Soft-Baked Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies: My Mom's Recipe (Print Version)

Bake truly chewy chocolate chip cookies with my mom's cherished recipe. Achieve soft, rich, and gooey results every time, even with kitchen mishaps.

# Recipe Info:

Prep Time: 20 Minutes minutes
Cook Time: 10 Minutes minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 24 Servings
Difficulty: Beginner
Cuisine: American
Dietary: Vegetarian

# Ingredients:

→ Wet Wonders

01 - 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
02 - ¾ cup granulated sugar
03 - ¾ cup packed light brown sugar
04 - 2 large eggs, room temperature
05 - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

→ Dry Goods

06 - 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
07 - 1 teaspoon baking soda
08 - ½ teaspoon salt

→ Chocolate Delights

09 - 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
10 - ½ cup milk chocolate chunks (or chopped chocolate bar)

→ Flavor Boosters

11 - Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling (optional)

# Instructions:

01 - Okay, first things first, grab your room temperature butter and both sugars. Pop them into your stand mixer or a large bowl with a hand mixer. Cream them together on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. You're looking for a pale, almost whipped texture. This step is super important for that chewy chocolate chip cookie texture, trapping air for a lighter crumb. Don't rush it like I used to; it makes a difference, honestly.
02 - Next, crack in one egg at a time, mixing well after each addition until it's fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl often; you don't want any rogue bits of butter hiding out! Once the eggs are in, pour in that glorious vanilla extract and mix until just combined. The mixture will look rich and glossy now. I once forgot to scrape the sides, and a few cookies had weird unmixed butter pockets – oops!
03 - In a separate medium bowl, whisk together your flour, baking soda, and salt. Just a quick whisk, maybe 30 seconds, to make sure everything is evenly distributed. This prevents pockets of baking soda (which tastes terrible, trust me!) in your chewy chocolate chip cookies. I've definitely skipped this step before in a hurry, and some cookies had a slight metallic taste. Lesson learned!
04 - Now, gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until just combined. And I mean *just* combined! As soon as you see no more streaks of flour, stop the mixer. Overmixing develops the gluten too much, which leads to tough, not chewy chocolate chip cookies. This is where I often get excited and almost overdo it, but I’ve trained myself to stop!
05 - Time for the good stuff! Take your chocolate chips and chunks and gently fold them into the dough using a spatula. You want them evenly distributed throughout the dough, but again, don't overmix. This is my favorite part; seeing all that chocolate just waiting to melt. Sometimes I 'accidentally' eat a few chocolate chips during this step. What? It’s quality control!
06 - Scoop rounded tablespoons of dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, leaving about 2 inches between them. I usually chill my dough for at least 30 minutes (or even overnight!) for extra chewy chocolate chip cookies and less spread. Bake at 375°F (190°C) for 9-11 minutes, until the edges are golden but the centers still look slightly soft. They'll firm up as they cool, I promise. Pull them out when they look almost done; that's the secret to soft centers!

# Notes:

01 - Chilling the dough for at least 30 minutes (or longer!) really helps the flavors meld and prevents over-spreading.
02 - For that perfect chewy center, always pull the cookies from the oven when their edges are set but the middle still looks a bit soft.
03 - If you don't have light brown sugar, you can make your own by mixing 1 cup of granulated sugar with 1 tablespoon of molasses.
04 - Sprinkle a little flaky sea salt on top right after baking; it enhances the chocolate flavor beautifully.

# Tools You'll Need:

01 - Stand mixer or hand mixer
02 - large mixing bowls
03 - whisk
04 - spatula
05 - baking sheets
06 - parchment paper
07 - measuring cups and spoons

# Nutrition Facts (Per Serving):

Calories: 150
Total Fat: 8g
Total Carbohydrate: 19g
Protein: 2g

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