Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe! This chocolate chip cookie recipe is made with only brown sugar and makes cookies that are the perfect blend of soft and chewy!
These Chewy Brown Sugar Chocolate Chip Cookies are easy to make!
They’re great spur-of-the-moment cookies because there is no need to soften the butter ahead of time. The dough comes together in a matter of minutes, and no chilling is required.
If you like a thicker cookie, you can refrigerate it for 30 minutes or so before baking, but no need to chill it if you don’t want to.
And the use of all brown sugar gives these cookies a deeper, richer flavor and makes for chewy cookies. So, the next time a cookie craving strikes, bake up a batch of these cookies!
What makes these cookies chewy?
- Melted butter: Using melted butter helps the cookies to come together quickly, and it also increases the chewiness.
- Brown sugar: Using only brown sugar helps to make them chewier.
- Extra egg yolk: The fat in the yolk helps to increase chewiness.
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Butter: I use salted butter in this recipe. If you’re using unsalted butter, increase the salt by 1/4 teaspoon.
- If you want to brown the butter, you will need to use more butter because browning butter causes it to cook down. Otherwise, you will be left with a drier dough. You could also try my brown butter chocolate chip cookie recipe.
- Brown sugar: Light brown sugar or dark brown sugar will work. Dark brown sugar will give you richer, more toffee-like flavor.
- This recipe uses only brown sugar, no white sugar, in order to make the cookies chewier.
- Flour: Correctly measuring the ingredients is key! I suggest weighing the ingredients. If you aren’t going to weigh the flour, then you need to aerate it (sifting or fluffing) and then lightly spoon into the measuring cup and leveling. If you don’t want to sift or weigh the flour, please use less flour. Packing in too much flour will cause the cookies not to spread.
- Chocolate: You can substitute 4 ounces finely chopped semisweet baking chocolate for chocolate chips. This will give you a flatter cookie that spreads more.
- Feel free to use a different type of chocolate chip – semisweet chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, or even white chocolate chips will work. Chocolate chunks can also be used.
How to make chewy chocolate chip cookies
Here you’ll find step-by-step photos showing how to make this recipe. The full recipe is given below.
Step 1: Melt butter in a heavy saucepan. or in a microwave-safe bowl. The butter should be just melted. If you want to brown the butter, please see the note above in “Ingredient notes and substitutions”.
Step 2: Add brown sugar to a large bowl.
Step 3: Stir to combine butter and sugar. Let stand 5 minutes.
Step 4: Add egg and egg yolk; stir to combine. Stir in vanilla extract.
Step 5: Add flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir in dry ingredients until just combined. Please see the comments about flour in the “Ingredient notes and substitutions” section.
Step 6: Stir in chocolate chips or chunks.
Step 7: Using a medium cookie scoop (1.5 tablespoon), drop scoops of dough 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheet.
Step 8: Bake for about 7-10 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies are golden brown. The centers should still look soft and slightly underbaked. That will help to keep the cookies soft.
Step 9: Let cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes. Remove to wire rack to finish cooling.
Recipe Tips!
- Mixing: I suggest stirring this recipe together by hand rather than using a hand or stand mixer.
- Baking: It’s important to slightly underbake the cookies. This will give you a softer, chewier cookie.
- Oven temperature: If you’d like the cookies to spread more or brown less, decrease the oven temperature by 25F to 350F.
- Flat cookies: If your cookies are coming out too flat, cover and chill the dough for 30-60 minutes. Also, some people have had better luck using 3 cups of flour (360g).
- Topping: The cookies are great as-is, but if you like more salty/sweet flavor, sprinkle the cookies with a bit of sea salt or finishing salt.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! I recommend flash freezing the dough in scoops by placing scoops of the dough onto a baking sheet. Once the dough is frozen through, transfer the frozen balls of cookie dough to a freezer-safe container, and store in the freezer.
You can! Bake the cookies as-directed. Let the cookies cool to room temperature on a wire cooling rack. Place the cookies in a freezer-safe container, and freeze.
Storage
The cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature. They will keep for up to 4 days when properly stored.
More easy cookie recipes!
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Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter
- 1 ½ cups brown sugar packed
- 1 large egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour Please see the note below about measuring the flour.
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt or scant 1/2 teaspoon table salt
- 10 ounce package chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.
- Melt the butter in a large microwave-safe bowl. The butter should be just melted. If you want to brown the butter, please see the note below.1 cup butter
- Add brown sugar, and mix in.1 ½ cups brown sugar
- Let stand 5 minutes.
- Add egg and egg yolk; stir to combine.1 large egg, 1 egg yolk
- Stir in vanilla extract.1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- Add flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir until just combined. Please see the comments about flour in the recipe notes.2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- Stir in chocolate chips.10 ounce package chocolate chips
- Using a medium cookie scoop (1.5 tablespoon), drop scoops of dough 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheet.
- Bake for about 7-10 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies are golden brown. The centers should still look soft and slightly underbaked. That will help to keep the cookies soft.
- Let cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes. Remove to wire rack to finish cooling.
Notes
- Recipe change note: I recently decreased the amount of flour called for in the recipe due to product changes. The previous amount of flour called for was 3 cups or 360 grams.
- Butter: If you want to brown the butter, you will need to use more butter because browning butter causes it to cook down. Otherwise, you will be left with a drier dough.
- Flour: Correctly measuring the ingredients is key! I highly suggest weighing the ingredients. If you don’t weigh the flour, you’ll need to aerate the flour (sifting or fluffing) and then lightly spoon it into the measuring cup and level. If you don’t want to sift or weigh the flour, please use less flour. Packing in too much flour will cause the cookies not to spread.
- Can substitute 4 ounces finely chopped semisweet baking chocolate for chocolate chips.
- I suggest stirring this recipe together by hand rather than using a hand or stand mixer.
- Nutrition values are estimates.
- Love chocolate? Try the chocolate chocolate chip version of this cookie!
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
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Originally published 1/26/16.
Reader Interactions
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Comments & Reviews
Angie says
Just made these and they are really good!
My husband HAS to have his chocolate chip cookies every day. I tried this recipe because I was ready to try a new recipe. I have 2 he really loves and I think this recipe will go into the rotation.
I liked not having to use a mixer, using melted butter, and most importantly for my husband, can be made using gluten free flour.
I used same measurements using Cup4Cup and they turned out great. Sometimes gluten free flour can make cookies a little dry but these were great and spread really well.
Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Kate says
So glad that they turned out well for you! Thanks for your note about using a cup4cup gf flour. Thanks for commenting! =)
Joni says
I’ve been looking for what I think is the perfect chewy chocolate chip cookie. This is my favorite so far. I love pecans so I cut back a little on the chocolate chips and added a few pecans. This cookie is delicious!! Thank you for sharing!❤️
Kate says
Thank you so much!! Yes! I add chopped pecans sometimes, too, and they’re SO good in this recipe! Thanks for commenting!
HappyLittleBakerGirl says
Hello,
This is an amazing chocolate chip cookie recipe, honestly the best I have tried yet! made the cookies 4 times in the last month because I literally cant stop eating them and sharing them with friends. I follow the recipe to a T and I think that’s the trick to these perfect cookies its just the perfect ratio of everything :)
Kate says
Thank you! I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for commenting. =)
Isra Bennett says
Hi! I made this recipe and I love it! I just made some changes like cutting the ingredients in half because I wanted a smaller batch. I also replaced brown sugar with coconut sugar. Sadly it didn’t come out as sweet as I wanted it to, (probably because I used coconut sugar) but the consistency and chewiness is AMAZING. I made my cookies into smaller balls and they spread out so nicely! They are chunky and wholesome ! Thank you for the recipe.
Kate says
Thank you! And thank you for your note about using coconut sugar. If you try it again with more coconut sugar, I’d love to hear how it works out! =)
Froilan says
I have tested a number of ccc recipes and this one is definitely a winner. Nothing beats a cookie that is crisp around the edges and chewy in the middle! It will be my new go-to recipe whenever I get a hankering. Thank you for sharing.
Kate says
Thank you! I’m so glad that you liked it. Thanks for commenting! =)
Melody says
Why aren’t these working for me? :( the first time I made them they were perfect. Now the last 3 times I’ve tried they have not turned out! They don’t spread at all. I keep trying because they were so good that first time. I went and bought all new ingredients. I sifted the flour and measured exactly.
Kate says
Hi! Can you please give me more information so that I can help you? Did you change anything from the first time that you made the cookies? Also, if you’re sure that you’re measuring the flour correctly, the other thing that can keep the cookies from spreading is oven temperature. You may find that you need to lower the temperature 25F.
wendy barnes says
Weighing out the ingredients and following the recipe exactly is key in baking. I’m not a Baker in general but love to cook. But sometimes you just need chocolate!!!
These came out perfectly. Spreading out a bit and remaining slightly bumpy and cracked slightly.
Would definitely make again.
Kate says
So true! Weighing the ingredients makes a huge difference! I’m glad that you liked the cookies, and thanks for taking the time to comment! =)
Jasmine says
Salted or unsalted butter?
Kate says
I prefer salted butter, but it’s really up to you.
Stephanie says
Made the recipe exactly as stated and refrigerated the dough for 30 minutes. These were the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever had! Perfectly soft and chewy, and stayed that way for many days after!
Kate says
Thank you! I’m so glad that you liked the cookies. These are a family favorite, and it’s great to hear that other people are enjoying them. Thanks for commenting!
emily says
I don’t have baking soda but I have baking powder does it matter if I use that instead?
Kate says
Unfortunately, baking soda and baking powder can’t be used interchangibly.
emily says
Really? because I’ve been looking it up and it says 2-3 teaspoons of baking powder is the same as one teaspoon of baking soda
Kate says
Hey! You asked whether it mattered whether you used baking powder in place of baking soda, and my answer was that they can’t be used interchangibly. The ratio is 1 teaspoon of baking soda is approximately as strong as 3 teaspoons of baking powder. However, there’s a lot more to it than that. For example, baking powder contains more sodium than baking soda. So, using 3 teaspoons is going to give you a saltier cookie. So, you may find that you need to make other adjustments to the recipe. Hope that makes sense!
Amanda says
New baker, I’m sorry if this is a dumb question….
For steps 6-10, after adding the whisked eggs:
Is a wooden spoon ideal for combining the ingredients?
All of these tips are extremely helpful, especially regarding the flour! Thank you!
Kate says
No dumb questions! Please feel free to ask whatever questions you need to ask to feel comfortable making the recipe. =) Yes, a wooden spoon should work well. I hope that helps, and if you have any other questions, please ask!
Danie says
Did you use light brown sugar or dark??
Kate says
You can use either. The cookies pictured were all made with light brown sugar. I’ve also made this recipe with dark brown sugar. The cookies have a slightly deeper toffee flavor to them. Hope that helps!
Destinye says
I made the cookies and I have questions because mine did not turn out so great.
I sifted my flour before measuring and then again when I was adding it to the butter and sugar. But it did not remain smooth the more I added the flour gradually. It got kind of broken up but not as much the first time. It basically became really tough to add the chocolate.
Now that I am baking the cookies, they don’t really spread and I’m just wondering what I can do better next time, please?
Kate says
Hi! I’m happy to help you troubleshoot. I have a video that shows how to make the cookies, and I’m going to add step-by-step pictures, too. If you’re a visual learner, both of those may help.
First, there’s no need to sift the flour twice. I recommend sifting or stirring the flour just to break it up before spooning it into the measuring cup. Flour packs easily, and scooping out packed flour will give you too much flour in your measuring cup. So, sifting or stirring the flour just helps to break it up before you measure it.
Second, you don’t want to overmix the dough. There’s no need to gradually add the flour. Adding all of the flour at once will help to keep you from overmixing the dough. Overmixing will give you dry, tough cookies.
Please let me know if you have any other questions before you make your next batch so I can help you. =)
Allie says
Love these cookies! I followed the recipe to a T and they are they best!
Rose says
My new favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe! Only thing to watch out for is when mixing in the Choco Chips make sure batter is not too warm because mine kinda turned into chocolate chocolate chip cookies. Which were still delish just not traditional.
Kate says
Thank you! I’m so glad that you liked it! Thanks for noting that! I haven’t had that happen, but I could def see the temp being an issue. If you find that your dough is that warm, feel free to cover and chill it before adding the chocolate chips. Thanks for commenting! =)
Elizabeth says
Hi! Just curious if the recipe yields cookies that look more like the first couple of photos (the ones with chocolate chips) or the last couple (with chocolate chunks). The textures look pretty different! Thanks!
Kate says
Hey! It depends on whether you use chopped baking chocolate or chocolate chips. The recipe was made the same way both times that I photographed the cookies. The only difference was that I used chopped baking chocolate in one batch and chocolate chips in the other. The chopped baking chocolate does make the cookies spread a bit more than using chocolate chips. Hope that helps!
Jacqueline says
These are delicious!! I chopped up a chocolate orange instead of chocolate chips and sprinkled himi salt on top to finish. Raving reviews!
Kate says
Thank you! The chocolate orange sounds like a delicious twist. =) Thanks for commenting!
Allison says
I think these are the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve made, and they were so easy to boot. I did chill the dough for about 40 minutes and the spread was perfect. Such a great texture, a delicate crispiness on the exterior, but mostly just tender and chewy. I’ve found my go-to recipe; thank you!
Kate says
Thank you! I’m so glad that you liked them and that you found the recipe easy to follow! =) Thanks for taking the time to come back and comment!
Michelle says
Not my favorite cookies recipe. It was dry. And the cookies came out fat. I made them 2 different times.
Kate says
Hi! It sounds like you’re adding too much flour. When cookies dough has too much flour in it, it gets dry and the cookies don’t spread. How are you measuring your flour?
Hafsah Kechiche says
Best cookie recipie ever!!! Ive tried a few recipes and they never come out right. These are soo good and so easy to make
Kate says
Thank you! I’m so glad to hear that! =D
Sandy says
Yummy ? perfect with a glass of milk!!
Kate says
Thank you! I’m so glad that you liked the cookies. Thanks for commenting! =)