Deliciously soft and chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies – So amazingly good, it’s the last chocolate chip cookie recipe you’ll ever need!
Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies… there must be at least 287 534 different recipes for that on the Internets, right?
Then why in the world would you need another one? Quite simply, because you haven’t tried this one yet!
Everything about these cookies is utterly perfect: they’re thick, they’re chewy, they’re nice and soft in the center but deliciously crispy around the edge, and they literally melt in your mouth practically on contact — just the way a good chocolate chip cookie should be! Plus, they are LOADED with tons of chocolate chips, so every single bite delivers a colossal amount of chocolate-y goodness to your taste buds.
One of the secrets to the success of this recipe resides in the addition of corn starch to the cookie batter. This ensures that the baked cookies will remain fresh and soft long after they have come out of the oven…
But, even better than that, is the fact that you can make the batter ahead of time and keep the unbaked dough in the fridge or freezer, and then bake the cookies on demand – which means you then get to — and very easily might I add — sink your teeth into impeccable oven fresh cookies every time the craving strikes!
This, if you ask me, is probably the last chocolate chip cookie recipe you’ll ever need!
STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS & PICTURES
First, for a proper mise-en place… In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, salt and cream of tartar. Whisk thoroughly until fluffy and perfectly combined. Set aside.
While you’re at it, crack an egg into small container, then separate the yolk from another egg and add it to that container.
Measure or weigh your chocolate chips and have your vanilla extract and caramel extract handy.
Then, in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar; beat for 2 minutes on high speed until light and fluffy.
Add the egg and egg yolk as well as the vanilla extract and caramel extract, if using…
While the addition of caramel extract is entirely optional, I strongly recommend that you do it. You won’t be able to discern the taste of the caramel at all, but you’ll be surprised how much depth and richness this simple little inclusion will confer to the overall flavor of your cookies.
Beat for 2 more minutes, until the mixture is really light and airy.
Add the dry ingredients all at once…
… and mix on low speed until just combined.
Throw in the chocolate chips…
…and delicately fold them in with a rubber spatula.
Now scoop balls of dough onto a 13″ x 18″ cookie sheet that’s been lined with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat.
The use of a large spring-loaded ice cream scoop is strongly recommended here: not only will it scoop equal amounts of dough every time, but it will also take care of pre-shaping the cookies for you. If you didn’t have one of those, a large spoon would also do the trick – you’ll want to use about 3 tbsp of dough per cookie.
You should be getting about 2 dozen dough balls; place them in the fridge for at least 2 hours – or even up to several days if you cover then real well. Chilling the dough will ensure that the cookies hold their shape and do not spread completely flat during their trip to the oven.
When you are ready to bake your cookies, preheat your oven to 350°F.
Transfer your chilled balls of cookie dough to a plate, leaving only 8 to 12 on the cookie sheet; arrange them so they are at least 2 inches apart.
Return the other dough balls to the refrigerator so they remain nice and chilled.
Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, or until they are nicely browned around the edge, have a beautiful golden top but still look somewhat soft and slightly underdone in the center.
As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, push a few chocolate chips into the soft dough: while this step isn’t entirely necessary, it will make your cookies look so much prettier!
Let the cookies cool on the sheet for about 2 minutes and then delicately transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
You can bake the rest of the cookies now, or save the unbaked balls of dough for later. Unbaked cookie dough will keep in the refrigerator for several days, or in the freezer for up to several months. If baking from frozen, there’s no need to thaw the dough; simply increase the baking time by a minute or two.
Store your baked cookies in an airtight container for up to a week.
That’s if you can resist them that long…
Ingredients
- 2-1/4 cup (290g | 10.2oz) unbleached all-purpose flour
- 3 tsp corn starch
- 1-1/2 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp salt (I use Himalayan salt)
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
- 3/4 cup (180g | 6.3oz) butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150g | 5.3oz) firmly packed light brown sugar
- 2/3 cup (125g | 4.4oz) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract pure vanilla extract, (store-bought or homemade)
- 3-4 drops caramel extract (optional)
- 2-1/2 cups (454g | 16oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, salt and cream of tartar. Whisk thoroughly until fluffy and perfectly combined. Set aside.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and sugars; beat for 2 minutes on high speed until light and fluffy. Add the egg and egg yolk as well as the vanilla extract and caramel extract (if using) and beat for 2 more minutes.
- Slowly pour in the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined.
- Delicately fold in the chocolate chips with a rubber spatula.
- Scoop balls of dough onto a 13" x 18" cookie sheet that's been lined with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat. The use of a large spring-loaded ice cream scoop is strongly recommended here: not only will it scoop equal amounts of dough every time, but it will also take care of pre-shaping the cookies for you. If you didn't have one of those, a large spoon would also do the trick - you'll want to use about 3 tbsp of dough per cookie.
- Refrigerate the dough balls for at least 2 hours - or up to several days if well covered.
- When you are ready to bake your cookies, preheat the oven to 350°F; transfer your chilled balls of cookie dough to a plate, leaving only 8 to 12 on the cookie sheet; arrange them so they are at least 2 inches apart. Return the other dough balls to the refrigirator.
- Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, or until they are nicely browned around the edge, have a beautiful golden top but still look somewhat soft and slightly underdone in the center.
- As soon as the cookies comes out of the oven, push a few chocolate chips into the soft dough for prettier cookies.
- Let the cookies cool on the sheet for 2 minutes and then delicately transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- You can bake the rest of the cookies now, or save the unbaked balls of dough for later. Unbaked cookie dough will keep in the refrigerator for several days, or in the freezer for up to several months. If baking from frozen, there's no need to thaw the dough; simply increase the baking time by a minute or two.
- Store the baked cookies in an airtight container for up to a week.
Jordan Leigh says
I have a confession … my name is Jordan and I am a cookie snob. Cookies are and always have been top priority on my dessert list (along with cheesecake of course ????) There is only one chocolate chip cookie recipe that I will ever use and that is my Momma’s. all others have failed me. But then I saw this.. caramel extract?!? BRILL.IANT. These could very possibly dethrone my first love, just don’t tell my mom mmkay? 😉
Evil Twin says
Hahaha! Jordan, you never fail to make me laugh! I have a chocolate chip cookie dough cheesecake on my “recipes I want to create” list… I think I’m gonna move that one up just for you! 🙂
That said, I’d love to try your momma’s chocolate chip cookies! Think she’d share her recipe with me?
Jordan Leigh says
Just fell off my chair when I read the words “chocolate chip cookie dough cheesecake” I need that in my life asap.
And here’s my moms super top secret cookie recipe:
the one on the back of the nestle chocolate chips bag
LOL
But seriously the woman burnt spaghetti once but for some reason the way she makes those cookies is magical. I have tried to figure it out and all I can manage to come up with is that she makes them with real (salted) butter, real vanilla, and she cooks them on the same cookie sheets she has had since I was born. Something about them is just magical..
Evil Twin says
Hahaha! Maaaaan, seriously, you must be the funniest person alive!
I’ll have to try and get my hands on a bag of those chocolate chips… and get busy working on developing that chocolate chip cookie dough cheesecake recipe! 😉
Charlotte Moore says
Oh my!! I have some chocolate chip cookie lovers in the family. HA!! I have never heard of caramel extract. I make my own vanilla so I have not needed to look for extracts in a long time in the store. I also make other flavors but vanilla is my fave.
Evil Twin says
How do you make your extracts, Charlotte? I’d LOVE to try my hand at that!
Monique says
They are delicious..Noah had a ped day and came to spend theday w/ us..I made them this morning ..it was so cold outside in our screened in porch everything went quickly..I had the caramel..they are delicious..Noah said:”a ten”.
Merci Sonia!!
Evil Twin says
Awww, thank you so much Monique, what a lovely story. I’m happy to hear that the cookies went really fast, and tell Noah I said thanks! 😀
Now if only the cold and snow could go away…
Jenny from jennyisbaking.com says
Hi Sonia,
I do have a favorite chocolate cookie recipe, which I looked for high and low. But this one looks so amazing, I might give it a try!
You do take amazing pictures, they are an inspiration for me.
PS: I really love evil twin, I think everyone of us has an evil twin we need to treat once in a while…
Evil Twin says
Haha, thank you so much Jenny, that’s very kind of you to say! I can only hope that this recipe becomes your new favorite. Let me know what you think, if you ever end up trying them! 🙂
Dianna says
Where do you find a caramel extract? That is one I have not yet seen but it sounds as though it would be a delicious addition!
Evil Twin says
You can get it through Amazon, Dianna, by cliking the link that I inserted in the ingredients list. Or, if you’d rather get it locally, try your grocery store or bulk store. There’s a very good chance that they will carry it.