Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies with Soft Centers

Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies

These chocolate chip cookies bake with lightly golden edges, soft centers, and uneven tops dotted with melted chocolate. Chips go throughout the dough, while some of the measured chopped chocolate is pressed onto the tops before baking.

The softened-butter dough needs no required chill. For the best guide to doneness, make roughly 48–50 g portions and take the cookies out when the edges are set but the centers still look soft. They finish setting during a short rest on the baking sheet.

Ingredients for Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled (270g)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon fine salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened but not melted (225g)
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar (150g)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar (100g)
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped (225g); reserve about one-quarter for the tops
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips (85g)

Yield: About 24 cookies. Prep: 20 minutes. Bake: 9–11 minutes per batch, or about 30–35 minutes for three batches. Total: About 55–65 minutes, including brief sheet cooling.

How to Bake Chocolate Chip Cookies

1. Prepare the oven and sheets: Fully preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) with a rack in the center. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper; do not grease the parchment.
2. Mix the dry ingredients: Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together.
3. Cream the butter and sugars: Beat the butter with both sugars until creamy and lighter in color. The butter should yield to pressure but not look liquid or greasy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla.
4. Finish the dough: Mix in the dry ingredients just until no flour streaks remain. Fold in the chocolate chips and about three-quarters of the chopped chocolate.
5. Portion and top: Divide the dough into about 24 portions of 48–50 g each. Place about eight on a cool, prepared sheet, at least 2 inches apart. Gently press the reserved chopped chocolate into the tops without flattening the dough.
6. Bake one sheet at a time: Bake on the center rack, starting to check at 8 minutes. For these unfrozen portions, expect about 9–11 minutes. Remove the cookies when the edges are set and lightly golden but the uneven centers still look soft. Turn the sheet only if your oven browns noticeably unevenly.
7. Cool and repeat: Leave the cookies on the sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a rack. Bake the remaining dough on cool sheets. If the waiting portions become very soft, refrigerate them briefly before baking.

How to Tell When the Cookies Are Done

Look at the edges rather than waiting for the entire cookie to feel firm. The centers should still be lighter and soft-looking when the edges are lightly golden. The 5-minute rest on the sheet lets the cookies firm up enough to lift without drying out the centers.

The 9–11-minute range is for roughly 48–50 g portions of unfrozen dough in a conventional oven; smaller or larger portions may bake differently. If using convection, lowering the setting by 25°F is a starting adjustment, but check the browning early.

How to Keep Cookies from Spreading Too Much

Use softened butter, not melted butter, and place each batch on a cool sheet. Greasy butter, very warm dough, or a hot sheet can make the cookies spread too quickly. A brief chill helps if the portioned dough becomes overly soft, but it is not a required step.

Weigh the flour when possible, or spoon it into the measuring cup and level it off. Too little flour can contribute to excess spread; too much can leave the cookies unusually tall or dry. Let the oven fully preheat before baking.

Make-Ahead and Storage

Serve the cookies after their brief sheet rest while the chocolate is still soft, or let them cool completely. Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

To make the dough ahead, freeze the portions on a parchment-lined sheet, then transfer them to an airtight container or bag for up to 2 months. Thaw before following the baking directions above; the stated bake time does not apply to dough baked straight from frozen.

For a different cookie, try these white chocolate cranberry cookies or these filled pecan pie cookies.

Nutrition

Approximate nutrition per cookie, based on 24 cookies: 220 calories, 2g protein, 12g fat, and 27g carbohydrates. Approximate values per 100g of baked cookies: 500 calories, 5g protein, 28g fat, and 60g carbohydrates. Values will vary with the chocolate used and moisture lost during baking.