Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies from Scratch

Learn how to make perfectly soft, chewy chocolate chip cookies at home from scratch. 

Cookies are one of the easiest things to learn to bake from scratch and with a few tips and tricks you will be making perfect chocolate chip cookies at home every time. I’m also sharing my favorite easy chocolate chip cookie recipe so you can begin making your own at home today.

Fresh baked chocolate chip cookies are one of my favorite ways to make my house feel cozy. They smell delicious and welcoming and who doesn’t love eating a warm chocolate chip cookie fresh from the oven? There is something so comforting about a fresh baked cookie. They are the perfect after supper treat or serve with a glass of milk for an afternoon snack. I love to keep cookies or balls of chocolate chip cookie dough in the freezer to quickly pull out and bake when I need a quick dessert or treat for guests. 

Ingredients for Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate chip cookies use simple ingredients that are most likely already in your pantry. With just a few staples on hand you’ll be able to whip these up in no time. If you are interested in learning more about stocking your pantry with basic ingredients, check out this blog post. 

 Here’s what you’ll need to make the best chocolate chip cookies at home. 

Butter – Butter is the oil/fat component of these cookies. It holds things together and helps create a chewy cookies. Butter temperature also affects the spread of the cookie. If your butter is too soft, the cookie will spread out when it bakes and become thin. Cooler butter will help the cookies retain their shape and be chewier. Room temperature butter does incorporate into the dough better though and makes for a creamier dough. One way to manage this is to soften your butter prior to making the cookie dough and then refrigerate the dough before baking. This will ensure a smooth dough, but also keep the cookies from spreading out too thin when they bake. 

White Sugar – White sugar absorbs moisture in the cookie and prevents gluten from developing, which makes cookies crispier. Cookies made with all or mostly white sugar will be flatter and crispier than cookies that are made with brown sugar also. 

Brown sugar – Brown sugar on the other hand helps to create a chewy cookie. Brown sugar is simply white sugar with molasses in it. The addition of molasses forms a sugar that will trap moisture, resulting in softer chocolate chip cookies. Often cookies will have a combination of white and brown sugars. Using more brown sugar than white sugar will create a cookie that is softer and more moist. 

Eggs – Eggs help to provide structure to the cookies while holding everything together. The create rise and spread in cookies. The more eggs a recipe has, the more cake-like the final product will be. Eggs also add richness in flavor to the cookies. For an extra chewy cookie, consider adding an extra egg yolk to your cookie dough. 

Vanilla Extract – Vanilla adds flavor to cookies and brings out that buttery flavory everyone loves in a cookie. 

Baking powder or baking soda – These are leavening agents that will help the cookies to rise. Some cookies use just one, while other recipes will call for a combination of both.

Salt – The addition of salt in cookies contrasts with the sweetness of the cookie and adds flavor. Salt may seem like a basic ingredient that won’t be missed, but a cookie without salt will be bland. 

All purpose flour – Flour is the building block of cookies. It provides structure, stabilizing and thickening the dough and determining how much the cookie will rise. Too much flour will create a dense, tasteless cookie. Too little flour will create a runny, thin cookie. It is necessary to have the right amount of flour to produce a cookie that is perfectly chewy and soft,  but not dense.

Chocolate chips – Of course the magic of chocolate chip cookies is the chocolate chips. Milk chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate, dark chocolate, or even mini chocolate chips can all be used in cookies depending on your tastes and preferences. You could even use chocolate chunks for a fun twist on the classic cookie. 

Can I freeze chocolate chip cookies?

Yes! There are two ways to do this. You can bake all of your cookies at once and then freeze the baked cookies. When you’re ready to eat cookies, simply pull out as many or as few as you need at a time and allow them to thaw at room temperature until soft. 

The other option is to freeze the cookie dough and then bake off the cookies when you are ready to eat them. To do this, make the dough as directed and form the dough into portion sized balls. Spread them out in a single layer on a baking sheet and pop them in the freezer for 20 minutes or until frozen solid. Remove from the freezer and place into a zip loc bag. Return them to the  freezer until you need them. When you are ready to bake, pull out the number of cookies you need and spread them on a prepared baking sheet. Allow to thaw prior to baking or bake from frozen by adding a few extra minutes to the bake time. 

Cookies from scratch, the process

The first step in making your chocolate chip cookies is to combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. You can mix your cookies by hand or do it in a stand mixer, whichever you prefer. 

Next, you will want to add the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer. With a paddle attachment, beat at medium speed until the butter and sugar are well incorporated and smooth. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape the bowl, add vanilla and mix again. With mixer on low speed, slowly add in dry ingredients, mixing just until combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Move dough to the refrigerator and chill for 30 minutes. 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray or line it with parchment paper. Using a cookie scoop, drop cookies onto prepared baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches in between. Bake cookies for 9-12 minutes or until cookies are golden brown. If you prefer cookies with crispy edges, bake several minutes longer. Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool. Store in airtight container at room temperate for 3-4 days or in a plastic freezer bag in the freezer for up to 6 months.

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