A picture of chocolate chip cookies on a gold sheet pan with an offset spatula.

My Best Easy Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe makes my perfect chocolate chip cookies: chewy, fudgy, and doughy in the center, crispy on the edges, filled with pools of melted chocolate and topped with flaky salt. The best part? The dough comes together SUPER quickly in just 5 minutes. Why? You don’t need a stand mixer to make the cookie dough, AND there’s no need to chill it either!

A photo of gooey chocolate chip cookies.

Why You Should Make This Recipe

Here are all the reasons to make my best easy chocolate chip cookie recipe:

My Best Easy Chocolate Chip Cookie 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.

The cookie dough comes together in less than 5 minutes.

My Best Easy Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe come together shockingly quickly. If you splurge on the right ingredients, it takes only 5 minutes to prep everything needed for the cookies, another 5 to make the dough, and other 5 to assemble the cookies. That’s it! 

How does it come together so quickly? Well, 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, too! There’s no need to wait for the butter to come to room temperature before hand.

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? I wanted to simplify the recipe, as well asreduce the amount of clean-up needed after making the cookies. So for this recipe, all you need are two bowls (one to mix the dry ingredients, the other for the dough itself) and a rubber spatula for mixing. That’s it!

The recipe is easily customizable.

There are an infinite number of ways to customize this chocolate chip cookie recipe. In fact, I’ve published this recipe plenty of times on Hummingbird High with different flavors and ingredients. Check them out below:

And of course, you can always get creative yourself. Feel free to throw in additional ingredients like nuts and candy, as well as swap out the chocolate for different kinds! The world is your oyster.

The cookies keep and store well.

If you don’t want to bake the entire batch of cookies all at once, you’re in luck! The cookie dough freezes beautifully for future batches. In fact, if you have time, I recommended even chilling the dough in the refrigerator or freezing it overnight. Doing so allows the dough to absorb more flavors from the chocolate, making extra flavorful cookies. I’ve also included instructions on how to freeze the cookie dough in the post below.

A close up picture of a hand holding a chocolate chip cookie.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Now that I’ve convinced you to make my best easy chocolate chip cookie recipe, here’s everything you need:

  • all-purpose flour
  • baking powder
  • 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 potential substitutions:

Brown Sugar

You need ¾ cup tightly packed light OR dark brown sugar to make My Best Easy Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe.

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 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 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 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

You need 1 ⅓  cups dark chocolate (between 60% to 70% cacao), from whole fèves or a high-quality chocolate bar, to make My Best Easy Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe.

Check out my post on The Best Chocolate For Chocolate Chip Cookies, which discusses why you should use dark chocolate with cacao percentages, chopped chocolate from baking bars and/or fèves, and more when making chocolate chip cookies!

A photo of chocolate chip cookies on a gold sheet pan with an offset spatula.

How To Make The Recipe

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

@hummingbirdhigh just romanticizing #chocolatechipcookies over here #baking #chocolatechipcookierecipe #bakingtiktok ♬ original sound – Noel Schmidt
  1. Prep the ingredients (Prep Time: 5 to 10 minutes)
    The prep process for these cookies 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, 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.

  4. Finally, bake the cookies. (Bake Time: 10 minutes)
    The cookies need 10 minutes in the oven. When done, the edges should be set. However, the centers will still look a little soft. That’s normal! In fact, that’s the secret to a perfect cookie with a chewy center.
A photo of a hand holding a chocolate chip cookie with a bite taken out of it.

Recipe Troubleshooting and FAQ

FAQ: Baking Tools To Make My Best Easy Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

What baking tools do I need?

To make the recipe, I recommend the following baking equipment:

FAQ: Troubleshooting Unexpected Results

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 measure the ingredients properly.

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.

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 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!

Finally, if you’re using feves, note that some fèves melt better than others—milk and white chocolate doesn’t melt as well as dark chocolate, and Valrhona dark chocolate fèves melt better than Guittard wafers. If you want your cookies to look EXACTLY like mine, I recommend buying Valrhona Caraïbe fèves.

How To Store My Best Easy 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 the cookies?

Yes! You can freeze the cookies in the following ways:

  1. Freeze the UNBAKED chocolate chip cookie dough.
    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, line sheet pans with parchment paper and position the cookie dough balls at least 3 inches apart on the sheet pans. Then, follow the recipe instructions to preheat the oven. Bake for 12 minutes, or until the edges have set but the centers are still gooey.

  2. Freeze the BAKED 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 Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe Tips

Technique Tips

  • 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 use the microwave to melt the butter in a medium bowl big enough to mix the dough in, add the sugars, egg, and extract, then the dry ingredients and chocolate. As a result, I only need two bowls for this recipe!

  • When prepping ingredients, I also melt the butter first. That way, it has time to cool while I prep the rest of the ingredients. Doing so ensures your butter isn’t too hot and won’t scramble the egg when you add it to the dough!

  • 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. Be sure to stir the butter constantly as it melts to help prevent it from overheating.

Troubleshooting Tip

  • If your dough seems too soft to scoop, don’t panic! It’s likely that the butter was still too hot when you combined it with the rest of the ingredients. Simply pop the bowl of cookie dough in the refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes to firm the dough up.

Styling Tip

  • Want your cookies to look *EXACTLY* like mine, with a signature puddle of melted chocolate skimmed across each surface? Easy! Simply reserve a fève or a ½- to 1-inch piece of chopped chocolate for each cookie. Place on top of each cookie dough ball before baking. The chocolate will melt into the puddles you see on top of each cookie!

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.
A photo of chocolate chip cookies on a gold sheet pan.
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Get the Recipe: My Best Easy Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe (No Stand Mixer Or Chilling Required!)

Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Bake Time: 10 minutes
Total: 25 minutes
Servings: 16 cookies
Author: Michelle Lopez
My Best Easy Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe makes cookies that are chewy and fudgy in the center, while crispy on the edges. The cookie dough only takes 5 minutes to make since you don't need to use a stand mixer or chill the dough.
(4.91 stars) 10 reviews
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Ingredients

Equipment

  • a (3-Tablespoon) cookie dough scoop

Instructions
 

For My Best Easy 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 two half sheet pans with parchment paper.
  • Mix the dry ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and kosher 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 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 3-Tablespoon cookie dough scoop to portion the cookie dough into balls, placing them at least 3 inches apart on the prepared sheet pans.
  • Bake the cookies. Bake one pan at a time for 10 minutes, or until the edges have set but the centers are still gooey.
    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

  • 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 use the microwave to melt the butter in a medium bowl big enough to mix the dough in, add the sugars, egg, and extract, then the dry ingredients and chocolate. As a result, I only need two bowls for this recipe!
  • When prepping ingredients, I also melt the butter first. That way, it has time to cool while I prep the rest of the ingredients. Doing so ensures your butter isn’t too hot and won’t scramble the egg when you add it to the dough!
  • 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. Be sure to stir the butter constantly as it melts to help prevent it from overheating.
  • If your dough seems too soft to scoop, don’t panic! It’s likely that the butter was still too hot when you combined it with the rest of the ingredients. Simply pop the bowl of cookie dough in the refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes to firm the dough up.
  • Want your cookies to look *EXACTLY* like mine, with a signature puddle of melted chocolate skimmed across each surface? Easy! Simply reserve a fève or a ½- to 1-inch piece of chopped chocolate for each cookie. Place on top of each cookie dough ball before baking. The chocolate will melt into the puddles you see on top of each cookie!
  • 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.
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Weeknight Baking:
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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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