Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies. These are the best soft, sweet and chewy American cookies, oozing with chocolate and bursting with brown sugar flavors. It’s love at first bite!

These are the best soft, sweet and chewy American cookies, oozing with chocolate and bursting with brown sugar flavors. It's love at first bite!

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We all need a classic chocolate chip cookie recipe we can rely on. A foolproof and simple cookie recipe that works every single time. I’ve been baking these soft chocolate chip cookies for about 15 years, and it’s always a favorite in my house and among my friends. It’s also a reader’s favorite!

These are the best soft, sweet and chewy American cookies, oozing with chocolate and bursting with brown sugar flavors. It's love at first bite!

These chocolate chip cookies always come out soft and chewy, hold their shape, and are bursting with incredible brown sugar flavors and chocolate chips. They also keep for days and freeze well. I’ve updated the existing recipe with new photos, more detailed instructions and pro tips. Now you too can master the art of these soft chocolate chip cookies. Grab a whisk, get your apron ready, and let’s get into baking!

Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies, in short:

  • An easy and foolproof chocolate chip cookie recipe
  • A perfect cookie dough that yields to soft and chewy cookies
  • The cookies keep for days and freeze well!
These are the best soft, sweet and chewy American cookies, oozing with chocolate and bursting with brown sugar flavors. It's love at first bite!

The recipe ingredients

  • All-purpose flour + cornstarch. While flour provides texture, the use of cornstarch makes the cookie dough very soft and participates to create soft and thick cookies.
  • Baking soda (NOT baking powder). It creates the perfect lift for the cookies, making them slightly pillowy in texture.
  • Salt. It cuts the sweetness and boosts the flavors.
  • Granulated sugar + light brown sugar. The combination of both is key to achieve a soft cookie dough, that will then yield some chewy cookies. Do not try to substitute with any other sugar.
  • Butter. Use unsalted butter (as the recipe already contains salt). Melt and cool slightly before using.
  • Eggs. The recipe calls for 1 egg and 1 yolk, for extra moisture in the cookie dough.
  • Vanilla extract. It boosts the sweet flavors and brings slightly caramelized notes to the cookies. For best results, use organic 100% pure vanilla extract.
  • Chocolate Chips. Use regular size chocolate chips for this recipe. I used semi-sweet, but you can also go for dark or milk chocolate chips.
These are the best soft, sweet and chewy American cookies, oozing with chocolate and bursting with brown sugar flavors. It's love at first bite!
These are the best soft, sweet and chewy American cookies, oozing with chocolate and bursting with brown sugar flavors. It's love at first bite!

How to make soft chocolate chip cookies

  • Mix the dry ingredients together.
  • Whisk the wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Always start with whisking melted butter and sugar; this will help cool off the melted butter a little. Then add the egg, the yolk and the vanilla extract.
  • Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and combine, using a rubber spatula (not a whisk). Then fold in the chocolate chips and spread them out evenly throughout the dough.
  • Cover the dough and chill in the refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hours.
  • Scoop out the dough and bake in batches. The cookies are ready when the edges are set and centers look slightly underbake. Each oven is different: stay close to the oven to check when your cookies are ready rather than relying on the baking time only.
These are the best soft, sweet and chewy American cookies, oozing with chocolate and bursting with brown sugar flavors. It's love at first bite!

Pro tips for success

  • Measure the ingredients properly. This is key to achieve soft and chewy cookies with a slightly puffy texture. Flour and sugar in particular, should be measured exactly as instructed in the recipe card.
  • Use both granulated sugar AND light/dark brown sugar. The combination of both will yield to a perfectly soft and chewy bite.
  • Don’t skip the chilling time! You need to chill the cookie dough for 2 hours before baking. While this may look long until you get to eat your cookies (and don’t get me wrong, I totally get it here!), make yourself a favor and don’t rush the process. The chilling time will participates to the final texture, with cookies holding their shape better while baking.
  • Underbake the cookies slightly. This is key to a soft, chewy texture. Remove your cookies from the oven when they look just set and slightly underbaked. Remember that they will continue to bake as they cool down onto the baking sheet for a few more minutes.
  • If the cookies come out too thick, bang the cookie sheet on the countertop a couple of times right after you removed it from the oven to create these slightly puffy, inflated texture with crispy edges.
These are the best soft, sweet and chewy American cookies, oozing with chocolate and bursting with brown sugar flavors. It's love at first bite!

How to get perfectly round cookies?

To get a perfectly round cookie, with a slightly puffy, inflated texture with crispy edges, bang the cookie sheet on the countertop a couple of times right after you removed it from the oven. Then use a cookie cutter slightly larger than your cookies and swirl it around each cookie for a few seconds to scoot them into a perfectly round shape. Note that you should do this step when the cookies are still warm so you can re-shape them easily.

These are the best soft, sweet and chewy American cookies, oozing with chocolate and bursting with brown sugar flavors. It's love at first bite!

Make ahead and storing instructions

Storing. Cool the cookies completely after baking. Then transfer to an airtight container and keep at room temperature for about 3-4 days.

Make ahead and freezing. You can prepare the cookie dough, and refrigerate up to 3 days in advance. Then let the dough soften at room temperature until easy to scoop, before baking. You can also freeze the cookie dough balls. Flash-freeze the cookie dough balls onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper for 1 hour, then transfer to a freezer-safe bag, and freeze for up to 3 months. Bake directly from frozen in a preheated oven, prolonging the baking time by 1 or 2 minutes if needed.

These are the best soft, sweet and chewy American cookies, oozing with chocolate and bursting with brown sugar flavors. It's love at first bite!

Try our other favorite cookies:

Print

Super Soft American Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are the best soft, sweet and chewy American cookies, oozing with chocolate and bursting with brown sugar flavors. It's love at first bite!
Print
  • Author: Delphine Fortin
  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 12 mins
  • Total Time: 27 minutes
  • Yield: 16 cookies 1x
  • Category: Cookies and Bars
  • Cuisine: American recipes

These are the best soft, sweet and chewy American cookies, oozing with chocolate and bursting with brown sugar flavors. It’s love at first bite!

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We’ll send it straight to your inbox, along with weekly food inspiration!

Ingredients

  • 2 ¼ cups (270g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoon cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ cup (180g) unsalted butter, melted
  • ¾ cup (135g) light brown sugar, loosely packed
  • ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (150g) dark chocolate chips or chunks
  • Sea salt, to sprinkle (optional)

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
  2. In a separate bowl, whisk together both sugars with melted butter, until no lumps remain. Whisk in the egg, the egg yolk and the vanilla extract. Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix together, using a rubber spatula. Fold in the chocolate chips, and mix until evenly distributed.
  3. Cover the dough and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours minimum (very important). Remove the dough from the refrigerator and allow to soften at room temperature for 15 minutes before using.
  4. Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C) and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
  5. Using an ice cream scoop, scoop large balls of cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them out from each other, and flatten them slightly with the palm of your hand.
  6. Bake each batch for about 10- 12 minutes, or until edges are just set and centers look slightly underbaked.* Allow to cool for about 10 minutes. Then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, or eat them while still warm, oozing with melting chocolate chips! 

Notes

* This is key to achieve a perfectly soft and chewy texture. The cookies will look slightly underbaked at first, but they will continue to bake slightly onto the hot baking sheet once out from the oven.

Recipe inspired and adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction.

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Did you make this recipe?

Lastly, if you make this Super Soft American Chocolate Chip Cookies, be sure to leave a comment and give this recipe a rating, letting me know how you liked it. And of course, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Thank you and enjoy!