Cook's Illustrated Chocolate Chip cookies

 

• Active Time

  35 minutes

• Total Time

  2 hours

We all know the saying “as American as apple pie,” but a simple chocolate chip cookie recipe is perhaps the most iconic American dessert of all. Served warm with a glass of milk, this beloved treat is bound to bring up Proustian childhood memories of grandmothers’ kitchens, after-school snacks, and family celebrations.

Opinions vary about what makes the best chocolate chip cookie. Some people like their cookies crispy, while others prefer a chewier texture. This recipe splits the difference, giving you soft cookies with golden brown, crisp edges. And because this variation is so classic, it’s also extremely flexible. If your perfect chocolate chip cookie is slightly crunchy or more on the tender side, experiment with the range of bake times below, cooking just one or two cookies at first to see exactly how to get them just right. If you’re into bold chocolate chunks, you can opt to use chopped chocolate bars instead of chips. Is big crunch your thing? Fold in a handful of toasted pecans or walnuts. Lover of salty-sweet? Sprinkle on some fancy salt just before baking. 

For cookies with even more nuanced flavor, chill the cookie dough overnight before baking—this will also keep the dough balls from spreading too much on the cookie sheet. You can use a cookie scoop to portion your dough or a measuring cup, but make sure to moisten your palm before you flatten the cookies out, so they don’t stick to your hand.

 Makes about 28 large (4½-inch) cookies

3 cups all-purpose flour

1½ teaspoons baking soda

1½ teaspoons kosher salt

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

1½ cups packed light brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

3 large eggs

1½ teaspoons vanilla

2½ cups semisweet chocolate chips (16 ounces)

1. Step 1

   Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

   Step 2

   Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl.

   Step 3

   Beat together butter and sugars in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until pale and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Lightly beat 1 egg with a fork in a small bowl and add 1¾ tablespoons of it plus 2 remaining whole eggs to butter mixture, beating with mixer until creamy, about 1 minute. Beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low and mix in flour mixture until just blended, then stir in chips.

   Step 4

   Scoop ¼ cup batter for each cookie, arranging mounds 3 inches apart, on 2 baking sheets. Flatten mounds into 3-inch rounds using moistened palm of your hand. Form remaining cookies on additional sheets of parchment.

   Step 5

   Bake, 1 sheet at a time, until golden, 13 to 15 minutes. Transfer cookies to a rack to cool and continue making cookies in same manner using cooled baking sheets.