small batch chocolate chip cookies on wire rack

About These Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies

These small batch chocolate chip cookies are the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe.

The recipe makes cookies that are crispy on the outside, chewy in the centers, and filled with puddles of melted chocolate! The best part? The recipe is small batch and makes between 4 to 6 chocolate chip cookies, thanks to its use of one single egg yolk.

Truthfully, despite my focus on small batch baking, I avoided developing a recipe for small batch chocolate chip cookies. Why? Chocolate chip cookie dough freezes beautifully. As a result, if planned well, any cookie recipe can become a small batch baking recipe. But what if you don’t have space in your freezer? I know mine is always filled to the brim with frozen vegetables, leftover bakes, and Trader Joe’s orange chicken. Freezer real estate is precious in my house!

There’s also the fact that neither Erlend or I have very much self control when it comes to food. If there’s a pile of frozen cookie dough in the freezer, we’ll treat ourselves to nightly cookie until it runs out. That means a cookie every day for 2 weeks! Not exactly a healthy lifestyle, lol. Limiting the recipe yield to just 4 or 6 cookies means that we won’t overindulge.

@hummingbirdhigh asian moms mirite #chocolatechipcookies #nationalchocolatechipcookieday #baking #bakingrecipe ♬ cooking video – cooking

So enter this small batch chocolate chip cookie dough recipe. It makes just enough cookies for a small household to finish without storing any leftover dough or cookies!

close up of small batch chocolate chip cookies

Why You Should Make The Recipe

Here are all the reasons to make this small batch chocolate chip cookie recipe:

The recipe is adapted from the popular chocolate chip cookie recipe in my cookbook, Weeknight Baking.

I bake a lot of chocolate chip cookies for Hummingbird High. But my all time favorite recipe is the one in my cookbook, Weeknight Baking. In my opinion, it makes the picture-perfect, dictionary definition of a chocolate chip cookie. The cookies are chewy and almost doughy in the centers, but with crispy browned edges. Each cookie is flat and wide, with lots of puddles of melted chocolate throughout.

So these small batch chocolate chip cookies? Modeled exactly after that popular recipe. These cookies have chewy centers, crispy edges, and of course, lots of chocolate with each bite.

This small batch chocolate chip cookie recipe comes together quickly.

I did make one major change to my cookbook recipe: instead of mixing the cookie dough with a stand mixer, I scrapped it entirely. Why? You don’t need a stand mixer when you’re working with such a small amount of dough (the mixer won’t be able to mix it properly). That means all you need for this recipe are two bowls (one to mix the dry ingredients, the other for the dough itself) and a rubber spatula for mixing. That’s it!

Another reason why the recipe comes together quickly and doesn’t need a stand mixer? I instruct you to use melted butter to make the cookie dough. Using melted butter leads to a fudgier, denser cookie—you can learn more about it in Serious Eats’ breakdown of the best chocolate chip cookies. But doing so also saves you time! There’s no need to wait for the butter to come to room temperature before hand.

This small batch chocolate chip cookie recipe is easily customizable.

There are an infinite number of ways to customize this small batch chocolate chip cookie recipe. In fact, I give plenty of suggestions to do so in the Baker’s Tips below. You can chill the cookie dough to bring out the cookies’ caramel and butterscotch flavors. Or swap out the dark chocolate in the recipe with your favorite chocolate. And sprinkle the cookies with flaky sea salt, and, if you’re feeling wild, sprinkles. You do you.

But my favorite customization?

YOU decide how many cookies the recipe makes. If you live in a two-person household like I do, simply adjust the recipe to make 4 cookies! All you need is a 3-Tablespoon cookie dough scoop to do so. If you live in a 3- or 4-person household and want to stretch the recipe a little more, switch to a 1 ½-Tablespoon cookie dough scoop. Doing so makes 6 cookies!

The recipe below includes instructions on how to bake both the 4-cookie and 6-cookie version of the recipe. You’ll need to adjust Bake Time a little bit between each recipe.

small batch chocolate chip cookies

Ingredients and Substitutions

Now that I’ve convinced you to make small batch chocolate chip cookies, here’s your shopping list:

Shopping List for Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

  • all-purpose flour
  • baking soda
  • kosher salt
  • unsalted butter
  • light OR dark brown sugar
  • granulated sugar
  • large eggs
  • pure vanilla extract
  • dark chocolate (between 60% to 70% cacao), from whole fèves or a high-quality chocolate bar

And let’s talk about some key ingredients and their potential substitutions:

Brown Sugar

You need 3 Tablespoons light OR dark brown sugar to make these small batch chocolate chip 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 small batch 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 these small batch chocolate chip cookies, 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. It has a neutral pH level similar to that of granulated white sugar.

What does that mean for your small batch 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.

Egg Yolk

You need 1 large egg yolk to make these small batch chocolate chip cookies.

I don’t eat egg because of allergies and/or my diet. What can I use instead of egg?

I’m sorry, but I don’t 100% know. In general, my specialty lies in creating baking recipes with conventional ingredients.

You can try using a 1-1 commercial egg replacer like Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Egg Replacer, but you’ll need to be careful and not use the amount needed for a full egg. Why? Most large eggs typically consist of 3 Tablespoons of egg: 2 Tablespoons for the egg white, and 1 Tablespoon for the egg yolk. Commercial egg replacers try to replicate that ratio. You’ll need to use a third of the water and egg replacer needed for a whole egg. I believe the Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Egg Replacer has more specific instructions on how to do so!

I only have liquid eggs in a carton. Can I use eggs in a carton to make these small batch chocolate chip cookies?

Yes! Measure out 1 Tablespoon of liquid egg and use in this recipe instead of 1 large egg yolks. No other changes needed to the recipe. Your cookies won’t have the yellowish hue of my cookies, but they’ll still be plenty delicious!

Dark Chocolate

You need 2 ounces (57 grams) dark chocolate (between 60% to 70% cacao), from whole fèves or a high-quality chocolate bar, to make these small batch chocolate chip cookies.

Dark Chocolate versus Bittersweet and Semisweet Chocolate

In the United States, there’s no official benchmark for the “bittersweet” and “semisweet” chocolate designations. 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 a dark chocolate that lists its cocoa percentage.

Wait, what are chocolate fèves? Are they the same thing as chocolate baking discs and wafers?

Chocolate fèves are a fancy pastry school term for a flat, bean-shaped disc of chocolate. When baked in a cookie recipe, the fèves don’t hold their shape (similar to how chocolate chips typically do) and instead melt into puddles. These puddles give your cookies thin layers of chocolate throughout every bite. The most prominent maker of chocolate fèves is one of my favorite chocolate makers, Valrhona Chocolate

Unfortunately, as much as I love Valrhona chocolate, their chocolate fèves can be hard to find at your average grocery store. I typically buy Valrhona products online at AmazonKing Arthur Baking Company, or Valrhona’s online store. But if you don’t want to buy online, rest assured that other chocolate makers make similar products. Notably, Guittard Chocolate Company makes chocolate wafers. These wafers are similar to fèves, but more circular in shape. I’ve seen Guittard chocolate wafers at select SafewayTarget, and Whole Foods stores.

Do I really need to use fèves?

If there’s one thing I want you to take away from my blog, it’s this: don’t skimp on chocolate. Most grocery store brands—even the ones that offer products specifically made for baking—contain all sorts of additives like paraffin wax and palm oil. These ingredients compromise the flavor and texture of your results. I’ve stopped using chocolate chips in 90 percent of my recipes, and my baked goods have tasted so much better as a result. 

What chocolate did you use to make these small batch chocolate chip cookies?

For these small batch chocolate chip cookies, I used Valrhona Caraïbe fèves, which 66% cacao. In general, for this recipe, I recommend using a dark chocolate that is between 62% and 73% cacao (though I simplified that to 60% and 70% in the ingredients list).

What other chocolate do you recommend besides fèves?

If you can’t find fèves, I also recommend Guittard Chocolate Wafers (which are more readily available in most major supermarkets). If you’re on a budget, I recommend chopping up a Trader Joe’s Pound Plus bar or Ghirradelli baking chocolate bars instead of chocolate chips. Chop up the chocolate into fairly large ½- to even 1-inch chunks. Doing so helps give you big chocolate puddles throughout the cookie. 

hands holding small batch chocolate chip cookies

How To Make Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies

Here are the basic steps to make small batch chocolate chip cookies from scratch:

  1. First, prep your ingredients. (Prep Time: 5 to 10 minutes)
    Prep for this small batch chocolate chip cookie recipe is easy! All you need to do is measure out the ingredients beforehand. That’s it! If you’re using whole fèves like I recommended, there’s no need to chop them up beforehand. As a result, your prep time will only be about 5 minutes. However, if you’re chopping up chocolate for the recipe, your prep time will be 10 minutes.

  2. Then, make the cookie dough. (Work Time: 5 minutes)
    The dough comes together really quickly. First, mix the dry ingredients in a small bowl. Then, mix the melted butter, sugars, egg yolk, and vanilla in a medium bowl. Mix in the dry ingredients to this mixture, then the chocolate. That’s it!

  3. Next, assemble the cookies. (Work Time: 5 minutes)
    The fastest and easiest way to make picture-perfect cookies is to invest in a cookie dough scoop. These handy tools scoop the dough into dough balls that bake into perfect cookie circles every time. In general, I use a 3-Tablespoon or 4-Tablespoon sized cookie dough scoops to make my cookie recipes. Doing so makes perfect 3- to 3.5-inch wide cookies.

    For this recipe, I recommend two different sized cookie dough scoops. If you want to make 6 cookies, I recommend a 1 ½-Tablespoon cookie dough scoop. Using this scoop will make six 2.75- to 3-inch wide cookies. If you want to make 4 cookies, I recommend a 3-Tablespoon cookie dough scoop. This scoop makes four 3- to 3.5-inch wide cookies.

  4. Finally, bake the cookies. (Bake Time: 9 to 10 minutes)
    Depending on what cookie dough scoop you used, the cookies need different Bake Times. If you chose to make 6 cookies with a 1 ½-Tablespoon cookie dough scoop, the cookies need 9 minutes in the oven. If you chose to make 4 cookies with a 3-Tablespoon cookie dough scoop, the cookies need 10 minutes in the oven.
bite of small batch chocolate chip cookies

Recipe Troubleshooting and FAQ

FAQ: What Baking Equipment Do You Need?

I mentioned earlier that using a cookie dough scoop was the fastest and easiest way to ensure evenly sized, perfectly round cookies. For this recipe, I recommend the following cookie dough scoops:

In a pinch, you can also use a 1-Tablespoon cookie dough scoop. Scoop out 2 to 3 cookie dough balls with the scoop and smash them together to make 2-Tablespoon or 3-Tablespoon sized cookie dough balls. If you go the 2-Tablespoon route, you’ll end up with 5 cookies.

And if you don’t want to invest in a cookie dough scoop, a 1-Tablespoon measuring spoon will do the trick! However, you’ll also need a small rubber spatula to help scrape out the cookie dough balls. Check out my guide to the Best Small Batch Baking Tools for more information!

FAQ: Questions About The Recipe’s Techniques

In theory, yes. But I don’t recommend it.

Why?

If you’re looking for a larger batch of chocolate chip cookies, it’s worth just looking at regular chocolate chip cookie recipes. These recipes use whole eggs and make 12+ cookies. I myself have several on this blog and in my book. In fact, the chocolate chip cookie recipe in my book uses 1 whole egg and only makes 16 cookies!

Using a regular-sized recipe means that you won’t have to worry about saving the egg white to use in another recipe. And besides—many chocolate chip cookie recipes freeze beautifully. You can bake the number of cookies you want and/or need for right now. Then, store any leftover dough in the freezer! Doing so means you’ll have slice-and-bake chocolate chip cookie dough ready to go whenever your next cookie craving hits.

FAQ: Questions About Unexpected Results

If the butter is still too warm when mixed in with the rest of the ingredients, the cookie dough will feel greasy and loose. This is especially the case if your kitchen is hot or if you’re making these cookies in the summertime.

If this is happening to you, don’t panic! Simply stick the bowl of dough in the refrigerator for 10 minutes before scooping. 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.

Okay, there are several things that could be responsible for dry cookie dough:

You didn’t measure the flour properly and accidentally used too much in the recipe.

If you used a measuring cup or spoon to measure out the flour, there’s a larger chance your cookie dough will come out dry. 

Why?

As weird as this sounds, there’s a LOT of variation in how people use measuring cups. 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 cookie dough will come out dry. There won’t be enough liquid in the recipe to compensate for the additional flour.

So to fill a measuring cup properly, you need to first set the measuring cup on a flat, level surface like your kitchen counter. Spoon the ingredient 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. Do the same with a Tablespoon measure; however, you can hold a Tablespoon measure in your hand as you spoon the ingredient into it.

Finally, 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 it a quick whisk in its container first. Then, scoop the ingredient into the measuring cup or spoon as I described.

Your egg yolk was too small.

In the United States, egg sizes are determined by their weight by the dozen. As a result, the size of an egg yolk can vary dramatically from one egg to another in the same carton of large eggs.

Unfortunately, there’s not much you can do to fix dry cookie dough made from a small egg yolk. But if you want to guarantee success for your next batch of small batch chocolate chip cookies, measure your egg yolk before using it in the recipe!

I mentioned earlier that most large eggs typically consist of 3 Tablespoons of egg: 2 Tablespoons for the egg white, and 1 Tablespoon for the egg yolk. You can place the egg yolk in a 1-Tablespoon measure and see if it mostly fills out the spoon. If it does, you’re good to go! If you want to be SUPER precise about it, use a digital scale to weigh it out. The egg yolk should clock in at around 1 ounce (28 grams).

You overmixed the dough.

Overmixing the dough causes it to turn out dry—especially after adding the dry ingredients! Instead, only mix the dough until the dry ingredients just about disappear into the dough. There will probably be one or two small streaks of flour in the recipe. But that’s fine, I promise! These streaks will disappear as you mix in the chocolate.

Help! My small batch chocolate chip 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 measure the ingredients properly.

I mentioned this earlier, but it bears repeating: if you used cup measures as opposed to weight measures, there’s a larger chance your cookies will come out puffy. 

There’s a LOT of variation in how people use measuring cups. 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 to fill a measuring cup properly, you need to first set the measuring cup on a flat, level surface like your kitchen counter. Spoon the ingredient 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.

Finally, 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 it a quick whisk in its container first. Then, scoop the ingredient into the measuring cup as I described.

You deliberately (or accidentally!) reduced the sugar in the recipe.

Many people often deliberately reduce the sugar in baking recipes for health reasons, or for fear of the recipe being “too sweet.” But the fact is that sugar is in baking recipes for reasons beyond flavor and sweetness! In baking, sugar helps baked good spread evenly and consistently. It also adds moisture and color to the baked goods. If you went this route, it’s likely that your cookies will stay puffy and taste drier than mine.

But how do you accidentally reduce the sugar in the recipe? Similar to how you accidentally use too much flour in a recipe—by failing to use measuring cups and spoons properly. Read my instructions in the question above on how to scoop and fill a measuring cup the right way.

Finally, note that baking recipes often call for brown sugar to be “tightly packed” into its measuring cup. What does that mean? Scoop brown sugar into its measuring cup until it forms a small mound in the cup. Press down that mound, then fill it up with more brown sugar until it forms a small mound in the cup again. Then, level off the mound. There’s no need to pack it down once more!

You used chocolate chips instead of fèves or chopped chocolate.

Chocolate chips are made with stabilizers like more cocoa solids and paraffin wax (yes, the kind of wax candles are made out of) to ensure that they keep their shape when baked. They tend to stay 3-dimensional, leading to a puffy cookie that doesn’t fall flat.

In the FAQ section below, I give you options to freeze your cookie dough for baking later. However, note that you’ll need to thaw the cookie dough slightly when baking from frozen.

What does that mean? Simply set the cookie dough out on a lined sheet pan (the same one you’re planning on baking the cookies on!) as the oven preheats. It usually takes about 10 to 15 minutes for most ovens to preheat. The 10 to 15 minutes out at room temperature will allow the cookie dough to thaw slightly and bake up nicely in the oven. If you skip this thaw, your cookies will come out puffy!

Help! I made these small batch chocolate chip cookies but they don’t look like your cookies. My chocolate stayed mostly in tact. They didn’t melt and pool throughout the cookie like yours did. What did I do wrong?

First things first: did you use chocolate chips? If you did, they’re the likely culprit.

I mentioned earlier that chocolate chips are made with stabilizers like more cocoa solids and paraffin wax to ensure that they keep their shape when baked. They won’t melt and pool into puddles like chopped chocolate bars. That’s why I always recommend using chopped chocolate if you’re looking for a picture-perfect, Instagram-ready cookie!

However, if you did use chopped chocolate, it’s likely that you chopped your chocolate up too finely. You want to keep the pieces fairly big—think: ½ inch to 1 inch pieces. Bigger pieces will get more melty and molten!

FAQ: How To Store The Cookies

How To Store Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies After Baking

After baking, the cookies can be stored in an airtight container or zip-top bag at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Can I freeze small batch chocolate chip cookies?

Yes! You can freeze the small batch chocolate chip cookies in the following ways:

  1. Freeze the UNBAKED small batch 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 instructions to preheat the oven. As the oven is preheating, arrange the cookie dough balls on a sheet pan to allow them to thaw slightly for 10 to 15 minutes at room temperature. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the edges have set but the centers are still gooey. Bake the cookies for the shorter amount of time if you used a 1 ½-Tablespoon cookie dough scoop to form the dough, and the longer amount of time if you used a 3-Tablespoon cookie dough scoop.

  2. Freeze the BAKED small batch 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 Recipe Tips

Ingredient Tips

  • It’s easier to separate an egg’s whites from its yolk while the egg is still cold. At room temperature, yolks break easily. So typically, when I work with a recipe that calls for separated egg whites and yolks, I separate them while the eggs are still cold. I bring the whites and yolks to room temperature by placing them in separate thick ramekins. I set these ramekins in a cake pan and pour very hot water into the pan until it reaches halfway up the sides of the ramekins. The heat from the water will warm the eggs to room temperature in about 5 to 10 minutes.

  • If you don’t have a digital scale, note that 2 ounces (57 grams) of dark chocolate fèves or chopped chocolate is about ⅓ cup.

Technique Tip

  • To save myself some clean up, I melt the butter in the bowl I’m planning to make the cookie dough in. Specifically: I use a small bowl to mix the dry ingredients. Then, I melt the butter in a medium bowl big enough to mix the dough in, add the sugar, egg yolk, and extract, then the dry ingredients and chocolate. As a result, I only need two bowls for this recipe!

Customization Tips

  • There are an infinite number of ways you can customize this recipe! For some variations, I like to replace the chocolate with a mix of milk and dark chocolate fèves and chopped chocolate bars. You can also replace some of the chocolate with the same volume of chopped nuts.

  • Most chocolate chip cookies benefit from an overnight chilling period. There’s research that states that “resting” your cookie dough by chilling or freezing will lead to more delicious cookies. Doing so 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. So if you feel inclined, follow the instructions in the FAQ to chill and freeze these cookies overnight!

More Small Batch Recipes

More Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes

Get the Recipe: Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies (Only Makes 4-6 Cookies!)

These small batch chocolate chip cookies are chewy in the center, crispy in their edges, and filled with lots of chocolate puddles! The best part? You can customize this small batch recipe to make either 4 large cookies or 6 medium ones!
(5 stars) 17 reviews
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Ingredients

For the Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies

  • 6 Tablespoons (1.65 ounces or 47 grams) all-purpose flour
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 Tablespoons (1 ounce or 28 grams) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
  • 3 Tablespoons tightly packed (1.40 ounces or 40 grams) light OR dark brown sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 ounces (57 grams) dark chocolate (between 60% and 70% cacao), from whole fèves or a high-quality chocolate bar roughly chopped into 1- to 1 ½-inch pieces
  • flaky salt, for garnish

Equipment

  • a 1 ½-Tablespoon cookie dough scoop (for 6 cookies) OR a 3-Tablespoon cookie dough scoop (for 4 cookies)

Instructions
 

For the Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies

  • Prep the oven and baking pan. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a quarter or a half sheet pan with parchment paper.
  • Mix the dry ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
  • Mix the butter, sugars, egg, and extract. In a medium bowl, use a rubber spatula to mix together the butter and sugars until moistened, about 1 minute. Add the egg yolk and vanilla extract and mix until combined.
  • Add the dry ingredients and chocolate. Gradually mix in the dry ingredients until just combined. Add the chocolate all at once and mix until the chocolate is evenly distributed throughout, about 1 minute.
  • Assemble the cookies. Use a 1 ½-Tablespoon cookie dough scoop to portion the cookie dough into 6 cookie dough balls OR a 3-Tablespoon cookie dough scoop to portion the cookie dough into 4 cookie dough balls. Place them at least 3 inches apart on the prepared sheet pan.
  • Bake the cookies. Bake for 9 minutes if making 6 cookies OR 10 minutes if making 4 cookies, 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 feel firm to the touch. Repeat with remaining cookie dough balls.
  • Serve and store. Serve warm or at room temperature. The cookies can be stored, in an airtight container at room temperature, for up to 3 days.

Notes

  • It’s easier to separate an egg’s whites from its yolk while the egg is still cold. At room temperature, yolks break easily. So typically, when I work with a recipe that calls for separated egg whites and yolks, I separate them while the eggs are still cold. I bring the whites and yolks to room temperature by placing them in separate thick ramekins. I set these ramekins in a cake pan and pour very hot water into the pan until it reaches halfway up the sides of the ramekins. The heat from the water will warm the eggs to room temperature in about 5 to 10 minutes.
  • If you don’t have a digital scale, note that 2 ounces (57 grams) of dark chocolate fèves or chopped chocolate is about ⅓ cup.
  • To save myself some clean up, I melt the butter in the bowl I’m planning to make the cookie dough in. Specifically: I use a small bowl to mix the dry ingredients. Then, I melt the butter in a medium bowl big enough to mix the dough in, add the sugar, egg yolk, and extract, then the dry ingredients and chocolate. As a result, I only need two bowls for this recipe!
  • There are an infinite number of ways you can customize this recipe! For some variations, I like to replace the chocolate with a mix of milk and dark chocolate fèves and chopped chocolate bars. You can also replace some of the chocolate with the same volume of chopped nuts.
  • Most chocolate chip cookies benefit from an overnight chilling period. There’s research that states that “resting” your cookie dough by chilling or freezing will lead to more delicious cookies. Doing so 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. So if you feel inclined, follow the instructions in the FAQ to chill and freeze these cookies overnight!
Did you make this recipe?Please leave a star rating and review in the form below. I appreciate your feedback, and it helps others, too!
Michelle holding Weeknight Baking cookbook covering her face.

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Weeknight Baking:
Recipes to Fit your Schedule

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.

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