Easy Chocolate Chip Cookies From Scratch

A warm chocolate chip cookie has a way of making an ordinary afternoon feel like someone had a plan.

The good news is that making them from scratch isn’t difficult.

You need basic baking ingredients, a bowl, and enough patience to let them cool before eating the first one.

That last part is optional.

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups chocolate chips

Optional:

• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
• A little flaky salt for the top

Start With the Butter

Place the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in a large bowl.

Beat until the mixture is creamy.

If your butter is straight from the refrigerator, give it some time to soften naturally.

You don’t want it melted.

Softened butter and melted butter behave differently in cookie dough.

Add the Eggs

Beat in the eggs one at a time.

Add the vanilla and mix.

Add the Dry Ingredients

In another bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt.

Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture.

Mix just until the dough comes together.

Add the chocolate chips and fold them through.

If you’re using nuts, add them at the same time.

Chill the Dough?

You can bake the cookies right away, but chilling the dough can help control spreading and gives the flavors more time to develop.

If you have the patience, refrigerate the dough for about 30 minutes.

If you don’t, nobody is going to call the cookie police.

Bake the Cookies

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Scoop the dough onto a lined baking sheet, leaving plenty of room between the cookies.

Bake until the edges are lightly golden and the centers still look a little soft.

Don’t wait until the centers look completely done in the oven.

Cookies continue cooking on the hot baking sheet after you take them out.

Let Them Cool

Leave the cookies on the baking sheet for several minutes.

Then transfer them to a cooling rack.

Or eat one.

We understand.

Why Did My Cookies Spread Too Much?

There are a few common reasons.

Your butter may have been too warm.

The dough may have been placed on a hot baking sheet.

You may have used less flour than the recipe called for.

Or your oven may simply run hotter than expected.

If the first batch spreads too much, chill the remaining dough before baking.

Why Are My Cookies Too Hard?

Usually, overbaking is the first thing to check.

Cookies should often look slightly underdone in the center when you take them from the oven.

They’ll firm up as they cool.

Also make sure you’re measuring flour accurately. Adding too much flour can make cookies dry and dense.

Easy Variations

Try dark chocolate chips instead of semi-sweet.

Add chopped pecans.

Use white chocolate chips.

Add dried cranberries.

Sprinkle a tiny amount of flaky salt over the tops before baking.

You can also make smaller cookies if you’re baking for a crowd.

Can You Freeze Cookie Dough?

Yes.

Scoop the dough into individual portions and freeze them on a baking sheet.

Once they’re frozen, transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or container.

That way, you can bake a few cookies whenever the craving shows up instead of making an entire batch.

You may need to add a little extra baking time when baking from frozen.

Keep This One Around

There are recipes you make once and forget.

Chocolate chip cookies aren’t usually one of them.

Keep the ingredients in the pantry, freeze a little dough when you have extra, and you’ll always have a way to turn a normal day into one with cookies.

That’s never a bad thing.