Easiest Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe is a one bowl chocolate chip cookie recipe that makes soft chocolate chip cookies in less than 20 minutes- no mixer necessary, no chilling needed.
I’ve made a lot of chocolate chip cookies. A lot a lot. Probably more cookies than I should say. Sometimes, I break out my mixer and make a recipe like my brownie cookie recipe that needs time to chill.
Other times, I want cookies five minutes ago. When those cookie cravings hit, I need a simple, easy, go-to cookie that I can whip up in just a few minutes.
This Easiest Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe is just such a recipe. The cookies can be made from scratch in less than 20 minutes, and there’s no need to get the mixer out or to chill the dough. All of which make this the simplest chocolate chip cookie recipe.
This popular recipe has been shared over 100,000 times and has thousands of glowing reviews. Give it a try, and it may just be your new go-to easy chocolate chip cookie recipe!
“This was seriously the easiest and most delicious cookie recipe I’ve ever tried! and I’ve tried a lot!!!” – Treasure via Pinterest
What makes this the easiest chocolate chip cookie recipe?
This recipe
- uses just a few basic ingredients like flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.
- is so fast and so easy that you can make it in less than 20 minutes – no mixer needed, no chilling required.
- is a one-bowl recipe so both mixing and cleanup are easier.
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Butter: This recipe begins with melted butter. I prefer to use salted butter, but you can use unsalted butter if you prefer.
- The butter should just barely be melted. That means that it shouldn’t be sizzling hot or browned.
- If you’re worried about getting it too hot, melt the butter about 90% of the way and then whisk it until it is completely melted.
- Sugars: This recipe uses both brown sugar and granulated (white sugar). If you would like to use only brown sugar, check out my brown sugar chocolate chip cookie recipe.
- Using only granulated sugar will give you crispier cookies.
- For this recipe, you can use either dark or light brown sugar. Dark brown sugar will give you a slightly richer flavor.
- I’ve also swapped the amounts of brown sugar and granulated sugar and used 1/2 cup of brown sugar and 1/4 cup of granulated sugar. The cookies are slightly chewier this way.
- Measuring Flour: If you aren’t weighing your ingredients, I can’t recommend that enough. If you are using measuring cups, be sure to sift or stir the flour before measuring. Flour packs easily and using too much flour in cookies will give you dry, crumbly dough and cookies that don’t spread.
- Salt: Kosher salt is a larger-grain salt that isn’t as “salty” as table salt. If you’re using table salt, be sure to use 1/4 teaspoon.
- Please note that the recipe calls for 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt. I’ve seen people who have commented that the cookies were salty, and it turned out that they had used several times the amount of salt that the recipe calls for.
- Chocolate Chips: I use semisweet chocolate chips. You can use dark, bittersweet, milk, or white chocolate chips. People have used all sorts of mix-ins, like M&Ms or other candy and chip combinations, in this recipe.
How to make easy chocolate chip cookies
This is a seriously simple recipe with just a few steps. Here are step-by-step photos showing how to make this recipe.
Step 1: You’re going to start by melting the butter. The butter shouldn’t be sizzling hot. If you’re not sure how hot is too hot, you’ll want it about 90% melted, and then you’ll whisk it until it finishes melting.
Step 2: Once the butter has melted, whisk in the sugars until well-combined.
Step 3: Mix in the vanilla extract and the egg.
Step 4: Add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir in just until combined. You don’t want to overmix the dough.
Step 5: Stir in the chocolate chips, and then scoop the dough. Place about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.
Step 6: Bake until the cookies are set on the edges but slightly underdone in the middle, about 7-10 minutes. Slightly under-baking the cookies helps to keep them soft.
Since oven temperatures can vary, you may find that you need to adjust the baking times.
Recipe Tips!
There are over 1,000 comments and questions on this recipe. I’ve added this section to answer some of the common questions in the hope that it saves people from having to try to sift through all of those comments. If you have a question that isn’t answered below, please feel free to ask!
- Mixing: I recommend mixing the cookie dough by hand to avoid overmixing the dough. However, you can mix the dough using an electric mixer if you prefer.
- Gluten Free: I haven’t tried it, but I’ve heard from several people who have used a measure-for-measure gluten-free flour in this recipe, and they’ve said that it worked well. However, I haven’t heard from anyone regarding other flours, such as almond flour.
- Freezing: You can freeze the baked cookie dough or freeze the cookie dough.
- Cookies: To freeze the cookies, bake them as-directed, and let them cool to room temperature on a wire cooling rack. Once the cookies have cooled, place them in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 1 month.
- Cookie dough: To freeze the cookie dough, scoop up the cooking dough and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Flash freeze until the dough is frozen through. Once the scoops are frozen through, place the frozen scoops in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 1 month.
How to make soft chocolate chip cookies
The best way to make soft chocolate chip cookies is to slightly under-bake the cookies. In order to slightly under-bake the cookies, the edges should look set (but not brown).
The center of the cookies should look soft and even a little puffy still. This trick will help to keep your cookies nice and soft.
Storage
Store any leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. The cookies are best eaten within 3 days.
More chocolate chip cookie recipes!
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Easiest Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar packed
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour properly measured
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Microwave the butter for about 40 seconds. Butter should be completely melted but shouldn’t be hot.
- In a large bowl, mix butter with the sugars until well-combined.½ cup butter, ½ cup granulated sugar, ¼ cup brown sugar
- Stir in vanilla and egg until incorporated.2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 1 large egg
- Add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Please read the recipe note about properly measuring flour.1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Mix dough until just combined. Dough should be soft and a little sticky but not overly sticky.
- Stir in chocolate chips.1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- Scoop out 1.5 tablespoons of dough (medium cookie scoop) and place 2 inches apart on baking sheet.
- Bake for 7-10 minutes, or until cookies are set. They will be puffy and still look a little underbaked in the middle.3
Video
Notes
- Flour: Be sure to fluff and then scoop and sweep to measure the flour. Too much flour will result in a dry or crumbly cookie. For the ingredient measurements by weight, please click “metric” directly underneath the ingredients.
- Salt: Or 1/4 teaspoon table salt.
- Baking: Don’t over-bake the cookies, or you won’t end up with soft cookies. Several people have said that they’ve needed to bake the cookies for longer. Since oven temps can vary, I suggest starting with the listed baking time and increasing the time as needed.
- If you’re interested in the chocolate version of these cookies, you can find that recipe here.
- Nutrition facts are estimates.
Nutrition
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Originally published 8/16/16. Adapted from Pinch of Yum.
Reader Interactions
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Comments & Reviews
karrah says
I use this recipe like, twice a week, at least. I have a bad sweet tooth and so does my partner. I always sub unrefined coconut oil for the butter and they come out lovely. I like the added antioxidants from the oil. I’ve also tried it with half oat flour and it worked fine. Great recipe. Thank you !!
Kate Dean says
Thank you!
Linda says
My Grandson wanted some homemade cookies. I was tired and looked for an easy recipe and I came across this one. They were easy to make and came out delish! Thank you!
Kate Dean says
Thank you! I’m so glad!
Bethany says
AMAZING!!! I use this recipe everytime! I use mini chocolate chips and chunks. I normally make the x3 metric and freeze the rest. Everyone raves about these!
Kate Dean says
Thank you! I’m so glad!
Pamela says
Great recipe, not to mention delicious; however, why do you (and other people with recipe websites) feel compelled to write the measurements IN THE INSTRUCTIONS down below when you have already written them at the top in the ingredients list? I see many other people doing this lately, and when it prints out, it’s just so confusing. If the ingredients list is already at the top of the recipe, then they should not be listed within the insructions. Just an observation that I have made over the last year, so I just don’t print out the recipe, and I move on. Your cookies are still delicious!
Kate Dean says
Thanks!
The reason that I put the measurements in the instructions, too, is because at least 80% of the people who are making the recipe are using a mobile phone to do so. When using a cell phone, they have to scroll back and forth between the ingredients and the instructions. So, I added the ingredient measurements to the instructions to try to make a better user experience, and I’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback about it. I agree, though, that it’s not ideal for printing the recipe, and, hopefully, I will have a way to disable that for printing the recipe in the future.
Margaret says
Great for small batches. Also great to make with grandkids!
Kate Dean says
Thank you!
Olivia says
My favorite chocolate chip cookies! I’ve made them for years and always get compliments on them!!
Kate Dean says
Thank you! I’m so glad!
Charlie P. says
So yummy, this comes out great for the last 5 times i’ve used it!!! Thank you!
Kate Dean says
Thank you!
Maria says
The ONLY chocolate chip cookie recipe you will ever need…delish…baked mine for 9 minutes :)
Kate Dean says
Thank you!
Nancy Cromey says
Great tasting cookie.
Kate Dean says
Thank you!
Amber says
Definitely needs more time, but yummy!
Kate Dean says
Thanks!
Oluwakemi Olalekan says
I need ice cream recipe,am new here
Kate Dean says
Hi! I have a few ice cream recipes on my site. The easiest way to find recipes that you’re looking for is to use the search bar at the top of the page.
LW says
Excellent recipe! I also cooked it for about 4 mintues longer, made one sheet pan full. I added mini chocolate chips and mini peanut butter M&Ms, very yummy! This is so easy, will be my main go to from now on!
Kate Dean says
Thank you!
Fran da pan says
works great everytime!
Kate Dean says
Thank you!
Sabrina Ravindranath says
How many cookies does this recipe make?
Kate Dean says
I get 24 cookies from the recipe. You can find the yield/servings for my recipes just above the ingredients next to the print, pin, rate buttons.
Naya says
Super yummy, does take a little longer to bake though😊
Kate Dean says
Thank you!
Vanessa says
I made it with gluten-free flour and vegan and it worked out amazing I love this recipe will definitely be using it again. 😊
Kate Dean says
Thank you!
Elisa says
I love this recipe & it’s my go to for chocolate chip cookies. I’m making a big batch this time and plan on freezing them.
When I bake them from frozen, what’s the temp and time I bake them for?
Kate Dean says
Thank you! I bake at the same temperature. It just takes about 3-4 minutes longer for me.
Kaitlyn says
these are literally some of the best chocolate chip cookies i’ve ever had. i made 12 larger cookies and they came out so soft and chewy and chocolately. ive been looking for a good, foolproof recipe that cooked right and these are it! my new staple chocolate chip recipe, thank you for sharing!!!
Kate Dean says
Thank you so much!
Bay-Bay says
These were easy and they look great,I hope they taste as good as they look
Kate Dean says
Thank you!