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
Tanya McLaughlin says
Hi. I’m not much of a baker,but I’m trying. I don’t see where you say to grease or not grease cookie sheets? Does wax paper/ parchment paper work? Any advice is greatly appreciated! My mixtures waiting…lol
Kate says
Hi! I use silicone baking sheets, but parchment paper will also work. As an fyi – wax paper is not oven-safe and can catch fire. I don’t recommend using it to line baking sheets. Please let me know if you have any other questions!
Paula says
I have made these cookies many times and they are wonderful every time. Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Kate says
Thank you!
Pat says
Added a bit more vanilla and the dough is the best I’ve ever had. Used Choczero chocolate chips to cut down on the sugar…so so good!
Kate says
Thank you!
Michael D Dyre says
They are still in the oven, but the raw dough is yummy. My four year old, well on Friday, grandson and I made these. We added chopped pecans to the mix. I wish I could post pics.
Kate says
Thank you!
J says
Amazing. I’ve tried them with many different substitutions, and they turned out fantastic every single time. Just make sure you don’t overbake!
Kate says
Thank you!
Kelly says
Made these with my 2.5yr old son today and they are FANTASTIC! Best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever made! I’ve had such a hard time making cookies that don’t flatten while cooking, even with chilling. This recipe is perfection! Perfect thick chewy cookies and a no fuss recipe.
Kate says
Thank you! I’m glad that you liked them!
Heidi says
Cookies turned out great 👍 me and my daughter had a lot of fun together and I really loved the thing where you can put cook mode on really helpful god bless y’all.
Kate says
Thank you! I’m glad that cook mode was helpful!
Bea says
Super delicious cookies! They turned out perfectly (I baked them for 10 min). My 3 year old and my hubby love them too. I’ll save this recipe for many more occasions to come. Thank you so much for sharing.
Greetings from Germany
Kate says
Thank you! I’m so glad that the cookies were a hit!
Heather says
Hi there! I could have sworn it was this recipe comment left. Someone said you had a cookie recipe that was THE choc chip cookie recipe. “You took this recipe down but were thinking of posting again due to all the comments”. You were going to send to two people. Did you repost that recipe? What is the name of it please. DYING to try that recipe too! Amazing recipes, tips, instructions and photos – thanks so much! Pls. let us know re: THAT recipe. :)))
Kate says
Hi! I reposted this chocolate chip cookie recipe back in 2018. I’m not sure if it’s the one that you’re looking for, but maybe?
Dani says
Great cookie recipe but mine weren’t baked through after 10 mins. They ended up baked perfectly (crispy on the outside & soft in the inside) at 17 minutes. I guess ovens do vary or something!
Kate says
Thank you! It’s pretty amazing how much oven temps can vary, but I’m glad you made it work for your oven!
Mich says
Great cookie recipe! Easy and delicious! How do I store leftover cookies? Do they need to be stored in the fridge?
Kate says
Thank you! Store any leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. They will keep for up to 3 days.
Hayley says
The best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever made, thank you! This is my new go to recipe!
Kate says
Thank you!
John says
Thanks for the recipe! I’m not sure what’s going on but I followed it exactly (including sifting flour!) and after 7 minutes, they were still big balls and hadn’t flattened at all. After 3 more minutes, they had barely begun to flatten. Three more minutes, and they stopped getting flatter and just started to burn. And, as expected, the outside was burnt and the inside wasn’t cooked at all, and they never got anywhere close to as flat as cookies should be. Any ideas?
Kate says
Hi! There are three things that usually cause cookies not to spread: 1) too much flour to liquid 2) old baking soda 3) oven baking too hot. If your cookies are burning by 13 minutes and aren’t cooking on the inside, it sounds like it may be a baking/oven issue. When cookies set before they have a chance to spread, you get cookie balls that are overbaked on the outside and underbaked on the inside. I would try decreasing your oven temp by 25F. You can also test your baking soda to make sure it’s still active. Just place a little baking soda in a dish and add some white vinegar. The baking soda should foam up well. If not, it’s time to replace it. I hope that helps!
Jeff Moralez-Simms says
Absolutely love this recipe! Easy and tastes so good I would feel good about selling these cookies in a shop,or store, they are that good!
Kate says
Thank you!
Shark says
Hi, just wondering how big would 1 cookie be? eg. The size of your palm
Kate says
Hi! The unbaked scoop is 1.5 tablespoons, and the baked cookies is about 2 inches.
Beach Girl says
Soooooo good!
Kate says
Thank you!
Gabriela says
Made this with my 3 year old son today, and they turned out amazing! Instructions are simple enough to involve little ones in the kitchen.
This will be my go to chocolate chip cookie recipe, highly recommend!
Kate says
Thank you! That’s great to hear!
Meena Malhi says
This is my go to chocolate chips cookie recipe!! Always works out each time, my kids love them. Quick and easy, and delicious!
Kate says
I’m so glad to hear that!
Brandy says
Hi, I apologize in advance if I somehow missed this information in the body of the test above, but can these be made ahead & frozen; either in dough OR cookie form?? Also, if I made a big batch & made some tonight but wanted to finish them tomorrow, will the dough hold up being refrigerated over night?? Thanks!!
Kate says
Hi! Yes to both! You can flash freeze scoops of dough by placing the scoops of dough on a baking sheet and freezing until solid. Then, place the frozen scoops in a freezer-safe bag. You can also freeze the baked and cooled cookies. The dough should be fine in the fridge overnight. You may find that you need to let it come up some in temperature before scooping and baking. I hope that helps!
Chloe says
Mine turned out great in 10 minutes. You can totally sit a large/ medium candy bar for that amount of chocolate. I also sprinkled my cookies with table salt when they were in the oven for 2 minutes and it makes them extra heavenly.
For lower butter sub in 1/2 peanut butter or other nut butter and a tablespoon of oil. Makes peanut chocolate cookies in a snap.
Kate says
Thank you!
Maria Hurley says
These cookies are the Best!! The Only chocolate chip cookies I am able to make all other chocolate chip cookies I make are burnt on edges & doughy in middle
Kate says
Thank you!