These soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies are made with unrefined brown sugar, which gives them a rich, caramel-like flavor, a beautiful golden color, and a wonderfully soft texture. Each cookie is filled with plenty of chocolate chips and chocolate pieces, creating delicious pockets of melted chocolate in every bite.
They are slightly crisp around the edges while staying soft and chewy in the center.
Easy to prepare and full of comforting homemade flavor, these classic chocolate chip cookies are perfect with a glass of milk, a cup of coffee, or as a sweet treat for family and friends.
The unrefined brown sugar gives these cookies their deep golden color, rich flavor, and soft, chewy center. Brown sugar naturally adds more moisture to cookie dough, helping the cookies stay tender while creating a slightly caramel-like taste. You can learn more about how different types of sugar affect baking in this helpful guide to baking with sugar.
These chocolate chip cookies are perfect for an afternoon treat, a family gathering, or whenever you want something sweet and homemade. And if you love soft, homemade baked treats, you may also want to check out my delicious Lemon Poppy Seed Rolls!
Quick Recipe Info
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Chilling Time: 2 hours
- Bake Time: 13-15 minutes
- Total Time: About 2 hours 30 minutes
- Difficulty: Easy
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Course: Dessert
Why You’ll Love These Chocolate Chip Cookies
These chocolate chip cookies are everything a homemade cookie should be-soft and chewy in the center, lightly golden around the edges, and filled with rich chocolate in every bite.
- Soft, chewy, and delicious: Each cookie has a tender center with perfectly baked, slightly crisp edges.
- Rich caramel-like flavor: Unrefined brown sugar gives the dough a deeper flavor and a beautiful golden color.
- Loaded with chocolate: Plenty of chocolate chips create irresistible, melted pockets throughout every single cookie.
- Simple to make: The dough takes only about 15 minutes to prepare using everyday baking ingredients.
- Even better after chilling: Resting the dough in the refrigerator helps develop a richer flavor and a thicker, chewier texture that is definitely worth the wait.
- Perfect for sharing: These cookies are wonderful for family gatherings, lunchboxes, holidays, or simply enjoying warm with a glass of milk.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- These chocolate chip cookies are made with simple baking ingredients, but a few of them play an especially important role in creating their soft and chewy texture.
- All-purpose flour: Provides the structure for the cookies. Measure the flour carefully to avoid making the cookies too dense or dry.
- Baking soda: Helps the cookies rise slightly and contributes to their soft texture and golden edges.
- Cornstarch: One of the secrets to a softer, more tender cookie center.
- Unsalted butter: Melted butter creates a rich flavor and helps give these cookies their wonderfully chewy texture. Let it cool slightly before mixing it with the sugars.
- Unrefined brown sugar: Adds moisture, a deeper caramel-like flavor, and helps keep the cookies soft and chewy.
- Granulated sugar: Helps balance the sweetness and contributes to lightly crisp, golden edges.
- Egg and egg yolk: The extra egg yolk adds richness and helps create a softer, chewier center.
- Vanilla extract: Adds warmth and enhances the flavor of the chocolate and brown sugar.
- Dark chocolate: Use dark chocolate chips, chopped dark chocolate, or a combination of both for plenty of rich, melted chocolate throughout every cookie.
How to Make Chocolate Chip Cookies
Follow these simple, step-by-step instructions to bake the perfect batch of soft and chewy cookies.
1. Mix the Dry and Wet Ingredients
Begin by adding the all-purpose flour, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt to a large mixing bowl. Whisk the dry ingredients together thoroughly until they are evenly combined, ensuring there are no hidden clumps of flour, then set the bowl aside.
In a separate bowl, combine the melted butter, unrefined brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Whisk well, pressing out any stubborn lumps in the brown sugar with your whisk or spatula, until the mixture is completely smooth, shiny, and evenly blended.
Add the whole egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract. Whisk vigorously for about a minute until everything is fully combined, slightly pale, and the mixture looks completely smooth.
2. Form the Dough and Chill
Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Gently mix until a soft cookie dough forms. Be careful not to overmix.
Add the chopped dark chocolate and chocolate chips. Fold them into the dough until the chocolate is evenly distributed throughout.
Cover the bowl and refrigerate the cookie dough for 2 hours. Chilling helps the dough firm up, improves the flavor, and prevents the cookies from spreading too much while baking.
3. Scoop and Bake
After the dough has chilled, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Use an ice cream scoop or cookie scoop to portion the dough into evenly sized balls. Arrange them on the prepared baking sheet, leaving enough space between each cookie so they can spread while baking.
Bake for 13–15 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden and the centers still look slightly soft. The cookies will continue to set as they cool, so avoid overbaking them.
Leave the baked cookies on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes, then carefully transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
This recipe makes approximately 20 chocolate chip cookies.
How to Store and Freeze
To keep your chocolate chip cookies fresh and delicious, follow these simple storage and freezing tips.
Storing at Room Temperature
Store the completely cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Pro Tip: To help the cookies stay incredibly soft, place a small piece of bread inside the container. The cookies will absorb the moisture from the bread, keeping them from drying out!
Freezing Baked Cookies
You can freeze the baked cookies for up to 3 months. Let them cool completely, place them in a freezer-safe container or bag, and separate the layers with parchment paper so they don’t stick together. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
Freezing Cookie Dough (Highly Recommended!)
The unbaked cookie dough can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Scoop the dough into balls, freeze them on a tray until firm, and then transfer them to a freezer-safe bag.
When you’re ready to bake, there is no need to thaw! Bake directly from frozen, simply adding about 1-2 extra minutes to the total baking time.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Why do I need to chill the cookie dough?
Chilling the dough for 2 hours allows the butter to firm up and helps prevent the cookies from spreading too much while baking. It also gives the ingredients time to mingle, resulting in a richer flavor and a much chewier texture.
Can I use only chocolate chips?
Yes, absolutely. You can use only chocolate chips instead of combining them with chopped dark chocolate. Chopped chocolate creates those large, melted chocolate pockets, while chocolate chips hold their shape better. A mix of both gives the best of both worlds!
Can I use regular brown sugar?
Yes. Regular light or dark brown sugar will work perfectly fine. Unrefined brown sugar gives the cookies a slightly deeper, caramel-like flavor, but it can be replaced with the exact same amount of regular brown sugar.
Why are my cookies spreading too much?
This usually happens if the butter was too warm when mixed, the dough wasn’t chilled long enough, or you placed the dough onto a warm baking sheet. Make sure your melted butter has cooled to room temperature before starting, and don’t skip the full 2-hour chill time.
How do I know when the cookies are done baking?
The edges should look lightly golden, while the centers should still appear slightly soft and underbaked. Don’t worry-the cookies will continue to firm up and set as they rest on the hot baking sheet outside the oven.
Can I make the cookie dough ahead of time?
Yes! You can keep the covered cookie dough in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. If the dough becomes too firm to scoop after a long chill, just let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes before shaping.
Can I freeze the cookie dough?
Yes, this dough freezes beautifully. Scoop it into balls, freeze them on a tray until solid, and then transfer them to a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months. Bake them directly from frozen, adding just 1-2 extra minutes to the baking time.
Nutrition Per Serving
Approximate nutrition per cookie, based on 20 cookies:
- Calories: 230 kcal
- Carbohydrates: 29 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Fat: 11 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Sugar: 17 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Sodium: 130 mg
Nutrition values are estimates and may vary depending on the type of chocolate, butter, sugar, and the exact size of each cookie.
Conclusion
These soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies are a simple homemade treat filled with rich chocolate and a warm caramel-like flavor. The unrefined brown sugar helps create a tender center, lightly golden edges, and a deeper flavor that makes every bite especially delicious and wonderfully comforting for the whole family, making this your new go-to recipe for any occasion.
Although the dough needs time to chill in the refrigerator, the preparation itself is incredibly quick and easy. Chilling the dough also helps the cookies hold their shape, develop a richer flavor, and create that soft and chewy texture everyone loves. Enjoy the cookies slightly warm while the chocolate is still soft and melted, or save them for future lunchboxes, family gatherings, holidays, and sweet afternoon treats paired with a hot cup of coffee or a cold glass of milk. They are also perfect for sharing with friends, bringing to parties, or serving as a cozy homemade dessert after dinner because they will disappear from the plate in no time.
Happy baking!
Soft & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the melted and slightly cooled butter with the brown sugar and granulated sugar until smooth and well combined.
- Add the whole egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract. Whisk until the mixture is smooth and completely combined.
- Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients and gently mix until a soft cookie dough forms. Do not overmix. Fold in the chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate until evenly distributed.
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate the cookie dough for 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Use a cookie scoop or ice cream scoop to portion the chilled dough into evenly sized balls. Arrange them on the prepared baking sheet, leaving enough space between each cookie for spreading.
- Bake for 13–15 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden while the centers still look slightly soft.
- Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack.
Notes
- Do not skip the 2-hour chilling time. Chilling helps prevent excessive spreading and gives the cookies a thicker, chewier texture.
- Allow the melted butter to cool slightly before mixing it with the sugars.
- Avoid overbaking. The centers should still look slightly soft when the cookies come out of the oven because they will continue to set as they cool.
- Regular light or dark brown sugar can be used instead of unrefined brown sugar in the same amount.
- You can use chocolate chips, chopped dark chocolate, or a combination of both.
- Store completely cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Baked cookies or portioned cookie dough can be frozen for up to 3 months.
- Frozen cookie dough balls can be baked directly from frozen; add approximately 1-2 minutes to the baking time.