Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

These homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies are the BEST! One special ingredient helps deepens the flavor and gives the chocolate chip cookies a chewier texture. Save this chocolate chip cookie recipe. It's that good.

Overhead view of chocolate chip cookies.
Emma Christensen

If you are a fan of chocolate chip cookies, you generally fall into one of two camps: thin and crispy, or thick and chewy. This particular recipe is for the latter -- thick and chewy chocolate chip cookies is what I grew up with and it remains my favorite cookie to this day. (Psssst...looking for thin and crispy cookies? Here you go.)

There were two major influences on this chewy chocolate chip cookie recipe: the Nestle Toll House back-of-the-package recipe (which I think we can all agree is pretty much The Standard as far as chocolate chip cookies go) and a recipe from Christina Tosi's cookbook Milk Bar Life.

It's thanks to Christina's chocolate chip cookie recipe that I discovered the wonders of this one special ingredient that makes all the difference.

Milk Powder!

Video: How to Make Chocolate Chip Cookies

1:33

BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies

Secret Ingredient for Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Have you ever used powdered milk in chocolate chip cookies, or any cookies for that matter?

Before coming across Christina's recipe, it had never occurred to me to use milk powder in anything except my California Emergency Earthquake Preparedness Kit. But as I learned from Christina's recipe, milk powder gives cookies a distinct chewiness as well as a subtle caramel flavor that (for me) takes a cookie from good to amazing.

You don't need much. Just two tablespoons will improve the texture, though I admit that I've gone as high as four tablespoons on occasion and been please with the results.

Milk powder, also called powdered milk, keeps forever in the pantry (which is why it's so good in emergency kits). Even once the package is opened, milk powder will keep for several months if kept in an airtight container.

Chocolate Chip Cookies
Emma Christensen

Adapting the Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Aside from the milk powder, this is a pretty straightforward adaptation of the Toll House chocolate chip cookie recipe -- though I daresay I've managed to make a few improvements on the classic.

  1. I prefer an equal mix of brown sugar and regular white sugar, just like the original Nestle chocolate chip cookie recipe, but I've found that I like ever-so-slightly more flour in my cookies. This gives the cookies a sturdier structure that is both satisfying to eat and also less likely to crumble when squished into a lunchbox or shipped to a friend.
  2. I also highly recommend giving the batter at least a 30-minute chill, or up to overnight, in the fridge before scooping the cookies and baking them. This lets the dough have time to hydrate and firm up. If you're in a rush, it's fine to bake them right away, but they will spread out more and have a thinner, more delicate structure.
  3. Bake these cookies only until you see that the tops are fully puffed and the edges are starting to look toasty, then let them cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet before transferring them to a cooling rack. As they cool, the puffy dome will collapse on top of the chocolate chips inside, giving the chocolate chip cookies their signature crinkled, craggy appearance.
Best Chocolate Chip Cookies cooling on rack
Emma Christensen

Want Even Chewier Cookies?

When you use a mixer to beat the butter and sugar, you also mix in a lot of air, which makes the cookies fluffier. So here's a hot tip: for extra-chewy cookies, mix your cookie dough by hand using a stiff wooden spoon or spatula. The result will be a slightly denser, more compact cookie.

Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie Add-Ins

If you're feeling wild, add up to 3/4 cup of any of the following:

  • Chopped nuts
  • Peanut butter chips
  • Crumbled graham crackers
  • Rice krispies or cornflakes
  • Toffee chips or other small candy

Storing & Freezing Chocolate Chip Cookies

This chocolate chip cookie recipe makes cookies that are absolutely irresistible on the day they are made: the edges are buttery and crispy, the middles are soft and chewy, and the chocolate chips are perfectly semi-melty.

They lose some of their crispness overnight, becoming softer. But I promise they are no less delicious and no less capable of satisfying your cookie cravings.

  • Store chocolate chip cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.
  • Freezer instructions: Freeze individual scoops of dough on a parchment-lined baking sheet until firm. Transfer to a freezer bag, squeeze out as much air as possible, and freeze for up to 3 months. Bake straight from the freezer, adding an extra minute or two to the cooking time.
chocolate chip cookies on a sheet pan
Emma Christensen

More Great Chocolate Chip Cookies to Try!

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 12 mins
Chilling 30 mins
Total Time 47 mins
Servings 42 servings
Yield 3 1/2 dozen

Use 2 tablespoons milk powder for a subtle chewiness; use up to 4 tablespoons for a chewier texture and more distinct flavor.

For an even chewier texture, mix the cookie dough by hand with a wooden spoon or spatula.

Adapted from Nestle Toll House.

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups (350g) all-purpose four

  • 2 to 4 tablespoons nonfat milk powder (see Recipe Note)

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 1 teaspoon baking soda

  • 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar

  • 3/4 cup (161g) dark brown sugar

  • 1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, very soft

  • 2 large eggs

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • 12 ounce bag (about 2 cups) semisweet chocolate chips

Method

  1. Mix the dry ingredients:

    In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, milk powder, salt, and baking soda and whisk to mix. Set aside.

    How to make chocolate chip cookies by mixing the dry ingredients in a metal bowl.
    Emma Christensen
  2. Beat the sugars and the butter:

    With an electric mixer or in a stand mixer with a beater attachment, beat together the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and softened butter on medium speed until combined, 30 to 60 seconds. Pick out any large pebbles of hard brown sugar that you see. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the beaters.

    Butter, sugar and brown sugar in a metal bowl for easy chocolate chip cookie recipe.
    Emma Christensen
    Dough for the best chocolate chip cookies in the bowl of a mixer.
    Emma Christensen
  3. Mix in the eggs and vanilla:

    Add the two eggs and vanilla to the butter-sugar mixture and beat at medium speed until no clumps or streaks remain, 10 to 20 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the beaters.

    Adding eggs to the butter and sugar for homemade chocolate chip cookies.
    Emma Christensen
    Batter in a metal bowl for homemade chocolate chip cookies.
    Emma Christensen
  4. Mix in the flour mixture:

    Add the flour mixture all at once. Beat on low speed just until no more dry streaks of flour are visible, 20 to 40 seconds. You may still see some flecks of milk powder -- this is fine.

    Flour being mixed in easy chocolate chip cookie recipe.
    Emma Christensen
    Batter for nestle chocolate chip cookie recipe.
    Emma Christensen
  5. Mix in the chocolate chips:

    Add all of the chocolate chips and beat on low speed for just a few seconds until the chips are evenly incorporated.

    Adding chocolate chips for chocolate chip cookies.
    Emma Christensen
    Chocolate chips mixed in for the best chocolate chip cookies.
    Emma Christensen
  6. Chill the dough:

    Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the beater. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to three days. (Or freeze in individual scoops for up to 3 months.)

  7. Heat the oven to 375F:

    Place a rack in the middle of the oven. Line two baking sheet with silicon baking mats or parchment.

    I usually bake my cookies one sheet at a time to help them bake evenly. If you prefer, or are crunched for time, bake two sheets at a time with one sheet in the upper third of the oven and the other in the lower third of the oven.

  8. Scoop the dough:

    Use a medium cookie scoop (or a well-mounded tablespoon measure) to scoop the dough out onto one of the baking sheet. Space the cookies about 2 inches apart.

    Homemade chocolate chip cookies scooped onto a silpat.
    Emma Christensen
  9. Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes:

    While the first batch bakes, scoop the cookies for the next batch.

    The cookies are done when they look slightly puffed in the middle and are starting to turn toasty at the edges.

  10. Cool the cookies:

    Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes, or until the puffed middles collapse and the cookies have firmed a little. Transfer the cookies to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

    The best chocolate chip cookies on a silpat.
    Emma Christensen
    Homemade chocolate chip cookies cooling on a silpat.
    Emma Christensen
    Cookies cooling on a rack for an easy chocolate chip cookie recipe.
    Emma Christensen
  11. Continue baking cookies in batches until all the cookie dough has been used.
  12. Enjoy:

    These cookies are at their best on the day they are made. Store leftovers in an airtight container; they will soften a little overnight but are still very delicious. They keep for about a week before becoming crumbly (at which point, I recommend crumbling them over ice cream!).

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
141 Calories
7g Fat
19g Carbs
2g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 42
Amount per serving
Calories 141
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 7g 9%
Saturated Fat 4g 21%
Cholesterol 21mg 7%
Sodium 89mg 4%
Total Carbohydrate 19g 7%
Dietary Fiber 1g 3%
Total Sugars 12g
Protein 2g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 15mg 1%
Iron 1mg 4%
Potassium 55mg 1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.