If you like soft, chewy cookies, these thick and chewy chocolate chip cookies are for you. Brown sugar and higher oven temperature is the secret to thick, soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies every time.

WANT TO SAVE THIS RECIPE?
Enter your email below and we’ll send it straight to your inbox. Plus you’ll get great new recipes from us every week!
With all the baking I do, I know that there are a lot of chocolate chip cookie recipes out there. This one, in particular, makes super soft, chewy, thick cookies that are exactly what I look for in a cookie.
The ingredients are similar compared to all of the other recipes, but the secret to achieving the perfect combination of thick, soft, and chewy is in the type of sugar used in this recipe and the perfect cookie baking temperature.
The end result is what I consider the perfect thick and chewy chocolate chip cookie. I definitely belong to the soft and chewy crowd and if you do too, you’re going to love this recipe!
Jump to:

Why You’ll Love These Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Perfect Trifecta: This cookie recipe brings together what I consider the ideal finished cookie form — soft, thick, and chewy. It’s a classic favorite cookie type for pretty much all cookie fans.
- Pantry Ingredients: Since I keep these ingredients stocked in my fridge and pantry at all times, this is an easy cookie recipe to throw together even at the last minute. If needed, switch out the type of chips used and change up or leave out the nuts entirely.
- Easy Recipe: I love basic recipes because after you make them a couple of times you can practically do it in your sleep! These cookies come together so quickly, and you can have the first round of finished cookies ready to munch in less than 30 minutes.
🍪 When in doubt about what treat to take to a gathering, I’m always confident that homemade chocolate chip cookies will please the masses!
Recipe Ingredients
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Unsalted butter
- Brown sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla
- Semisweet chocolate chips
- Pecans
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.

How to Make Thick & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
If you’ve made chocolate chip cookies before, the steps in this recipe will look familiar.
Step 1: Before you get started, take out the butter and let it come up to room temperature.
Pro Tip: To bring your butter to room temperature faster, slice it into tablespoons and put it in your bowl to warm up while you’re measuring your other ingredients.
Step 2: As in most recipes, you’ll start by combining the dry ingredients.
Step 3: Then, I like to use my stand mixer with a paddle attachment to cream the butter and sugar together. This should take about 2 minutes. You’ll know the creaming is done when the butter is light and fluffy.
If you don’t have a paddle attachment or a stand mixer, you can get the job done with a hand mixer or by hand, it will just take a little longer and a little more elbow grease.

Step 4: Combine everything together and fold in the chocolate chips. You can also add nuts here if you like. I like pecans, but walnuts would also be great.
Step 5: At this point, you can chill the dough for 20 to 30 minutes. This helps keep the cookies from spreading out as much when you bake them, but it’s not required for perfectly chewy cookies.

Step 6: When you’re ready to bake, scoop the dough onto a baking sheet. I love using this #40 disher to scoop perfectly sized cookies. Each cookie is about 1.5 tablespoons of dough.
Step 7: Bake until the cookies are lightly browned and no longer wet in the center, 6 to 8 minutes; if baking more than one pan at a time, switch pan positions halfway through baking.
Take the cookies out of the oven 1 or 2 minutes before the cookies are cooked, as they will continue to cook on the baking pans.
Let cookies cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet before transferring cookies to racks to cool completely before serving.
Recipe FAQs
No, brown sugar is an absolute must for this recipe! Brown sugar has a higher moisture content than granulated sugar, which helps keep your homemade cookies thick and chewy rather than thin and crispy. Plus, the brown sugar helps these cookies brown up faster. That means that even with our shorter cooking time, the cookies gain their signature toasted brown color on top.
Absolutely! Both the dough and baked cookies freeze beautifully for up to 3 months. Scoop the dough onto a baking sheet, freeze until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag.
This usually happens when the butter is too soft. Try chilling the dough for 20-30 minutes before baking, and make sure your baking sheets are cool between batches.
Expert Tips
- Room Temp: Room temperature ingredients are crucial – set out your butter and eggs at least an hour before baking.
- Tender Cookies: Don’t overmix once you add the flour – this keeps your cookies tender and prevents them from becoming tough.
- Perfect Size: Use a cookie scoop if you have one – it ensures even sizing and perfectly round cookies.
- How Long To Bake Cookies: The 1-2 minute early removal from the oven is crucial for achieving that perfect chewy texture. Trust the process, even if they look slightly underdone!

Storing Chocolate Chip Cookies
Store your chocolate chip cookies in a Ziploc bag at room temperature.
Like most cookies, thick and chewy chocolate chip cookies stay fresh longer if frozen. If you’re not planning to inhale all the cookies within a day or two, let the cookies cool fully before storing them in a sealed container in the freezer. They’ll keep for several months.
I like to let them defrost on the counter for a few hours, or overnight, before serving.
My Other Favorite Chewy Cookie Recipes to Try
Chocolate chip aren’t the only recipe for thick and chewy cookies! Try these other popular cookie recipes:
- Fudgy Chocolate Sixlet Cookies are always a winner on Valentine’s Day, but I love them all year long.
- Chocolate Marshmallow Surprise Cookies are fudgy and brownie-like with a gooey and soft marshmallow on top. And don’t forget the chocolate icing!
- Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies take the choc chip cookies up a notch, adding a special twist to make them taste especially delicious.

More Amazing Cookie Recipes to Try
Did you try this recipe? Leave a ⭐️ rating below and share it on Instagram.
WANT TO SAVE THIS RECIPE?
Enter your email below and we will send it straight to your inbox. Plus you will get great new recipes from us every week!
Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 ½ cups brown sugar firmly packed
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup chopped pecans optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400º F.
- In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda and salt.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and brown sugar, on medium speed, until well blended. Beat in the eggs and vanilla until well blended, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add flour mixture; mix just until blended. Stir in chocolate chips and pecans, if using. (Optional: cover dough and chill 20 – 30 minutes.)
- Drop dough in 2-tablespoon portions, 2 inches apart, onto baking pans. Bake until the cookies are lightly browned and no longer wet in the center, 6 to 8 minutes; if baking more than one pan at a time, switch pan positions halfway through baking.
- Take the cookies out of the oven 1 or 2 minutes before the cookies are cooked, as they will continue to cook on the baking pans.
- Let cookies cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet before transferring cookies to racks to cool completely before serving.
Video
Notes
- Room temperature ingredients are crucial – set out your butter and eggs at least an hour before baking.
- Don’t overmix once you add the flour – this keeps your cookies tender and prevents them from becoming tough.
- Use a cookie scoop if you have one – it ensures even sizing and perfectly round cookies.
- The 1-2 minute early removal from the oven is crucial for achieving that perfect chewy texture. Trust the process, even if they look slightly underdone!











Christa
you really do have some of the best recipes! thick and chewy is EXACTLY how chocolate chip cookies should be!!!
xo,
Mini Baker
shawn @ chicks dig coupons
I like thick and chewy chocolate chip cookies! And milk with mine please!
Great recipe!
Juliana
This is my kind of cookie, soft and chewy, almost like a cake…yours look delicious, can I have one Barbara? Hope you having a wonderful week 🙂
Rocky Mountain Woman
chewy…all the time
and, warm..oh yeah and with a glass of milk…
need a cookie now!
teresa
oh yum, chocolate chip cookies are one of my favorite treats! these look so good.
Joy
I love love your recipe. It looks so good.
marla {family fresh cooking}
Thick and chewy grab me big time!! What I would do for some of these chocolatey cookies this morning.
Neal Morgan
soft a chewy for me too. Hard is o.k if that’s all their is but sort and chewy rule.
Faith
I’m definitely a soft and chewy person! Thanks for the recipe, I’ll definitely be trying it!
Anna Johnston
I’ve got to try these too…, oh boy…, so tempted by a good chewy cookie (I’ve just finished baking some chocolate & peanut cookies – now I’m wanting to make these) 🙂
Esther x3baking
These sound perfect! They remind me of the America’s Test Kitchen thick and chewy cc cookies.
Angie's Recipes
Love chewy cookies, thin or thick! Those look so great with chocolate chips.
Lynda
I’m all for the thick and chewy cookies, but I wouldn’t turn down a thin one either. 🙂
Very interesting about the temperatures differences.
Betty @ scrambled henfruit
I’m in the soft and chewy crowd as well- these look great! I’m always willing to try a new chocolate chip recipe. 🙂
Jamie
I prefer thick and chewy chocolate chip cookies. I will definitely try this recipe and method. I wish I could grab a cookie off your plate right now. They look sooooo good!
sweetlife
soft and chewy all the way..great recipe..I love trying out new cookies with my girls
sweetlife
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella
Mum you are the cookie queen! I bet my “siblings” are the most popular kids on the street with the goodies that emerge from your oven! 😀 xxx
Paula
Thick, soft and chewy is my preference but if there were only crisp and thin ones around I wouldn’t say no. Both batches look great 🙂
Barbara
Thanks for letting me know there was a problem with the instructions. I did change it up just a little bit. I always like to mix the dry ingredients together before starting the creaming process. All fixed now. Can’t wait to see how you like them!
Kathy - Cooking On the Side
Oops – looks like the first instruction might be missing, where you make the butter mixture (yes, I fired up the oven and decided to make these *right now*!).