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
Did You Make This Recipe?
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Originally published 8/16/16. Adapted from Pinch of Yum.
Reader Interactions
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Comments & Reviews
Jillian Halm says
I made my cookies using a smaller scooper and they turned out perfect! It was nice because if my family just wanted a little lower calorie cookie we could grab one! I would just make sure to constantly check the cookies to make sure they do not burn! This recipe is perfect for a quick sweet craving fix and I would %100 recommend!!
Kate says
Thank you! I’m so glad that it worked out well for you!
NM says
I started baking for the first time ever last week. we tried this recipe today and the cookies turned out brilliant. A great confidence booster too.
Kate says
Congrats!! I’m so glad that they worked out well for you! =)
Ally says
Can we refrigerate or freeze the dough?? So simply and easy to make so I’d like to make some and freeze it and just pop them in the oven when we want. Thank you for the recipe :)
Kate says
Hi! I’ve frozen scoops of the dough, and it worked well.
Linda Neubauer says
How many cookies does this make
Kate says
The recipe makes 24 cookies.
kenzie grisham says
i think it said that it makes 24 but i’m not completely sure. It just depends on how big you make the individual cookie dough balls
stephen says
how long and how hot do you bake the cookies
Kate says
If you click “jump to recipe” at the top of the page, that will take you directly to the recipe with the full baking instructions.
kenzie grisham age 11 says
People really need to stop asking questions about things that are in the recipe. JUST READ IT YOU LAZY PEOPLE!!
Lorene Butler says
These cookies were a hit at my house which is kind of dangerous cuz you just cant have one!! Thank you for recipe I enjoy making them a little too much.
Kate says
I’m glad you’re enjoying the cookies! =)
Jerrah-Lee says
So, so good!!
Kate says
Thank you so much! =)
Zippy the baker says
You are a really nice baker
Kate says
Thank you!
JoAnn says
Delish! You mention weighing the ingredients. Do you have the weight measurements? Thank you!
Kate says
Hi! Yes, if you click on “metric” right underneath the ingredients, it will give you the weights for the ingredients.
Marjorie says
I like crunchy not soft cookies. What should I do ?
Kate says
You could try using all granulated (white sugar) for a crunchier cookie. Also, I recommend slightly underbaking the cookies to help keep them soft, so you could bake the cookie a minute or so longer (just keep an eye on them) for a crunchier cookie.
Rishi says
The cookie are circle and good. We make a small medium cookie. The cookie are white.
Kate says
Great! Glad you liked them. =)
Gisella says
Delish!!!!!
Kate says
Thank you so much! =)
Jamie S says
I made these today, I didn’t have an egg so I substituted with 1 TBS cornstarch & 2 TBS water and I didn’t have Chocolate Chips so I did have the Giant Milk Hershey bar, so I cut in small cubes (chunks) and they came out so Awesome! I like to make thumbprint dents in the top of them for that bakery style look.
What an easy and quick recipe that turns out wonderful. Thanks for the recipe, it is a keeper for sure.
Kate says
I’m so glad that it turned out well for you! Thanks for sharing your tip about using the cornstarch in place of the egg. =)
JJ says
These are absolutely heavenly!!! So tasty!! Also I did use a gluten free flour 1 to 1 ratio and they’re so perfect!!
Kate says
Thank you so much! I’m so glad that they turned out well with the gf flour! =)
Allison D. says
I made these last night and they turned out wonderful! I also added some cinnamon and my whole family LOVED them. They were so fluffy and soft. Will definitely be my go-to cookie recipe from now on!
Kate says
Yay!! I’m so glad to hear that! Thanks for commenting!
Celina says
Do you think it’s possible to mix the dough now & refrigerate to bake later?
Kate says
Yes, I think that should work.
Esther M. says
How am I not going to eat all these cookies?!?! They turned out so chewy and good.
I made them with Almond Flour and they were amazing. I did notice that they spread quite a bit (could it be because of the almond flour), so my first pan was like one big cookie (and I’m not mad about it, haha, just cut them into squares) … clearly I need a bigger cookie sheet. I found that using 1 tsp scoops still got a decent size cookie.
LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this quick and easy recipe.
Kate says
Thank you! I’m so glad that the almond flour worked out well for you! Thanks for sharing your notes! =)
Gena says
This is the best recipe ever, I will be using it from now on. I was never able to make good chocolate chip cookies before, now I can. They’re delicious!
Kate says
Thank you so much! That’s so good to hear! =)
Florencia says
Absolutely amazing
Kate says
Thank you!!
thanos says
Amazing! The best cookies ive ever made in all 1000 years of my life! Truly outstanding, the flavor is immaculate. I thought I was in heaven, that maybe my time had come, but in reality, I was just taking a bite of this cookie :D 10/10 recommend, I really hope that anyone wanting to have the best cookies of their life stumbles over this recipe. :)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
Kate says
Thank you so much!
Greer Poole says
What temperature do I bake at? or preheat my oven to?
Kate says
Hi! In step 1, you’ll preheat the oven to 350F.