Desserts · American
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Crisp at the edge, soft in the middle, chocolate all the way through.
- Prep
- 20 mins
- Cook
- 12 mins
- Total
- 32 minsplus 30 minutes chilling
- Servings
- 24
- Difficulty
- Easy
The cookie most people are trying to make has three textures in it: a crisp edge, a chewy ring and a soft centre. You get all three from the ratio of brown sugar to white, and from not overbaking.
Pull them out when the centres still look slightly underdone. They carry on cooking on the hot tray, and that residual heat is what sets the middle without drying it.
Instructions
-
Beat the softened butter with both sugars for 3 to 4 minutes, until noticeably paler and fluffy. This aerates the dough and affects the final texture.
Cream until the mixture lightens in colour, not just combines. -
Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each, then beat in the vanilla. Scrape down the bowl.
-
Whisk the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt together in a separate bowl, then add to the butter mixture in two additions. Mix on low speed only until the last streaks of flour disappear.
-
Fold in the chopped chocolate by hand with a spatula.
-
Cover the dough and chill for at least 30 minutes, or up to 72 hours. Chilled dough spreads less and tastes noticeably deeper.
-
Heat the oven to 180°C (350°F / gas mark 4) and line two baking sheets with parchment.
-
Roll the dough into balls of about 45g and space them at least 5cm apart — they spread more than you expect. Bake one tray at a time on the middle shelf.
Give them room. They spread more than they look like they will. -
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges are golden and set but the centres still look soft and slightly underbaked.
-
Sprinkle with flaky salt if using, and leave on the hot tray for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. They finish setting as they cool.
Tips from our kitchen
- Weigh the flour if you can. A heavy cup of flour is the most common reason cookies come out cakey and dry.
- Chopping a chocolate bar instead of using chips gives you shards and melted pools rather than uniform dots.
- Softened butter should give slightly under a finger but still hold its shape. Melted butter makes flat cookies.
- Unbaked dough balls freeze beautifully. Bake straight from frozen and add 2 minutes.
