Perfect Easy Chocolate Chip Cookies
- PREP 15min
- COOK 15min
- TOTAL 30min
This easy chocolate chip cookie recipe is a family favorite, probably our most baked cookie on Inspired Taste. I love the rich flavor browned butter brings, but feel free to save time and use plain melted butter instead.
You Will Need
1 ¾ cups (220g) all-purpose flour, spoon and leveled
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
10 tablespoons (140g) unsalted butter
3/4 cup (150g) packed brown sugar
1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 tsp espresso powder, optional
1 ¾ cups (226g) semisweet chocolate chips
Flaky sea salt, optional for sprinkling over baked cookies
Directions
Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
Melt the butter or make brown butter (brown butter adds a toasted flavor). To brown butter, add the butter to a heavy-bottomed pan over medium-low heat. As the butter melts, continuously swirl it around the pan. It will melt, get a little foamy, and finally turn golden brown. Remove it from the heat when the butter is light brown and smells nutty. Set aside while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk the brown sugar, granulated sugar, whole egg, egg yolk, vanilla, and melted butter or browned butter together. Whisk in espresso powder (optional).
Switch to a large rubber spatula, and then add the dry ingredients in 3 parts, stirring gently until they disappear. Fold in most of the chocolate chips, saving a handful for adding to the tops of each scooped cookie before baking.
Roll 1 ½ tablespoons of cookie dough into balls, or use a medium cookie scoop. Add to the baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between the cookies to allow for spreading.
Press a few extra pieces of chocolate into the tops of each cookie dough mound.
Bake the cookies, rotating the baking sheet once during baking, until golden brown around the edges but light in the middle, 12 to 16 minutes. For smaller ovens (like mine in the video), bake one baking sheet at a time.
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
If you’d like, sprinkle a few flakes of sea salt on each cookie before serving.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Espresso powder: Adds a little extra richness and flavor to the cookies. We don’t add enough to make them taste like coffee, but just enough to make them taste extra special. We use Medaglia D’Oro Espresso, which we purchased from a specialty kitchen store (I’ve also seen it online). Instant coffee granules can be used in a pinch, but use slightly less.
- Chill cookie dough: These cookies are excellent when baked immediately, but chilling cookie dough does wonderful things. As the cookie dough sits in the fridge, it absorbs moisture and flavor from the wet ingredients (making them bake to be chewier and taste even better). You can chill this dough (covered tightly) for up to 3 days. Rolling the dough when cold is difficult, so I prefer to make my cookie dough balls and then store them in the fridge.
- Measuring your flour: Fluff the flour in its container, then gently spoon it into your measuring cup until slightly mounded. Level off the top with a knife for accurate measuring. For even more accuracy, use a scale and measure the flour by weight (in grams).
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.