Easy Chocolate Chip Cookies

4.72 from 7 votes

Soft and chewy, these easy chocolate chip cookies don't require an electric mixer, softened butter, or an extended chilling time!

Course Cookies, Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword easy chocolate chip cookies, easy chocolate chip cookies recipe, homemade chocolate chip cookies, soft chocolate chip cookies

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 15

Chill 15

Total Time 40

Servings cookies

Calories 186kcal

Author Blair Lonergan

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, melted butter, and granulated sugar. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla extract until combined.
Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Use a rubber spatula to stir just until the ingredients are combined (and you don’t see any dry pockets of flour).
Fold in the chocolate chips.
Cover the bowl and chill for 15 minutes while you preheat the oven and prepare the baking sheets.
Preheat oven to 325°F. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
Scoop out 2 tablespoons of dough. Roll the dough between your hands to form a round ball. If the dough is still sticky and hard to work with, let it chill in the fridge until it's more firm. Repeat with the remaining dough. Place the dough balls about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
Bake the cookies until the edges are set and beginning to brown, but the centers are still soft and puffy, about 15 minutes. The cookies will continue to firm up as they cool, so be sure that you don’t overbake them or they’ll be tough and crunchy.
Use a spatula to transfer the cookies directly to a wire cooling rack. Let cool for at least 5 minutes, then enjoy!

Allow the melted butter to cool slightly before using it in the recipe. This will help the cookies spread less in the oven, and will make the dough less sticky and easier to scoop.
Don't Overmix. Mixing the ingredients too much can add excessive air to the dough, causing the cookies to collapse and spread in the oven.
Line the Baking Sheets. Spraying the baking sheets with cooking spray or greasing with butter or lard creates a slippery surface that causes cookies to spread. Instead, line the baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone mat for "grip," so that the cookies stay thick and chewy.
Shape into Large Round Balls. Placing a rounded ball of dough onto the baking sheet yields a taller, thicker, softer, and chewier cookie.
Don't Over-Bake. Pull the cookies out of the oven as soon as the outside edges are set and lightly browned. The inside centers should still be puffy and soft. While they might look under-baked, the cookies will firm up as they cool, maintaining that great soft and chewy texture that we all love! Baking them for too long yields a crispy cookie.
Recipe slightly adapted from America's Test Kitchen.