Thin & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
I thought I had figured out the ideal chocolate chip cookie, that the perfect formula had been squared away and would never need revisiting. I made a batch to bring to CBC earlier this week, and since we were discussing the science behind chocolate chip cookies, I decided to make a thinner, chewier batch to contrast my thick, chewy portraits of perfection. For the sake of radio conversation. Guess which plate most everyone in the studio and newsroom went for? The thin ones with the rumpled edge. It’s like everyone had been replaced by thin cookie loving aliens who just didn’t know any better. It turns out there is no one true chocolate chip cookie – just a few favourites you can keep tucked away in your wardrobe of chocolate chip cookies.
My current favourite, a mash-up of recipes (sometimes I just alternate) by Anna and Ashley, has been in such heavy rotation that it hasn’t occurred to me to this version in years. I forgot how addictive they are – it’s like the entire cookie is made up of a dark, crisp, almost candylike edge. With a higher ratio of butter and sugar to flour, they melt and spread and caramelize more drastically than those made with more eggs and flour. Some think it’s a failure when their cookies spread thin and smash into each other, but they’re the kind my mom likes best. I just ate four, and had to give the rest away to save me from myself.
There is a dense softness in the middle – it’s not all snap. And while I generally like chopped dark chocolate in my cookies to provide larger puddles and tiny bits speckled throughout, chocolate chips work just fine here. When you need to spread some happy, pull these out of your closet.
Thin & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
AuthorJulie
Preheat the oven to 350F.
In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugars until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda and salt. Add to the butter mixture and beat on low speed until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Drop the dough in large spoonfuls, spacing them about 2 inches apart to give them room to spread, on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until deep golden, then cool the cookies on a wire rack. Makes about 1 1/2 dozen cookies.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350F.
In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugars until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda and salt. Add to the butter mixture and beat on low speed until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Drop the dough in large spoonfuls, spacing them about 2 inches apart to give them room to spread, on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until deep golden, then cool the cookies on a wire rack. Makes about 1 1/2 dozen cookies.
I love the way they look like a pond after you’ve dropped a stone in – rings of ripples, some of them overlapping.
Gonna try these tonight! I love a chewy cookie.
Yes, that! Dang, where were you when I was searching for metaphors last night? 🙂
Success! These are the chocolate chip cookies of my youth that I have been searching for. Thanks for posting this recipe.
So happy they reconnected you with your inner Cookie Monster! 🙂
Julie these cookies are spectacular. So easy to put together, and they turned out exactly like yours! The only change I made was to up the ante and use chopped 100% bittersweet Valrhona chocolate — which put them right over the top. Huge hit around here. Thanks so much!
I made these to bring to work and they were a hit!!! My boyfriend also reached for seconds and thirds. Truly the most ideal chocolate chip cookie.
Yay! this makes me happy. 🙂
Made these for the family last night and they kept asking for seconds and thirds. I had to tell them no at three and that they would be snacks in lunch for the coming week.
This makes me very happy.
This is the best CCC recipe I have ever found – they are my go to for the rest of my life haha
yay!!
I tried this recipe and they turned out cakey!!!!! what could I have done wrong?
Oh no, that’s so odd! Perhaps you added too much flour? They should have been super thin and chewy!
I just scooped flour out of the bin. Maybe I should try weighing instead. 🙂 Also, what about adding less eggs? I thought that might work, too.
Did you level them off, or were the measuring cups heaping? And yes, you could use one egg instead of two!
I wonder if folks who found these cookies cakey might be mistaking 1 cup of butter for 1 stick? (1 cup is 2 sticks.) I’d expect reducing to 1 egg to make them even more cakey (less moisture).
BTW love this recipe — they came out great! Thank you!
That could be! A lower quantity of butter would make them spread less.
cake like 🙁 followed instruction exactly as you wrote.
That is so odd! Looking at the ratio again, with the high butter and sugar to flour, this formula should produce a thin, chewy cookie. Were your measuring cups of flour heaped?
Made these last night! I’m in the process of losing weight, but I allow myself one cheat day a week, & I’d been dying for home baked cookies! I have a great go to recepie, but wanted thin & chewy, & your blog came up in the search. They turned out perfectly! I used chocolate chips, I think next time I’ll try chunks. I also increased thr salt & vanilla by 50%, but that’s just a personal preference. I will definitely file this recepie away for future use!!
HI! i was wondering if you could maybe make a video of you making the cookies because i find that it would be easier to follow. It’ll also help me make sure that what im ding is correct, for example, I would be able to know what the consistency of the batter should be etc.
Thanks!
I have no idea how you got 18 cookies out of this. I put these on my biggest baking sheets, separated them and had enough for 22. They pooled together and I had to basically cut them into cookie squares. It’s fine but, no idea what happened here.
My go to cookie recipe! Thank you for posting this amazing cookie recipe that I adore!
I was was wondering why my cookies spread out too much. They don’t have the density that yours seem to have. Is there a way to remedy this? I really like the taste, but I want to perfect the texture.
Hmm.. these are supposed to spread a lot, but if you want them to spread less, chill the dough first, or add about 1/2-1 cup more flour, or turn the oven temp up a bit.
These were the style of cookie my mom made for our family in my youth. Heavenly. Sadly, her recipe died with her 15 years ago. My wife and I made these tonight. Very similar. Thanks for sharing. Brought back many great memories.
Butter: salted or unsalted?
I usually use salted – people most often keep salted butter in the house, and you need salt in a recipe anyway!
Thanks! It might help to specify that in the written recipe. I’m making these tonight. I can’t wait!
This is why I just say ‘butter’, and people can use what they have. I find people are confused if you say “salted butter”, which isn’t what it’s commonly referred to and often people think it’s something different.
Definitely would have loved to know to use salted butter! Most baking recipes I’ve seen always call for unsalted, so I just assumed that what was meant since it didn’t specify. This is the second time I’ve made them and I kept thinking they were a bit “off”, and even this time around the thought that it might be missing some salt crossed my mind! I’ve had this recipe made properly before though by someone else, and it was phenomenal. Can’t wait to try (again) the right way!
Ha – yes, just regular butter! Everything needs some salt in it anyway! 🙂
This is a fantastic recipe and I love them but do you have a suggestion as to how much sugar I can cut down(for health reasons) without it affecting the great qualities your recipe has?
Hi Hana – you can always cut back on the sugar.. usually in cookie recipes you can get away with cutting back to half, even. But you will lose the thin and chewy texture here – it’s unfortunately the butter and sugar content that makes them thin and chewy!
Like you say there’s no definitive chocolate chip cookie recipe and it really depends on individual taste– but these are exactly perfect for my taste! Saving this recipe and will make it again often. Thanks for posting!
I’ve tried many that promised to be thin and chewy but they missed the mark. These were PERFECT! Thanks for this recipe.
When I read other ripple chocolate cookies they said that we either have to freeze the cookie dough first and or banging the cookie sheet every few minutes. This one doesn’t call for that. Will the cookies still have those lovely ripples?
Mine do! But you can bang the pan while it’s in the oven too if you like!
Less work is fine with me. 🙂 Will definitely try it this weekend. Thanks so much for your quick response.
Just to report back that the cookies were a hit at the bake sale. Thanks again for sharing the recipe!
So glad to hear it Belle!
This is the second Julie recipe I’ve tried (Well actually my 12yr old granddaughter busted out the measuring cups today). BIG PROBLEM! these cookies are too darn good and a single batch was not enough! Julie, you’re now my “go to” when searching for delicious food ideas and recipes….thanx!
Gail
Aw, thanks Gail! Yes they are a bit dangerous to have in the house…!
These cookies are amazing! Just the recipie I’ve been looking for! I’m sooo addicted to these. I’ve made a batch and frozen them. I bake as many as I need. Love it!
Thank you for the wonderful recipie!
Lena
So glad to hear it!
I just made these….The dough seemed thicker than I expected. When I cooked them they looked as if they melted in the oven. It may not sound like it but these things came out great. Although mine seem to be paper thin but still have that crunchy chewy texture I was looking for. Fantastic.
That’s the idea! so glad to hear you liked them!
i made these, they were delicious but i didn’t get the ripple effect like you did in the picture. what did i do wrong?
Is it okay to substitute the parchment paper with foil? I don’t have any parchment paper but am dying to bake these cookies!
For sure!
These are great. I’ve made them multiple times and the recipe consistently turns out well. Everyone I share them with loves them.
The cookies taste amazing but they spread very quickly on the pan forming one big cookie even though I spaced them 4 per tray. Any suggestions to what i am doing wrong?
Maybe there was too much cookie batter per cookie? I made this recipe and recall mine *almost* blobing together. I reduced how large each started on the second batch…I had to make more because my grandkids devoured them in minutes! ?
Interesting.. it could be that your oven is too cool, and they’re melting too much before they have a chance to set?
Can baking soda be substituted for powder?
Yes, but baking soda is more traditional and will help with the spread.
We have been searching for a “flat” chocolate chip cookie recipe for a while. THIS IS THE ONE! The cookies came out perfect with little mounds of chips sticking up every where. They are…were delicious. They hold up very well to dunking in milk too. Thank you.
Yay, I’m so glad to hear it!! Now I need to make another batch! 🙂
Instead of light brown sugar can I use dark brown sugar? Or will it make a difference in the cookie?
Sure! They’ll just be a bit more molasses-y.
What size spoonful of dough should I use? How many spoonfuls do you make per cookie sheet? I’ve been looking for a recipe just like this one (thin, crispy, chewy) for the LONGEST time. My grandmother made cookies that look just like this and she passed away before anyone could get her recipe.
These spread more than usual, so I’d say maybe 8 per sheet? 3 x 3 on the outside, 2 in the middle lane? I use a scoop that’s probably 3 Tbsp?
This recipe was not good. I followed the recipe and the first batch of cookies turned out terrible. I ended up changing this recipe and the rest of the cookies turn out much better. I will keep looking for a new recipe.
Sorry they didn’t work out for you!
Amazing! Finally a recipe worth saving. I made them today, so easy and exactly as described. I got 18 too! So pleased! Thanks!
Yay, so glad to hear it!
Two pans later the cookies came out the way they were supposed to! Just added a little flour. I’ve tried so many recipes and this one was the exact one I’ve been searching for! Finally my cookies are PERFECT!
Thank you for this yummy recipe!
Great to hear it!
How big is a large spoonful? Golf ball sized or ice cream scoop sized?
Ice cream scoop!
Holy shittttt these are amazing!!
Yayyyy!!
Very very yummy but do have access to the nutritional info per cookie?
Thank you so much for the delish cookies my young boy loved them , he has type 1 Diabetes that is why ask about the Nutritional info Carbohydrates in specific.thanks again from Canada
Sorry, I don’t have it.. but there are plenty of free programs online you can use to analyze a recipe!
Thx you
Joanne
How much cookies does this make
About a dozen and a half?
Thank you so very much for sharing this cookie recipe! The cookies were amazing and turned out exactly as I wanted them to, thin, chewy and delicious. I’ve made them three times in n the past week and even conducted a cookie battle to compare them with the cookie recipe from the NYTimes. Yours Julie was the clear winner. Thank you, merci, gracias!
My brother and I have been searching so long for the perfect thin chocolate chip cookie, I made these tonight and they were absolutely perfect. I had to share the recipe with him immediately. So excited, the search is over! Thanks for sharing!
Yay, so glad to hear it!!
these are so delicious! best cookie recipe i ever made
so great to hear!
hi, i wanted to make this cookies soon, but im afraid if the cup to grams converter that i usually use isn’t correct, and may caused a fail cookie , would you mind write down the grams version of this recipe? thank u??
Oh my goodness. I just had one after cooling down, and these are it, Julie! I finally found my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. I was a little iffy after mixing everything together because the batter doesn’t have the thick and dry consistency of others, but a soft, supple, and velvety one. I only had dark brown sugar on hand and mini chocolate morsels, but they still came out divine! Thank you so much, I’m so excited to bake these throughout the holidays!
Yay, so glad to hear it!!
Hi Julie! Thank you for sharing the recipe! It was a success! Does it change the texture of the cookies if I chill the dough for later use (probably bake them in few days time)? Thanks!
It does for sure, but not in a bad way… they’re a bit denser, with a more complex flavour. Give it a try!
i have been searching for days on the internet for an ooey gooey chocolat chip cookie with a crunchy outside…. tried a few recipes… all were a big let down…all were cakey…. then i found you…. so happy… these look exactly like the cookie i want 🙂 . will be making them tomorrow… and will update…
these cookies are perfect…. crunchy. buttery. chewy…omg!!!! and not cakey at all… perfect. perfect. perfect…… mmmmmmmmm good
These cookies were amazing! Unfortunately my glob of dough was far too big but still came out tasty. Wondering if I made them smaller they’d turn out looking like yours with the ripples? Unless you have a secret to share to have them turn out looking like that?? ?
That’s just the way they turn out for me! maybe go smaller so they don’t run into each other??
Hi Julie,
I was on the search for thin, chewy cookies like Subway, but had no luck. Most of the recipes I tried were chewy; however, they were too thick for my liking. I found this recipe and loved the way the cookies looked but I couldn’t see what in your recipe was different from all the ones I tried. I decided to give it a try today hoping they at least come out thin even if they don’t look like the picture. To my surprise, they turned out JUST like the pictures with ripples on the crispy edge with a soft chewy centre. I finally have found the best chocolate chip recipe for my liking. If you love Subway cookies these are great dupe! Make sure butter and eggs are room temperature ( I used unsalted butter) and that you’re NOT packing flour into the cups but instead lighting scooping and levelling off to avoid too much flour.
Oh yay, I’m so glad you liked them!! They’re my mom’s favourite!
I made them with my family and they are amazing. Super thin and chewy just the way I like my cookies but ours are really buttery although I used 1 cup of butter. What would be an ideal amount to use to ensure they won’t be too greasy?
What could I have done wrong…didn’t come out crinkly like yours ??
What could I have done wrong…didn’t come out crinkly like yours ??
These cookies tasted amazing! The only thing wrong is that mine turned out very thin. I know they’re meant to be thin cookies, but they were so thin they had holes in. I’m not really sure what I’ve done wrong. Could you please give me a recommendation on what to do next time to make them better. Thank youuuu!
Hi! These cookies are so good and are probably the best I’ve ever tasted! But they didn’t have any of the ripples that yours have. They came out super flat. Any tips on what I may have done wrong?
Interesting! It would depend on your ingredients and the heat of the oven… you could try adding a bit more flour (maybe 1/3 cup?) letting the dough rest and firm up a bit, or chill it for a few hours, or turn the oven temp by 25 degrees- some ovens are cooler and the dough melts before it has a chance to set!
I tried them again using your recipe exactly but this time I took the pan out and banged it which created ripples and put it back in but then the middle ended up being so thin that there were holes in my cookies ? I so badly want them to look like yours because this is the best cookie I’ve ever had
Try chilling the dough a bit, or add a couple extra spoonfuls of flour, or turn your oven up about 25 degrees!
These taste like the cookies from my high school cafeteria – I have never been able to find anything like them. They’re my favourite cookies EVER. I am BEAMING! Thank you so much for these!!
Yay!!!
These are amazing!! I have never had a batch that has turned out bad using this recipe, they’re always perfectly soft in the center, crisp at the edges and melt in your mouth 🙂 Thank you so much for an amazing recipe that I’ll definitely be using for a long time!
Sorry for the super late comment/question.. just stumbled across this recipe today and was wondering if I would be able to use browned melted butter instead of just regular butter?
Sure! It might make them even more thin and puddle-like though.. you may need to chill it a bit before baking, or add a touch more flour.
my favourite cookie recipe!
Yay! my mom’s too!
These have to be the BEST Chocolate chip cookie I have ever made. They are absolutely delicious! A hint of salt and sweetness makes them pure goodness!
Yay!!
Can I halvethis recipe. I don’t need 18 cookies in my house. That’s too dangerous.