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These thick chocolate chip cookies are tender and chewy and will become your new go-to. The step-by-step instructions will give you perfectly thick cookies every time.

Chocolate chip cookies in a blue and white cookie jar.

Have you ever wanted to make the perfect chewy chocolate chip cookie but noticed that all the recipes out there just have under baked cookies masquerading as chewy? Do not get me wrong. I LOVE an under baked cookie. Most of my adolescence and adulthood have been spent savoring a gooey cookie situation. But I have made it my mission to create a soft, chewy, and thick chocolate chip cookie when fully baked! 

These cookies are packed with chocolate chips and perfectly flavored with dark brown sugar! There’s a reason they’re at the top of the list of favorite cookies from the classic cookie tin we sell at Les Filles. If you’re thinking of adding a little extra zing to your cookies, try making my peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, cream cheese chocolate chip cookies, or brown butter chocolate chip cookies, and become the go-to cookie master for all occasions!

Why These are the Best Thick Chocolate Chip Cookies?

  • Soft, chewy, and wonderfully thick! These cookies have been perfected from the mixing method to the ratio of the ingredients for the most delectable texture every time. 
  • Full-proof recipe with step by step instructions from a pastry chef. I’ll be honest: I’ve made these cookies so many times that I know the recipe by heart. My team and I could make them in our sleep. So you can be confident that your cookies will come out perfect every time. 
  • Scalability! These cookies have been made in professional kitchens and at home, using everything from a modest Kitchen Aid to a large 80-quart mixer. Just be sure not to overfill your mixer; otherwise, you could have a flour situation on your counter, and the cookie dough won’t be mixed properly.

Professional Bakery Tips for Making Thick Chocolate Chip Cookies

  • Don’t over cream your butter and sugar. The biggest secret to thick, chewy cookies like these and my double chocolate chip cookies is cold yet pliable butter! It should be softened to the point where you can press your finger into it, but it is still cold. Then, once you add your sugars, mix until it is just combined into a paste
  • Add the dry ingredients gradually. For the thickest, chewiest chocolate chip cookies, gradually add the dry ingredients to prevent overdevelopment of the gluten and fully incorporate all the dry ingredients. I wait until my flour is just incorporated before adding a little more. 
  • Roll your dough at room temperature. Once you have finished mixing your dough, I recommend dividing and rolling it immediately. You can wrap the dough in plastic wrap and leave it at room temperature for up to 2 hours before rolling. If you leave the dough unwrapped or refrigerate it before dividing and rolling, it will become dry and stiff, making rolling it much harder.
Three chocolate chip cookies stacked.
Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies melty chocolate
The Ultimate Pastry Chef's Guide to Perfect Cookies
Get all professional tips you need whether you want to bake thick, thin, chewy or crunchy cookies!

Ingredients

  • All-Purpose Flour: All-purpose flour has just the right amount of gluten to make a soft and chewy bakery style cookie.
  • Baking Soda: Baking soda reacts with an acid, the molasses in the dark brown sugar in this instance, to leaven the cookies. 
  • Baking Powder
  • Kosher Salt
  • Granulated Sugar: Granulated sugar is here for sweetness, but if you add too much in proportion to the butter and flour, the cookies will spread rather than stay tall and chewy
  • Dark Brown Sugar: Dark brown sugar adds sweetness and moisture, keeping the cookies softer while adding a rich molasses flavor. Yes, you can use light brown sugar, but the flavor will be slightly less robust.
  • Unsalted Butter
  • Eggs: The eggs add fat, moisture, and leavening. The fat from the egg yolk adds richness and helps keep the cookie chewy. I talk about this more in my pumpkin chocolate chip cookies recipe!
  • Vanilla Extract: Vanilla extract adds flavor to the cookie and enhances the molasses flavor from the dark brown sugar. 
  • Chocolate Chips: Just as in the New York Times chocolate chip cookies, I suggest semisweet chocolate chips because they balance the sweetness of the cookie. I recently made these with Scharffen Berger 70% chocolate chunks and it, no joke, changed my life. The chocolate flavor was impeccable and the chunks made layers of melted chocolate that made everyone swoon.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Variations

  • Make it a skillet cookie! Press the room-temperature cookie dough into a skillet and bake until the edges are golden brown and the center is completely matte. To make your skillet cookie dreams come true, add my vanilla ice cream and chocolate fudge sauce, and maybe some sea salt on top! 
  • Sub your favorite candy: Reese’s Pieces, M&Ms, or even some Snickers; the options are endless. Add some extra chocolate on top before baking, just for good measure. 
  • Add some nuts. Some chopped walnuts, pecans, or hazelnuts (um, hello Nutella cookie recipe!) would be just delightful in these cookies. I would toast and cool the nuts before adding them to the batter. If you’re feeling extra nutty, my old fashioned peanut butter cookies would be great on a cookie platter with these!

How to Make Thick Chocolate Chip Cookies

Use these instructions to make a perfectly thick and chewy chocolate chip cookie every time! Further details and measurements can be found in the recipe card below.

Step 1: In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine the ingredients to ensure the leavening agents are evenly distributed and lump-free. Set aside. 

Step 2: Start creaming the butter in a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or with an electric mixer). Beat the butter on medium-high until it is still cold but pliable. Add the sugars and mix on medium-high until combined and a paste forms. This is especially important if your butter is actually room temperature. 

Make sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Butter likes to hang out there and not get incorporated into the sugar. 

Step 3: Add the eggs one at a time, beating the mixture in between each addition. Scraping down the sides of the bowl when needed. Add the vanilla extract with the second egg. 

Step 4: Reduce the mixer to low and gradually add the mixed dry ingredients. I usually add the flour mixture in about 4-5 additions. To prevent overdevelopment of the gluten, I add the next bit of flour when the last one is almost fully incorporated. 

Step 5: Add the chocolate chips once the flour is fully incorporated. Mix until combined and fully distributed. 

Step 6: Roll the cookie dough 1 ½ inch balls, about 70g each. You can also use a 2 oz cookie scoop. Once rolled, refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight. 

The cookie dough needs to be rolled while at room temperature. Pre-chilling the dough will cause the cookie dough to dry out, making it very hard to roll and affecting the final product.

Step 7: Preheat the oven to 350°F conventional or 325°F convection, and line your baking sheets with parchment paper. 

Step 8: Place chilled or frozen cookies 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown and matte. At 325°F convection, mine baked for 13 minutes from the refrigerator, rotating after 8 minutes. They will take another minute or so from frozen.

Step 9: Cool on the sheet pan for 5 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.

Chef Lindsey’s Recipe Tip

Bake these cookies from frozen. I know, who wants to wait when you are craving chocolate chip cookies? But trust me, it will make all the difference in the texture.

Handheld chocolate chip cookie.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I store chocolate chip cookies?

Store your baked cookies well-wrapped or in an airtight container for 3 days at room temperature or in the freezer for up to 2 months. You can freeze the cookie dough for up to 2 months and have some ready to bake cookies for any day of the week!

How do you reheat the cookies?

You can reheat baked cookies from the fridge or at room temperature. With the oven at 350°F, place the cookies in the oven for about 2-3 minutes until warm to the touch and the chocolate has melted.

Do you need to bake these cookies from frozen?

For the thickest and chewiest cookies, it is best to bake them in frozen form. You will still get delicious cookies if baked from the fridge.

Do I need to chill the cookie dough before baking?

Yes, the dough must be completely chilled to achieve the THICK cookies you desire!

What do I serve my chocolate chip cookies with?

These cookies will stand well alone, but they pair perfectly with some crème anglaise or vanilla bean ice cream! You could also make them into ice cream sandwiches! I suggest scooping the ice cream on room temperature cookies for the best texture.

If you tried this recipe and loved it please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the comments below. I love hearing from you; your comments make my day!

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies interior detail
5 from 51 ratings

Thick Chocolate Chip Cookies

These thick chocolate chip cookies are tender and chewy and will become your new go-to. The step-by-step instructions will give you perfectly thick cookies every time.
Prep: 25 minutes
Cook: 8 minutes
Freezer Time: 1 hour
Total: 1 hour 33 minutes
Servings: 25 Cookies

Ingredients 
 

Instructions 

  • In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine the ingredients to ensure the leavening agents are evenly distributed and lump-free. Set aside.
  • Start creaming the butter in a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or with an electric mixer). Beat the butter on medium-high until it is still cold but pliable. Add the sugars and mix on medium-high until combined and a paste forms. This is especially important if your butter is actually room temperature.
  • Add the eggs one at a time, beating the mixture in between each addition. Scraping down the sides of the bowl when needed. Add the vanilla extract with the second egg.
  • Reduce the mixer to low and gradually add the mixed dry ingredients. I usually add the flour mixture in about 4-5 additions. To prevent overdevelopment of the gluten, I add the next bit of flour when the last one is almost fully incorporated.
  • Add the chocolate chips once the flour is fully incorporated. Mix until combined and fully distributed.
  • Roll the cookie dough 1 ½ inch balls, about 70g each. You can also use a 2 oz cookie scoop. Once rolled, refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight.
  • Preheat the oven to 350°F conventional or 325°F convection, and line your baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • Place chilled or frozen cookies 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown and matte. At 325°F convection, mine baked for 13 minutes from the refrigerator, rotating after 8 minutes. They will take another minute or so from frozen.
  • Cool on the sheet pan for 5 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.

Video

Notes

In the video I made a half batch, which also works!
Yield – 25, 70g cookies 
Technique – For the thickest, chewiest cookies, just barely cream the butter and sugars together. 
Storage –Store your baked cookies well-wrapped or in an airtight container for 3 days at room temperature or in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Nutrition

Calories: 297kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 45mg | Sodium: 334mg | Potassium: 46mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 359IU | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 1mg
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 297
Like this? Leave a comment below!

Before You Go

I hope you enjoyed this professional chef tested recipe. Check out our chocolate recipes, or try your hand at one of our 250+ cookie recipes, such as chocolate biscotti!

Soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies
Chewy chocolate chip cookies promo picture.

Hi, I’m Chef Lindsey!

I am the baker, recipe developer, writer, and photographer behind Chef Lindsey Farr. I believe in delicious homemade food and the power of dessert!

5 from 51 votes (48 ratings without comment)

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10 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    These were absolutely fire. I put them in the freezer for like 30 minutes after I mixed the dough, didnโ€™t form them in balls or anything just stuck the bowl in the freezer and baked them for like 15 mins, amazing. They have a slight crunch on the outside but nice and soft and chewy on the inside. Actually the best cookie recipe Iโ€™ve tried where my cookies donโ€™t turn out flat. Thank you <3

    1. Hi Hanna! Thank you so much for taking the time to comment! I’m very pleased to hear everything was perfection–you deserve nothing less from your CCC’s!

  2. 5 stars
    Hi. I’m happy I stumbled upon your page.
    I have not tried the chocolate chip recipe yet but wondering if the same concept of recipe would work for oatmeal cookies to make them soft and chewy opposed to cake like.. Or crispy. Just a nice combo of soft like yet chewy?
    If you have one please lead me to it!๐Ÿ˜ŠThank you โฃ๏ธ

    1. Hi Erica, I apologize that the instructions are unclear. Freeze just until frozen. This shouldn’t take more than an hour in a typical freezer. I will update the recipe as well. ~Lindsey

  3. I followed the recipe to a T, yet the dough is like sand. 5 cups of flour seems to be too much! I will try to salvage it.

    1. Hi Lisa! Sorry to hear that it didn’t turn out. The 5 cups is an approximation based on the recipe by weight, where the flour is 600g. Measuring cups as a tool and flour are not always best friends, so I always try to weigh my ingredients when I can.