Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies
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Summer is the perfect season to invite your kids into the kitchen and make a few sweet memories together. And what better way to spark their excitement than by baking up a batch of perfect chocolate chip cookies? With simple steps and a delicious reward at the end, this recipe is a fun and tasty way to get everyone involved.
Chocolate chip cookies are a classic recipe that everyone simply must know how to make. However, it is crazy how many chocolate chip cookie recipes there are. It is also crazy how there can be so many variations in taste for a cookie that basically includes the same list of ingredients.
This cookie recipe is called “perfect” because it has the perfect balance between a soft and chewy texture along with crispy edges. The higher amount of brown sugar compared to regular granulated sugar gives it a chewy texture. The melted butter also adds to the cookie’s chewiness.
Now the softness of these perfect chocolate chip cookies comes in with the addition of cornstarch to the dough. The cornstarch gives it a crumbly, tender, dessert-like texture. Semi-sweet chocolate is my chocolate of choice, but feel free to swap it for milk chocolate if that’s more your speed.
This cookie dough does need some chill time in the refrigerator before scooping and baking. However, it’s not for too long. It just needs a short 30 minutes. I have actually found it best to scoop the dough before refrigerating. The dough tends to be hard to scoop when chilled first.
This is how we love to do it. I keep the scooped dough in the fridge, and we can toss a few cookies in the oven whenever we have a craving for a couple of fresh homemade chocolate chip cookies. My family loves these cookies so much that I have even been asked to make them for the birthday dessert. They love that I can just take them from the fridge and cook them fresh.
Ingredients for Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies
- BUTTER (I USE SALTED BUTTER)
- LIGHT BROWN SUGAR
- WHITE SUGAR
- LARGE EGG
- LARGE EGG YOLK
- PURE VANILLA EXTRACT
- ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR
- CORNSTARCH
- BAKING SODA
- SALT
- SEMISWEET CHOCOLATE CHIPS
Instructions for Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies
Start by adding the melted butter and both sugars to the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix until everything is smooth and well combined. Add in the egg and egg yolk, mixing until fully incorporated, then stir in the vanilla extract.
In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, mixing just until all of the flour is absorbed and no dry streaks remain. Stir in the chocolate chips until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
Cover the chocolate chip cookie dough and refrigerate for 30 minutes. This short chill time helps the cookies bake up thicker and chewier without spreading too much. I’ve actually found it works best to scoop the dough before refrigerating. Once the dough is chilled, it can be harder to scoop.
After mixing, go ahead and portion the dough into 1½ tablespoon balls and place them on a parchment-lined cookie sheet or plate. Then refrigerate the cookie dough balls for 30 minutes.
At this point, you can keep the scooped dough stored in the refrigerator and just bake just a few cookies at a time. Simply place a couple of chilled dough balls on a baking sheet and pop them in the oven for fresh, warm cookies.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Place chilled dough balls about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
Bake for about 11 minutes. You want the edges to start to turn golden brown. The centers may look slightly soft when you take them out—that’s exactly what you want. The cookies will continue to set as they cool on the baking sheet. Be careful not to overbake.
Allow the cookies to cool completely on the baking sheets before serving. Makes about 30 cookies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do you use melted butter instead of softened butter?
Melted butter helps create a chewier cookie with a rich flavor. It also blends easily with the sugars, giving the cookies that soft center and slightly crisp edge.
Why is there an extra egg yolk?
The extra egg yolk adds richness and moisture. It helps make the cookies softer and chewier, rather than cakey.
Do I really need to chill the dough?
Yes! Chilling the dough helps prevent the cookies from spreading too much and allows the flavors to develop. Even 30 minutes makes a big difference.
Tips & Tricks for Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Measure flour correctly. Spoon and level the flour in the measuring cup instead of scooping directly from the bag to avoid dense cookies.
- Don’t overmix once the flour is added. Overmixing can make cookies tough.
- Use parchment paper. It prevents sticking and helps cookies bake evenly.
- Use a cookie scoop. This keeps cookies uniform in size, ensuring even baking.
- Add extra chocolate chips on top. Press a few chips onto each dough ball before baking for bakery-style cookies.
- Let them cool on the pan. This finishes the baking process and keeps the centers chewy.
For more recipes like this, try:
- Chewy Brown Sugar Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Hand Mixed Chocolate Chip Cookies
- My Go-To Chocolate Chip Cookies
Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies
Real Mom Kitchen
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter melted and cooled at least 10 minutes
- 1 ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature preferred
- 1 egg yolk room temperature preferred
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla
- 2 ¾ cups flour
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ¾ tsp salt
- 1 ¾ cup semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add melted butter and sugars. Stir until well combined.
- Add in the egg and egg yolk, stir well. Stir in vanilla extract.
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt together.
- Gradually add flour mixture to the stand mixer. Mix well so that all the flour is absorbed. Stir in chocolate chips.
- Place dough in refrigerator and chill for 30 minutes. I reccomned scooping the dough before placing it in the fridge. It's harder to scoop the dough once it's chilled.
- Preheat oven to 350 dergrees and prepare cookie sheets by lining with parchment paper.
- Scoop dough into 1 ½ tablespoon rounds or place the pre-scooped rounds onto prepared cookie sheets, placing at least 2" apart.
- Bake at 350 degreea for 11 minutes. Cookies may still look slightly soft in the centers, that is OK, they will cook completely on the cookie sheets. Don’t over-bake or your cookies will be too hard.
- Allow to cool completely on cookie sheets. Makes 30 cookies
Nutrition
This recipe is adapted from Spend with Pennies.
