Chocolate Chip Cookies

These chocolate chip cookies are the result of what I learned making countless batches for decades. I also explain what the ingredients do to a cookie and how baking can change them. You can tweak your cookies to be just how you like them using my cookie guide toward the bottom of the post.

Rating

4.83 stars (164 reviews)

Keywords

chocolate, dessert

Ingredients

2 2/3 cups (320g) unbleached all-purpose flour (See baker's notes)
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (I use Diamond Crystal Baking Salt)
3/4 cup (170g) unsalted butter (room temperature)
1/4 cup (57g) shortening
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups (300g) brown sugar, packed (See baker's notes)
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 eggs (room temperature)
8-12 ounces chocolate, chopped in largish chunks (about 1/4-inch wide) (See Baker's Note)
Flaky Sea Salt (for finishing)

Cuisine

Desserts

Steps

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, shortening, granulated and brown sugars, and vanilla on medium speed until creamy, about 3 minutes.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating on medium speed until incorporated. Add the flour mixture all at once and mix until just incorporated. Mix in the chopped chocolate pieces. You may need to give the bowl a couple of swipes with a rubber spatula at the end to make sure the chocolate is evenly distributed.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop the cookie dough using a #20 (3-tablespoon) portion scoop onto the baking sheet. You can make the cookies larger or smaller, but it will affect the baking time.
Refrigerate the dough balls for at least 30 minutes; but if you have the time, they improve if you let them sit for 24 to 36 hours. After they are chilled, you can bake them or freeze the dough balls for baking later.
To Bake
- Preheat the oven to 375℉ / 190℃. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Evenly space six chilled cookie balls on the prepared sheet and sprinkle them with flaky sea salt. Bake in the middle of the oven for about 12 minutes or until golden brown and slightly puffed. Repeat with as many batches as you need.
- Allow the cookies to cool slightly on the baking sheet, until you can move them without them falling apart, about 5 minutes. Then move them to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
Rate and Review!
- If you've made this recipe, please leave a rating and review! I love to hear how you've adapted my recipes to your own tastes, so please share how it went for you. It helps other people find my recipes. Thank you!

Reviews

Jennifer on 2025-06-25 (5 stars):
My go to base for cookies. I have made these gluten free and regular. I do use a half and half for butter and crisco. Unlimited potential in this foolproof recipe.
Jennifer on 2025-06-04 (5 stars):
This is truly the best chocolate chip recipe and I have made many a chocolate chip recipes in my lifetime. Who would’ve known that that little bit of shortening makes a huge difference in the crispiness of the cookie. Instead of chocolate chips, sometimes I like to chop up some Reese‘s peanut butter cups. This recipe is a keeper in our house.
Zoe Armijo on 2025-05-04 (4 stars):
i tried this recipe to bring to my school for a friend's birthday, I've yet to see how they like it, however instesd of chuinks of choclate i used semi sweet chocalate chips and since i didnt have enough of those i cut of pieces of Dove chocolates lol (as these were the only chocolates i had) i also didn't have shortening, so i used coconut oil instead, and it worked pretty well. I've attempted to bake chocolate chip cookies before, but they have NEVER turned out this good before. I'm not much of a baker, but I can't wait to see how people like them!
Denise Ellen on 2025-01-19 (4 stars):
The cookies were yummy, perfect amount of crisp on the outside & chewy inside. They were very sweet. Confused why the recipe says 1 1/2 cups or 300 g of brown sugar, but the notes say 1 cup?
Brittany Ferguson on 2024-12-24 (5 stars):
These cookies are by far the best I’ve ever made. I have it saved in my recipes as my number one recipe to use! They are the perfect amount of soft and crunchy. I follow the directions to a t except I definitely modify the time in oven (less and less) each pan I bake as the oven gets naturally hotter. Amazing!
Huma kabir on 2024-12-23 (5 stars):
This recipe was delicious ! It was my first time Making cookies - everyone loved them. Thank you so much for sharing.
MaryEllen Bly on 2024-11-19 (5 stars):
These are amazing! Taste is off the charts! Getting them to bake without getting flat was a nightmare for me tho. I reduced the temp to 350 degrees and it helped a bit. It's probably my oven. I followed the recipe exactly, timing how long I mixed the butter, measuring the best of my ability. Refrigerated for over 24 hours. I am considering changing the baking soda to baking powder to see if they are a bit thicker. Any suggestions welcome!
Bay Jackson on 2024-10-09 (4 stars):
Congrats to Zoe on her new cookbook! I’ve been on a quest for the perfect CCC and had to try this one! The flavors were delicious! I prefer using a scale when baking and ran into difficulty measuring/weighing the brown sugar. The 300gs of brown sugar was equivalent to 2 cups! I opted to use measuring cups, not my scale. Can you please guide me on this? Ty!
April on 2024-10-01 (5 stars):
These cookies are fabulous! It was my first time using both butter and shortening in a CCC- I love the combo! Also chilling the dough for 24 hours was a game changer! These are the ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies! Delicious!!
Joanne Jaffey on 2024-09-30 (5 stars):
I made these for a party on the weekend, hoping there would be some leftover "for the kids". Now I make them really small, bite size, people seem to love them that way, well they ate every last one! I found refrigerating the dough was helpful, even necessary. I used a mix of dark and milk chocolate chips and chocolate circles from this high quality Italian store near me. Oh my Lanta. These CCC's were TDF!
Katy Davis on 2024-09-30 (4 stars):
Truly a delicious cookie. I did experience a good bit of spread, but I didn't have any shortening and wasn't able to let them rest overnight. Even then, truly a lovely cookie. I think I'd add more flour and cut down on the sugar slightly for my own personal preference next time.
Rachel Zimm on 2024-09-30 (5 stars):
Zoë, these chocolate chip cookies are delicious! They're crispy around the edges but soft in the middle, and they have almost a caramelized taste! The chocolate chunks (as opposed to chips) are Thank you for all of your good tips!
Jackie on 2024-09-30 (4 stars):
This a a wonderful recipe. I have made it with chocolate chips and with chopped up chocolate bars. Both were very good but the chopped up bars were the best. And the fam thought they were yummy!
Megan Lee on 2024-09-29 (5 stars):
Yum! This was so good and the outsides were ripply and crisp and the inside center was chewy. I used half KAF and half pastry flour for a total protein content of about 10% on average!