this post may contain affiliate links
Chocolate chip cookies are America’s favorite cookie. It’s not IF you love them it’s what type of chocolate chip cookie do you love? Everyone has a preference. The beautiful thing about this chocolate chip cookie dough is it’s perfect for any type of cookie. Whether you like them chewy with a crisp edge or large with an undercooked center (like Crumble cookies), this dough can do it all. And you can control so much of any recipe by the type of chocolate you use. I prefer milk chocolate chips, so that’s what I use. Substitute milk chocolate for semi-sweet, dark, white chocolate, etc. The choice is yours.
I wanted to find out exactly which size to base the chocolate chip cookie recipe off of so we experimented with small, medium and large dough ball sizes. I also experimented with flattening out the tops of the cookie dough balls or leaving in round form. I had six taste-testers in my home at the time of this experiment and all came to the same conclusion, a chewy cookie with a slight crisp edge was superior. The medium-sized beat the large size by one vote! The large size is created with leveling out a traditional ice cream scoop or 5 tablespoons. The medium size was a level 2 tablespoons. Both got flattened out prior to baking.
Below I will break down the size of the cookie dough ball, whether it was flattened out prior to baking, and how long they baked to create the desired cookie outcome. The cookies are all baked at 375 degrees in the middle rack of a traditional gas oven (not a double), on one half size sheet pan at a time (lined with parchment paper). Keep in mind this is what works for my oven. You may need more or less time, so keep an eye on the cookies and make notes. You can always do the the first batch with my recommended time and see what happens AFTER they cool. The medium to big size cookies will always look underdone coming out of the oven so don’t base it on that. Cool the cookies, look at the bottoms (you want a light golden brown) and test the texture.
Large cookie with undercooked center (like Crumbl): Standard ice cream scoop size (5 tbsp), 6 per sheet pan, bake for 10 minutes. Rest on the sheet pan for 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. *What the Instagram reel shows*
(Runner up) Large chewy cookie with slight crisp edge: Standard ice cream scoop size (5 tbsp), flattened out with fingertips, bake for 10 minutes. Rest on the sheet pan for 10 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to finish cooling.
Medium chewy cookie with undercooked center: Two tablespoon size balls, 8 per sheet pan, bake for 9 minutes. Rest on the sheet pan for 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
(Winner) Medium chewy cookie with slight crisp edge: Two tablespoon size balls, 8 per sheet pan, flattened out with fingertips, bake for 9 minutes. Rest on the sheet pan for 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. *This is what the recipe is based off of*
Small chewy cookie with crisp edge: One tablespoon scoops, 12 per sheet pan, bake for 10 minutes. Rest on sheet pan for 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Small, flat, slightly chewy with crisp edge: One tablespoon scoops, 12 per sheet pan, flattened out with fingertips, bake for 10 minutes. Rest on the sheet pan for 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 c salted butter (two sticks) softened
- 1 c granulated sugar
- 1 c light brown sugar packed
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 3 c all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 11.5 oz milk chocolate chips (one bag)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line sheet pans in parchment paper.
- Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- To a separate bowl or stand mixer, beat softened butter, sugar and brown sugar together until fluffy, 3 minutes.
- Add eggs and vanilla. Continue beating until everything is fully incorporated.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet. Mix until the dough fully forms.
- With the mixer on low add the chocolate chips. Stop once incorporated. Don't overmix the dough.
- Use a tablespoon measuring spoon to create cookies. Measure two level tablespoons of dough, form a ball, place on the sheet pan and gently press the top down to create a disc.
- Only bake 8 cookies at a time in the center rack for 10 minutes.
- Allow cookies to rest, settle and finish cooking for at least 10 minutes on the sheet pan. Transfer to a wire rack or parchment paper to fully cool.