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
- 3/4 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.
- Add brown sugar, and mix in.
- Let stand 5 minutes.
- Add egg and egg yolk; stir to combine.
- Stir in vanilla extract.
- Add flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir until just combined. Please see the comments about flour in the recipe notes.
- Stir in 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
James says
Love the recipe, they definitely were chewy and spread just as you mention. However they look more like a generic cookie rather than the amazing shots you have of your final product. A few questions:
1) When did you top the cookie with salt? Before baking? or after they were done?
2) Did you brown the top of your cookies at all by broiling?
3) How did you get that cracked texture?
4) Did you use chocolate chips? or did you use disc or broken chocolate chunks?
Any tips on presentation would be much appreciated! I’m new to baking and I apparently lack the skills to make things look as amazing as you did!
Thanks again!
Kate says
Thanks! Of course! =)
1) I sprinkle it on after I bake the cookies. Otherwise it can melt into the cookies as they bake.
2) No, I didn’t brown the cookies at all.
3) The chopped chocolate helps to give the cookies that cracked look. You can see the top picture, and the only thing that I did differently was to use chopped baking chocolate vs chocolate chips.
4) In the top picture, I used chocolate chips. In the other ones, I used a chopped up bar of semisweet baking chocolate. I like to use the baking chocolate because it melts well and is less expensive than chocolate disks.
I hope that helps! If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask.
Rosa says
Is it suppose to be baking soda or baking powder?
Kate says
It’s baking soda.
Kayla says
Hi Kate!
This is my go to recipe now! I do have a question I was hoping you could help with! I saw where you mentioned to someone else that cooking down the butter too much will cause the cookies not to spread. Mine don’t spread, so now I’m pretty sure it’s because I like to brown my butter first, which obviously involves cooking it down a bit. Could I remedy this by just using more butter? How much? Or should I just try the less flour method? Obviously I could just not brown the butter, but I do love that flavor it gives it! I would love your thoughts! Thanks!!
Kate says
Hi! Of course! =)
You are correct. There are two ways that you could go: 1) use more butter or 2) use less flour. Since you like to brown the butter, I recommend starting with an extra 3 tablespoons of butter. If your cookies come out a little greasy or spread too much, then cut back 1 tablespoon or so. If they still aren’t spreading as much as you would like, add 1 extra tablespoon (and so on).
Hope that helps!!
Kay says
This recipe is great! I’m in Colorado so I was worried about high altitude changes, but I left them in for 10 minutes and they were perfect! This recipe definitely needs to be doubled!
Kate says
Thank you! And thank you for your notes about the altitude. I don’t have a way to test that, so I appreciate the notes. =)
CodyLynn says
Thank you for sharing! They turned out amazing! I rolled into balls and lightly patted them down. This step made them perfectly shaped, chewy center, and crispy outside. Delicious!
Kate says
Thank you! I’m so happy to hear that you liked the cookies! =)
Natalie says
Thanks so much for the tips! It won’t let me reply so I’m typing a new comment. I do have a scale so I will go that route next time. I didn’t let the butter cook too long but I’ll be sure to keep a close eye on it next time. And I’ll definitely not use all the chocolate chips along with the chopped chocolate!!
Kate says
I would love to hear how it turns out when you use your scale! I hope that that makes all the difference. And I’m glad that you said that about the chocolate. I’ll definitely pass that along if anyone else asks.
Joi says
These were awesome for! I added a few more chopped pecans that I had previously glazed with honey in the oven before hand. I wasn’t sure about the dough at first because the it was a little oily after adding the cup of melted butter, but I scooped them out and flattened them just a little on the pan. They spread just a little bit and are soft and very good. I will keep this recipe is my go to chocolate chunk recipe! Thank you!!?
Kate says
Thank you! I’m so glad that the cookies came out well for you and that you liked them! Thanks for commenting! =)
Natalie says
Hi! So I made them and used the large scoop and a temp of 350. They didn’t spread at all and I was hoping they would!? I also used choc chips with the semi sweet but definitely shouldn’t have used a total of 10 oz chocolate. Now I know for next time. I tried rescooping the dough into smaller sized cookies and baked them today from room temp and they still didn’t spread. I made sure to fluff the flour first. Any other ideas what could have gone wrong? They taste fine, but aren’t chewy like the ones look in your pictures.
Kate says
Hi! For the big scoop, try 325F. The larger the scoop of dough is, the lower the oven temp needs to be. Otherwise, the outside will set before the cookies can properly spread.
There are two things that may have gone wrong. First, if the butter cooks down, the cookies won’t spread.
Second (and more likely), there was too much flour. Fluffing/stirring the flour is a great first step. Flour packs really easily, though, and a cup of flour can weigh anywhere from 110 grams to 150+grams. So, when you’re using 3 cups of flour, that can be a lot of variation. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, I highly recommend one. They’re $10-15, and they will save you a lot more than that in wasted ingredient. Also, it’s faster and easier to weigh than to measure by volume.
If you don’t want to get a scale, be sure to stir or fluff the flour. Then lightly spoon the flour into the measuring cup. You want to spoon rather than use the measuring cup to scoop it out because that will pack it. Then, level off. You can also try just using less flour. I would start with using 1/4 cup less (so 2 3/4 cups) and then adjust from there.
I hope that helps! And if you have any other questions, please ask! So much of baking is just learning all of these little tips and tricks, and I’m happy to keep answering questions. =)
Natalie says
These look so good and I’m going to try them. I have a couple of questions. It says you can sub 4 oz chopped semi sweet choc for the chips. Does that mean for 4 oz of the chips and still use 6 oz of chips? Or does that mean only use 4 oz in all if going that route? Also, have you made these larger – like ice cream scoop size? All the recipes I’ve been trying are that size, and I always scoop then chill the dough. Do you bring to room temp before baking? Thanks!!!
Kate says
I use 4 ounces of chopped baking chocolate in place of all of the chocolate chips. You can certainly add in chocolate chips, too, if you feel like the 4 ounces isn’t enough. I haven’t tried to make them ice cream scoop-size. If you make them that size, I think you’ll find that you need to lower the oven temperature. When I chill the dough, I set it out while I preheat the oven to let it come up some in temperature, but I don’t bring it fully to room temp. Hope that helps!
Lovely Lynnwood says
I only have one egg… what can I do??
Kate says
Hi! I haven’t tried to make the cookies with just one egg, so I’m not sure how they will turn out.
Edenbaker101 says
I tried doing this recipe with wholemeal flour and they came out great! I also used 100% dark chocolate smashed up into chunks. They taste amazing! I definitely recommend using this recipe;)
Kate says
Yay! I’m so glad! Thanks for commenting!
Catherine says
I adore this recipe! Making it the third time 6 days!
Kate says
Yay!! That’s awesome! I’m so glad to hear that you’re enjoying the recipe. =)
Wanona says
This is the best cookie recipe I’ve ever tried. The cookies turn out perfectly and stay nice and soft. Simple and delish!!! My family loves these cookies.
Kate says
Thank you so much! I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for taking the time to comment.
Michael says
I made these the other day and they are ridiculously good. Perfect amount of chew and wonderful saltiness. I made a couple of small changes just to spice things up. I used 50/50 light brown and dark brown sugar, 50/50 salted and unsalted butter, and about 40/60 milk chocolate and semi-sweet baking chips. Also threw in some chopped walnuts and almonds that I had lying around. I’m sure these made a negligible difference, but I wanted to note them anyway since they are just so insanely delicious. Definitely gonna cling to this recipe.
Kate says
Thank you so much! I’m so glad that you liked the cookies! Thanks for sharing your notes. =)
Jen says
Will the dough hold up in the freezer for a few days? I want to make these today (Monday) and bake them on Thursday. Or should I just store it in the fridge?
Kate says
It will! The dough will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days and it also freezes well. So, really, you can do either. Hope that helps!
Kandice says
Can I double this recipe easily?
Kate says
Yes, you can. You can hover over the servings and move it to the amount desired. However, the metric measurements won’t change, so if you are weighing the ingredients, you’ll need to adjust those manually.
Tracie says
Our new favorite cookie. They only last a couple days in our house. Making a double batch tonight for a potluck.
Kate says
Thank you! I’m so glad that the cookies were a hit. Thanks for commenting! =)
Shannon says
Are there any changes you need to make for high altitude?
Kate says
Hi! I’m unable to test the recipe for high altitude changes, so I’m not sure what, if any, changes would be necessary.
Ashley metz says
I made these for my kids and husband this weekend!!!!
Absolutely LOVED them!!!!! Will use this recipe from now on, thank u soooo much:)
Kate says
Yay!! I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for coming back to comment! =)
Nicole says
I just made these cookies for my family and this recipe is amazing and a keeper!!!
Kate says
Thank you! I’m so glad that you liked the cookies. =)