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.
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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!
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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
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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!
Carol
I’m a thick and chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie fan…and these look delicious.
Melissa @ My Recent Favorite books
These look delicious! I love chocolate! =)
Rosa
My kind of cookie. Extremely addictive.
Cheers,
Rosa
Maha
I cant stop with two or three if i bake these cuties..perfectly baked out n Nice texture u gt.
Diane
I can’t wait to make these. I can almost smell them now.
Barbara Schieving
Thanks Diane! Hope you enjoy them.
Maria Keown
HI Barbara, I was on a search for yet another new chocolate chip cookie recipe when I found your blog! Will be trying it out tomorrow…very nice site you got here, love all those recipes and I’m sure I will try quite a few of them….I’m in Utah as well, moved here about 2 years ago, still struggling with the altitude change on some of my own formulas, but I’m getting there, slowly..lol….thanks for taking the time to post and do these write-ups!
Barbara Schieving
Hi Maria – what a sweet comment. Here’a link to the guide I use for adapting recipes for high altitude http://cityhomecountryhome.blogspot.com/2010/08/high-altitude-baking-and-candy-making.html. Just a few changes really do make a big difference. Have fun!
Kellie E
After searching for years to find the most perfect chocolate chip cookie, I have finally found it! It always turns out great! I am actually thinking of adding in some grated zuchini the next time I make it. Shhh….
Barbara
Thanks Kellie! It is a great recipe. Zucchini sounds like a fun addition, although I image it will make it a softer cookie. Be sure and squeeze out most of the liquid after shredding. Let me know how it goes!
Emilie
These cookies might just end up being the cause of my diabetes, because I can’t stop eating them! They were quite a hit with other members of my family as well. In my case, the outside turned out a bit crispy and the middles were nice and chewy, which is just the way I like it. Thank you for the recipe!
Barbara
Thanks Emilie! They are definitely addicting. I need to whip up another batch soon.
april leclair
Today my daughter and I decided to make chocolate chip cookies. We wanted thick soft and chewy. We got thick and soft, not so much chewy but that’s okay because they are a big hit. Very soft, chocolate still soft. Only change I would make would be to use milk chocolate.
Barbara
Hi April – Thanks for letting me know you made the cookies! So glad you liked them even though they weren’t chewy for you.
Carol
This is my new favorite cookie recipe! I’ve made it a few times now and it never fails – thanks for posting!!
Off to enjoy some fresh out of the oven…
Barbara
Hi Carol – thanks for taking the time to let me know how much you like the cookie. Now I’m craving a fresh out of the oven cookie!
Claire K Creations
I made these yesterday with the kids I look after and loved them so much I made another batch this morning for myself!
Barbara
You definitely needed a batch for yourself. They are addicting. So glad you love them!
Megan
Yum! There are never enough chocolate chip cookie recipes!
Becky at VintageMixer
These do look like perfect chocolate chip cookies! I think I need a cross section picture though, maybe of one broken in half with melted chocolate oozing out of the center 😉
sheila @ Elements
I’m definitely a thick and chewy gal! I’m not so great with baking cookies. Bread…I can do it in my sleep, but cookies…they’re tricky. I had no idea that such a small difference in the oven setting could make the cookies look so different. I always seem to have problems with my cookies being too thin, so I’ll try to remember to cook at a little higher temperature. Thanks so much for the great info! 🙂 Your cookies look fantastic by the way! 🙂
Cathy at Wives with Knives
It’s got to be soft and chewy at my house and we like walnuts instead of pecans. Always a favorite dessert here. Happy Mother’s Day, Barbara. Hope your day is a special one.
Barbara
Isn’t it funny how we all have a favorite texture in our cc cookies? I must confess, I like my crisp on the outside and not too thick…so I guess that puts me in the other camp! 🙂 But, I’ve never met a cc cookie that I wouldn’t try!
pigpigscorner
Bookmarking this! Great to see there’s no shortening or any other weird ingredients involved.
Sue
Soft and chewy is the way to go, Barbara! I’ll have to try your recipe because I don’t have the best luck with chocolate chip cookies turning out this way.
Miriam Barton
I’m totally a soft and chewy girl too :), Miriam@Meatless Meals For Meat Eaters
marisa
I am also totally in the thick and chewy club!!!!