Chocolate Chip Cookies (Soft!)

A terrific chocolate chip cookie recipe that is dangerously easy and makes soft, buttery cookies! No creaming butter, no beater required, no refrigeration, no rolling dough into balls and these are not too sweet. The hardest part is waiting for the cookies to cool. Watch the video and see my mother getting in trouble for trying to swipe one off the tray!

Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe

A long awaited reader request…. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve had people writing in asking for my chocolate chip cookie recipe!

In truth, I was sitting on it because I wanted to make sure I tested it properly for different measures in different countries. If you’ve ever tried a cookie recipe written by someone in another country and had it fail miserably, chances are that it’s because of the difference in cup, tablespoon and teaspoon measures between countries. As an example, 1 standard Australian cup of flour is 150g/5.3 oz whereas 1 standard US cup is 120g / 4.5 oz.

For most recipes, the difference between measures is not enough to affect the recipe or the difference is proportional across the whole recipe so it still works fine. However, for baking recipes, you really have to be careful. Especially cookies and cakes.

So that’s a little tip for you when using baking recipes – check the country of origin of the writer. If it’s not your country, proceed with caution! 😉

Oh – in case I forgot to make it really clear – yes I’ve tested this recipe using Australian & rest of world cups (all exc US are very similar) and US cups and weight measures.

Oh – and this is based on a Cooks’ Illustrated tried and tested recipe. That always helps!

This chocolate chip cookie recipe may be a little different to most you’ve come across. It’s unique in that there’s no creaming butter, no electric beater is required, there’s no refrigeration of the dough (unless it’s stinking hot where you are!) and there’s no rolling dough.

Dump and mix. The batter will be quite soft at first because of the melted butter, but after 5 minutes or so, it firms up into a soft dough that can be scooped onto the baking tray and it holds its form perfectly. Using an ice cream scooper with a lever (seriously handy kitchen utensil – cookies, pancakes, MEATBALLS), it’s super quick to dollop the dough into perfect round mounds that spread into beautiful round cookies.

I’ve tried to capture how soft these cookies are in the recipe video (below the recipe). I hope I’ve succeeded. I also hope I’ve succeeded in showing you how straight forward these are to make.

Dangerous. I should have called these Dangerous Choc Chip Cookies.

Happy weekend everyone! – Nagi xx

For Cookie Monsters 🙋🏻‍♀️

• Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

• 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies

• Shortbread Cookies

• Anzac Cookies

• Byron Bay copycat cookies – Choc Chunk, White Choc Macadamia and Chewy Choc Fudge

PS That moment when I smack my mother’s hand in the video….. I have been wanting an excuse to do that all my life….

PPS This recipe makes big cookies about 10cm/4″ wide. I have a cookie baking session planned this weekend and plan to test out different sizes for bake times and will update the recipe! <– Said baking session took place, recipe updated for directions for small cookies!

PPPS I don’t know why it is but my recipes always seem to come out with odd numbers. This recipe makes 13 cookies. THIRTEEN. My trays fit 6 each perfectly. Which means I have to have a third tray…..for just ONE cookie. 🙄

 WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT

Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe video!

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Soft Easy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Author: Nagi

Prep: 10 mins

Cook: 22 mins

Total: 32 mins

Sweet

Western

4.96 from 81 votes

Servings13

Tap or hover to scale

Print

RECIPE VIDEO ABOVE. These may well be the easiest chocolate chip cookies in the world! These are big, soft, buttery and are made without a beater, no creaming butter, no refrigeration required and no rolling the dough into the balls. Adapted from Cooks Illustrated. Makes 13 large or 26-30 small. {This recipe will work no matter which country you live in - see Note 5. High altitude baking - see Note 6.}

Ingredients

CupsMetric

• ▢ 1 3/4 cups plain / all purpose flour
• ▢ 1 tsp salt
• ▢ ½ tsp baking soda (bi carb soda)
• ▢ 175g / 12 tbsp unsalted butter , cut into 2 cm/ 4/5" cubes (1.5 US sticks / 6 oz)
• ▢ 1/2 cup brown sugar , packed (light or dark) (Note 1)
• ▢ 1/2 cup caster sugar (US: granulated sugar)
• ▢ 1 egg
• ▢ 1 egg yolk
• ▢ 2 tsp vanilla extract
• ▢ 1 1/4 cups chocolate chips , separated (US: semi sweet chocolate chips or chunks)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 180C / 350F (standard) or 160C/320F (fan / convection). Place oven shelf in the middle of the oven.
• Line 2 trays with baking / parchment paper.
• Whisk the flour, salt and baking soda in a bowl.
• Place the butter in a large heatproof bowl. Microwave until the butter is almost fully melted (25 sec for room temp butter, 40 sec for fridge cold butter on high).
• Whisk to finish melting the butter. (Note 2)
• Add brown and white sugar, whisk energetically for 15 seconds.
• Add egg, yolk and vanilla, whisk well for 15 seconds.
• Add flour mixture and mix until flour is almost fully incorporated.
• Add 1 cup chocolate chips, stir to disperse and flour is fully incorporated. Batter will be quite loose.
• Stand for 5 minutes for batter to firm up a bit so it is scoop-able into mounds. (Note 3)
• LARGE COOKIES: Scoop up a level ice cream scoop / 3 tbsp / 1/4 cup (Note 4) and place on baking trays 5cm / 2" apart - 13 balls. Top with remaining choc chips (these remain on surface once baked = prettier).
• SMALL COOKIES (26 - 30): Scoop up 1.5 tbsp (heaped tbsp measure) OR 1/2 an ice cream scoop (this works well). Place on baking trays 4cm / 1.75" apart, top with choc chops.
• Bake 1 tray at a time. LARGE COOKIES: Bake for 8 minutes, then rotate the tray and bake for 3 minutes (11 minutes in total). SMALL COOKIES: Bake 6 minutes, turn then bake 3 minutes (9 min total). The cookies should be just golden on the edges and pale golden on top. They will be slightly puffed up.
• Cool on the tray - they finish cooking. They will lose the puffiness while resting. Dig in and get your cookie fix!

Recipe Notes:

1. I switch between light and dark brown sugar, I use whatever I have. If I had both, I probably use light over dark more often. The flavour difference is not noticeable to me. Light brown sugar will produce a slightly paler cookie which does suggest its softness.

2. If the butter is fully melted in the microwave so it's transparent when you take it out, the cookie is not quite as soft. Not a deal breaker, just a little tip that makes a difference!

3. FIRMING UP BATTER: While the butter is warm, the batter is quite loose (see video). Standing for just 5 minutes firms up the batter, turning it into a soft cookie dough so when you drop mounds onto the tray, they stay in a mound shape. If it is super hot where you are, you may need to refrigerate for a bit.

4. A standard ice cream scooper is 3 tablespoons. The ones with levers like what I use in the video are a terrific utensil that I use more frequently for things like cookies, pancakes and even meatballs more than I do ice cream!

You can also make smaller cookies and I will update this recipe with a guide for baking times for different size cookies in the near future - there are cookie baking plans for this weekend!

5. HIGH ALTITUDE BAKING - a reader at 7200 ft reported that this worked perfectly with the sugar reduced to 3/4 cup (total).

DIFFERENT COUNTRY CUPS: No need to do any calculations to adjust, this recipe will work no matter which country you are in with the exception of Japan, please use weights provided.

Background: Measuring cups and teaspoons can differ between some countries. For most recipes, the difference is not material enough to affect the recipe. However, for baking recipes, it does make a difference. I've tested this recipe with US cups, Aussie cups (which is very close to rest of world) and weights. No difference!

6. STORING: Keeps great for 3 days in an airtight container and they freeze well too. Dough keeps great in the fridge for 3 days - it will firm up so roll into balls and place on tray, then add 1 minutes to the bake time. Cooked cookies freeze great - defrost before serving.

7. HIGH ALTITUDE BAKING: I'm thrilled to share that a reader, Marg (4 June 2017) who lives at high altitude (985 m/3200 ft) made the following adjustments: reduced total sugar to 1/2 cup (1/4 each brown and white), increased oven to 170C/340F, and used 2 eggs (to avoid having left over egg white). She said  the cookies spread a bit because she used 2 whole instead of 1 yolk + 1 egg per recipe, but they were not flat, were soft and she didn't miss the sugar. Would love to hear if anyone at high altitude makes this using 1 whole + 1 yolk + Marg's other adjustments!

The Cooks' Illustrated recipe I adapted my recipe from doesn't prescribe exact adjustments, but provided a guideline which Marg based her adjustments on: "For High-Altitude Baking: Problem: Cookies spread too much in the oven. Solution: Use less sugar. Increase the oven temperature and decrease the baking time. Problem: Cookies are too dry. Solution: Add an extra egg or yolk."

8. This is adapted from a Cooks' Illustrated recipe. I reduced sweetness (plus this made it a touch softer), cut out a step to brown butter (which they do to add more flavour which I don't miss when I exclude) and I reduced the butter a touch which I find makes the dough slightly quicker to make and consistently yields a better scoop-able dough without affecting the butteriness of the cookie. So...erm, I did actually change it quite a bit over the years. This recipe is my idea of a perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie that happens to be very simple to make!

9. Yes, this makes 13 large cookies. It is so annoying because my trays fit 6 each! Nutrition is per giant cookie, halve it for small cookies.

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 74gCalories: 325cal (16%)

Keywords: Chocolate chip cookie recipe

Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @RecipeTinEats.

LIFE OF DOZER

At the coffee shop responding to messages and recipe questions on my site…..and Dozer wanting to know what I’m writing. That’s a nice way of saying he’s being annoying, shoving his face onto my computer!!

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