Skip to content
Chewy chocolate chip cookies on a wooden board with a glass of milk
American · Snacks

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chewy-centred cookies with crisp golden edges and pockets of melted chocolate. Browned butter and a short rest for the dough give deep toffee flavour with everyday ingredients.

Published 1 Oct 2026Tested by Hina Ikram

Prep30 min
Cook12 min
Total42 min
Serves16
DifficultyEasy
CuisineAmerican
Jump to recipe Print

Ingredients

16 servings

Equipment: Saucepan, mixing bowls, whisk, spatula, 2 baking trays, baking paper, oven

Method

  1. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Keep cooking, swirling often, until it foams, smells nutty and small golden-brown specks appear at the bottom, about 5 minutes.

  2. Pour the browned butter into a large heatproof bowl, scraping in all the brown specks. Let it cool for 10 minutes so it is warm, not hot.

  3. Whisk both sugars into the butter for 1 minute until the mixture looks glossy and thick. Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla and whisk until smooth and slightly lighter in colour.

  4. Sift the flour, baking soda and salt over the bowl. Fold with a spatula until just a few streaks of flour remain, then fold in the chocolate. Do not overmix.

  5. Cover the dough and chill for at least 15 minutes (up to 24 hours for deeper flavour). Meanwhile, heat the oven to 180°C and line two trays with baking paper.

  6. Scoop the dough into 16 balls of about 45 g each. Place them 6 cm apart on the trays, as the cookies will spread. Press a few extra chocolate pieces on top if you like.

  7. Bake one tray at a time for 10–12 minutes, until the edges are golden and set but the centres still look slightly soft and underdone.

  8. Sprinkle with flaky salt if using. Leave the cookies on the tray for 5 minutes to firm up, then move them to a wire rack to cool.

Cooking tips

  • Browning the butter adds toffee flavour, but let it cool before adding eggs or they may scramble.
  • Pull the cookies out while the centres look slightly soft; they finish setting on the hot tray and stay chewy.
  • Chilling the dough stops excess spreading and gives thicker cookies.
  • Weigh the flour rather than scooping it, as too much flour makes dry, cakey cookies.

Substitutions

  • Use regular butter or Blue Band-style baking margarine if unsalted butter is hard to find; reduce added salt slightly with salted butter.
  • Replace brown sugar with 150 g white sugar plus 1 tbsp molasses or jaggery powder.
  • Use chocolate chips or a chopped baking chocolate bar; milk chocolate gives a sweeter cookie.
  • Add 60 g chopped walnuts or pecans for crunch.

Serve with

Serve warm with a glass of cold milk, or sandwich two cookies around a scoop of vanilla ice cream. They also go well with chai or coffee.

Storage

Keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. Freeze unbaked dough balls for up to 2 months.

Reheating

Warm cookies in a 150°C oven for 3–4 minutes, or microwave for 8–10 seconds, to soften the chocolate. Bake frozen dough balls straight from the freezer, adding 2 minutes.

Nutrition per serving, estimated

265kcal
3 gProtein
34 gCarbs
13 gFat

Estimated from the ingredient list. Values vary with brands and portion size.

Keep exploring
American & Continental recipes SnacksDessertsBaking Freezer friendly Kid friendly Lunchbox 4 lunchbox ideas for school and work 15 kid-friendly recipes the whole family will eat 15 desserts and sweet treats Watch as a Web Story
Related

You might also cook

A platter of glossy grilled BBQ chicken wings with charred edges, garnished with fresh herbs and served with dipping sauce and vegetable sticksAmerican

BBQ Chicken Wings

Smoky, sticky grilled wings with a crisp skin and a quick homemade barbecue sauce. Cooked over two-zone heat, so the meat turns tender without burning the glaze.

1 h 10 minServes 4
Golden chicken pot pie with a slice removed showing creamy chicken and vegetable fillingAmerican

Chicken Pot Pie with Flaky Butter Crust

A creamy chicken and vegetable filling under a golden, flaky butter crust. It is a comforting family dinner that uses everyday ingredients and bakes in one pie dish.

1 h 45 minServes 6
Golden skillet cornbread in a cast iron pan with one wedge cut and a pat of melting butter on topAmerican

Skillet Cornbread

A golden, buttery cornbread baked in a hot skillet, with a crisp crust and a tender, slightly sweet crumb. It comes together in one bowl and suits soups, chilli and barbecue dinners.

40 minServes 8
Chicken tikka pizza topped with mozzarella, peppers, onion and coriander on a wooden boardFusion

Chicken Tikka Pizza

A homemade pizza with a chewy crust, spiced yogurt-marinated chicken, peppers and stretchy mozzarella. A good weekend dinner that uses familiar tikka flavours on a pizza base.

2 hServes 4
More from this cuisine

American & Continental kitchen

All American & Continental
Squares of fudgy chocolate brownies with crackly tops stacked on baking paper, one broken open to show a moist centreAmerican

Fudgy Chocolate Brownies

Dense, glossy brownies with a thin crackly top and a soft, fudgy centre. Made with one bowl, simple pantry ingredients and real dark chocolate.

48 minServes 16
Sliced vanilla sponge cake with jam and buttercream filling on a white cake standContinental

Vanilla Sponge Cake

A soft, golden two-layer sponge sandwiched with strawberry jam and vanilla buttercream. It uses simple pantry ingredients and suits birthdays and afternoon tea.

50 minServes 10
Sliced two-layer chocolate cake with glossy chocolate ganache on a white cake standAmerican

Chocolate Cake

A deep, moist two-layer chocolate cake made with oil and cocoa, then covered in glossy dark chocolate ganache. It stays soft for days and suits birthdays or any weekend bake.

1 h 10 minServes 12
Sliced golden banana bread loaf with walnuts and butter on a wooden boardAmerican

Banana Bread

A moist, tender loaf made with very ripe bananas, brown sugar and a hint of cinnamon. It is an easy one-bowl bake that turns spotty bananas into tea-time slices.

1 h 15 minServes 10