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!
Alea Safea
Hi! Excited to try and make these bad boys but one question,you dont specify the temprature, is it 400 degrees celsius or fahrenheit??
Barbara Schieving
Hi Alea – fahrenheit. Enjoy!
2pots2cook
Wise guy your son 🙂 Thank you for the refreshed, great photos ! Have a nice day !
Linda W
Thank you for the perfect recipe! This is exactly how I like my chocolate chip cookies…slightly thick, soft and chewy center with a nice lightly brown bottom and edges. The flour to butter ratio is perfect and the oven temperature is spot on. My cookies were not flat at all. I was in search of a recipe to my liking and tried 3 different recipes for the past week and your recipe will now be my go to recipe. My search is over…thanks again!
Barbara Schieving
Thanks so much Linda! Love that you kept trying until you found the perfect cookie for you. This is the one I always make now too.
Cheryl
I would like to get a head start on baking for Christmas Day. Would the weekend before Christmas be to soon to bake and stored in a tin container?
Barbara Schieving
Hi Cheryl – I think if you want them to be at their best for Christmas Day, you should freeze them and then take them out of the freezer on Christmas Eve and box them up. And if you’re freezing them you could start baking as any time between now and Christmas Eve. Just make sure they’re completely cool before freezing and freeze them flat in Ziploc bags. Merry Christmas!
Karina
Just made these cookies, they are so yummy just out of the oven! Thanks for sharing this delicious recipe 🙂
Barbara Schieving
Thanks Karina! So glad you loved them.
Taste USA
These cookies look absolutely perfect! I like my cookies to me crisp on the edges but slightly soft in the middle – and I love the addition of salt! No chocolate chip cookie is complete without salt.
Rachelle
Hi Barbara, can’t wait to try this! What would happen if I used 1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 all-purpose flour?
Barbara Schieving
Hi Rachelle – I think you’d be fine to use half whole wheat in this recipe. Enjoy!
Barbara
I do not have mixer with paddle, will that change the outcome of the cookies?
They look like the perfect cookie for me & my sis.
Barbara Schieving
Hi Barbara – that’s a great name 🙂 You don’t need the paddle, you can use a hand mixer if you have one, or even mix it by hand, just really work the butter and sugar. Enjoy!
Barbara
Thank you I’am so glad because I think this is going to be the best ever chocolate chip cookie!
And you are right about our name. My big sister is also named Barbara!
I was adopted as a baby & just found my birth family two years ago. I think our name being the same
is a special gift from God. My sis is coming for a visit I will have the cookies waiting. Thank you.
Krystle (Baking Beauty)
I am in the chewy camp too! Always down to try a new recipe, these look delicious!
candice
Hi. What do you think would happen if you used 3/4 c. granulated sugar and 3/4 c. brown sugar.
Do you think it would effect the texture and thickness? Thanks.
Barbara Schieving
Hi Candice – Yes, it would change the texture and thickness. http://www.finecooking.com/item/55415/the-science-of-baking-cookies However, if you don’t have enough brown sugar on hand, I’m sure the cookies would still taste great.
candice
Thank you. Keep up the good work! You do a great job. God Bless.
Kitchen Belleicious
these look amazing! very intrigued that they don’t use regular sugar just brown sugar. Its been a while since I only saw B.Sugar in a choc chip cookie recipe. I have got to try them
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella
Hehe can I answer that I like them all? Really, I do and each one has a different texture and purpose really.These look like a real winner mum! xxx
Annamaria @ Bakewell Junction
Barbara,
I’m a fan of thick and chewy. The hubby is a fan of the crispy but not necessarily thin. I will be making these. Pinned.
Annamaria
Amanda
These cookies look perfect!!!
Betty
I just took the last batch of these out of the oven- they look great! Got a big “thumbs up” from my son, the chocolate chip lover. 🙂 Thanks!
Nicole
Oh, I adore thick and chewy chocolate chip cookies! These look so delicious, Barbara.
Claire @ Claire K Creations
I seem to remember making these from your original recipe years ago. I remember thinking exactly that – that 8 minutes wasn’t enough time and regretting cooking the rest differently! This is the second choc-chip cookie recipe in my inbox today. I think the universe might be telling me something?
Carol at Wild Goose Tea
I like mine thick and chewy. So this fits me to a T. I should probably take a survey of the people who eat my cookies on what they like. It would be better if they liked thin and crispy. Then the thick and chewy cookies
wouldn’t be around to tempt me.
Linda
Thanks for tip. I couldn’t imagine why my cookies were thin and crisp when they used to be soft and chewy.
Like you, I thought they weren’t done and baked them longer. Duh!!! Of course don’t over bake them.
Wishes for tasty dishes,
inda
Ciao Florentina
Sounds like the perfect breakfast to me, what? chocolate is so good for you 😉