Super Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

These super soft chocolate chip cookies are the best chocolate chip cookies. Perfectly thick and chewy, they come together fast – no chilling required before baking!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Super delicious and look amazing! These were some of the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve had!!! Plus they were super easy to make! -Heather

Why This is The Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

This chocolate chip cookie recipe has been a favorite for over ten years. The recipe has hundreds of 5-star reviews for a reason! Here is why this recipe is the best:

• The recipe is incredibly straightforward. It is a one-bowl recipe that doesn’t require any fussy ingredients, pudding mixes, cornstarch, or other “special” ingredients.
• You don’t need to chill the dough before baking. I can’t fully express how amazing it is to have a phenomenal chocolate chip cookie recipe that you can make, bake, and devour within minutes of a craving.
• The cookies have the best texture. Soft, perfectly thick, with just the right amount of chewiness.
• This recipe works amazingly well with so many add-ins: different varieties of chocolate chips, M&Ms, toffee bits, Cadbury eggs, and more.

Key Ingredients

• Butter: I always use salted butter. If using unsalted butter, increase the butter in the recipe by 1/2 teaspoon. The butter should be softened to cool room temperature. If it is too soft, the cookies will likely flatten or spread in the oven.
• Brown sugar: Light or dark brown sugar can be used. Lightly pack the brown sugar into the measuring cup.
• Granulated sugar
• Eggs: For drop cookies like this, it’s best to use cold eggs from the refrigerator so the cookies don’t flatten too much in the oven.
• Vanilla extract
• Flour: Use all-purpose flour (bleached or unbleached).
• Chocolate Chips: These cookies can be made with any variety of chocolate chips (or other chips, like white chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, or butterscotch chips).

The recipe also uses baking powder, baking soda, and salt. The original recipe added these dry ingredients with the flour, but over the years, I’ve added them while the butter and sugars cream, and the cookies turn out just the same (and you don’t run the risk of over mixing the batter).

How to Fix Flat or Puffy Chocolate Chip Cookies

If you find that your chocolate chip cookies are flattening too much or staying too puffy while baking, try these tips:

1. Cookies that Flatten or Spread: Increase the baking temperature to 375 degrees F. Or, next time, add 2 to 4 extra tablespoons of flour to the dough.
2. Cookies that are Too Puffy:  Decrease the baking temperature to 325 degrees F. Or, next time, decrease flour by 2 to 4 tablespoons in the recipe. 

It is shocking how much oven temperature can play into cookie outcomes, so if you want to troubleshoot cookies, I always recommend starting with a few small tweaks to oven temperature.

However, the way flour is measured and how much is added to cookie dough also plays a huge role. I highly recommend using a kitchen scale {aff. link – this is the scale I have) and weighing ingredients. ➡️ If you don’t have a scale, to properly measure flour for the baking recipes on my site, fluff the flour really well, scoop in the measuring cup, and level off with a straight edge.

Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

These super soft chocolate chip cookies are a tried-and-true staple. My teenage son and his friends even made an Instagram reel dedicated to these cookies. 😜

When I need a quick, homemade treat in less than an hour, these cookies are my go-to. When I need a cookie to impress, these cookies are my go-to. When I need a cookie that will ALWAYS turn out, these cookies are my go-to.

They truly are the best!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ These turned out AMAZING! I love to bake but for some reason cookies always spread terribly for me. These turned out picture perfect and delicious. I used half M&Ms and half chocolate chips. Excited to bookmark this as my “go to” cookie! -Kelsey B.

Super Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yield: 36 Cookies

Prep Time: 20 minutes mins

Cook Time: 10 minutes mins

Total Time: 30 minutes mins

4.74 stars (289 ratings)

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Ingredients

• 1 cup (227 g) salted butter, softened to room temperature
• ¾ cup (159 g) packed light brown sugar
• ¾ cup (159 g) granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 cups (426 g) all-purpose flour
• 2 cups (340 g) chocolate chips

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Instructions 

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or lightly grease with cooking spray.
• In a large bowl with a handheld electric mixer or in the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
• Cream together until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until well-combined.
• Add the flour and mix until a few dry streaks remain.
• Add the chocolate chips and stir until evenly combined.
• Scoop the dough about 2 tablespoons at a time (I use a #40 cookie scoop) and roll into balls. Place several inches apart on prepared baking sheets.
• Bake for 10 to 12 minutes (see note for cookies that flatten too much or stay too puffy).
• Let the cookies rest on the baking sheets for 3-4 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

Flour Amount: If you want a slightly thicker cookie OR your cookies often flatten in the oven (this can happen, especially if you live at high altitude), increase the flour to 3 1/4 cups/462 grams. 

Flat/Puffy Cookies: If the cookies are flattening too much in the oven, increase the baking temperature to 375 degrees F (or next time, add 2 to 4 extra tablespoons of flour to the dough). If the cookies are staying too puffy in the oven, decrease the baking temperature to 325 degrees F (or next time, decrease flour by 2 to 4 tablespoons in the recipe). 

Freezing: The cookie dough freezes great, as do the baked cookies. To freeze the cookie dough, roll the cookie dough into balls, freeze on a sheet pan and then transfer the frozen dough balls to freezer ziploc bags. The cookie dough can be baked from frozen – add several minutes to the baking time. 

Updates: The original recipe had a slightly different mixing method (mixing the butter, sugars, eggs, and vanilla together in the first step). I’ve altered that slightly over the years, because I found that using cold eggs and room temperature butter together would sometimes result in clumps of butter that didn’t mix fully into the cookie dough. However, the recent updates don’t change/alter any of the ingredients or ingredient amounts, so if you’ve been a longtime fan of these cookies, continue mixing the dough the way that works best for you. 

Author: Mel

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Method: Bake

Serving: 1 Cookie, Calories: 178kcal, Carbohydrates: 24g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 10mg, Sodium: 144mg, Fiber: 0.3g, Sugar: 15g

Recommended Products

Cookie Sheet {Half Sheet Pans}

KitchenAid Stand Mixer

#40 Medium Cookie Scoop

Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe (used this soft oatmeal coconut chewie recipe as a start to finding the best soft chocolate chip cookie recipe)

Recipe posted July 2015; updated June 2022 and April 2026 with new photos, recipe notes, etc. The original recipe had a slightly different mixing method (mixing the butter, sugars, eggs, and vanilla together in the first step). I’ve altered that slightly over the years, as written above, because sometimes using cold eggs and room temperature butter together can cause clumps of butter that don’t mix fully into the cookie dough.

Other Recipes Like This:

Classic Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cadbury Egg Chocolate Chip Cookies