Really Good Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies.

These homemade chocolate chip cookies are made with lightly browned butter, brown sugar, and what I think makes them better than the rest: plenty of vanilla, plus a mix of chocolate chips and chocolate chunks. Finish each cookie with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt (optional, but so good) for the perfect salty-sweet, chewy bite. They’re classic, with rippled edges and soft, chewy centers full of melty chocolate – just like Mom’s fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies. Simple and nearly perfect.

My mom baked cookies nearly every night when I was a kid. Yes, most nights of the week we had fresh-baked cookies. Either her cookies, her Special K bars (original / updated recipe), or, on special nights, a cookie pie. And on much rarer  occasions, chocolate cake, or buckeyes.

We used to call her a chocoholic. She loved to bake, but only if it was something chocolate-heavy. She was most famous for her cookies — classic chocolate chip and oatmeal chocolate chip.

No one made them better.

I’ve tried to replicate her chocolate chip cookies so many times, but I could never quite land on that cookie… until now. Lightly golden browned butter plus extra vanilla did the trick.

These are even more perfect than you imagine, rippled edges, soft chewy centers, and more chocolate than you have to have (but exactly what you want). Mom, Dad, Asher, and my brothers all agree.

These are the details

Ingredients

• salted butter

• brown sugar – I used dark

• granulated sugar

• one egg + one egg yolk

• vanilla extract

• all-purpose flour

• baking soda

• salt

• chopped chocolate chunks and/or semisweet chocolate chips

• flaky sea salt, for sprinkling (optional)

Kitchen Supplies

All you’ll need is a simple bowl, a whisk, and a spatula—nothing fancy here. This is the kind of easy, classic cookie recipe that comes together with the basics, so you can get straight to the best part: warm, chewy cookies fresh from the oven.

The Steps

Step 1: Brown the Butter

This step is simple, but it’s the little trick that turns an average cookie into a really great one. Add the salted butter to a medium skillet set over medium heat and cook until melted, bubbling, and foamy on top. As soon as the butter turns a light golden color, remove it from the heat — don’t let it get too dark. Lightly browned butter adds a warm, toasty flavor and really brings out the vanilla and chocolate in these cookies.

Step 2: Make the Cookie Dough

Pour the warm browned butter into a mixing bowl. Add the brown sugar, granulated sugar, egg, egg yolk, and plenty of vanilla (I use a full tablespoon — sometimes even two). Whisk until smooth. Since the butter is melted, there’s no need for an electric mixer.

Add the flour, baking soda, and salt, then use a spatula to gently fold everything together until just combined.

Step 3: Add the Chocolate

Fold in the chocolate chips and chunks until evenly distributed. The dough should be soft, glossy, and loaded with chocolate.

Step 4: Roll + Chill

Roll the dough into rounded tablespoon-size balls and freeze for 10 minutes. This quick chill helps the cookies bake up with those perfect rippled edges and soft, chewy centers.

Step 5: Bake

Bake the cookies for 6 minutes, then carefully tap the pan on the counter to create those signature ripples. Return to the oven and bake for another 2–3 minutes, just until the edges are set and the centers are still soft. Your kitchen will smell like browned butter, cozy vanilla, and warm melted chocolate.

Looking for cookie recipes? Here are a few ideas: 

Brown Butter Raspberry Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cookies n’ Cream Chocolate Chip Cookies

Healthier Homemade Nutter Butter Cookies

Lavender Lemon Sugar Cookies

Lastly, if you make these Really Good Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!

Really Good Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

4 from 36 votes

18 cookies

by Tieghan Gerard

calories 251kcal

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Prep20 minutes mins

Cook10 minutes mins

freeze time10 minutes mins

Total40 minutes mins

Chewy centers, crisp edges, melty pools of chocolate, browned butter and extra vanilla. The kind of cookies you make once…and then forever!

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Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 1/2 sticks salted butter, at room temperature
• ▢ 3/4 cup brown sugar
• ▢ 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
• ▢ 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1 1/2 cups chopped chocolate chunks or chips
• ▢ flaky sea salt, for sprinkling

Instructions 

• 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

  2. Add the butter to a skillet set over medium heat. Cook, swirling, until the butter is lightly browned, 2-4 minutes. Pour into a bowl.

  3. Whisk in the brown sugar, granulated sugar, egg, egg yolk, and vanilla until smooth. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt, mixing just until combined. Fold in the chocolate.

  4. Roll the dough into rounded 1-tablespoon balls and arrange on the baking sheet. Freeze for 10 minutes. Bake 6 minutes, rotate the pan, then tap it on the counter 1–2 times to help flatten. Bake another 2–3 minutes, until the edges are set and the centers are just barely glossy.

  5. Cool on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with flaky salt.

Nutrition

Calories: 251kcal

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

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