Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies

I declare August all about chocolate chip cookies and I don’t foresee many complaints about it! The August Baking Challenge revolves around chocolate chip cookies, National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day was last weekend, and Sprinkled episode 4 was… you guessed it… chewy chocolate chip cookies!

I took this as an opportunity to test and publish a new chocolate chip cookie recipe: a recipe for crispy chocolate chip cookies with a satisfying crunch. With their crackly tops, crisp buttery edges, and overflow of chocolate chips– I have a feeling even soft chocolate chip cookie fans will get a kick out of these. Let’s do this!!

BEHIND THE RECIPE

All chocolate chip cookies– whether they’re soft, chewy, or crispy– are made from the same ingredients. Flour, leavener, salt, butter, sugars, eggs, vanilla, chocolate chips. It’s the ratio of ingredients and simple modifications that create the textural differences. Let’s take a look at some of my chocolate chip cookie recipes and how they differ from others.

1. Soft chocolate chip cookies: Creamed butter and sugar create a light base. More brown sugar than white sugar and the addition of cornstarch add to their softness.


2. Chewy chocolate chip cookies: Melted butter, an extra egg yolk, and more brown sugar than white sugar create a supremely chewy cookie. Melted butter also creates a buttery and dense cookie. Cornstarch keeps them soft.


3. Crispy-edged chocolate chip cookies from Sally’s Cookie Addiction cookbook (page 26): More white sugar than brown sugar and milk help create spread and a crispier cookie, creamed butter and sugar create a soft and light center. I’d say these are the perfect blend of soft, chewy, and crispy. Definitely one of my favorites!

And that brings us to today’s crispy chocolate chip cookies:

• Melted butter for a chewy and dense center.


• More white sugar than brown sugar. Brown sugar is soft and we want less softness in the cookie.


• Milk helps the cookies spread so the edges are crispier.


• A little liquid sweetener (honey) melts and crisps, also creates a crackly surface.


• 1 egg yolk for richness and structure.


• Roll cookies smaller so the entire cookie can crisp up in the oven.


• Higher oven temperature for overall crisp: extra crisp tops and edges.

Every ingredient has a job to do! Cookie science!

Creaming butter and sugar together, like you do for most cake recipes, aerates the cookie dough. This creates a fluffy base and a softer cookie. We’re not looking for that today, so let’s do it differently with melted butter. Whisk it with white and brown sugars, a little liquid sweetener (honey), 1 egg yolk, vanilla extract, and milk. Liquids like honey and milk help the cookies spread out and crisp up. Too much milk, however, can produce a soft cookie– so honey makes up for the difference. It also gives the cookies a crackly top and a little extra sweetness. Light corn syrup can serve as a substitute for the honey.

Use 10 Tablespoons of butter. This is 2 Tablespoons more than 1 traditional stick of butter. The extra 2 Tablespoons add enough fat to the cookies so they (1) spread out more and (2) taste more buttery!

You’ll notice we leave out the egg white. Why? Egg whites fluff up when beaten or whisked. Awesome for meringue, not so much for crispy cookies. We want to avoid the fluff, so leave the egg white out. You can freeze the leftover egg white, add it to your morning egg scrambles, or use it in recipes calling for egg whites.

The dry ingredients– flour, baking soda, and salt– don’t require any special modifications or changes. Most of the playing around is with the wet ingredients.

To Chill or Not to Chill?

Leaving that in the baker’s hands!!! I tested this recipe 3 ways.

I chilled the cookie dough for 2 hours, my usual amount of time, and the cookies had a lovely crisp edge with a chewy center. They were delicious, but tasted like my soft chocolate chip cookies. I wanted something different– a thinner cookie with an overall crunch. So I chilled the cookie dough for 1 hour. The edges were super crispy and the centers were slightly chewy. They were REALLY tasty. Finally, I tested the cookie dough without chilling it. Cookies were thin and crisp. We loved them.

So it all depends on what you want. (1) Thin and mega crisp– skip the chilling. (2) A little thicker, a little chew, and a lot of crisp– chill for 1 hour. (3) Thicker with less crisp– chill for 2+ hours. I appreciate that this cookie recipe works all 3 ways. The great news is if you want a thin and crisp cookie, you can completely skip the chilling!

Regardless if you chill the cookie dough or not, roll the balls on the smaller side. The oven, heated to a higher temperature, can bake the edges AND the centers more evenly when they’re small. About 1 Tablespoon of cookie dough per cookie.

For that pleasing CRUNCH when you bite into one, let the cookies cool completely. This is a true test to your self control! The longer the cookies cool, the crispier they’ll be. I suggest using a cooling rack; a cooling rack circulates air to the bottoms of cookies and, as a result, cools them quicker and more evenly.

Many of you have asked for a crispy chocolate chip cookie, so I’m thrilled to share the recipe today. They’re the perfect chocolate chip cookie if you’re looking for a satisfying buttery crunch!

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Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies

★★★★★
5 from 9 reviews

• 
  Author: Sally


• 
  Prep Time: 15 minutes


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  Cook Time: 10 minutes


• 
  Total Time: 2 hours, 25 minutes


• 
  Yield: 32-36 cookies


• 
  Category: Cookies


• 
  Method: Baking


• 
  Cuisine: American

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Description

Crispy chocolate chip cookies with a satisfying crunch. With their crackly tops, crisp buttery edges, and overflow of chocolate chips– I have a feeling even soft chocolate chip cookie fans will get a kick out of these.

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Ingredients

• 1 and 2/3 cups (210g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled)


• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda


• 1/2 teaspoon salt


• 10 Tablespoons (145g) unsalted butter, melted + slightly cooled


• 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar


• 1/4 cup (50g) packed light or dark brown sugar


• 2 Tablespoons (30ml) honey or light corn syrup


• 1 large egg yolk


• 2 Tablespoons (30ml) milk


• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract


• 1 and 1/4 cups (225g) semi-sweet chocolate chips

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Instructions

1. See step 4. If not chilling the cookie dough, preheat oven to 375°F (191°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.


2. Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.


3. Whisk the melted butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, honey, egg yolk, milk, and vanilla extract together until combined. Pour into dry ingredients and mix everything together until completely combined. Fold in the chocolate chips. (You can use a mixer for this step if needed.) Dough will be soft.


4. For thin and crisp cookies, do not chill the cookie dough and proceed with step 5. For slightly thicker and crisp cookies, cover and chill the cookie dough in the refrigerator for 1 hour then preheat the oven. For slightly thicker cookies with soft centers and crisp edges, cover and chill the cookie dough in the refrigerator for 2 hours then preheat the oven.


5. Roll cookie dough into balls, 1 scant Tablespoon of dough per cookie, and arrange 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake for 10-11 minutes or until browned on top and around the sides.


6. Remove from the oven and allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 3 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Cookies crisp up as they cool.

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Notes

1. Make Ahead Instructions: Cookies stay fresh lightly covered at room temperature for up to 1 week. You can make the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Allow to come to room temperature, preheat the oven, then continue with step 5. Keep in mind that cookies are the thinnest and crispiest when baked right away. Baked cookies freeze well for up to 3 months. Unbaked cookie dough balls freeze well for up to 3 months. Bake frozen cookie dough balls for an extra minute, no need to thaw. Click here for my tips and tricks on freezing cookie dough.


2. Special Tools: Glass Mixing Bowls | Heart Spatula | Whisk | Silpat Baking Mat | Baking Sheet | Cooling Rack


3. Be sure to check out my top 5 cookie baking tips AND these are my 10 must-have cookie baking tools.

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