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 🙋🏻♀️
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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
Ingredients
- 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:
Nutrition Information:
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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Hi Nagi
I,m thinking of making a large batch of choc chip cookies and I am going to freeze them ,would this work well as a dough ?
cheers Kay
Hello nagi your cookies look delicious i can’t wait to try them 🙂
Love this recipe. My 11 year old daughter Is regularly making this recipe. She even reheated it in the microwave for 10 seconds in the following days and it was like they were fresh out the oven! Delicious
Best cookie recipe! I’ve made this twice now and have to say it’s by far the easiest cookie recipe I’ve ever tried. They came out absolutely perfect. The only problem is how easy it is… I’ll be making them too often!
My 5 year old “helped” me bake these, though she just wanted to eat the choc pieces and leftover dough! They turned out so nice we handed them out to her neighbourhood friends.
Made these and they were great! Question- what is the best way to defrost? Just leave them out? Reheat in oven from frozen? Thanks!
Nagi this recipe turned out so good! I topped them with M&Ms for colour and they came out excellent! Everyone was saying how they were like expensive cafe cookies. Thanks so much for your recipes, they are legit life changing!
Your recipes never fail! Love all the extra tips and tricks. Made these cookies today, so yum and not too sweet. Thank you Nagi xx
They are super popular at RecipeTin Meals too! Enjoy!! N x
Hi Nagi – I’m excited to try this chocolate chip cookie recipe! My question is- Can this recipe be used as is for a cookie cake? (I think a cookie cake is more popular in the US then other places) Do you know if I put this enter batch into a 8 or 9 inch pan, can I make a cookie cake out of this? So I’d basically be making one extra large cookie instead of 13? Also – need to add some walnuts. Will that be okay? My husband has requested a cookie cake for this bday. Thank you so much!
Kay
p.s – my kids and I make and enjoy your moist vanilla cake recipe!
Hi Kay – yes this should work as a cookie cake but I don’t know how long you will need to bake it as it will take longer than smaller cookies! N x
Once again, another recipe that turned out fantastic!! I can always rely on your recipes Nagi! Thank you x
Nagi, all your recipes are so reliable. I knew I wanted soft choc chip cookies and I’m so glad I checked to see if you had one.
You go above and beyond to make sure your recipes are perfect, and they usually are!
Thanks Nadia – that means a lot. I work REALLY hard to be sure that all of my recipes work before I post them! N x
Hot damn these were delicious! Made these with my little man(3). Super easy, quick and kept his attention till the end.
Agree, hardest thing was waiting for them to cool!
Love these cookies. My daughter wanted coffee cookies so we made these with a teaspoon of decaf coffee in them. They were great but she wants 2 teaspoons of coffee for the next batch.
Daughter is 11.
A caffeine fiend in the making!! ☕️ N x
Sooo good me and my daughter made it so easy and yummy!
Hi Nagi. I would like to know how should I melt the butter if I don’t have a microwave oven?
Just put the cut up butter in a pot on low heat. Melt it slowly. When there’s only some solid bits left, turn off the heat and whisk until the rest of the butter has turned to liquid. Make sure you don’t burn the butter!
So easy and so delicious!
Excellent recipe! Super easy to follow instructions and with a video too. Made delicious 15 big cookies. Thanks Nagi
Hi Nagi!
Wasn’t too sure if this was asked already but can you possibly make the dough and roll it into a log and freeze it for when you need it?
Made them today and have already eaten 5 out of 13, amazing as always xx
Hi Keira – yes they freeze well – see Note 6. You can also scoop them into balls, freeze on a cookie sheet then pop them into a freezer bag and then you always have them ready to throw in the oven as many as you need! They just need a few minutes extra baking if frozen or fridge cold. N x
I’m excited to make these. Have you ever substituted butter with coconut oil? I’m wondering which is better if you have tried that way? I recently discovered coconut oil and I love using it—it’s esp delicious on pancakes!
Hi Jamie – no I haven’t. I suspect it would change the flavour quite a bit. N x
Fantastic recipe as always! Thanks Nagi. Do you have brand recommendations (in Australia) for ingredients used in your baking recipes, like butter and choc chips?
Also is vanilla essence and extract the same? If not, what is the difference? Thanks!
Love this! My very picky niece ate them. She always just wants to eat store bought. 😅 Thanks! 💕
Hi Jacqui! I use several brands all available at my local grocery store – Allowrie, Dairy Farmers Butter, Devondale Butter and Lurpak come to mind. For chocolate chips it’s the ones in the normal baking section – Cadbury or Nestle. And I prefer natural vanilla extract. Vanilla essence has artificial flavours. N x
Thank you! 😊