Classic Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Crisp edges, soft chewy centers, and pools of melted chocolate — this is the dependable chocolate chip cookie recipe worth memorizing. A little extra brown sugar and a short chill give them that bakery chew.

Recipe at a Glance

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl and set aside.
2. Beat the softened butter with both sugars until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
3. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla.
4. Add the flour mixture and mix on low just until no streaks remain. Fold in the chocolate chips.
5. Chill the dough for 20 minutes while the oven heats to 375F (190C). Line two baking sheets with parchment.
6. Scoop rounded tablespoons of dough 2 inches apart. Bake 9-11 minutes, until the edges are golden but the centers still look slightly underdone.
7. Cool on the sheet 5 minutes before transferring — they finish setting as they cool.

Tips & Notes

• Pulling the cookies while the centers look soft is the key to a chewy texture.
• Room-temperature butter and eggs cream together far better than cold.
• Freeze scooped dough balls and bake straight from frozen, adding 1-2 minutes.