Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
This is the famous Toll House chocolate chip cookie recipe that you know and love, but made better with some cookie baking tips and tricks I’ve learned over the years! What does that mean, exactly? Sure, you can go ahead and make the original Toll House chocolate chip cookie recipe and make some *pretty good* cookies. But what if I told you that, with a little bit of extra work and patience, you could make the cookies even better??? Intrigued yet?
But first, let’s talk about why I’m sharing this very famous cookie recipe as opposed to one of my own. A few weeks ago, I read and shared this fun Eater article about the joy of cooking recipes from the back of ingredient boxes and packages. I asked if you guys would be interested in a series exploring those recipes for Hummingbird High. Many of you responded with an enthusiastic yes! It’s no surprise—many of us grew up with back-of-the-box recipes. They are a source of comfort and joy.
But instead of simply reposting those same recipes, I also wanted to find ways to make them my own. I haven’t defined what that means exactly. But I do have a general game plan: try a handful of back-of-the-box recipes (let me know if you recommend any!), and share the ones that are worthwhile. Maybe that means I’ll be sharing the original recipe as it is; maybe I’ll make a few modifications here and there to “elevate” them and make them my own. We’ll see, we’ll see.
Now let’s talk about the Toll House chocolate chip cookie recipe:
The Fictional History of The Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
There’s a myth floating around that chocolate chip cookies were invented by accident. The most common story is this: in 1930, a woman named Ruth Graves Wakefield and her husband ran the Toll House Inn on Route 18 near Whitman, Massachusetts. Ruth, a dietician and home economist trained by the Framingham State Normal School Department of Household Arts, prepared all the food for the guests at the inn. She soon became renowned for baked goods like sticky pecan biscuits, Indian pudding, and Boston cream pie. These baked goods had celebrity fans—John Kennedy Senior apparently regularly ordered Ruth’s brownies for his kids, and Duncan Hines (yes, that Duncan Hines!) was partial to Ruth’s Indian pudding and lemon meringue pie.
One night, Ruth decided to bake a batch of Chocolate Butter Drop Do cookies, a popular old colonial recipe. However, in the middle of baking, she discovered that she was missing one of the recipe’s key ingredients—baker’s chocolate. So in its place, she chopped up a batch of Nestle semi-sweet chocolate. She figured that the chocolate would melt into the cookie like baker’s chocolate. But of course, that’s not what happened. The chocolate pieces retained their individual shapes, which were studded throughout each cookie. And so Ruth had inadvertently created the world’s first chocolate chip cookie.
It’s a cute story, right? But unfortunately, it’s not true.
I know. I was bummed too. But here’s the real story:
The REAL History of the Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
According to both The New Yorker and The Toast, the truth is much more boring. It turns out that Ruth, a talented recipe developer and pastry chef, specifically developed a chocolate chip studded cookie to pair with ice cream. The resulting recipe was featured on the incredibly popular The Betty Crocker Cooking School of the Air radio program. According to this Business Insider article, this feature on the radio program caused the recipe to explode in popularity and become a household favorite across the country. A few years later, Ruth published the Toll House Tried and True Recipes cookbook (containing her signature cookie recipe, natch), cementing the chocolate chip cookie’s place in history.
And because of the recipe’s popularity, sales of Nestle semi-sweet chocolate skyrocketed. Nestle struck a deal with Ruth to include her popular recipe on their chocolate labels. In addition to including her recipe on their labels, Nestle began making changes to make their chocolate more suited to her recipe. Things like scoring the chocolate bars to make them easier to cut, and including a special chocolate chopper for people to use to make chocolate chips. Finally, in 1939, Nestle introduced conveniently pre-chopped chocolate: Nestle’s Toll House Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels. And yes, these are the very same chocolate chips that both you and I know and use in our kitchens today.
The Original Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
Interestingly, Ruth’s chocolate chip cookie recipe remained unchanged on Nestle’s products until 1979. Her original recipe used shortening instead of butter, as well as a splash of hot water (according to The Toast, the hot water was used to help activate the baking soda). You can see the original recipe over on Wikipedia. Ruth’s original recipe also instructed bakers to use a ½-teaspoon measure to scoop out the cookies; as a result, the recipe made small, thick, and crunchy cookies.
However, in 1979, Nestle’s contract with Ruth expired. Nestle then decided to “modernize” the recipe with a few updates. They replaced the shortening with butter, ditched the hot water completely, and instructed bakers to use a 1-Tablespoon measure to scoop out the cookies instead. The new recipe resulted in chocolate chip cookies that were larger, thicker, and chewier. These updates were so popular and well-received that this updated recipe is STILL the exact same recipe you get on Nestle products today. Cool, right?
Why You Should Make This Version Of The Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
Now that you’ve learned all about the history behind the famous Toll House chocolate chip cookie recipe, let’s talk about why you should make MY take on the recipe.
My version of the Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe instructs you to toast the nuts.
Toasting nuts brings out more flavorful oils within the nuts themselves, leading to deeper flavors. You also improve their texture by adding snap and crunchiness.
My version of the Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe instructs you to melt the butter.
The original Toll House chocolate chip cookie recipe instructs you to cream the butter together with the sugars. However, my recipe instructs you to melt the butter first before mixing it in with the sugars. I found that doing so creates a wonderfully fudgy cookie with dense and ever-so-slightly doughy centers. Plus, you get to save yourself some time since there’s no waiting for the butter to come to room temperature.
My version of the Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe instructs you to use chopped chocolate instead of chocolate chips.
If you read my cookbook, Weeknight Baking, you probably know that I have a grudge against chocolate chips. Why? Most chocolate chips are made with cheap chocolate. The chocolate chips are pumped with additives like paraffin wax and palm oil to help them keep their shape even after being baked in the oven. These additives compromise the chocolate chips’ flavor and texture, making them taste waxy.
Thankfully, most “good” chocolate bars don’t suffer from this issue. Chocolate bars traditionally don’t use the same additives. So instead of using chocolate chips, I instruct you to chop up a “good quality” chocolate bar into ½- and 1-inch pieces. Instead of holding its shape like chocolate chips, the chopped chocolate melts and gives the cookies pockets and puddles of chocolate throughout each bite. Once you’ve tried this upgrade, you can’t ever go back.
But what’s a “good quality” chocolate bar? If you’re on a budget, Trader Joe’s Pound Plus and Ghirardelli baking bars will do the trick. If you want to splurge (and I recommend you do), I recommend upgrading to Guittard or Valrhona chocolate bars or discs. Learn more in the Ingredients section below!
My version of the Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe instructs you to chill the cookie dough overnight before baking.
In general, most cookie doughs freeze and refrigerate wonderfully. Furthermore, there’s research that states that “resting” your cookie dough by chilling or freezing will lead to more delicious cookies. Why? The extra time in the freezer/refrigerator allows the flour and sugar to absorb more flavors from the other ingredients in the dough. The resulting cookies have subtle butterscotch, caramel, and toffee flavors in them. So for little to no extra effort on your part, you end up with better cookies. Pretty amazing, right?
My version of the Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe instructs you to bake the cookies at a lower temperature.
The original Toll House chocolate chip cookie recipe instructs you to bake the cookies at 375℉. However, I found that doing so resulted in cookies that were far too crunchy on the bottom. I like some crisp/crunch in my cookies, but only around the edges. To me, the ideal cookie is still fudgy and soft in the middle. To achieve this texture, I lowered the baking temperature in my version of the recipe. Baking at a lower temperature makes the cookies spread out more (they stayed a little puffy at the original temperature), with perfectly crisp and crinkled edges.
Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe Ingredients and Substitutions
Now that I’ve convinced you to make my version of the Toll House chocolate chip cookie recipe, here’s your shopping list for the recipe:
Shopping List for My Elevated Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
- nuts (preferably walnuts)
- all-purpose flour
- baking soda
- kosher salt
- dark OR light brown sugar
- unsalted butter
- large eggs
- pure vanila extract
- dark (between 60 to 70% cacao) chocolate (preferably from a high-quality chocolate bar)
And let’s talk about some of the key ingredients:
Nuts
The Toll House chocolate chip cookie recipe uses 1 cup chopped nuts to make the cookies.
The Best Nuts To Use In The Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
I tried the original Toll House chocolate chip cookie recipe and my version of it with a variety of nuts: almonds, hazelnuts, macadamias, pistachios, pecans, and walnuts. My absolute favorite—and the one I recommend in my recipe below—were the cookies with walnuts.
Do I have to use walnuts in this Toll House chocolate chip cookie recipe? Can I use another type of nut instead?
Yep, absolutely! You can use whatever nuts you prefer. Although walnuts were my favorite in the recipe, both hazelnuts and pecans came in at a close second.
Can I mix and match the walnuts with other nuts in this Toll House chocolate chip cookie recipe?
Yep, absolutely! You can use whatever mix of nuts you want, as long as the total volume equals 1 cup. If you want a classic flavor, I recommend pairing ½ cup pecans and ½ cup walnuts.
Do I even have to use nuts in this Toll House chocolate chip cookie recipe?
Nope! I’ve made the Toll House chocolate chip cookie recipe and my version of it below without any nuts. It’s just as delicious (or, maybe even more so, since I usually prefer my chocolate chip cookies without any nuts, lol). So if you want to skip the nuts, do it! There’s no need to replace the nuts with anything. You can simply omit from the recipe. However, if you’re feeling wild, you can replace the 1 cup of nuts with an extra 1 cup of chopped chocolate! But let me warn you now—it’s a LOT of chocolate (and this is coming from one of the world’s biggest chocolate lovers).
Brown Sugar
The Toll House chocolate chip cookie recipe uses ¾ cup tightly packed brown sugar to make the cookies.
Light versus Dark Brown Sugar
Brown sugar is granulated white sugar with a touch of molasses to give it its signature color and flavor. Because brown sugar contains molasses, it adds more moisture baked goods than granulated sugar otherwise would. Brown sugar is available in two varieties: light or dark. Dark brown sugar is my personal preference; because it contains more molasses, I find it to be more flavorful. However, you can use either in this Toll House chocolate chip cookie recipe without altering its flavor too much.
Can I use coconut sugar instead of brown sugar?
Sadly, no. These cookies are leavened by baking soda. What does that mean, exactly? Leaveners are the ingredients in baking recipes that responsible for making the baked goods rise. They do so by reacting with other ingredients to create bubbles in batters and doughs. The reaction is usually activated when an acidic ingredient is mixed an alkaline ingredient, and/or the heat from the oven.
In this Toll House chocolate chip cookie recipe, the baking soda reacts with brown sugar (which is slightly acidic, thanks to the molasses in it) to give the cookies their signature chewy texture. Unfortunately, coconut sugar does not have this same acidic quality and has a neutral pH level similar to that of granulated white sugar.
What does that mean for your Toll House chocolate chip cookies? If you use coconut sugar instead of brown sugar in this recipe, your cookies will likely be flatter and spread far more than mine. It might still be tasty, but I can’t wholeheartedly recommend it.
Dark Chocolate
My version of the Toll House chocolate chip cookie recipe uses 12 ounces of chopped dark chocolate to make the cookies.
The Best Chocolate To Use In The Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
For my version of the Toll House chocolate chip cookie recipe, I used this Valrhona Caraïbe chocolate bar, which 66% cacao. In general, for this recipe, I recommend using a dark chocolate that is between 62% and 73% cacao. If you can’t find the Valrhona chocolate I recommended, other great alternatives include: Divine 70% Bittersweet Baking Bar, Ghirardelli Bittersweet 60% Cacao Chocolate OR Ghirardelli Extra Bittersweet 70% Cacao Chocolate, Guittard Semisweet Chocolate Baking Bar with 64% Cacao OR Guittard Bittersweet Chocolate Baking Bar with 70% Cacao, and finally, Trader Joe’s Pound Plus 72% Cacao Dark Chocolate. If you like your chocolate a little sweeter, I recommend using Divine 55% Semisweet Baking Bar, too. I also recommend mixing and matching chocolates with different percentages—like using a combo of Guittard’s Semisweet and Bittersweet chocolate bars together—for a more nuanced, layered cookie.
Bittersweet versus Semisweet versus Dark Chocolate
You’ll notice that all the chocolate I recommended above has specific cacao percentages. That’s because I typically avoid any chocolate that’s labeled “bittersweet” or “semisweet” without providing specific percentages. Why? In the United States, there’s no official benchmark for each designation. It’s up to manufacturers to determine how much cocoa to use, and percentages will vary greatly from brand to brand. Technically, both bittersweet and semisweet chocolate are considered dark chocolate… but you never know. Because of this, I advise you to ignore these bars and stick with the ones above that list their cocoa percentages fo you know what you’re getting.
Do I really need to chop chocolate for this Toll House chocolate chip cookie recipe? Can I use chocolate chunks or chocolate chips instead?
Honestly, yes. You can use chocolate chunks or chocolate chips in this recipe. Your cookies will still taste good. However, the whole point of this recipe is to elevate the original Toll House chocolate chip cookie… and a big part of that is using chopped chocolate. But you do you!
Can I use chocolate baking discs like Guittard wafers or Valrhona fèves in this Toll House chocolate chip cookie recipe instead?
Absolutely! In fact, I actually recommend using them in almost all my cookie recipes. I like the way that they melt into puddles in cookies. You can see what I mean in this recipe for Vegan Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies and these Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups. If using baking discs, there’s no need to chop them up! You can simply leave them as is to get that chocolate puddle effect throughout the cookie.
Can I use milk or white chocolate in this Toll House chocolate chip cookie recipe instead?
Yes, with reservations. Either chopped milk or white chocolate works well and tastes good in this recipe. However, the cookies tend to stay a little puffy? To remedy this issue, after scooping the dough into cookie dough balls and before baking, give the cookies a gentle pat to squish them slightly. Doing so will help the cookies flatten out as they bake.
Can I use unsweetened (100% cacao) chocolate in this Toll House chocolate chip cookie recipe instead?
No, please don’t. Unsweetened chocolate is 100% cacao, with no added sugar. On its own, its quite bitter and will make your cookies taste that way, too. Furthermore, sugar helps the cookies spread in the oven. Without the sugar from the chocolate, your cookies will likely stay rounded and puffy.
How To Make The Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe From Scratch
Here are the basic steps to make my elevated recipe for Toll House chocolate chip cookies from scratch:
First, prep your ingredients.
- First, toast the nuts. (Work Time: 5 to 10 minutes)
These Toll House chocolate chip cookies are made with toasted nuts. Like I said above, toasting the nuts releases oils that rejuvenates the nuts and makes them more flavorful! The easiest way to toast nuts is to spread them in a thin layer on a sheet pan and bake in the oven until fragrant and lightly toasted. - Next, prep the rest of the ingredients for the cookie dough. (Prep Time: 10 minutes)
The best way to prep the ingredients for these cookies is to start by melting the butter. I recommend doing so in a small sauce pan on the stove top over low heat. As it melts slowly, chop up the chocolate and nuts. Then, prep the rest of the ingredients for the cookies. I like to measure out the flour, baking soda, and salt in a smaller bowl, then the sugars in the big bowl that I’ll eventually use for mixing the dough.
Then, make and chill the cookie dough.
- Make the cookie dough. (Work Time: 5 minutes)
The cookie dough comes together really, really quickly. First, whisk together the dry ingredients. Then, whisk together the melted butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla. Stir in the dry ingredients, then the chocolate and nuts. That’s it! - Next, scoop the cookie dough into cookie dough balls and prep for chilling. (Work Time: 5 minutes)
The fastest and easiest way to portion cookie dough is with a cookie dough scoop. Most cookie recipes work best with either a 3-Tablespoon cookie dough scoop (my personal fave for cookie recipes!) or a 4-Tablespoon cookie dough scoop. Use the scoop to portion the dough into cookie dough balls, placing the cookie dough balls on a lined sheet pan as you go. - Chill overnight.
Once you’ve scooped the cookie dough onto the pan, loosely cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate in the fridge overnight. Alternatively, you can freeze them for baking later—check out the FAQ below for more instructions on how to do so!
Finally, prep and bake the cookies.
- Prep the cookies for baking. (Prep Time: <5 minutes)
Before doing anything else, line two sheet pans with parchment paper. Take the cookies out of the refrigerator and place them on the sheet pans at least 3 inches apart. Then, position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat it to 350℉. Leave the cookies out at room temperature while the oven preheats—doing so thaws the cookies slightly and will ensure that they spread properly when baked! - Bake the cookies. (Bake Time: 10 minutes)
You need to bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the edges and bottoms of the cookies have set and feel firm to the touch. The centers should still look a little doughy—that’s totally normal, I promise! It’s the secret to perfectly chewy centers.
Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe Troubleshooting and FAQ
FAQ: Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe Techniques
Do I have to toast the nuts in this Toll House chocolate chip cookie recipe?
In the first step of the recipe below, I instruct you to toast your nuts in the oven. Honestly, you can skip this step to save time, but your cookies likely won’t be as good and flavorful as mine. Why? Toasting nuts brings out more flavorful oils within the nuts themselves, leading to deeper flavors. You also improve their texture by adding snap and crunchiness. If you skip this step, you’ll be sacrificing flavor and texture in your cookies!
Many stores sell “roasted” nuts. These are technically nuts that have already been toasted. However, the longer they sit, the staler and less flavorful they become. So even if you have roasted nuts on hand, I suggest that you toast them anyway. You may want to toast for less time than what’s listed in the recipe below—I’d start checking for doneness at the 5 minute mark.
I’m way too impatient to wait for my cookies. Can I bake the Toll House chocolate chip cookies without chilling them first?
Yep, absolutely! To do so, leave the oven on after you finish toasting the nuts. And instead of scooping the cookies onto a single sheet pan, you can scoop them into two lined sheet pans. Make sure to leave at least 3 inches of space between each cookie. Bake as directed in the recipe.
FAQ: Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe Results
Help! My cookie dough is SUPER greasy, and the dough feels too loose to scoop. What did I do wrong?
Don’t panic! We can fix this pretty easily. If your dough feels greasy and loose, it’s likely that you added in the butter while it was still too hot. To fix the issue, simply place the entire bowl of cookie dough in the refrigerator for 10 minutes. Doing so will help the dough firm up. After 10 minutes, check the dough. If it still feels too loose, give it another 5 to 10 minutes in the fridge. However, I don’t recommend chilling it for longer—doing so will harden the cookie dough too much and make it really hard to scoop!
Help! My cookies spread way too much. They look much thinner and more brittle than yours. What did I do wrong?
Ah. First things first, scroll up and read the preceding question and come back. Now—did you skip the chilling period and bake the cookies right away, when the dough felt super greasy and loose? If so, that means that the butter was still too hot from being melted. Butter that’s too hot causes the cookies to spread out way too much in the oven, creating thin and brittle cookies.
Alternatively, if you chilled the cookie dough and your cookies still came out too thin and brittle, you may have an ingredients issue. It’s likely that you used way too much sugar by accidentally packing in too much in the measuring cup. See the next question below for more info on how to properly use measuring cups!
Help! My cookies came out too puffy. They didn’t sink after baking and don’t look flat like yours. What did I do wrong?
Okay, there are several things that could be responsible for overly puffy cookies:
You didn’t chop your nuts small enough.
First things first, let’s talk about nuts. Be sure to chop your nuts so that most of its pieces are no larger than ¼- to ½-inch pieces. When testing this recipe, I found that leaving larger, 1-inch pieces of nuts sometimes made the cookies too puffy and prohibited them from falling flat. It’s still plenty tasty. But if the puffy look bothers you, chop up your nuts into smaller pieces!
You didn’t measure your ingredients properly.
Next up—let’s talk about how you measure ingredients. If you used cup measures as opposed to weight measures, there’s a larger chance your cookies will come out puffy. Why? As weird as this sounds, there’s a LOT of variation in how people use measuring cups. Like, somebody who scoops ingredients into a measuring cup and packs it down as they go will have a cup that has way more ingredients than somebody who simply scoops the flour into a cup and levels it off as its filled. This is why bakers love measuring by weight with a digital scale instead—it’s much more reliable and completely eliminates any inconsistencies.
While these variations aren’t a big deal for many recipes, they can be a big deal for cookies. Specifically: if you pack a heavy cup of flour, your cookies will come out too puffy. They won’t fall and sink in the same way as mine did.
So the correct way to fill a measuring cup is this: set the measuring cup on a flat, level surface like your kitchen counter. Spoon the ingredient you’re measuring into the measuring cup until it forms a small mound within the cup. Use a butter knife or bench scraper to level off the mound so that the ingredient is flush with the top edges of the measuring cup. If you’re measuring a dry ingredient that has a tendency to clump or get packed down (like flour, confectioners’ sugar, or cocoa powder), give them a quick whisk in their bags or containers first before scooping into the measuring cup.
You didn’t let the cookie dough thaw slightly before baking.
In the recipe below, I instruct you to place the chilled cookie dough balls on lined sheet pans, THEN preheat the oven. It usually takes 10 to 15 minutes to preheat an oven. During this time, the cookie dough balls will thaw slightly and start to come to room temperature—this is a good thing! If you bake them straight from the fridge while they’re still cold, the cookies tend to stay puffy and don’t sink as much. However, this slight thawing period during the oven preheating process ensures that the cookies will fall flat when baked.
FAQ: Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Storage
How To Store Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies
After baking, the cookies can be stored in an airtight container or zip-top bag at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Can you freeze Toll House chocolate chip cookies?
Yes! You can freeze these elevated Toll House chocolate chip cookies in the following ways:
- Freeze the UNBAKED Toll House chocolate chip cookies.
Follow the recipe instructions to make the cookie dough and scoop them out into cookie dough balls. Place the cookie dough balls in a small sheet pan. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 1 hour, or until the cookie dough balls are frozen solid. Transfer the cookie dough balls to a zip-top bag and freeze for up to 1 year.
To bake the frozen cookie dough balls, follow the recipe’s instructions for preheating the oven and arranging the cookie dough balls on a sheet pan. Bake for 12 minutes, or until the edges have set but the centers are still gooey. - Freeze the BAKED Toll House chocolate chip cookies.
Individually wrap any leftover chocolate chip cookies in two layers of plastic wrap, then a layer of aluminum foil. The aluminum foil will prevent the cookies from absorbing any other flavors or odors in the freezer. When ready to serve, transfer to the refrigerator to chill overnight. Rewarm in the microwave or in the oven at 350°F for 5 minutes before serving.
Best Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe Tips
Best Ingredient Tips
- To make your life easier, use baking chocolate that’s on the thinner side (like Divine, Ghirardelli, Guittard, and some Valrhona baking bars). Thinner chocolate is easier to cut. If you’re using a thicker block of chocolate (like Trader Joe’s or some Valrhona baking bars), you can also pulse the chocolate in a food processor. However, in general, I don’t recommend doing so. It’s easy to overdo it in a food processor—you end up with a lot of chocolate “dust” instead.
- Be mindful when melting the butter for these cookies! You don’t want the butter to sizzle, crackle, or pop. I like to chop it up into 1-inch cubes then melt it in a small sauce pot over medium-low heat. I stir the butter constantly while monitoring it. In a pinch, I’ll also melt the butter in the microwave. Similarly, I chop it up into 1-inch cubes then microwave it on low at 10-second intervals.
Best Baking Tip
- I like to bake the cookies one pan at a time. I find that doing so makes the best cookies, ensuring that none of them have overly burnt bottoms or raw centers. However, to save time, you can bake two sheet pans at a time. Position a rack in the upper-third position of the oven, and a second one in the lower-third position of the oven. Bake a pan on each rack, swapping their positions half way through the Bake Time.
More Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes
- 24 Hour, 24 Dollar Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Any Time You Need ‘Em Slice-And-Bake Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups
- Brown Butter Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chocolate Chipless Cookies
- Egg Yolk Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Gianduja Chocolate Chip Cookies
- My Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake Recipe
- S’mores Chocolate Chip Cookies
- The Easiest Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies Ever
- Vegan Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies
More Drop Cookie Recipes
- 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
- Black Halva Snickerdoodles
- Black Tahini and Dulcey Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Caramel Stuffed Brownie Cookies
- Chocolate Sugar Cookies
- Dulcey White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies
- Flourless Chocolate Cookies
- Lavender Earl Grey Cookies
- Monster Brookies
- My Best Snickerdoodle Recipe
- Raspberry Lemon Snickerdoodles
- Tangy Meyer Lemon Sugar Cookies
The Elevated Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
For The Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies
- 1 cup (6 ounces or 170 grams) nuts (preferably walnuts), chopped into ¼- to ½-inch pieces
- 2 ¼ cup (10.15 ounces or 288 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ cup tightly packed (5.65 ounces or 160 grams) dark OR light brown sugar
- ¾ cup (5.25 ounces or 149 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (8 ounces or 227 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 12 ounces (or 340 grams) dark chocolate (between 60% to 70% cacao), from a high-quality chocolate bar, chopped into ½- to 1-inch pieces
Instructions
For the Elevated Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies
- First, toast the nuts. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a quarter sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Spread the nuts in a single layer across one of the sheet pans. Bake for 5 to 10 minutes, or until fragrant and toasted brown. Use a heatproof rubber spatula to toss the nuts every 2 to 3 minutes to ensure even toasting. Once toasted, scrape the nuts onto a plate to prevent them from cooking further.
- Make the cookie dough. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, combine the sugars.
- Pour the melted butter over the sugars and mix with the spatula until just combined. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until just combined. Gradually mix in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Add the chocolate and nuts all at once and mix until evenly distributed throughout.
- Use a 3-Tablespoon cookie dough scoop to portion the cookie dough into balls, placing them next to each other on the prepared sheet pan (the same one you used to toast the nuts—just make sure it's cooled completely!) as you go. Cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
- Prep your pans and oven. Line two half sheet pans with parchment paper. Place the chilled cookie doughs at least 3 inches apart on the prepared sheet pans. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F.
- Bake the cookies. Bake one pan at a time for 10 minutes, or until the edges have set but the centers are still gooey. The cookies will look puffed when you pull them out of the oven, but will fall and crack into the perfect cookies as they cool. Cool the cookies on the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes, or until the edges and bottoms of the cookies have set and feel firm to the touch. Repeat with the remaining cookie dough.
- Serve and store. Serve warm or at room temperature. The cookies can be stored in an airtight container or zip-top bag at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Notes
This post was last updated on 9/9/2020.
NEVER miss a recipe
NO TIME TO BAKE?!
Over the past several years of running Hummingbird High, I kept a crucial aspect of my life hidden from my readers: I had a full-time, extremely demanding job in the tech world. In my debut cookbook, Weeknight Baking, I finally reveal the secrets to baking delicious desserts on a tight schedule.
Laura says
Can’t wait to try these! We use the Toll House recipe app of the time because it always comes out the best. We use the Ghirardelli 60% baking chips and add a pinch of sea salt to the tops before baking.
Angela W says
I’ve been baking my cookies this way for 25 years (except I don’t put nuts in mine). People always ask “how do you get your cookies to turn out so good, ALL the time?” My response always leads to one of two reactions… jaw drop and/or total confusion, because “that’s not part of the recipe.” And then I really blow their minds when they try my oatmeal cookies (also adapted from the Nestle Toll House recipe).
Cathy says
Thanks for this – I’ve been alternating between the Toll House and Ad Hoc recipes, so I’m super excited to try your version here. (Also, my 13-year-old and I just made your Weeknight Baking Yellow Cake with Chocolate Fudge Frosting – SO yummy!)
Eileen C. Dusek says
Love the ease of these cookies! I chopped Mexican chocolate, the cinnamon added extra flavor. Thank you
Margot says
I will have to think of other package recipes, what a fun project. In addition to the pound plus bars from Trader Joe’s, they also sell their chocolate in packs of three mini bars, which I find much easier to chop and are great for small batch recipes.
Michelle says
That’s a GREAT tip! Thank you for sharing—I may have to update the post to include your tip!!! xo
Kim says
Hi, first time i made these they turned out amazing! Best ever! However this time the dough seems thin. Help. I put it in the fridge hoping it stiffens up a bit.
Michelle says
Uh oh! Did you do anything different this time around?
Kim says
I dont believe i did anything different. Thankfully they baked and taste wonderful as the first time.
Michelle says
phew, i was nervous!!!
liz says
thank you s o m u c h for the intense info. this kind of in-depth information and explanation is why i like cooks illustrated so much: not just throwing words around, but explaining how and why things work together; and, just as importantly, how and why things DON’T work together. a random internet stranger deeply appreciates the work you do. <3
Michelle says
omg, thank you for the kind words!!! i was feeling down because, literally in another blog post/recipe today, somebody accused me of “pontificating” too much and overly describing my recipes. but i feel like the information is really useful for folks who are actually trying to understand how baking works??? sigh.
Amanda says
Have you ever tried instant coffee in this recipe?
Michelle says
I personally have not but an Instagram follower of mine mentioned that she makes these cookies with a splash of coffee and a teaspoon of instant coffee/espresso powder!
Mollie says
I want to add on to what Liz said above. I really appreciate the detail you gave and helpful hints. We all want to be better cooks and the more tips we can share with each other the more yummy food can be shared. I’m a big Alton Brown fan and it’s because he gives the “why” in all he does. Keep up the incredible gift of detail Michelle. BTW my cookies are in the frig now, can’t wait to try them tomorrow!
Michelle says
aw, thank you!!! this comment really brightened my day! ever since that comment about my blog posts being too long/recipes being too wordy, i’ve been wondering if i should scale it down and just share less information. i’m also in your camp that i think the “WHY” behind techniques, tips, and recipes is just as important… but i don’t know how many people actually feel the same way 🙁 a lot of people just want the recipe and accuse bloggers of “talking too much”, lol.
also i hope you enjoy the cookies!!! xo
RoLo says
Michelle,
I’m not overly-crazy about the bloggers that have me read 3 long paragraphs about their family wheelbarrow from when they were in 3rd grade, then abruptly end with a “speaking of wheelbarrows, enjoy this peach crisp recipe!” but as a Completely Reasonable Person Using the Internet, I just click the “Jump to Recipe” button/use the scroll bar. I certainly don’t leave negative feedback – #1, it’s *their* blog I’m visiting – if they want it to be about wheelbarrows, so be it; #2, one person’s goose etc. – for all I know, the wheelbarrow stuff totally made someone else’s day.
I come here expressly because as a baking nerd myself, I live for your Pontifications about baking matters. As a longtime fan, I’d like to point out that your recipes are longer not just because you so carefully discuss the process (always with footnotes! love those) – you are one of the few bloggers who talks at length about substitutions, both pan sizes and ingredients. I started baking because one of my kids got diagnosed with multiple food allergies (peanuts, tree nuts, dairy, eggs) years back – your easy attitude about baking with different subs makes accommodating our restrictions easy and even fun. You were the first baking resource to analyze the different kinds of non-dairy milk not just by viscosity, but by taste. Epicurious did it a few weeks ago, but you were months ahead of them. This kind of effort on your part takes space – it takes Pontification. And I always appreciate how respectful you are when people ask about subs, because I’ve seen many other bloggers snap – which I completely understand as well (there’s only so much you can alter without changing the whole recipe), but my point is, you always seem to start from a place where you assume we’re not asking just to be difficult, and I deeply appreciate that. This isn’t even a “baking with food restrictions” site, but you try to make it approachable for as many bakers as you can.
I also think the elephant in the room is your strong POV about everything going on around us. Your hero Stella Parks writes every bit as much as you do about The Process of Baking, but I’ve not seen one person go after her for Pontificating too much – instead, she gets lauded (I like her as well, but she’s not nearly as cool about subs as you are 🙂 ). I don’t really know what her politics are, because that’s how she keeps it. I know what yours are – you put it right up here. Not in a preachy way, just in a “welcome to my space” sort of way – which all Reasonable People should be okay with, regardless of where they fall on the political spectrum. However, I can’t help but think that’s what the real issue is, and it’s bogus.
All that was to say, please keep being you because your “you” is exactly why so many of us come here 🙂
Michelle says
That’s an interesting point you bring up about Stella—I never thought about it like that!!! And thank you for your support!
liz says
rofl @ “3 long paragraphs about their family wheelbarrow from when they were in 3rd grade”
Ali says
I can’t wait to try these some time.
Just out of interest because I cook without sugar usually. I’ve been using coconut sugar mixed with carob molasses syrup that we get from the local Turkish markets.
You mentioned that white sugar also has a low pH level and therefore, it is the molasses that reacts with the baking soda to make this what it is. I’ll be trying with coconut sugar and reporting my success/failure some time soon.
Michelle says
Yep! If you use coconut sugar + molasses together, it should have the same effect as brown sugar. That’s because molasses is acidic in nature. A common substitute/trick for homemade brown sugar is to mix white sugar and molasses together.
Abby says
Okay, these cookies look TOO good, Michelle. This is the recipe (the Toll House one of course) my family and I used to bake when I was growing up and I haven’t had one in sooo long. I’ve just moved into a new apartment and I’m starting to look into buying an oven for it (FINALLY), this might just be the first recipe (yours, obviously!!) I bake! <3
Erin says
Mmmmm!!! Just made these and they are delicious! I was planning on making your cookbook chocolate chip cookies, but remembered this post from a few days ago. After about ten minutes in the fridge, I snuck out 2 cookies worth of dough for that instant gratification treat and now I can’t wait until tomorrow! I love reading your posts and watching your stories. I’ve been baking since I was a kid, yet I feel so much more confident baking once I’ve read through your post and/or watched your stories.
Amalia says
These cookies were fabulous! I used dark brown sugar the second time I made them instead of light brown and I really loved the depth of flavor it imparted. So worth making (and the overnight chill time makes a HUGE difference in flavor and texture). I’ve been a reader of your blog for a long time but have never left a comment. I think your work is creative, beautiful, and grounded in compelling, authentic storytelling and quality recipe development. Baking one of your recipes after a rough day (or a rough 2020 in general) never fails to bring me joy. Thank you for everything you do!
Mariana says
I made these using a 3T cookie scoop but my recipe only yielded 19 cookies! Any thoughts on what went wrong? The recipe states the yield should be 32… should I have used a smaller scoop? Thanks!
Michelle says
Oh sorry, that’s a typo! I think I meant to write 23 cookies but I remade them again just now and came up with 20 cookies, lol. Updating the recipe now! You did nothing wrong.
Supriya Kutty says
The recipe that you have shared is just amazing, Thank you so much for this amazing article will surely follow this recipe and let you know on how well it baked and tasted will also share it with my friends and family as well.
Elise says
I am a CCC freak. For years I have searched for the “best” recipe. I can stop looking now..these are perfect. Mine were puffier..my scale did not go with the measuring cup, so I picked the measuring cup, but I wouldn’t change a thing. Not having to use a mixer was a bonus I wasn’t expecting. I would say these are a perfect combination of Jacques Torres/ Ultimate stand mixer cookies with the perfect texture and taste. I can’t thank you enough!
Elise says
One question…can you brown the butter? Or it is better to leave it yellow?
Michelle says
Brown butter works too, I just preferred the cookies with regular butter!
Jeanne-Marie says
Hey there! Terrific notes and great, solid recipe! I’m a pastry chef and confectioner, and just wanted to make one small correction: Trader Joe’s Pound Plus chocolate actually IS high quality chocolate; not many folks know it, but TJ’s sources their chocolate from Callebaut, (which is why they were the first U.S. retailer to carry Ruby Chocolate, as Callebaut holds the patent on it). There is actually no difference between Callebaut’s Finest Belgian and TJ’s – and it’s suitable for baking, molding, enrobing, ganaches, ice creams…so use it with confidence!
Michelle says
Yes!!! I found this out last year and my mind was blown. What a great tip, thanks for sharing!!!
Carrie Johnson says
Great blog and awesome recipe!
trish bailey says
Will this work at 6800 feet. I found you through the internet and hoped to see many high altitude recipes on here.
I am not seeing many recipes for this.
How would I adjust for these great looking cookies?
Michelle says
Hi Trish,
Sadly, I haven’t published a high altitude baking recipe since 2012/2013! I moved away from Denver then and now live at sea-level. You can see my full collection of high altitude recipes here: https://www.hummingbirdhigh.com/category/high-altitude-baking
Linn says
I think these were delicious! Have baked them twice now 🙂 Second time I browned the butter too and ended up using Terry’s choc orange bar as the chunks. Tasted very nice! Thank you for the recipie.
Natalie says
These turned out awesome! We did end up using semi sweet mini chips and some chopped up lindt milk chocolate. We also used pecans instead of walnuts. Lastly, we refridgerated the dough balls for 4 hours and then stuck them in the freezer for about 30 minutes, then took them out while preheating the oven. They were perfect.
Anna says
Hi! Mine turn out crispy on the edges but raw in the middle – I’ve tried them twice now. Any idea what may be the issue?
Michelle says
Hmmm, I suspect your oven might be running a little too hot! Do you have an external oven thermometer that you can hang inside the oven to gauge the temperature?
Maya says
I’ve tried this recipe a few times and had the same issue. My oven thermometer says that the oven is at 350. I also made sure the let the cookies sit at room temperature for 10-15 min. I haven’t had this problem when I make the small batch version of the recipe but it always happens when I make the full-batch.
Lauren says
I live in the UK these many years, but grew up in the US with my mother making the original Nestle recipe almost monthly. She’d make a double batch. I remember coming home from school and she’d have a metal measuring cup in the freezer for me so that my milk would be ice cold to have with warm gooey cookies!
Your recipe worked great. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for your metric conversions. They were perfect. I used hazelnuts which are the national nut here. I also used 60-70% chocolate cocoa solid pieces from a good chocolatiere. As our butter’s milk-fat is higher, I added a bit more flour once I had the ingredients mixed as it seemed a bit soupy. Maybe 100 grams more. Upping the vanilla extract helped, too.
I made them smaller as we have little grandkids who love homemade ‘bikkies’ and they came out perfectly. Well done, and I will try more of your recipes!
Scott says
Did you mix all the ingredients with a spatula or also use a mixer?
Michelle Lopez says
I used a spatula to mix the dough together—it’s in the instructions:
“Make the cookie dough. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, combine the sugars.
Pour the melted butter over the sugars and mix with the spatula until just combined.”