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Sweets · American

Chocolate Chip Cookies

One bowl, one tray, and a kitchen that smells like a hug.

Hands-on
12 min
Hands-off
16 min
Oven preheat
15 min
Total
28 min
Makes
18 medium cookies (18-30, depending on add-ins)
Serves
18

Total = 12 min active + up to 16 min baking. Turn the oven on first: preheating runs while you mix.

Oven 190 °C · 170 °C fan (375 °F)

  • easy
  • vegetarian
  • classic
  • one-bowl
  • baking-basics

Verified against at least two trusted test kitchens or food-safety guides · Last checked · What this means

Illustration of Chocolate Chip Cookies
Amount
Units
Oven

Ingredients

You need: 2 baking sheets · parchment paper · large mixing bowl · electric mixer or sturdy spoon · rubber spatula · tablespoon or tablespoon cookie scoop · kitchen scale (recommended) · oven mitts

Contains: wheat · egg · milk

Method

  1. Heat the oven

    Turn the oven to 190°C (375°F). Line two baking sheets with parchment, or give them a light greasing.

  2. Beat the butter mix

    Put the soft butter, both sugars, vanilla, salt, baking powder and baking soda in the bowl. Beat just until everything is blended and the mixture turns a shade paler.

    Otto tried this firstOtto keeps beating 'for extra fluff' - over-creamed butter leaks fat in the oven and the cookies bake flat and greasy.

  3. Add the egg

    Beat in the egg until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and give it one more quick beat.

  4. Mix in the flour

    Add the flour and mix until no dry streaks are left. Weighing it is the most reliable way to get the right amount.

    Otto tried this firstOtto dunks the cup straight into the flour bag - packed flour can weigh far more than the recipe expects, and the cookies come out dry and crumbly.

  5. Milk, then chips

    Beat in the milk, then stir in the chocolate chips so they are spread through the dough.

  6. Scoop

    Drop generous tablespoons of dough onto the sheets, leaving about 5 cm (2 in) between them.

  7. Bake

    Bake for 10 to 14 minutes; some ovens need up to 16. They are ready when light golden with slightly darker edges. Take them out sooner for soft cookies, later for crunchy ones.

    Ready when: Light golden brown, a little darker around the edges. Shorter bake for soft cookies, longer for crunchy.

  8. Cool and clean up

    Let the cookies cool right on the baking sheets. Then wash your hands, bowls, tools and counter with warm soapy water, because raw flour and egg have touched them.

Swaps

  • Instead of all-purpose flour: white whole wheat flour for 57-85 g (1/2 to 3/4 cup) of it Swap the same amount; the rest stays all-purpose.
  • Instead of chocolate chips: chopped nuts and/or dried fruit, up to 2 cups in total
  • Instead of light brown sugar: dark brown sugar Same amount.

Make ahead, store & reheat

Make ahead
The dough can be chilled overnight before baking; chilled dough also spreads less in the oven.
Storage
Keep cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for several days. Freeze them for longer storage.

If something goes wrong

  • Flat, greasy cookies
    Beat the butter and sugar only until light, about 2 to 3 minutes; over-creaming makes the fat leak out in the oven.
  • Cookies spread too much
    Weigh the flour and sugar, check the oven with an oven thermometer, bake on parchment rather than foil, and chill the dough 30 to 60 minutes.
  • Dry, crumbly cookies
    Too much flour: spoon it into the cup and level it, or better, weigh it.

Good to know

  • A cup of flour that is fluffed, spooned in and levelled weighs about 120 g; a packed cup can reach 160 g. A scale removes the guesswork.
  • If cookies spread too much, check your oven with an oven thermometer - an oven running cool lets them spread before they set.
  • Bake on parchment rather than foil; foil-lined sheets give thin, flat cookies.
  • Making plain cookies with no chips? Leave out the milk.

Safety

  • Never eat or taste raw cookie dough. Raw flour can carry E. coli and Salmonella, and raw egg is a risk too; only baking makes it safe.
  • Do not let children play with or snack on the raw dough - they can get germs on their hands and then into their mouths.
  • Keep raw flour and egg away from foods that won't be cooked, and wash hands, tools and counters with warm soapy water after mixing.
  • The baking sheets come out of a 190°C oven - handle them only with oven mitts, and keep small children back from the open oven.
  • Chocolate chips can contain milk, soy or other allergens; read the packet.