No-Fuss Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies
August 14, 2017 | By Jeremy Scheck | 13 Comments
Browned–butter chocolate chip cookies will always be a dear favorite, but they’re a little time consuming. By the time you brown the butter, make the dough, and chill the dough, they become a project of several hours. Great for a special event, but not your everyday chocolate chip cookie. With that in mind, I set out to create the best “bakery style” chocolate chip cookie recipe. I wanted something classic, one bowl, not too sweet, and maybe a little better than your grandma’s.
Video Tutorial
The original recipe is from Allrecipes, and I made them at Lake George, when I didn’t want to use all the dishes the browned–butter cookies require. They were decent, but a little too sweet. They also didn’t brown as nicely as I wanted. I only had bittersweet chips on the island, and I determined that they were too bitter for my liking.
To combat the over–sweetness, I upped the ratio of brown sugar to white. The molasses in the brown sugar takes the edge off of the sweetness, adds more chew, and a more complex caramel flavor. I also sprinkle a little flaky Maldon salt on top of each cookie. This really brings out the flavor of the cookie and also cuts back on any over–sweet flavor. I don’t like when cookies are too blonde, I think the browning gives better flavor and looks much better, so the next thing I had to test was a better baking temperature and time. I tried baking the cookies at 350° F for 14 minutes, 375° F for 10 minutes, and 375° F for 12 minutes. The first batch had a good texture and great chew but it lacked the appealing golden–brown color. The second batch had the color, but were almost too chewy for my liking. The last batch was perfect in my opinion, because they were really crisp on the outside but still pleasantly chewy in the middle. You could experiment with the three different bake times, but the last is my favorite and the one I’m suggesting. The last change I made was leaving out the walnuts. Duh.
I’m including this as an ASB Basics recipe because every home baker should be able to make killer chocolate chip cookies from scratch.
Original recipe: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/10813/best-chocolate-chip-cookies/
No-Fuss Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup/2 sticks (226g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100g) white sugar
- 1–1/2 cups (300g) brown sugar, firmly packed
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 3 cups (405g) all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons hot water
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt + flaky sea salt for sprinkling
- 12 oz semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 F°. Line two cookie sheets with silpats or leave ungreased if you don't have silpats.
- In a big mixing bowl with electric beaters or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter with the white and brown sugar for two minutes. Don't rush it.
- Add the eggs one at time, and beat a full minute after each incorporation. Scrape the bowl down as necessary. Beat in the vanilla.
- Mix the flour in on low speed.
- In a small cup or tiny bowl, pour the hot water over the baking soda to dissolve. Stir as necessary and add to the main bowl. Mix it in thoroughly on low, being careful to not overwork the flour.
- Beat in the kosher salt and chocolate chips on low.
- You'll bake the cookies one tray at a time, so just do this with the first tray and repeat with the succeeding batches. Use an ice cream scooper to scoop large mounds of dough (leaving plenty of room to let them spread) on the cookie sheet. I was able to do six to a pan. Sprinkle a little flaky sea salt on each mound.
- Bake for 10-14 minutes, until the cookies are brown around the edges, and not quite set in the middle. Let the cookies cool in the pan 5–10 minutes, until they are firm enough to remove with a metal spatula. When they are firm enough, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, or eat them warm. As the first batch cooks, prepare the next one. By the time you're ready to bake the third batch, the first pan should probably be cool enough to reuse. Enjoy!
Jeremy Scheck spent high school perfecting his signature cupcakes, making quiches and coffee cake by the dozen at a local bakery, and teaching cooking demonstrations at Williams-Sonoma. As a 10th grader in 2016, he began documenting his favorite recipes on a blog called The After School Bakery. In college, Jeremy learned to make 50 gallons of ice cream in the food science lab, how to prune grape vines in the teaching vineyard, the best way to milk a cow in Northern Italy, and why film photography is an art worth saving. As a sophomore in 2020, he traded blog photos for video and became a TikTok culinary sensation. Jeremy has been featured on the Today show, The Washington Post, Bloomberg, BBC Radio, People, and Access Hollywood, among others. Jeremy is a graduate of Cornell University with a double major in Spanish and Italian, and significant coursework in food science. He lives in Brooklyn, NY. Learn more about Jeremy.
The best!!! I love baking and chocolate chip cookies are one of my favorite things to make but finding the right recipe has been hard! This is it though! So good
I absolutely love these cookies! This is a great staple recipe to have and it comes together quickly and easily. So delicious!
I made these cookies tonight and they’re so good! There fluffy and not too sweet because of the brown sugar. The flaky salt adds so much to it as well! Will definitely make these again!
Such a great recipe! So easy to follow that’s not intimidating. I made these for a friends birthday and so many people asked me to make more! Definitely recommend this recipe.
These cookies tasted amazing and were super simple to make. The one bowl baking method made for an easy clean up that made them even more enjoyable!
Loved these cookies, came out great and made a nice sized cookie. We subbed the salt flakes with another brand/type and still came out great.
Made these for christmas & they taste amazing! They’re super soft and chewy.
I have made these more times than I can count. The topping of salt is the perfect way to finish these off. Perfection again, Jeremy! I have used so many of these recipes and cannot wait to use more. I love how you use social media for exposure, otherwise I don’t think I would have explored so many recipes!
Favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe ever!!! super easy to make, always turn out great
These are the best chocolate chip cookies! I get compliments every time I make them. Thanks Jeremy!
So I made these… I am not lying, my jaw dropped when they came out of the oven. They were so beautiful! And the taste/texture! Definitely the best cookie I’ve ever made. MAKE THESE!
these are an awesome ccc recipe. not super sweet, just a perfect blend of sweet with salty, which is great. i used dark chocolate chips and it worked well
So so so so good. I used Hersey’s chocolate bars and broke them up in my food processor so they were all different sizes and melted so nicely.