Is there anything more classic than a homemade Chocolate Chip Cookie? It’s an iconic dessert for good reason, not to be dismissed because of its simplicity. My easy recipe creates cookies that are the perfect blend of chewy and crisp, with pockets of gooey melted chocolate throughout. The best part is they’re seriously budget-friendly and so easy to whip up, I promise! And not to mention, these classic chocolate chip cookies are entirely nut-free and easily made dairy-free with a few simple swaps.
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This is the cookie recipe that I whip up whenever my family’s craving something sweet but not messy. (I love a messy dessert once in a while, but when I need a quick, stress-free treat, these cookies are it!) It’s super easy to “clean as you go” when you’re making these, and you can even make extra dough and freeze it for later. I’ve got this recipe memorized now; that’s how often we make these café-quality chocolate chip cookies at home.
Here’s what you’ll need to make these chocolate chip cookies from scratch:
- Butter: I use softened, salted butter for the most delicious buttery flavor. Make sure your butter is softened, as it won’t cream with the sugars properly if it’s too cold. You can also use vegan butter or margarine to make this recipe dairy-free.
- Granulated Sugar & Light Brown Sugar: Both sugars work together to add sweetness, flavor, and texture. The molasses in the brown sugar also helps create a chewier cookie.
- Egg: You only need 1 egg for this recipe. It adds moisture and helps create a cohesive cookie dough.
- Vanilla: A dash of vanilla extract adds the BEST depth of flavor.
- Flour: All-purpose flour is the base of these cookies. I use the spoon and level method when measuring my flour. To do this, fluff up the flour in the bag with a spoon, spoon it into your measuring cup, and level it off with the back of a knife. This stops you from accidentally using too much flour (which would give you dry, cakey cookies).
- Baking Soda: Helps these soft chocolate chip cookies rise slightly and spread in the oven.
- Salt: Balances out the sweetness and adds flavor.
- Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips: These add the perfect amount of chocolate to every bite. But if you can spring for a bag of semi-sweet chocolate chunks (or make your own from a chopped chocolate bar), I recommend you do that! I love these cookies even more when I make them with chocolate chunks. The extra large pockets of chocolate make them even more addictive. Meltable chocolate disks are great for this reason as well. Dairy-free chocolate chips or chunks work, too!
Why this Recipe is Budget & Beginner Friendly
Don’t worry if you’ve never made cookies before. I’ve made this recipe as easy as possible, so everyone from first-time bakers to seasoned home chefs can make the best chocolate chip cookies on their first try. The ingredients are basic pantry staples, which are easily found at any grocery store, and there aren’t any complicated techniques involved. You really can’t go too wrong with this recipe!
I’ve also included baking instructions for a chewy, crisp, or bakery-style cookie so you can make them exactly how you like. And because this recipe makes 30 cookies(!) using a 1 oz cookie scoop, you can easily make an entire batch for under $5. Much cheaper than buying a box from the store! 😉
These cookies are super easy and seriously foolproof every time. But to help you out even more, here are some of my tried and tested recipe tips:
- Cream together the butter and sugar before adding the other ingredients. Doing this creates a lighter, fluffier base for the cookies, meaning they’ll bake up nice and chewy.
- Use softened butter that is at room temperature, not melted or too soft. This will ensure the butter and sugar can be properly creamed together.
- Be really careful not to overmix the dough. I first cream the butter and sugar together; then I mix in the eggs and vanilla before the dry ingredients even TOUCH the bowl. Why? Well, overmixing the dough once the flour is added can cause the gluten (which is naturally present in flour) to overdevelop, which will create a tough, not soft, texture. Overmixing can also cause the cookies to spread too much and cause them to be flat and thin instead of thick and chewy.
- Double-check your baking soda isn’t expired! This is another reason why your cookies might not turn out as expected. Expired baking soda won’t properly react with the other ingredients, resulting in flat cookies.
- I use a cookie scoop to get evenly-sized cookies. My scoop is 1 oz and is what the baking times in this recipe are based on.
- Don’t overbake your chocolate chip cookies. I’ve provided 3 different baking times for you to choose from: 8 minutes for chewy cookies (this is my personal favorite), 11 minutes for crisper cookies, and 14 minutes for larger cookies made with two scoops of dough. For soft, chewy cookies, they should look almost underdone when you pull them from the oven. The edges should be only slightly golden. They’ll firm up on the baking sheet as they cool.
- You can use chocolate chips OR chocolate chunks in this recipe. But any meltable candy or chocolate chip variety will work. Dried fruit and nuts can be a nice addition, too! I use white chocolate chips in my strawberry cookies and a mix of white and butterscotch chips in my pumpkin cookies. It’s fun to mix and match sometimes!
- Push some extra chocolate chips into your cookie dough balls before baking. This is optional, but it helps them bake up super pretty with visible chocolate chips on top.
How to Freeze Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
This tasty chocolate chip cookie recipe is perfect for making ahead of time and freezing for later. Follow the recipe up to step 8, and pop the baking tray into the freezer rather than the oven. Let the dough balls flash-freeze for an hour, then place them into a freezer container or bag. The cookie dough can be stored in the freezer for up to 2 months. I’d thaw the dough at room temperature before baking to ensure it bakes evenly.
Storage Instructions
This recipe makes a LOT of cookies (the more the merrier, in my opinion!) So there’s a very good chance you’ll have some leftovers. Once fully cooled, I store mine in an airtight container for 3-5 days. You can also freeze them in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Just thaw at room temperature before enjoying!
Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
This easy Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe makes deliciously chewy, cafe-quality cookies from basic pantry staples. No chilling time required!
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- 1 stick salted butter, softened ($1.06)
- ½ cup granulated sugar ($0.42)
- ¾ cup light brown sugar ($0.36)
- 1 egg ($0.33)
- 1 tsp vanilla ($0.65)
- 1 ½ cups flour ($0.25)
- ½ tsp baking soda ($0.01)
- ½ tsp salt ($0.01)
- 1 cup chocolate chips ($1.48)
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Preheat oven to 350°F and gather ingredients.
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Add the softened butter, granulated sugar, and light brown sugar to a large mixing bowl.
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Cream butter and sugars together with a hand mixer on medium speed.
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Add egg and vanilla extract to the creamed sugar and butter and beat with hand mixer until combined, barely a minute or so.
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In a separate bowl, whisk together dry ingredients, flour, baking soda, and salt.
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Add half of the dry mixture to the wet mix bowl and mix with hand mixer until consistent. Then, add the remaining dry ingredients and mix until dough forms.
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Fold in the chocolate chips by hand.
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Using a cookie scoop, scoop out dough onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet, I was able to fit 12 per sheet.
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Bake for 8 minutes or until the edges are just barely golden. Remove from oven and let cool for a perfectly chewy cookie. If you like your cookies a little crispier, leave in for up to 11 minutes. If you want a larger “café style” cookie, combine 2 scoops and roll them into a ball by hand. You can fit 6 cookies per sheet if you up the size. Bake time for larger cookies increases to 14 minutes.
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Optional step: When you remove the cookies from the oven, you can sprinkle a little extra sea salt on top while they’re still hot. I highly recommend it!
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
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1 oz. Cookie Scoop
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Baking Sheet
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Parchment Paper
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Hand Mixer
Serving: 1cookieCalories: 116kcalCarbohydrates: 17gProtein: 1gFat: 5gSodium: 85mgFiber: 0.2g
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How to Make Chocolate Chip Cookies – Step by Step Photos
Preheat oven to 350°F and gather ingredients. Add 1 stick softened salted butter, ½ cup granulated sugar, and ¾ cup light brown sugar to a large mixing bowl. Cream butter and sugars together with a hand mixer on medium speed.
Add 1 egg and 1 tsp vanilla extract to the creamed sugar and butter and beat with a hand mixer until combined, barely a minute or so.
In a separate bowl, whisk together dry ingredients, 1 ½ cups flour, ½ tsp baking soda, and ½ tsp salt.
Add half of the dry mixture to the wet mix bowl and mix with hand mixer until consistent. Then, add the remaining dry ingredients and mix until dough forms.
Fold in 1 cup of chocolate chips by hand.
Using a cookie scoop, scoop out dough onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet, I was able to fit 12 per sheet.
Bake for 8 minutes or until the edges are just barely golden. Remove from oven and let cool for a perfectly chewy cookie. If you like your cookies a little crispier, leave in for up to 11 minutes. If you want a larger “café style” cookie, combine 2 scoops and roll them into a ball by hand. You can fit 6 cookies per sheet if you up the size. Bake time for larger cookies increases to 14 minutes.
Optional step: When you remove the cookies from the oven, you can sprinkle a little extra sea salt on top while they’re still hot. I highly recommend it!
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