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
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar packed
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour properly measured
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 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.
- Stir in vanilla and egg until incorporated.
- Add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Please read the recipe note about properly measuring flour.
- Mix dough until just combined. Dough should be soft and a little sticky but not overly sticky.
- Stir in 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
Amanda says
Great easy recipe! This was our first time making cookie dough from scratch, as store bought cookie dough is not a thing in Doha, Qatar.
Our cookies were a hit, especially with Santa! ??
Kate says
Yay!! I’m so glad that you (and Santa) liked them! =) Thank you for coming back to comment!
Angelique says
Can I use pure sugar instead of granulated sugar?
Kate says
I’m not sure! I haven’t tried using that in this recipe to say for sure. Good luck! =)
Ms. Stewart says
Hello, should I use salted or unsalted butter?
Kate says
Hi! I usually use salted butter, but you can use unsalted if that’s what you have. Hope that helps!
Beulah says
Would the cookies work if I substituted the brown sugar with regular white sugar?
Kate says
I’m sorry, but I haven’t tried this recipe with all granulated sugar to say for certain. I do think that the cookies wouldn’t be as soft if you went with all white sugar. Hope that helps!
Tess says
This recipe is perfect- easy, delicious cookies. I’ve made ’em twice and shared them with family and friends, and everyone exclaimed over the chocolate perfection. Thank you for sharing this gift with the world!
Kate says
Thank you! I’m so glad that you liked the cookies and that they were a hit! =) Thank you for your kind comment and for taking the time to come back to comment!
Emily Ramos says
Hi! I am to make this recipe and was wondering What of brown sugar did you use? Dark or light?
Kate says
Hi! I use light brown sugar, but you could use dark brown sugar if you want the cookies to have more of a caramel/toffee flavor. Hope that helps! =)
Shelia Kitts says
I’m going to try this recipe tonight.
Kate says
Great! I hope you enjoy the cookies! =)
Jamie says
Loved these cookies!! I don’t bake from scratch often so this simple recipe was great, and they turned out perfect. Soft, gooey and oh so tasty! I made my first batch as a trial run then made a double batch to finish off what I needed for a cookie exchange. As a novice baker I especially appreciated the tip on how to measure the flour. Can guarantee I would have screwed that one up ;-)
Kate says
I’m so glad!! Thank you for your kind comment. =) I really love to hear that people are using and enjoying my recipes, and I’m so happy that the note was helpful. Thank you for taking the time to come back and comment!
Jennifer Tejeda says
I tried this recipe and the cookies came out more like muffins, would you happen to know why?
Kate says
Do you mean that they came out sort of dense? If so, I would bet that there was too much flour in the dough. If you sift or aerate it, then spoon and level it, it should take care of the problem. I hope that helps! If you have any other questions, please let me know, and I’m happy to help! =)
Monse says
Oh! my goodness delicious cookies. Very easy to make. I did not have baking soda sent the husband to get me some right in the middle but worth the wait. So easy and tasty I agree about the baking time to make sure they stay gooey and soft. My hubby gives them 2 thumbs up since he is the cookie monster he knows. HEEHEE! Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Kate says
Thank you!! Good! I’m glad that you two liked the cookies and that the note about the baking time was helpful. =) Thank you for coming back to comment!
Rachel says
Can i make these cookies with kids in school? Because i would want them to roll the balls otherwise there wont be anything for them to do apart from mixing the batter with me. It looks like dough is too sticky to roll with hands right?
Kate says
I haven’t tried to roll it. The dough is slightly sticky, so it might be kind of messy if you tried to roll it. When I make these with my kids, we just use a scoop. I hope that helps! =)
Lisa says
When I would bake with my class I would premeasure so that the kids could help pour the ingredients into the bowl.With older kids I let them measure out the ingredients, yes this can be messy but it makes for a great math and science lesson (the effect baking soda and heat have on the cookies, as well as changes in latter)
Kate says
Great idea! Thank you! =)
Natalie McClarty says
Just wanted to add with the gf and df version I did it took a little extra cook time
Kate says
Thank you!
Natalie McClarty says
I used gf flour, dairy free chocolate chips and oil in place of butter for these because my daughter has allergies and they still worked amazing! Which we are very pleasantly surprised about. Thanks for the recipe.
Kate says
Thank you! I’m so glad to hear that those substitutions worked! That info is so helpful for anyone else who needs to make those changes. Thank you again for commenting! =)
Tanvi says
Hi!
I want to make these cookies but I want to know how many the recipie makes.
Thank you!
Kate says
Hi! If you use 1.5 tablespoon-sized scoops, you should get 24 cookies. Hope that helps! =)
Tanvi says
I finished making these cookies, and the turned out delicious! I sprinkled peppermint on them to make them more festive! Thanks for sharing the recepie!
Ashlee Terry says
I love this recipe! It is so easy and great. My family loves these cookies. They always come out Delicious. I make them once a week for my kids.Thank you for the recipe
Kate says
Aww! Thank you so much! I love that you make the cookies with your kids. =) Thanks for coming back to comment!
Person who made cookies says
You can also use 100% whole wheat flour too and they still taste good.
Person who made cookies says
You can use 100% whole wheat flour too and tasted amazing.
Kate says
Thank you! It’s always helpful to hear about substitutes! Thank you for coming back to comment! =)
Tara says
I made these cookies and they were delicious but the batter was somewhat sticky and did not hold together as much. I used 3/4 cup of all-purpose flour but they were a little runny and my cookies were not that fluffy. They tasted amazing though!
Kate says
Thank you! =) I know what your issue was. The recipe calls for 1 and 3/4 cups flour. I’m sorry if that wasn’t clear, but the missing cup of flour is why your cookies were runny and sticky. Hope that helps for next time!
Kellie Brown says
Hi I’m getting ready to make these cookies. They look amazing my hubby will love them. Just one question. Can you use regular salt if you dont have kosher salt? Thank you and have a blessed day.
Kate says
Hi! Thank you! I hope you both love the cookies! =) Absolutely! You’ll just use 1/4 teaspoon table salt in place of the kosher salt. Hope that helps!
Kim says
I’m about to make these, need to know do I grease the cookie sheets or line with parchment paper? Thank you and wish me luck.
Kate says
Great question! I use silicone baking mats when I bake these cookies (for ease of cleanup), but I’ve also made them without lining or greasing the cookie sheets. Both ways have worked out well. Good luck, and I hope you enjoy the cookies! =)