How to Make Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Chocolate chip cookies are the number-one pick in the cookie hall of fame. From special occasions and holiday parties to after school and late-night sweet tooth cravings, nothing beats a delicious, chewy chocolate chip cookie. And we’ve got easy-to-follow tips for making the chewiest, chippiest, glass-of-milk dippiest homemade cookies for your favorite sweet treat lovers. Let’s take a look:

The Best Chocolate for Gooey Cookies

Do you prefer chocolate chips? Morsels? Or do you like breaking up chocolate bars for your dough mix? There’s no wrong answer, as long as you’re using good-quality chocolate. While chips usually keep their shape, broken pieces and morsels melt nicely, making for a yummy, gooey option.

And feel free to elevate your cookie game by mixing milk, semi-sweet or white chocolate chips into your cookie for a variety of sweet flavors.

From-scratch Cookies: Butter vs Shortening

Cookie recipes vary in their use of butter vs. shortening. Butter brings great flavor to cookies, but the cookies tend to be flat and spread out when portioned. Shortening builds a better cookie but skimps on the flavor. The easy answer? Use both – together you get a more flavorful cookie that holds up during the baking process.

How to Mix Cookie Dough

It may be easier to use a mixer when making your dough, but be careful. Overmixing may wake up and develop the gluten too much, which makes for a tougher cookie. Mix on low speed or stir by hand, until your dough is combined.

It’s also a good idea to refrigerate your dough overnight, if possible. This helps ingredients combine and relaxes the gluten so better flavor can develop.

How Long to Bake Cookies

When you’re ready to bake your cookies, just remember not to overbake them – it makes for a dry, hard cookie. If you slightly underbake your cookie recipe, the residual heat from your baking sheet should still finish them nicely if you let them rest. Then transfer to a rack for cooling and enjoy.

Go ahead, try one of these chewy, gooey recipe ideas… so easy and delicious, we won’t blame you if you try more than one. For more seasonal and trending recipe ideas, check out The Fresh Lane.