Soft Easy Chocolate Chip Cookies

4.98 (20)
⏱ 32 mins 🍽 Serves 13 🏷 Sweet

These are wonderfully simple chocolate chip cookies, adapted from Cooks Illustrated. They are big, soft, and buttery, made without any need for a beater, creaming butter, or chilling the dough. The method uses melted butter for ease, and the batter firms up after a short rest before scooping. The recipe makes 13 large or 26-30 smaller cookies, ready in about 32 minutes.

Soft Easy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

  • 1 3/4 cups plain / all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda ((bi carb soda))
  • 175g / 12 tbsp unsalted butter (, cut into 2 cm/ 4/5" cubes (1.5 US sticks / 6 oz))
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar (, packed (light or dark) (Note 1))
  • 1/2 cup caster sugar ((US: granulated sugar))
  • 1 egg
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 1/4 cups chocolate chips (, separated (US: semi sweet chocolate chips or chunks))

Method

  1. Set your oven to 180C / 350F (standard) or 160C/320F (fan). Position a shelf in the centre.
  2. Prepare two baking trays by lining them with parchment paper.
  3. In a bowl, whisk together the plain flour, salt, and baking soda.
  4. Put the cubed butter into a large, heatproof bowl. Microwave it until it is almost completely melted, about 25 seconds for room temperature butter or 40 seconds for cold.
  5. Give the butter a final whisk to melt any remaining pieces.
  6. Add both the brown and caster sugars to the butter and whisk vigorously for 15 seconds.
  7. Whisk in the whole egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract for another 15 seconds.
  8. Add the flour mixture and mix until the flour is nearly all combined.
  9. Stir in 1 cup of the chocolate chips until the flour is fully incorporated and the chips are dispersed. The batter will be quite loose.
  10. Let the batter stand for 5 minutes. it will firm up slightly and become easier to scoop.
  11. For large cookies, use a level ice cream scoop or 3 tbsp measure to form 13 mounds, placing them 5cm apart on the trays. Press the remaining chocolate chips on top.
  12. For small cookies, scoop 1.5 tbsp or half an ice cream scoop to make 26-30 mounds, spaced 4cm apart, and top with chips.
  13. Bake one tray at a time. For large cookies, bake for 8 minutes, rotate the tray, then bake for 3 more minutes (11 minutes total). For small cookies, bake for 6 minutes, turn, then bake for 3 minutes (9 minutes total). They should be just golden at the edges and pale on top, slightly puffed.
  14. Allow the cookies to cool completely on the tray, where they will finish setting and lose their puffiness.

Nutrition (per serving)

Nutrition data not available.

Recipe details

CategorySweet