Find Your Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Let’s take a deep dive into the absolutely awesome world of cookies. There are literally hundreds of ways to make chocolate chip cookies and I’m reviewing three of my best (and very different) recipes so YOU can find your favorite. There’s also reader reviews, cookie baking tips, and a dozen chocolate chip cookie recipe variations. Eat up!

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Happy National Chocolate Chip Day! Yes, today is chocolate chip day. And if you’re reading this any other day of the year, go ahead and call it national chocolate chip day too. Obviously chocolate chip cookies don’t need a specific date; they’re timeless and should be celebrated EVERY FREAKING DAY.

I have several cookie variations on my website plus an entire cookbook devoted to just cookie recipes. Cookies are my favorite dessert to bake because there’s literally no limit! They’re relatively easy, approachable, and don’t require a ton of special equipment. If you can follow a recipe, you can make cookies. They’re an easy treat to share, perfect for gifting, totally portable, and don’t require a fork or plate. (Just a few napkins!!!)

Cookies also have an undeniable allure. I mean… I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t appreciate homemade chocolate chip cookies… have you?

s take a deep dive into the absolutely awesome world of Find Your Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Two pictures above: giant chocolate chip cookies

Let’s use today as an opportunity to dive into the vast world of cookies. I have 3 main chocolate chip cookie recipes on my website, plus several variations linked below. I explain each in detail so you can find your favorite– I know it can get overwhelming searching for new cookie recipes! Whether you like chewy cookies, soft cookies, crispy cookies, cookie bars, or even oatmeal cookies, I have you covered. These chocolate chip cookie recipes are some of my best and if you’ve tried ANY of them, tell me about it in the comments below. And if you have any cookie recipe requests, let me know too.

Clearly I can’t get enough. And I know you can’t either!!!

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Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe for chewy chocolate chip cookies is my personal favorite. They’re included in Sally’s Cookie Addiction cookbook (page 25) and have stood the test of time– they’ve been the most popular cookie recipe on my website since 2013! This is my favorite cookie base to which I add different flavors like in my Reeses Pieces Butterscotch Cookies and Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies.

An extra egg yolk, melted butter, more brown sugar than white, cornstarch, and a careful amount of all-purpose flour each create exceptional flavor and texture.

Make these cookies if you like:

Mega chewy cookies

Thick and soft centers

Very dense texture

Buttery brown sugar flavor

Slightly crisp edges

Christen says: “Just wanted to say that I make these on the regular for friends/family, and they have gotten comments such as ‘these are literally the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever had’ sooo many times!”

Kristi says: “YES YES YES, thank you, yes. My search is over. I FINALLY found the best, perfect chocolate chip recipe. It took me a few trial and error recipes before I found this one. Now I finally have the amazing one.”

s take a deep dive into the absolutely awesome world of Find Your Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe produces extra soft chocolate chip cookies. They’re not quite as chewy and dense as the cookies above, but they’re way softer. Cornstarch creates a soft and thick cookie, while creamed butter produces a fluffy center with crisp edges. I love using this as a base recipe for white chocolate cranberry cookies!

Make these cookies if you like:

Thick and super soft centers

Classic chocolate chip cookie taste

Brown sugar flavor

Buttery crisp edges

Lots of chocolate chips

Emily says: “I made these last night, doubling the recipe all in one and just followed the other steps. They were fabulous! Slightly crispy on the outside with soft middles, good butter flavor, and tons of chocolate chips. I baked a dozen and froze about 40 balls for later! Thank you Sally – family approved! This recipe is definitely going into the rotation!”

Anne-Marie says: “I’ve been in search for the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe and THIS IS IT! I made it exactly as the recipe directs and they were awesome. Definitely making again…thank you, Sally!”

s take a deep dive into the absolutely awesome world of Find Your Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies

These crispy chocolate chip cookies are my latest chocolate chip cookie creation. They’re packed with chocolate chips, have a lovely crackly surface and delicious overall crisp. Melted butter and liquid sugar (honey) stretches the edges out so they crisp up, while 1 egg yolk provides richness and structure. One mega tip: roll cookies smaller so the entire cookie can crisp up in the oven!

Make these cookies if you like:

Chewy centers

Crispy, not crunchy

Extra buttery flavor

Lots of chocolate chips

Carla says: “Absolutely delicious! Love the crisp and the hint of honey to them too! Will definitely be making these again.”

Erica says: “Made these last night for the first time and they’re great! The small size and flavor make them dangerously addicting. My husband and I kept finding ourselves walking back to the cooling rack to grab one.”

s take a deep dive into the absolutely awesome world of Find Your Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Each of these 3 recipes start with the same exact ingredients like butter, flour, sugar, baking soda, and egg. But each produces extremely different results! Maybe I’m just a huge cookie nerd, but isn’t that fascinating?!

And heck, add cake mix and sprinkles and you have cake batter chocolate chip cookies!

s take a deep dive into the absolutely awesome world of Find Your Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

If you’re interested, I also have a few cookie tutorials including tips to prevent cookies from spreading, how to ship cookies, and how to freeze cookie dough. But before you get started baking ANY cookie recipe, let’s review some of my top cookie baking tips.

3 Cookie Baking Tips

Chill the cookie dough: I normally determine if cookie dough needs chilling by how it feels. If the cookie dough is particularly sticky or greasy, chilling is best. Chilling cookie dough helps prevent spreading. The colder the dough, the less likely the cookies will over-spread into greasy puddles. As a result, you’ll have thicker and sturdier cookies. After chilling, let your cookie dough sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes before baking. (Or longer depending on how long the dough has chilled.) Your cookie dough may be a solid rock, so letting it slightly loosen up helps.

Ignore the recipe’s baking time: When I bake cookies, I never look at recipe times– I look at the cookies! You see, all ovens are different and maybe your oven is a convection oven, while the recipe author’s is a conventional oven. (I bake with conventional.) Always go with your instincts: the cookies are done when the edges are set and lightly browned. Keep in mind that a cookie’s center will continue to cook for a few minutes as it cools.

Room temperature ingredients: I wrote a whole post about room temperature ingredients and another specifically about room temperature butter. Both are important, but let me sum them up. Room temperature ingredients properly emulsify into cookie dough, which creates a uniform structure throughout your cookies. If a recipe calls for room temperature butter, make sure it’s not straight from the fridge or overly greasy. You can’t cream cold butter and you can’t cream partially melted butter either. As for the eggs, room temperature eggs whip into a higher volume compared to cold eggs. And if a recipe calls for melted butter, it’s imperative the eggs are room temperature as well. Otherwise, the cold eggs will solidify the melted butter in the dough.

Tip for room temperature: Does the recipe require room temperature butter and eggs? Place butter on the counter 1 hour before starting the recipe or use my trick for softening butter quickly. For the eggs, place them in a glass of warm water for 5-10 minutes.

s take a deep dive into the absolutely awesome world of Find Your Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe