This best chocolate chip cookies recipe delivers soft, chewy, bakery-style cookies filled with melty chocolate chips in every bite. Made with a blend of sugars, butter-flavored shortening, and plenty of chocolate chips, these cookies turn out perfectly every time. After testing dozens of recipes over the years, I can confidently say this is the best chocolate chip cookie recipe you’ll ever need.
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Recipe Highlights
- Easy and straightforward: No complicated steps or chilling needed—just mix, scoop, and bake for perfect cookies every time.
- Incredible cookie dough: The dough itself is delicious, making the process as enjoyable as the final cookies.
- Perfect texture: Soft, chewy centers with lightly crisp edges, just like the cookies you get from a bakery.
- Always a crowd favorite: This recipe is perfect for bake sales, parties, or family nights because everyone loves them.
- Big batch recipe: This best chocolate chip cookies recipe makes around 6 dozen cookies, ideal for sharing or freezing for later.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Ingredients
- Sugar: Use 1 cup of brown sugar and 2 cups of granulated sugar to make the cookies sweet and chewy. For best results, make sure your brown sugar is fresh and soft.
- Butter-flavored Shortening: I usually use butter in cookies, but shortening does create an amazing softness and consistency that is incredible. If you don’t have butter-flavored shortening, you can use half butter and half shortening instead.
- Eggs: You’ll need 4 large eggs to bind everything together.
- Vanilla: Adding 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract will enhance the flavors in the cookies.
- Salt: Just a teaspoon of salt helps all of the other flavors to pop.
- Baking soda: The recipe calls for 2 teaspoons of baking soda. This acts as the leavening agent in the cookies, so make sure your baking soda isn’t old or expired.
- Flour: All-purpose flour works best in cookies.
- Chocolate chips: Add in 2-3 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips, depending on how much chocolate you want in every cookie.
Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe Tips
Full instructions on how to make the Best Chocolate Chip Cookies can be found on the recipe card below, but here are a few helpful tips.
- Make sure there’s enough flour in the dough: If your cookie dough feels too sticky, add a bit more flour to help the cookies hold their shape while baking.
- Cream the shortening and sugars well: Beat the shortening and sugars together for 2–3 minutes to help create the perfect cookie texture.
- Preheat your oven: Starting with a fully preheated oven helps the cookies bake evenly and prevents spreading.
- Use a cookie scoop: This helps your cookies turn out uniform in size and shape, making them look bakery-perfect.
- Line your pans: Use parchment paper or silicone baking mats to prevent sticking and to help the cookies bake evenly.
- Avoid overbaking: Take the cookies out when they look slightly underdone; they will continue to set on the baking sheet as they cool, resulting in soft, chewy cookies.
Storage Instructions
At room temperature: Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
In the freezer: Store baked cookies or unbaked dough balls in an airtight container for up to 3 months for a quick treat anytime.
FAQs
Why did my cookies spread too much?
If your cookies spread, try adding a bit more flour or check that your shortening is not too soft. Using the correct flour-to-fat ratio helps cookies keep their shape.
Can I substitute butter for shortening?
While you can, shortening keeps the cookies thick and chewy. Butter will give a richer taste, but may cause cookies to spread more.
How can I keep my cookies soft?
Store cookies with a slice of bread in the container to help retain moisture, keeping cookies soft for days.
Can I freeze the cookie dough?
Yes! Scoop the dough into balls, freeze on a tray, then transfer to a freezer bag. Bake straight from frozen, adding 1–2 extra minutes to the baking time.
What type of chocolate chips should I use?
Semi-sweet chocolate chips are classic, but feel free to use milk chocolate, dark chocolate, or a combination for a fun variation.
More delicious chocolate chip cookie recipes to try:
- Peanut butter and chocolate are one of my favorite flavor combinations. Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies and Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies are both delicious.
- Fruit pairs well with chocolate as well. Raspberry Chocolate Chip Cookies have fresh raspberries in them, and Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies are made with maraschino cherries. And Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies are amazing too!
- Want something a little more unique? Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies are a favorite (for us AND our readers), and Avocado Chocolate Chip Cookies are slightly healthier (and a little more green) than your typical chocolate chip cookie recipe.
Once you try this best chocolate chip cookies recipe, it will become your go-to for creating soft, chewy cookies that everyone will ask for again and again.
Shelly says
Amazing recipe! Enough for the boyfriend’s family as well as my own!
Was very wary about the amount of flour at first, but they turned out amazing!
A very dense and fluffy, perfect milk and cookie style classic.
Kaylie says
Thank you, Shelly!
Sarah Averett says
Wow, these cookies are incredible! You can never have too many awesome chocolate chip cookie recipes in your recipe box and this one hits the mark!!
Kaylie says
Thank you, Sarah!
Tayler Ross says
These really are the best! Perfectly soft, sweet and delicious!
Kaylie says
Thank you, Tayler!
Dini says
Chocolate chip cookies are my favorite too! My husband likes them a bit crispy while I prefer them soft and chewy. This recipe sounds easy and delicious, thank you so much for sharing and for all the tips! 🙂
Kaylie says
Thank you, Dini!
wilhelmina says
These cookies are totally scrumptious!
Kaylie says
Thank you, Wilhelmina!
Beth Pierce says
I made these last week and the whole family loved them. I had to hide a few for myself so they did not eat them all.
Kaylie says
Thank you, Beth!
Shadi Hasanzadenemati says
Chocolate chip cookies are my favorite. I love baking this recipe.
Kaylie says
Me too. Thank you, Shadi!
wilhelmina says
This has quickly become one of my go to recipes!
Kaylie says
Thank you, Wilhelmina!
Amanda Finks says
These chocolate chip cookies are fantastic! So good!
Kaylie says
Thank you, Amanda!
Beth says
These look amazing! Soft and chewy are the only way to make cookies!! Great tip on how to soften butter without melting it! I’m definitely going to try that!
Kaylie says
Thank you, Beth!
Shiho says
Such an easy and great recipe 😀 Thank you.
Kaylie says
Thank you, Shiho!
Jacquelyn Hastert says
These are the BEST chocolate chip cookies I have ever made. They came out so soft and chewy and stayed that way and didn’t dry out.
Kaylie says
Thank you, Jacquelyn!
Lindsay says
I can’t wait to try these tomorrow! But I’m wandering…. Can I store the batter in the fridge so I can bake just a few every night, so they are always hot and fresh?
wilhelmina says
These cookies turn out perfect every time!
Kaylie says
Thank you Wilhelmina!
Katie says
This looks delicious! Can’t wait to try it.
Kaylie says
Thank youm Katie!
Lisalia says
Just YUMMY and perfect chocolate chip cookies! Exactly what I want when I think of the classic no-fuss recipe. We have made them again and again. Perfect for social isolation and quarantine activity!
Kaylie says
Thank you, Lisalia!
Lauren says
These were so good! But it made a lot more than what I was intending, so how long is the cookie dough good for? Should it go in the fridge or the freezer?
Nellie says
Should be good in the refrigerator for a day or two. But you can pre-make the balls and freeze them for up to 3-4 months!
Rachel says
This is the cookie recipe I’ve been waiting for! One bowl, easy ingredients, perfectly soft, and pretty looking! Thank you!!!
Kaylie says
Thank you, Rachel!
Noelle says
These really are the best cookies! Can’t wait to make them again, there were all gone in just minutes!
Kaylie says
Thank you, Noelle!
Jane Saunders says
I’m a bit hopeless when it comes to cookie making, so I’m thrilled to have found this recipe that people have begged for – that’s testament to it being great. Also, thanks for the info re baking trays – I hadn’t given much thought to it, but I think I may need to replace mine to up my cookie game too.
Kaylie says
Thank you, Jane!
Regina says
Can you cut the recipe in half or will that throw off the chemistry!? Idk what I’m doing…
Nellie says
You probably can cut the recipe in half, but I would just make the full batch and then freeze half of the dough to use later!
Kasey says
Yummy! These are delicious!
Kaylie says
Thank you, Kasey!