Looking for the best chocolate chip cookies EVER? you’re in the right place. These cookies are BIG, soft, chewy, and totally divine.
Chocolate chip cookies are my weakness. If I were ever stranded on a deserted island, I could be happy with a steady supply of homemade chocolate chip cookies.
I swiped this recipe for the best chocolate chip cookies from my mom, and now I want to share it with all of you. You don’t want to keep going through life not knowing what’s in the best chocolate chip cookies EVER, do you?
Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
Well, these wonderful homemade cookies are loaded with some incredible ingredients.
Butter, sugar, vanilla and semisweet chocolate chips are among the usual suspects.
But this isn’t your average chocolate chip cookies recipe! Y’all, this recipe produces some pretty perfect cookies.
How to Make Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix together the flour, baking soda, and the salt
- In a separate bowl, beat together the butter, sugars, vanilla extract, and the vinegar until smooth.
- Beat in the egg just until combined.
- Mix the flour mixture into the wet mixture just until combined. Stir in the chips.
- Drop cookies 2 inches apart onto your prepared cookie sheet.
- Bake and enjoy!
TIP: In the recipe, I make a note about “barely melted” butter. You want to melt it, but not over melt it, and be sure to let it COOL a bit before putting in with the other ingredients.
Here’s a picture of what your butter should look like!
Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies
The debate on soft vs. crispy chocolate chip cookies is a no-brainer in my book.
I do favor soft and chewy, but these cookies give you the best of both worlds.
The middle of the cookie is nice and soft, and the outer edge has a little crispiness.
And that sea salt on top? Just, wow.
How to Store Chocolate Chip Cookies
A wonderful tip that I picked up a few years ago was to store cookies in an airtight container with one slice of white bread.
The cookies utilize the moisture in the bread and it helps prevent them from drying out. Give it a try, you’ll love the results.
How to Freeze Cookie Dough
People always ask me if they can freeze my cookie recipes. In this case, yes, you can definitely freeze this chocolate chip cookie dough. Here’s how to do it.
- Make the cookie dough as instructed below.
- Scoop and place cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Just make sure the sheet will fit in your freezer.
- Freeze the balls until solid. Usually, 1-2 hours will suffice.
- Remove the cookie balls to a large ziptop bag and carefully labeled with the date and baking instructions.
- Freeze up to 6 weeks.
How to Bake Frozen Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
To bake your amazing cookies, you can allow the dough to defrost overnight in the refrigerator or a couple hours at room temperature, then just bake as usual.
If you want to bake them from frozen, just let them sit out on a parchment-lined baking sheet while your oven preheats, and then bake as usual adding 1-3 minutes to the baking time.
You’ll just need to keep an eye on your oven to make sure you don’t let them go too long over the original bake time.
Don’t forget, as my instructions note below you don’t want to overbake these cookies. They will look a little underdone in the center but they will continue to cook once you take them out of the oven as you allow them to cool on the baking sheet an additional 10 minutes.
I think you’ll agree that these truly are the BEST chocolate chip cookies!
More Great Desserts
- Pumpkin Cookies
- Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
- Raspberry Almond Shortbread Cookies
- Monster Cookies
- Fantasy Fudge
- 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
Best Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup butter barely melted but not too hot (see photo above)
- ¾ cup light brown sugar packed
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 large egg
- 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips I used half chips and half chunks, but either is fine
- Coarse sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl mix together the flour, baking soda and the salt: Set aside.
- In a large bowl beat together the butter, sugars, vanilla extract and the vinegar until smooth. Beat in the egg just until combined.
- Mix the flour mixture into the wet mixture just until combined. Stir in the chips.
- Using a large cookie scoop (about 2 rounded tablespoons) drop about 3 inches apart onto cookie sheet.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, they will look light brown around the edges and will look underdone in the center. Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle each cookie with a little sea salt. Allow to sit on the sheet for 10 minutes before moving to a rack to cool.
Notes
Save This Recipe?
Enter your email and we’ll send it straight to you + get all our latest recipes.
Nutrition
Did you make this?
I would love to hear from you! Make sure to leave your review below and follow on Pinterest for more!
My search for the perfect chocolate chip cookie is over!!! Picture perfect and delicious!!!! Thanks for the recipe!!!! LOVE THESE COOKIES
Just made these cookies for our families Super Bowl party today and I know these will not disappoint! I followed the instructions Including cook time and rest time and they came out just as described! Gooey and delicious on the inside with the perfect crisp on the outside. The only suggestion I have to myself would be to make smaller balls next time. Mine were probably 2-3 tablespoons of dough so some of my cookies butted together. I can’t wait to add this to my go-to list of recipes! I love it, thank you!
I’ve been baking cookies for decades and have used various chocolate chip recipes. I made a batch of these today and was a bit skeptical, but am happy to report, they came out great. On my last pan of cookies, I added in pecan pieces..delicious. I will be making these again.
What does the vinegar do? I loathe, detest, and despise the taste of vinegar. Does it show up at all?
Not sure what the vinegar does, but the cookies are delicious!!! Best recipe I have found yet!!!
When you use baking SODA vinegar causes a chemical reaction with the soda to make the cookies rise. Baking POWDER doesn’t need the extra help because it is made from two ingredients that react to each other in a similar way to the vinegar and soda.
Then why not just use baking powder? Anny ideas?
I sprinkle a tspn white vinegar pastry doughs I male and it makes it flaky. Don’t know why but it does. No odor or taste of vinegar!
I am domestically challenged and baking impaired, and these cookies still came out delicious! Thanks for sharing!
How sweet :) my little sister is just the same lol her name is Amanda as well, it’ll get better. Cheers :)
Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! These are the best cookies ever. Bless you for posting this recipe. Absolutely perfect. Thank you! I’ve never loved a cookie as much as I love these.
YUP! This is the end of the line for the world’s MOST PERFECT CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE EVER!!!!
I even made this recipe with butterscotch chips too……..drooool!!!
THANK YOU FOR THIS RECIPE!!!!
I made these for the first time tonight and they were soooo good! The recipe was easy to understand. I will definitely be making them again. I noticed people’s comments regarding their cookies coming out flat. My batch did not do that whatsoever but came out just as described – soft and chewy in the center and crispy on the outside. The one question I do have is when the receipt calls for the 1/2 teaspoon “salt” in at the beginning (not the coarse sea salt at the end) what type of salt are you talking about? Is this also sea salt? I am just curious. Thank you!
I saw your recipe call for 2 cups of flour. I only had enough for 1 cup of flour and didn’t know if I could substitute the other cup for baking cocoa. Has anyone tried this before? Any tips? Thanks!
No, it won’t work. Cocoa doesn’t have the same properties as flour. Just half the recipe.
This would change the taste and texture a bit, but in a pinch you could grind oats to a fine powder and use that in place of flour.
Oh no, that much baking cocoa would totally ruin the cookies
These are delicious cookies! No doubt about it! I was hired on a Friday so I used half almond extract and half vanilla extract to give it a bit of a different ooomph. Mine were not as flat as some mentioned, but the inside was also not cooked. I ended up putting them back after an initial 12 minute cook for another 5 minutes. I suspect it’s because I used my silpat instead of a metal pan. Either way, once cooked they are fantastic cookies! Saving the recipe!!