You know that moment when you bite into a cookie and it’s somehow both crispy and chewy? The edges offer a golden, buttery crunch while the center stays soft and gooey the best of two textures in one bite. These crispy and chewy chocolate chip cookies are proof that pantry staples can deliver bakery-quality results, and they’re trending online for good reason.
This is your new go-to simple chocolate chip cookie recipe, offering the ideal combination of crispy and chewy in every bite. Made with butter, brown sugar, and a generous helping of chocolate chips, this recipe keeps things delightfully classic nostalgic like childhood favorites, yet refined enough to impress guests. Full recipe details below!
After countless batches and careful testing, I nailed the precise butter-to-sugar ratio for that signature texture. Here’s a little baking secret: it all comes down to the chilling time and knowing exactly when to pull them from the oven. Once you’ve tried these, you’ll understand why flat, brittle cookies or dry, cakey ones just won’t cut it anymore.
Why These Crispy and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies Will Become Your Favorite
There’s something undeniably satisfying about a cookie that offers both crispiness and chewiness. These crispy and chewy chocolate chip cookies create golden, crisp edges that give way to soft, tender centers every texture lover’s dream.
This recipe is incredibly forgiving. Whether your butter is still a bit cool or you let a tray go a minute too long, the end result is consistently delicious. The chilling step, followed by a gentle tap on the counter post-bake, ensures you get that crave-worthy blend of chewy middle and crackly outside. And because it uses simple pantry staples, you can make them any time the craving strikes no fancy tools required.
| What Makes Them Special | Why It Works |
|---|---|
| Cold dough before baking | Creates soft, chewy centers |
| Counter tap after baking | Gives crinkled edges and dense texture |
| Brown sugar + white sugar combo | Brown sugar = chew, white sugar = crisp |
| Golf ball-sized portions | Perfect spread for ideal texture contrast |
Key Ingredients That Make the Magic Happen
Let’s spotlight a few key players. The pairing of brown sugar and white sugar is more than about sweetness it’s what delivers the texture contrast. Brown sugar retains moisture for softer centers, while white sugar promotes caramelization and crisp edges.
Room temperature butter is essential. It should be soft enough to easily press a fingerprint into, but not melty similar to the texture of spreadable butter fresh from the fridge after a few minutes on the counter. High-quality vanilla extract and fresh eggs help bind it all, and 2½ cups of semisweet chocolate chips ensure maximum gooey goodness in every cookie.
- Pro tip: Forgot to soften your butter? Cut it into cubes and let it sit at room temperature for 15 minutes. This softens it much faster than waiting with whole sticks.
- Kosher salt enhances the flavor of everything in the dough. And for bonus points, finish your cookies with a pinch of flaked sea salt on top right after baking.
How the Process Works Step-by-Step
The method is simple yet precise. We start with the creaming method: beat softened butter with both sugars for a full 3 minutes until pale and fluffy. This step aerates the dough, giving the cookies structure and soft texture.
Once mixed, the dough must be chilled for 20 minutes to prevent spreading and help the cookies bake up thick but tender. For portioning, use a cookie scoop or roll dough into golf ball-sized rounds for even baking. Over- or under-sizing changes the texture outcome, so stay consistent.
| Step | Time | Key Point |
|---|---|---|
| Mix dry ingredients | 2 minutes | Whisk thoroughly for even distribution |
| Cream butter & sugars | 3 minutes | Should look like fluffy frosting |
| Add eggs & vanilla | 1 minute | Mix until just combined |
| Chill dough | 20 minutes | Cold dough = soft centers |
| Bake | 9–12 minutes | Look for golden edges and pale, soft centers |
Simple Swaps and Variations to Try
Once you’ve got the base recipe perfected, try jazzing it up with creative twists! For irresistible s’mores chocolate chip cookies, add mini marshmallows and crushed graham crackers it’s like capturing campfire vibes in a baked treat. The marshmallows caramelize slightly, and the graham bits add a charming crunch.
Looking for a salty-sweet satisfaction? Swap half the chocolate chips with peanut butter chips for a take on Reese’s-style cookies. Or if you’re after something a little richer, opt for dark chocolate chunks instead of semisweet chips for an elevated, indulgent feel.
| Original Ingredient | Swap Option | Result |
|---|---|---|
| All chocolate chips | 1 cup chocolate + 1 cup peanut butter chips | Reese’s-style cookies |
| Semisweet chocolate chips | Dark chocolate chunks | Richer, more sophisticated flavor |
| Regular chocolate chips | 1½ cups chips + ½ cup mini marshmallows + ¼ cup crushed graham crackers | S’mores cookies |
| All-purpose flour | 2½ cups AP flour + ½ cup rolled oats | Slightly heartier texture |
Storage Tips and Serving Suggestions
These cookies are best fresh out of the oven, but they store well too! Keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. For longer storage, baked cookies freeze well for up to 3 months.
Pro tip: Want fresh-baked cookies anytime? Portion the dough into balls and freeze them on a baking sheet. Once solid, place in freezer-safe bags. To bake, add 1–2 extra minutes to the cooking time you’ll get warm, melty cookies on demand!
| Storage Method | Duration | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Room temperature container | 3 days | Immediate enjoyment |
| Refrigerator | 1 week | Slightly chewier texture |
| Freezer (baked cookies) | 3 months | Long-term storage |
| Freezer (cookie dough balls) | 3 months | Fresh-baked anytime |
Expert Says: The Secret to Crispy and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Balancing moisture and browning is key to achieving crispy and chewy chocolate chip cookies. The use of both brown and white sugars creates a chewy middle and a crispy edge. Chilling the dough before baking keeps the cookies thick and soft in the center. Simple tweaks like these make all the difference!
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The Journey to Crispy and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Perfecting these cookies came from countless hours of testing from overbaking mishaps to mixing fumbles. But each version got me closer to this fail-safe recipe you see today. It’s been shaped by sweet memories in my family kitchen and a lot of happy messes along the way. Now it’s ready for your kitchen too.
The secret to achieving both crispy edges and chewy centers lies in the perfect balance of ingredients and technique. Using a combination of brown sugar (for chewiness) and white sugar (for crispiness), along with slightly underbaking the cookies, creates that ideal texture contrast. The butter should be softened but not melted, and chilling the dough for at least 30 minutes helps prevent over-spreading while baking.
Bake these cookies for 9-11 minutes at 350°F (175°C) until the edges are golden brown but the centers still look slightly underdone. They’ll continue cooking on the hot baking sheet after removal, which prevents overbaking. This timing ensures you get those perfectly golden, crispy edges while maintaining soft, gooey centers that make these cookies irresistible.
Absolutely! This versatile base recipe works wonderfully for creative variations like s’mores chocolate chip cookies. Simply add mini marshmallows and crushed graham crackers to the dough along with your chocolate chips. You can also try adding Reese’s peanut butter chips for a delicious twist, or follow popular Pinterest chocolate chip cookie variations by incorporating different mix-ins while keeping the same dough base.
Excessive spreading usually happens when the butter is too warm, the dough isn’t chilled, or there’s too much sugar in the recipe. To make chocolate chip cookies that hold their shape, ensure your butter is softened but cool to touch, chill the dough for at least 30 minutes, and don’t skip the proper flour measurement. Using room temperature eggs and avoiding overmixing also helps maintain the perfect cookie structure.
Store your cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week to maintain their texture. Place a slice of bread in the container to keep them soft and chewy – the cookies will absorb moisture from the bread. For longer storage, freeze the baked cookies for up to 3 months, or freeze the cookie dough balls for up to 2 months for fresh-baked cookies anytime.
Your New Go-To Cookie Recipe
These crispy and chewy chocolate chip cookies deliver exactly what they promise golden, crunchy edges that give way to the softest, most tender centers. With just about 30 minutes total, you get bakery results using ingredients already in your pantry. Chill the dough, tap the tray watch cookie magic happen.
The real beauty here is versatility. Stir in crushed pretzels or butterscotch chips to make them your own. A pro baker once told me those frozen dough scoops? They sometimes bake up better than fresh batches crispier edges, thicker centers. Try it and see which version wins at your house!
I’d love to know how yours turn out. Did you stick with the classic or get creative? Snap a photo and tag me and definitely share with someone who needs a little extra sweetness.
PrintCRISPY AND CHEWY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
These crispy and chewy chocolate chip cookies have crispy golden edges and soft chewy centers. This Simple Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe is perfect for anyone craving Gooey Chocolate Chip Cookies. For variety, try Reese’s Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies or S’mores Chocolate Chip Cookies after mastering this classic.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 27 minutes
- Yield: 24 cookies 1x
- Category: Dessert, Snack
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 3 cups All-Purpose Flour (see note 3 cups = 375g)
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 3/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 2 sticks Unsalted Butter softened to room temperature (see note 2 sticks = 1 cup or 16 tablespoons)
- 1 cup Light Brown Sugar packed (1 cup = 200g)
- 1 cup Granulated (White) Sugar (1 cup = 200g)
- 2 large Eggs
- 2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
- 2 1/2 cups Semisweet Chocolate Chips
- 1 teaspoon Flaked Sea Salt (totally optional but try it if you like a salty finish on your sweets)
Instructions
- In a small bowl whisk together the flour baking soda and salt Set aside
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat the butter brown sugar and granulated sugar on medium-high until light and creamy about 3 minutes it should resemble fluffy frosting
- Add the eggs and vanilla and mix on low until completely combined scraping down the bowl as needed
- Add the flour mixture all at once and mix on low until just combined stop mixing as soon as there are no dry spots of flour in the dough do not overmix
- Add the chocolate chips and mix into the batter on low just until combined
- Transfer the mixing bowl to the refrigerator and refrigerate for 20 minutes while the oven heats This step is important as the cold dough is key to the soft centers of the cookies
- Heat oven to 350°F / 177°C
- Lightly grease a sheet pan or line it with a Silpat baking mat or parchment paper
- Use a tablespoon measuring spoon use the measuring spoon as a guide but make these “heaping” tablespoons with dough rounded over the top to scoop out even portions of cold cookie dough Note Be sure that the cookie dough is about the size of a golf ball If the cookies are smaller than this they won’t spread out enough to have soft chewy centers
- Arrange the cookie dough on the prepared sheet pan leaving space for the cookies to spread out
- Bake the cookies until the edges are just starting to turn golden brown and the centers are still very pale and soft they will continue to firm up and darken after you remove them from the oven 9 to 12 minutes
- When you remove the sheet pan from the oven tap it firmly on the kitchen counter a few times to deflate the cookies this step helps to give the cookies lightly crinkled edges and a dense center
- Sprinkle the tops of the cookies with flaked sea salt this is optional and you may not need the full amount just add a small pinch on top of each cookie if you want that salty crunch
- Leave the cookies on the sheet pan to cool for 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack Note If you try to move them too early they may fall apart but will firm up as they cool
- Store cookies in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 3 days
Notes
- Flour – I used Gold Medal Unbleached All Purpose Flour when I tested this recipe and still use it for every batch to get consistent results every time If you have having trouble with the consistency of the cookies the culprit is most likely the flour Try switching to Golden Medal Unbleached and use a kitchen scale to weigh your flour Kitchen scale – To get that crispy chewy texture it’s a really good idea to measure your flour and sugars by weight If you have a kitchen scale pull it out for this recipe Softened Butter – This tends to feel like the most finicky step of making chocolate chip cookies but it’s important The butter should be soft enough that you can easily make an indent with your finger but should still be cool to the touch You want it to hold its shape a bit as you combine it with the sugars and then soften to a fluffy texture after the full 3 minutes of beating
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 253 kcal
- Sugar: 24g
- Sodium: 426mg
- Fat: 8g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Carbohydrates: 49g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 16mg
