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 🙋🏻♀️
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!!
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! 😊
It was such a simple easy recipe. The best part of the recipe was the fact that I didn’t need to refrigerate the dough (unlike most other recipes) . Saved a lot of time ! My girls enjoyed baking these cookies. Taste great too!
Fantastic and so easy!! Thank you Nagi!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them, Brittany! N x
I’ve made these a ton of times now, so good and so easy! Instead of just one type of choc chip I like to add 1 cup of mixed choc chips (white, caramilk, milk, dark) to the batter, and then top with a ton of extra mixed choc chips. They look phenomenal and taste great to boot!
Gotta love more chocolate! Nx
I didn’t have any choc chips so I’ve used chocolate coated peanuts instead. They’re still cooling so I’m hoping they’re going to be ok!!
Can we please get an update?
Hello, I want to use this recipe to make a cookie cake. Should I double the recipe if I want to bake it in a 9×13″ pan to make a cookie cake ?
Hi Lily, a recipe for me to develop sorry! N x
Without a doubt, this recipe is perfection. Nagi you once again have exceeded my expectations with this one 🙂
Who are you and where has your website been all my life
You made yesterday the happiest baking day of my life 😍😍
Gonna pass down the recipe for generations
It’s perfect and not at all stressful
Thanks a lot
Wish to try out more recipes like this 😊
P.S
I made 12 perfect large cookies with the recipe
Wow! Another amazing recipe! Thank you Nagi! My kids couldn’t wait for them to cool and said they are the best cookies they have tasted!! 🤩
Wahoo, that’s awesome Sarah! N x
Yum! Thanks Nagi! Miss 7 baked these (almost) all by herself. They are soooo good.
Wow Nagi!
They are lovely and I have tried your Caramel Brownies so tasty
Well done!!! That’s amazing! N x
Hi ummm I know cookies are hard to mess up but I measured everything correctly my cookies spread out really thin and I could taste the baking soda so is there anything I’m doing wrong? I chill the dough slightly and use an oven thermometer but it still just melts.
Thank you! I haven’t made choc chip cookies for so long because they never taste like the shop bought ones. These do! They actually have the taste and texture of subway cookies! I definitely made them too large and/or put them too close together so I’ll have to split them across 3-4 trays in future. I already can’t wait to make them again. I’m obsessed with your recipes!!
Been making lots of choc chip cookies before and never turn out this good. My daughter can’t stop eating it. It’s chewy but has the crunchy around the side. I reduce the amount of sugar and salt tho. And it’s taste really good for us. I add extra chopped dark chocolate and replace the 1/4 cup of choc chip. Thanks for sharing the recipe, from now on I’ll use this recipe..