This chocolate chip cookie guide is the culmination of a lifetime of testing recipes. It includes all my tricks and tips for the perfect cookie. And if you want to learn more about my baking journey while enjoying 75 additional cookie recipes, order the New York Times bestselling Zoë Bakes Cookies, now!
When I was at the University of Vermont studying theater, studio art, English lit, philosophy, photography, Latin, art history and everything else a Liberal Arts Degree offers, I decided to throw a business class into the mix. Truth is, I was just fulfilling a math credit requirement. I learned how to balance a checkbook and some basic—very basic—accounting, which went something like this … don’t spend more than you make!
Then the professor had us write a business plan. It was the mid-1980s and I grew up eating Mrs. Field’s, David’s, and Famous Amos cookies, which were the “gourmet” cookies of the day. While in college I was also the “baker” at a favorite breakfast joint in Winooski, VT, and spent my free time baking to relax after classes. So, I wrote my business plan based on a fictitious cookie company called Zoë’s Cookies. I can’t remember how I did in the class, but six months later I was standing on Church Street in Burlington, VT, selling my cookies from a hand-pushed cart.
This post is your chocolate chip cookie primer: the result of what I learned making those cookies and the countless batches I’ve baked in the 32 years since then. This post offers a really great chocolate chip cookie recipe, but it is also a Chocolate Chip Cookies 101. I want to explain what the ingredients do to a cookie and how baking can change them. You can tweak your cookies to be just how you like them using my cookie guide towards the bottom of the post.
My boyfriend, Graham, designed my logo, built the cart, and gave up his apartment oven so that I could build my cookie empire. I married him! Within a couple of months, I got some wholesale accounts and outgrew his tiny oven, so I moved my operation to a fraternity house kitchen, where they let me bake my cookies in exchange for leaving a dozen on the counter. I took a semester off from school to pursue my dream and was on my way to being the next Ben & Jerry’s-style success story to come out of VT. But, I came to realize that takes more than a semester and a cart that didn’t have snow tires. So, I went back to school, having learned a lot about cookies and business. I didn’t spend more money than I made, but, I wasn’t rich at the end of it either.
This week I found my old Zoë’s Cookies recipes in the back of a filing cabinet and baked up the Chocolate Chip Cookies that were the foundation of my business. It pains me to say, but they weren’t very good. They’re like an old favorite movie that just doesn’t age well. When I was 19 years old, they seemed so sophisticated and special, because I was using high-quality chopped chocolate, when Nestle was the only chocolate chip game in town. I sweetened them with brown sugar, to give them a richer flavor and only used real vanilla, also a rarity in the day. But, that was before going to culinary school and understanding how ingredients play together for texture and taste. I’ve come a long way in my baking in the past 32 years. You can read more about my pastry journey here.
I took my original cookie recipe and tweaked it to be delicious.
Chocolate Chip Cookies 101
About the Ingredients
Unbleached all-purpose flour – I use an all-purpose flour that is about 10% protein (Gold Medal). If you are using King Arthur Flour (11.7%), you will want to reduce the flour by about 3 tablespoons or 30g or the dough will be too dry. Measuring with a scale is the ONLY way to ensure that the cookies will come out consistently in each batch. If you have to use cup measures, then you’ll want to spoon the flour into the cup and then scrape it clean. Watch me measure flour in my YouTube video.
Baking soda – this is quite a bit of baking soda for a cookie, given the amount of flour. I use this much because I want the cookies to puff up and then collapse to get the crunchy edge and soft interior. As a rising agent, baking soda needs an acid to react, but there is enough acid in the brown sugar (from the acidic molasses in the sugar). This much baking soda also helps produce a darker color on your cookie, so it isn’t dull looking in the short baking time. ALWAYS SIFT BAKING SODA, because it tends to clump and there is nothing worse than getting a mouthful of baking soda in a cookie.
Kosher salt – In professional kitchens salt is often referred to as “love!” If a dish needs salt, a chef will say, “add a bit of love to that!” My original recipe was WAY too short on love. Although I was probably using table salt and not kosher salt in 1986, which would have resulted in a saltier cookie. The salt is a contrast to the sweet and enhances all the flavors. If you don’t have enough it will taste flat and lack that caramel flavor. I have recently discovered Diamond Crystal Baking Kosher Salt and it is perfect in this recipe. The finer crystals blend into the dough quickly and thoroughly creating the perfect balance of sweet and salty.
Unsalted butter, at room temperature – FLAVOR baby!!! that’s why we use butter in cookies. It melts really fast, so it will cause cookies to spread if you use too much. Note for my European friends: I used American butter, which has a lower fat content than what you have. So your cookies may spread a touch more since you have even more fast-melting fat in your butter.
Shortening – This is 100% fat (no water like butter), so it won’t produce any gluten structure (which can make a cookie less tender). Shortening doesn’t melt as fast as butter, so the proteins in the cookie (from eggs and flour) have time to set before you have a flat cookie. Shortening is whipped, so it also contains more air bubbles, which help things rise as they bake. Adding a bit of shortening will make a cookie more tender and help keep its shape.
- For my European and Australian followers: “Vegetable shortening is a white, solid fat made from vegetable oils. In the UK it is sold under the brand names Trex, Flora White or Cookeen. In Australia the best-known brand is Copha.” from Nigella Lawson
- UPDATE – If you can’t find shortening, you can also use the following, but they are not typically whipped, so they don’t have any rising power, so the cookies may spread a touch more than with shortening:
- Margarine
- Solid Coconut Oil
- Solid Palm Oil
- Ghee – this is clarified butter, so the water and whey are removed and it has a nutty flavor, but it is pure fat and will have a nice texture, but will SPREAD the cookies
- Lard – this will impart a flavor, so only use it if you like that taste
- If you can’t find any of these, then use all butter, they will just have a different consistency, but will be delicious!!!
Granulated sugar – Makes for a crisp cookie when baked, so if you want a cookie that stays crisp use white sugar over brown sugar. Sugar also adds to the color of the cookie, so more sugar will produce a more caramelized cookie.
Brown sugar, packed – Deeper flavor than white sugar, due to the molasses in the sugar. If your cookies tend to soften more than you like, consider using LESS brown sugar, since it absorbs more moisture into the cookie and softens them.
- If you can’t find brown sugar, use an extra cup of sugar and add a teaspoon of molasses
Vanilla extract (make vanilla yourself) – Adds flavor, so use a good one. The artificial vanilla flavoring is not to my taste, but some people love it, so, by all means, go for it, if that’s your favorite. I do recommend making your own just to try it, so easy and tasty! Add the vanilla to the fat, not at the end and you will get a more intense flavor.
Room Temperature Eggs- adds protein to set the cookie, which prevents it from spreading too much. Eggs also act as a leavener when they are whipped up with air, but in cookies, we’re not whipping them enough to really get that benefit. If your cookies end up with a shiny “crust” on the top, it’s because you whipped the batter too much after adding the eggs and they developed a layer of meringue on the top. You may want this effect, but not typical in a chocolate chip cookie.
Chocolate, chopped in largish chunks (about 1/4-inch wide) – I used 72% bittersweet chocolate, but you use whatever kind you want. This is the main flavor of the cookie, so again, I suggest you use your favorite chocolate. I save some larger chunks of chocolate for sticking into the dough after I have scooped them, so they melt on top of the cookie and look dramatic.
Flaky Sea Salt – Flavor and pretty. The contrast between salt and sweet is addictive. That is why candy bars have sooooooo much salt in them. It enhances the flavors it’s combined with. I use flaky sea salt because it gives you a nice BIG hit of salt and also it looks pretty on the cookie and that does count.
Chocolate Chip Cookies Video Tutorial
How to Make YOUR Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies
The following is not an exhaustive guide, but just a start to understanding how to play with your cookie recipes.
For Crisper Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Use more white sugar, less brown sugar – if you use all white sugar, you will need to switch to baking powder, since it will rise without the acid of the brown sugar.
- Use fewer eggs (you may need to add a tablespoon of water if the dough is too dry) or replace one yolk with an extra egg white, which will dry out the baked cookie a bit.
- Use less flour, so there is a higher ratio of fat and sugar, which makes the cookies spread and crisp
- Bake at a lower temperature for longer
For Softer Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Use more egg yolk (which contains the fat in the egg. Egg whites dry out the cookie)
- Use more brown sugar, which is hygroscopic, which just means it absorbs moisture, so it will soften the cookies as they sit in the cookie jar.
- Use more flour, so the ratio of flour to sugar and fat is higher
To Prevent Chocolate Chip Cookies from Spreading (or do the opposite if you want them to spread more.)
- Use more flour or one with higher protein (some recipes call for a combination of bread flour (super high protein) and cake flour (super low protein), but I find that basically equals all-purpose flour.
- Add more egg, which adds protein, that sets the cookie in place
- Add a touch of acid to the dough, which activates the proteins in the flour and eggs. Acid is found in: brown sugar, cocoa powder, cream of tartar, lemon, and vinegar, just to name a few) – keep in mind that acids prevent browning, so go easy if you are looking for a caramel color on the cookie
- Use more shortening and less butter, since shortening holds its shape at higher temperatures, so it won’t spread so fast
- Bake at a higher temperature, since the high heat sets the proteins faster, so the cookie won’t spread.
- Refrigerate the dough balls before baking for up to 36 hours. This allows the liquids to marry the dry ingredients and become a more uniform dough, which won’t spread as wildly when baked. It also allows the fat to solidify, which slows its spreading when it hits the oven.
Gluten-Free, Paleo, Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Need a chocolate chip cookie recipe that is gluten-free, paleo, or vegan? These Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies from Stephanie Meyer’s The 30-Minute Paleo Cookbook are the ultimate snack to satisfy. They are super decadent and rich in flavor because they are made with almond butter. The cookies, like everything Stephanie creates, are gluten-free, in fact, these have NO flour at all and can also be made vegan.
This is only one recipe from Zoë Bakes Cookies, I have an entire chapter dedicated to a variety of styles. if you like a super thin, crisp, buttery chocolate chip cookie, or a thick, almost cookie-dough style, I’ve got you covered. I hope you enjoy this recipe and all the others from the book!
I also smashed ice cream between them for a spectacular treat in the summer. This is Olive Oil & Basil Ice Cream I made using Sarah Kieffer’s no-churn ice cream from her book, The Vanilla Bean Baking Book, which is one of my favorites!
Video
Ingredients
- 2 2/3 cups (320g) unbleached all-purpose flour See baker's notes
- 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt I use Diamond Crystal Baking Salt
- 3/4 cup (170g) unsalted butter room temperature
- 1/4 cup (57g) shortening
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups (300g) brown sugar, packed See baker's notes
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 8-12 ounces chocolate, chopped in largish chunks (about 1/4-inch wide) See Baker's Note
- Flaky Sea Salt for finishing
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, shortening, granulated and brown sugars, and vanilla on medium speed until creamy, about 3 minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating on medium speed until incorporated. Add the flour mixture all at once and mix until just incorporated. Mix in the chopped chocolate pieces. You may need to give the bowl a couple of swipes with a rubber spatula at the end to make sure the chocolate is evenly distributed.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop the cookie dough using a #20 (3-tablespoon) portion scoop onto the baking sheet. You can make the cookies larger or smaller, but it will affect the baking time.
- Refrigerate the dough balls for at least 30 minutes; but if you have the time, they improve if you let them sit for 24 to 36 hours. After they are chilled, you can bake them or freeze the dough balls for baking later.
To Bake
- Preheat the oven to 375℉ / 190℃. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Evenly space six chilled cookie balls on the prepared sheet and sprinkle them with flaky sea salt. Bake in the middle of the oven for about 12 minutes or until golden brown and slightly puffed. Repeat with as many batches as you need.
- Allow the cookies to cool slightly on the baking sheet, until you can move them without them falling apart, about 5 minutes. Then move them to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
Rate and Review!
- If you've made this recipe, please leave a rating and review! I love to hear how you've adapted my recipes to your own tastes, so please share how it went for you. It helps other people find my recipes. Thank you!
Everyone has made some form of chocolate chip cookies but THESE cookies are indeed the BEST ones yet. I have made them numerous times with rave reviews. I try and keep them (unbaked and ready to bake) in my freezer for drop in guests or simply my husbands cravings. Certainly, one of the best! Thanks Zoe!
Since trying this recipe several years ago when I first started following your account and then buying a few of your cookbooks, it’s my go to chocolate chip cookie recipe. I especially love keeping the frozen balls of dough on hand for those random cravings! ❤️ The flavor, chewiness and ease of making these keep me coming back for more!! ❤️❤️❤️
I made one of your chocolate chip cookie recipes that was a thicker cookie version. I cannot seem to find that recipe. I think these made the thin crispy one. Can you share the other recipe as well? So yummy!
Hi Erin, we’re not sure what recipe you may be thinking of as this is Zoë’s classic recipe and she doesn’t have another. Perhaps you made the “original” recipe listed up in the blog post? Sorry we can’t be of more help!
Hi, Zoe! In your narrative for Chocolate Chip Cookies 101, you mention that “salt is often referred to as ‘love!’” and that “salt is a contrast to the sweet and enhances all the flavors”. What brand of Kosher salt do recommend for baking? Diamond Crystal and Morton are two popular brands of Kosher salt, but are very different in taste.
I love watching your show on the Magnolia Network, and I hope there will be a Season 3!
These chocolate chip cookies are the absolute best I’ve ever had! Will definitely make the for Christmas cookie trade.
Love your recipes & your shows; thanks Zoe!
I need your help tho’ – I have made this cookie recipe 2xs & cookie’s came out perfect. Since then, all if my batches have been cake-like & I don’t understand where I’m going wrong….I want the flat crunchy edges & the gooey center. Help!!!
I have tried different things in this recipe – decreasing the flour (2 cups instead of what ur recipe calls for); I’ve also added 2TBS of water to batter, but the end result is still cake cookies.
One note, I am using Stevia sugars instead of regular sugars.
Any suggestions on how to reduce the sugars & still get the crunchy edge? Thank you!!!
I baked these after watching them on Zoe Bakes and they are hands down, the best chocolate chip cookies ever. Truth be told, I am not a big fan of chocolate chip cookies in general, but she made these look so good that I had to try them. They did not disappoint, and now I am a huge fan. As a matter of fact, we have house guests this weekend and I am about to whip up another batch. Maybe some bread too. 🙂 Thanks Zoe!
I am no Zoe, but I always bake my cookies on parchment paper and it does not effect the results I want. Flour, sugar, butter ratios do. What type of sugar also has an effect.
Thank you for reply! Interesting about the type of sugar. I used regular granulated sugar. Is there a different kind of granulated sugar I should try?
Using more brown sugar than white makes a difference. The chocolate chip recipe we all grew up with calls for equal amounts. In one of Zoe’s recipes, she calls for more brown than white. I think that improves the flavor immensely as does browning the butter before adding to the recipe.
Nice! Thank you!
Hi! I’m repeating my questions from August 8 and 14. Is it not advisable to use parchment paper when baking these cookies? And, my cookies did not spread thin. They spread only a little and were quite chunky. I used GM flour, a standard size scoop, and refrigerated them for 24 hours before baking. I baked them on parchment. I’d like to bake them again and am wondering what I might need to change. Thanks!
Hands down the best chocolate chip cookie I have ever made!!
I DVR’d that episode from the Magnolia Network. I won’t ever delete it! HAHAH!!! So, I’ll have it until the machine breaks! LOLZ!
Hi! I can’t seem to find the video of Zoe making the cookies on Instagram. I have an Instagram account. When I click on the link it just takes me to her Instagram page with all her posts and all the videos but I can’t seem to find the specific one on the cookies.
I found it under Cookies 101.
I just discovered your show recently and LOVE all the hints and tips like adding your extracts when mixing butter and sugar because fat carries flavor! I see you always using homemade vanilla extract. What is your ratio of booze to vanilla beans and what kind of booze do you use? Ha! I made a rhyme 😉
Hi Debbie! Here is Zoë’s homemade vanilla recipe. Enjoy!
Hi
I would like to try this recipe but I do not use shortening in anything. Never have and not sure I want to. Ok to continue with butter?
Hi Karen, you can use all butter and they will still be delicious, but they will not be the same consistency. Zoë discusses the reason for the shortening in the blog post above, but in short, it is 100% fat, unlike butter which contains water, and using 100% fat helps the cookies hold their shape and rise a bit. Other options include margarine, solid coconut oil, solid palm oil, ghee, or lard. Enjoy!
Made these cookies for a church bake sale. They were delicious but did not spread thin like yours. Mine were fat cookies, spreading only somewhat. I used Gold Medal flour, a standard size scoop, and refrigerated them for about 24 hours before baking. Any idea what could’ve happened? Thank you!
FINALLY got to try these and they were SUCH a hit with the entire family!!!!
MANY thanks for sharing!! 🙂
Possibly the best cookies I’ve ever made or tasted. I chilled for about 1 hour and baked two which were outstanding. The perfect balance of white/brown sugar and butter/shortening. Maldon salt on the top is such a nice counterbalance to the sweet of the cookie. I made cookie dough balls with the rest and they are in my freezer but probably not for long. I may use this recipe for ice cream sandwiches.
Hello! So excited to try this recipe. I’m wondering if I could add toasted pecans. If so, what amount would work well? Thank you! Love your show!
Hi Darla, you could add toasted pecans by replacing some of the chocolate chips with them. You could add all of the chocolate chips as well as additional pecans, but it will likely change the texture. You can experiment to see what you prefer!
Help please if possible…Love your show and recipes! I have made these cookies twice now. Weighed all ingredients as directed. Mixed and chilled for 36 hrs as directed…watched the show of you making the cookies over and over…BUT MINE JUST DON’T TURN OUT LOOKING LIKE YOURS. They seem to brown/ spread on edges too much while the center of the cookies almost remains raw. Do you think my oven is too hot? The thermometer says it is 375 and I turn the single pan around half way through baking. I am baking only one pan at a time (with 4 instead of 6 cookies due to spread). Please advise…I want to have big beautiful cookies like this!
Hi Stacy, there are a few things that could be going on. You may need more flour. Just two or three tablespoons may do it? Maybe the flour you are using is lower protein. The type of butter will also make a difference. European butter has more fat, so they’d spread more. Do you have an independent oven thermometer to make sure the oven runs true to temp? Are you baking on parchment? We’d love to be able to help you get to the bottom of this!
Thank you so much for your quick response! I’m running 3 test batches right now: one with more flour , one with 1/4 tsp less soda and one with the ratio of butter/ shortening changed to 50/50 plus 2 Tbsp extra flour. I am using parchment on light colored nonstick pans. I do have a separate oven thermometer which is reading 375 as desired prior to any addition of pan for baking. I am using BLEACHED Gold medal flour and Crisco brand shortening. Fingers are crossed! Keep you posted on my progress. I did notice that my butter (despite being the requisite 65 degrees/ room temp when I begin baking) gets pretty loose as I go. Here in Texas it is hard to keep a cool kitchen in the summer. Maybe I should mix less next batch
Great news! The extra flour worked! Thank you so much for your help! Love the cookies!!!! And so many of your recipes!
Hooray!! We are so thrilled to hear it worked. Thank you for letting us know!
I’m late to the party but this exact scenario happened to me as well. The cookies were absolutely inedible. I was very careful weighing the ingredients, chilling the dough, pre-heating my oven with an oven thermometer in place and the cookies were thin and overcooked on the edges and raw in the middle. I’m also in texas but it’s currently winter and my house is actually cold. How much extra flour did you end up adding? It has to be the flour. I only had all-purpose, Gold Medal flour which I use to bake my other cookie recipes and it has always worked fine. I want to try again with extra flour!
I ended up adding an extra 1/4 cup of flour…
I have a couple questions based on this reply.
1. I always use King Arthur flour in my baking, but I understand it has more gluten than, let’s say, Gold Medal. So, KA flour may be ok for these cookies but maybe not for the blueberry muffins?
2. I’ve always baked on parchment paper. Is that not necessarily a good thing to do for these cookies?
Thank you for your help!!! I love Zoe Bakes and have watched some episodes many times. Her recipes, instructions, and tips are awesome and it’s very entertaining as well. Love it!
Hi there! I saw the episode where you made the cookies for your son and then packed them up & sent them off to him & his buddies… But those looked like they had a bit more chocolate in them and you DID bang them in the oven, no?
Just wondering because THOSE are the ones I want to try! lolz!!!
& THANK YOU FOR ALWAYS MAKING IT LOOK SO EASY!!!! <3
Hi Denise, that recipe is Sarah Kieffer’s and you can find it here: https://www.thevanillabeanblog.com/pan-banging-chocolate-chip-cookies/ Enjoy!
MANY THANKS!!! 😉
Zoe, thank you so much for sharing your tips for this recipe! They help a lot!
I did this recipe yesterday and my family loved!
I started watch your show and it ia amazing! My daughter is 5 years old and loved watched togheter!
Thank you again and a hug from Brazil!
Zoe, BRAVO, you’ve done it again. I have been in search of the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe and have tried many mediocre cookies…I’ve found my keeper recipe! These have an impeccable balance of sweet/salty, crunch/soft, and chocolatey goodness! I love your show, site, and recipes. I can’t wait to get one of your cookbooks (cookbooks are my guilty pleasure).
This is now our go-to recipe. Thx
I have to be gluten free so I made these cookies using gluten free flour, King Arthur Measure for Measure blend. They came out amazing. I chilled the formed cookie dough balls in freezer for about 5-10 min. before baking, as I knew there might be a problem with spreading too quickly otherwise. I banged the pan in the oven a couple of times to get the crispy edges, worked perfectly! I love all your recipes..now just trying to convert the bread and baquette recipes to gluten free, not so easy…
So glad you enjoyed these cookies, Merry! Converting the bread will be a but more difficult as Zoë did not use a gluten-free all-purpose flour for her GF bread book, but made a blend of her own because she wasn’t happy with the results of all-purpose GF flour. It would probably be easiest to check out Zoë’s gluten-free artisan bread book!
Much better the day after cooked.