The original and famous Pan-Banging Chocolate Chip Cookies, created by Sarah Kieffer. The easy trick of banging the pan a few times during baking, causing the cookies to "fall," produces rippled edges that shatter in your mouth and a center that is soft and full of chocolate.
Prep time: PT20M
Cook time: PT18M
Total time: PT38M
Rating
4.77 stars (173 reviews)
Keywords
chocolate chip cookies, cookie dough, cookie sheet, pan banging, pure vanilla extract
Ingredients
2 cups (284 g) all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon salt
2 sticks (227 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1½ cups (297 g) granulated sugar
¼ cup (50 g) packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons water
6 ounces (170 g) bittersweet chocolate, chopped into bite-size pieces averaging ½ inch with some smaller and some larger
Categories
cookies
Cuisine
American
Steps
Adjust an oven rack to the middle position. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 3 baking sheets with aluminum foil, dull side up.
In a small bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, beat the butter on medium until creamy. Add the granulated and brown sugars and beat on medium until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla, and water and mix on low to combine. Add the flour mixture and mix on low until combined. Add the chocolate and mix on low into the batter.
Form the dough into 3½-ounce (100g) balls (a heaping 1/3 cup each). Place 4 balls an equal distance apart on a prepared pan and transfer to the freezer for 15 minutes before baking. After you put the first baking sheet in the oven, put the second one in the freezer.
Place the chilled baking sheet in the oven and bake 10 minutes, until the cookies are puffed slightly in the center. Lift the side of the baking sheet up about 4 inches and gently let it drop down against the oven rack, so the edges of the cookies set and the inside falls back down (this will feel wrong, but trust me). After the cookies puff up again in 2 minutes, repeat lifting and dropping the pan. Repeat a few more times to create ridges around the edge of the cookie. Bake 16 to 18 minutes total, until the cookies have spread out and the edges are golden brown but the centers are much lighter and not fully cooked.
Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack; let cool completely before removing the cookies from the pan.
Reviews
Kaitlin on 2025-08-16 (2 stars): The cookies came out as said but not my type of cookie. I think too much granulated sugar vs brown sugar.
Jennifer Madden on 2025-08-02 (5 stars): Fabulous! Love all of Sarah’s cookie recipes!
Mary Parada on 2025-07-30 (5 stars): Muchas gracias por compartir su receta, no he podido comprar su libro por falta de presupuesto. La felicito por sus excelentes recetas.
MrsGeorgeStrait on 2025-07-30 (4 stars): What other chocolate would you recommend. I think almost $20 for chocolate is a little pricey for my budget.
Sarah on 2025-07-12 (4 stars): I’ve always struggled with pan-banging cookies. I just can’t figure them out. I have never been able to get them to sink low enough or get those crispy ripple edges. With this recipe, mine didn’t come out exactly as I hoped—they don’t ripple as well as the photos—but these are definitely the top contender in my pan-banging cookie-capades, and with a little more practice, I think this will be my go-to recipe.
Came here to say that these DO in fact work with chocolate chips. If you put the chips in a bag and pound them down a bit (they won’t entirely break but they’ll get a little flatter), they absolutely work without making the cookie too lumpy. Also, I’m a milk-chocolate girly, but this recipe is already quite sweet, so if you go for milk chocolate, throw some kosher salt on top when they’re cooled. Chef’s kiss.
Sue on 2025-06-13 (3 stars): What a huge job. Going in and out of the oven banging the trays. Back and forth to freezer. Cookies didn’t wrinkle like photo. Cookies are good. Very buttery. I am throughly exhausted. No joke. I’m 65. Don’t know what I was thinking. Highly doubt I will attempt this again.
Ashley on 2025-05-26 (5 stars): Can you freeze baked cookies?
Sarah on 2025-03-26 (5 stars): These are AMAZING. I haven’t made any other chocolate chip cookie since finding this recipe.
Kristian on 2025-02-26 (5 stars): Have you tried adding walnuts to the recipe?
James Barrett on 2025-01-20 (5 stars): Great cookies. I appreciate the meticulous detail (lift pan up 4 inches, put dull side of foil face up)..
Trisha on 2024-12-09 (5 stars): Saw you make these on an episode of Zoe Bakes. I absolutely loves these and they we're so easy to make.
Jenny on 2024-12-08 (5 stars): I made these cookies today for the third time in about 4 weeks. I truly think they are literally the best chocolate chip cookie I have ever baked. The perfect crisp.
jill on 2024-10-27 (5 stars): Here I am almost exactly a year later to update this just in case anyone else tries this. I tried Violife’s vegan butter in two batches and Country Crock Plant Butter with Olive Oil in another. The two batches with Violife are good but the CC butter made significantly better cookies in texture and flavor.
Katie on 2024-09-15 (5 stars): This is the best easy chocolate chip recipe I’ve ever made.
SRweb on 2024-07-19 (5 stars): Thank you for this recipe.
