolate chip cookies ever….nothing compares at all to these! They turned out PERFECT and my family and I are soooooooo in love!
Thank you!
Thank you! I agree.
OMG….I Mean OMG….these are by far the absolute best chocolate chip cookies I have ever made!!!!! I have been making regular chocolate chip cookies all my life, and have gotten so bored with them and so have my children! I have finally found my love….me and my family’s most favorite EVER! WOW! Thank you soo much!
You are so welcome! thank you!
These were so good!! I really liked them and so has everyone else I made them for. Do you know how I would be able to make them into Peanut Butter chocolate chip and keep the softness and thickness of the cookie?
I would maybe just add peanut butter chips or a little bit of peanut butter. I haven’t tried it so I can’t be sure.
Made these and my husband said, “This is a different recipe. These are really good though.”
When he keeps going back for more I know to make it a favorite. Easy to follow and not a million ingredients with ooh-la-la chocolate chips galore!
Thank you! I love them too!
I made these today! Oh, Wow!!!!! These are so good!!
Thank you!
You are welcome!
Made exactly as written. Hands down the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever made. Now my go-to! Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Thank you for your kind words!
I have been looking for the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe for so long. This is it!!! I love that these don’t have to be refrigerated and can be made quickly. Their name fits these cookies perfectly š
Thank you!
These are the best ever- made with peanut butter and milk chocolate chips together- fabulous!
Yum. I love the idea of that.
Just made these and they are amazing! I used a smaller cookie scoop though and baked for 11 minutes because if I made the bigger ones I would have to eat the whole thing. š I have been looking for a recipe that was less cake like answer a bit more chewy and these are perfect.
So glad you loved them!
Made these yestursday they where great!! Perfect Chocolate chip cookies!!
Thank you!
I can’t seem to find how many dozen tis recipe makes. Please do tell : )
About 2 1/2 depending on how big you make them.
I Added one package of Instant pudding mix to this recipe and baked the cookies at 350 degrees fernheit for 12 minutes delicious cookiesšŖ
I am 63 and have made lots of cookiesāŗļø This is my favorite now. They look just like the picture! My 7 year old grandson introduced me to someone recently then added “and she makes REALLY good chocolate chip cookies.” Thanks for sharing!
Glad you can be a rockstar in the kitchen!
I love this recipe , just made some this morning. it really is the best chocolate cookie recipe I have ever made..
but the 2 cups of chocolate chips is WAY to much I think, first time i made it I only used 1 cup and thought that was too much. this time i used 1/2 cup of mini chips and thought it was perfect…but I guess if you Love chocolate chips its good…
Thank you for sharing this recipe, its the best..
Thanks for the feedback Norma!
This recipe is PERFECT!!! I have been looking for a good recipe for years! This one was beyond amazing! Thanks alot! š
Thank you!
These were amazing! I made them for the first time today and I was completely blown away!! Very chocolate-y, but not too sweet, just right; soft on the inside but a line of crunchiness on the outside. Wonderful recipe.. 5 stars
I almost forgot! The 2nd time I made these I didn’t realize I had run out of vanilla so I scoured pinterest for a substitute. Maple syrup was suggested and all I had was Aunt Jemima Original Syrup (is it maple? I have no clue the label doesn’t specify) & it didn’t make a difference to the outcome. Still the perfect cookie. š
Hands down, best cookie ever. When it came time for the melted butter I was a bit nervous due to the comments, so I used the warmer on my stove top at the 3rd level of warmth instead of the microwave or in a saucepan. This melted about 1/3 of the butter at a very low heat and softened the rest in a glass Pyrex dish. It was perfect!
I’ve made them as instructed and also with chocolate chips, walnuts & heath toffee bits. I’ve done chocolate & Reeses peanut butter chips too and this recipe has come through each time. What I would like to do now is add in cocoa powder to make them darker but I’m not sure how to go about that. Do I need to reduce the flour? Anyhoo, once again, great recipe!
Thank you!
OMG!!! These are the best! I love these.They taste great right from the oven. I usually prefer my chocolate chip cookie cold so I can savor the entire cookie without the chocolate overwhelming the cookie. A perfect cookie nice, thick and chewy. One substitute: I only had a bag of Nestle mini chocolate chips, reduced to one cup of chips. Glad I did the cookies are really loaded with mini chips, in my world a plus.
How many cookies does this recipe make?
Around 2 dozen.
Can you tell me what I did wrong? My cookies came out very flat even though I made them tall not wide. They still taste amazing though.
It could be not enough flour? are your ingredients fresh?
I followed this recipe but didn’t sift. Also only used 1/2 cup of butter after reading too gooey dough reviews. Cooked 10 min or each side so total of 20 min at 325. Bottom line, BEST chocolate chip cookies I’ve had or made!!!
My mix came out extremely dry
Did you make sure to spoon your flour when measuring instead of scooping? Too much flour will make them dry.
How many cookies does this recipe make?
Hello! I made these today and got a total of 20 cookies. Not sure if I made them correctly since it’s my first time baking these cookies.
About 2 dozen depending how big you make them.
I have been making this exact recipe since 1996. Love it & people always love them. I originally got my recipe out of Sunset magazine. I can’t remember the month. But I believe it was 1996. For me I always double the recipe. The cookies seem to be better.
Thanks for sharing the recipe
Thanks for the feedback! Glad to know it’s tried and true.
I made these this weekend and was very hesitant because of the melted butter method, but they turned out great! I let the butter sit a little after melting it so it wasn’t completely clear and I think that helped the batter not be too gooey. Definitely don’t bake these for more than 11-12 minutes, the trays I baked longer are not very chewy. Overall a win! I will make these again.
Thanks for the tips!
Waaaay to sweet!
I like sweet but these are crazy sweet!
Hmm. Not sure. I guess we all have different tastebuds.
Made these just as recommended, cooled butter, shifted flour and all and they came out perfect. Taking to a dinner tonight so we will see the results š
Hope they were a hit!
Best cookies ever!! So flavorful and moist, chewy, soft, whichever you prefer to say it! Mine took a bit longer to make, but it may be just because I made them bigger. Thank you so much for your post!
You’re welcome!
I have to admit I was nervous!! I adore cookies but have never had much luck. These cookies turned out perfectly!! Just like the pics! And totally delicious! I finally found the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe. Thank youš
You’re welcome!
I’m afraid I didn’t really care for this one, but it’s always fun to try new recipes! Maybe if I’d done what I usually do and add some peanut butter, they might have tasted better. I just didn’t find them very flavorful. Thanks for sharing, though.
Thank you for this recipe! I made these for our family Christmas party this year, and everyone loved them! Everyone in my family has always raved over my Sister’s chocolate chip cookies, but once she tasted these, she resigned herself as the chocolate chip cookie queen!
Haha. Glad I could help.
Easy & AMAZING! I used half semi-sweet & half milk chocolate chips. This is my new go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe.
Glad you liked it!
These cookies are awesome! I made them in my one-bowl lazy way (cream butter and sugars – not melted!, add the wet ingredients then the dry without sifting) and they still turned out amazing. Made the dough into little cylinders twice as high as they were wide, and they bake down into delicious cookies with a crispy thin edge, and a huge mound of chewy, soft cookie in the centre. YUM! This will be my go-to recipe from now on!
Maybe you meant to use the word “dispair” about how your husband reacted…. “Demise” means death!