Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies
Let’s Talk Cookies (And Why I Can’t Stop Making These)
So, you know how some people make fancy breads or get into crazy cake decorating? I…well, I basically just keep coming back to chocolate chip cookies, but not just any. I’m talking those fat, golden, slightly crackly Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies—the kind you break in half and chocolate oozes out in slow motion, angels sing, and you’re tempted to hide the rest from your family. Look, I’ve tried about a million recipes. My neighbor even accused me of running a secret cookie business once. (I wish, right?) I’ve burned the bottoms, underbaked the middles, swapped out flours that made them go all weird, but now—well, now I get it right almost every time. Almost. There was one time with salt instead of sugar but let’s not relive that.
Why These Are Always in My Cookie Jar (Briefly Anyway)
I mostly make these when:
- I get the urge to stress-bake (so, pretty often)
- My daughter brings home half the neighborhood for a playdate and I want to look like a hero (without actually exerting heroic effort!)
- It’s Sunday evening and honestly, a warm cookie just fixes stuff—for a minute, at least.
My family goes bonkers for the chewy middles and crispy edges (seriously, my partner claims I “hide the good ones,” which is only sometimes true). They have big, melty pools of chocolate and just that, like, cozy cookie vibe. And hey, they don’t taste like they got rolled out of a tube. (No offense, dough tubes; you’ve saved me at 2am before.)
What You’ll Need (But Not, Like, All of This Exactly)
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (honestly, Costco or King Arthur, both work for me)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- A good pinch of salt (roughly 3/4 teaspoon, but who’s counting?)
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temp (‘soft but not all melty’ is how I describe it to my kid; microwave in 8-second blasts if you’re reckless like me)
- 1 cup packed brown sugar (light or dark, or a mix when that’s all I’ve got left in the bag)
- 1/2 cup regular white sugar
- 2 large eggs (frankly, any size if you’re in a pinch—maybe add a tablespoon of milk if yours are tiny chickens)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla (I’m not above using half the bottle for good measure)
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips/chunks/good old chopped up chocolate bars (I like a mix; sometimes that 70% cocoa bar lurking in the cupboard gets the call)
- 1 handful chopped walnuts or pecans (super optional; my grandma swore by pecans but most days—let’s be honest—the kids revolt)
Quick swap: I sometimes use a couple tablespoons of bread flour if I want extra chew. Or, throw in a teaspoon of espresso powder if you want to feel…sophisticated.
How To Make Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies (Chaos Optional)
- Prep your oven to 350°F (175°C), or whatever it’s settled on if your oven is as moody as mine. Line some baking sheets with parchment. If you don’t have any, a light grease works. Or do what my cousin does: skip lining and spend a decade scraping cookies off (not recommended).
- In a bowl, whisk together your flour, soda, and salt. Nothing fancy. Looks like sand; tastes better.
- Now, in a bigger bowl, cream the butter and both sugars together until it’s pale and fluffy. I usually do this by hand when feeling noble (or lazy about cleaning the mixer).
- Add eggs, one by one. Stir in vanilla. Batter might look weird and a bit gloopy right now—don’t panic. That’s normal.
- Gradually dump in your dry stuff. Fold just until it looks like dough. Actually, I find it works better if you go easy on the stirring here—overmix and you get weirdly tough cookies. So yeah, just till incorporated.
- Here’s the best part—add the chocolate and nuts if you’re using them. This is usually when I sneak a chunk or two for, you know, quality control.
- Scoop/roll/eyeball balls of dough (I like golf ball size, or use one of those fancy cookie scoops—except, mine broke, so a tablespoon works). Place ’em a couple inches apart so they don’t fuse into a mega-cookie. Although…one giant cookie, not a bad idea.
- Most important (but honestly, I skip this half the time): Chill the trays of dough in the fridge for 30 minutes if you want that proper bakery thickness. The flavor gets deeper, too. Or don’t! Nobody’s judging.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes. Edges should be just golden, middles a little underdone. They’ll firm up outside the oven. Don’t walk away here—these go from “just right” to “sadly burnt” in the blink of an eye.
- Cool on the tray for 5 minutes (unless you like molten chocolate burns, in which case, eat immediately. No judgment).
Some Notes (AKA Stuff I Learned the Dumb Way)
- If you use all white sugar, the cookies spread more. That can be awesome if you dig thinner, crispier ones.
- Room temp butter matters. Melted makes ’em flat, and cold butter never fully creams (though, on second thought, my lazy day batches weren’t so bad).
- Letting the dough hang out in the fridge overnight? Actually legit. Deeper flavor and less spreading. Totally optional though, since patience is not a family trait here.
When I Went Off Script: Cookie Experiments
I’ve swapped the chocolate for dried cherries and white chips—pretty good, tbh! Once I tried coconut and the kids nearly staged a coup (coconut just isn’t for everyone). Peanut butter chips are lovely; on the other hand, mint chips were…well, my husband said they tasted like toothpaste, so you’ve been warned. Sally’s Baking Addiction has loads more swaps if you’re braver than me.
The Stuff You (Might) Need
- Mixing bowls (plastic, glass, whatever isn’t holding yesterday’s leftovers)
- Hand mixer or stand mixer—or honestly, a wooden spoon and determination
- Baking trays
- Parchment paper or a well-worn cookie sheet
- Cookie scoop, big tablespoon, or (in a pinch) your cleanest hands
- Wire rack (although my neighbor just uses an old toaster rack, so you do you)
And yes, I’ve made these start to finish in a holiday rental kitchen with just a salad bowl and a fork (long story involving an unplugged fridge, never mind).
Keeping Cookies Fresh (Theoretically)
Seal ’em in an airtight tin or a heavy duty zip bag for 3ish days…but, honestly, in my house these rarely last past breakfast the next morning. Supposedly, you can freeze dough balls ahead of time (I learned about this on Serious Eats)—I only manage to freeze two. They don’t last. You see the pattern here, right?
How We Eat Them Around Here
Honestly? Warm, with cold milk, on the sofa wrapped in a ridiculous blanket. Sometimes we smush vanilla ice cream between two for DIY ice cream sandwiches (my youngest calls them “cookie burgers”—future chef, maybe?). They’re also not bad with coffee at 5am, if you’re up that early for…well, I don’t know why you’d be up that early.
My “Oops, Don’t Do That” Cookie Wisdom
- I once tried to do everything in one bowl just to save time—don’t. Flour bombs, weird lumps, sadness.
- Rushing the creaming step? The cookies come out sad and pale. It really does make a difference. I still do it sometimes when I’m running late, though.
- If the dough feels sticky, stick it in the fridge. Frosty hands work too, like my aunt used to say—though it’s cold and weird and I usually just lick the spoon instead.
- If you drop a spoon on the floor, don’t pick it up thinking “five-second rule” applies to dough. Ask me how I know.
Questions People Actually Asked Me
- Can I use margarine? Sure, but they won’t taste quite the same. Slightly plasticky? Maybe that’s just me. Butter’s better, but, you know, use what you got.
- Why are my cookies flat? Usually either the butter was melted instead of soft, or too much sugar. Or maybe your oven has it in for you. Mine does, sometimes.
- Can I double this recipe? Yep, though mixing gets oddly heroic and messy. Bigger bowl, more fun. I guess.
- Is chilling really necessary? Actually, it’s not—unless you want fancier cookies. I sometimes just toss ’em right in the oven and call it good enough.
- Can I use self-raising flour? Kinda works, but you have to skip some of the added baking soda or it gets all puffy. Not my favorite, but my cousin swears by it (she also puts raisins in everything, so…)
- How do I make them gluten-free? Haven’t done it much, but friends rave about Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 baking blend. Maybe check Minimalist Baker for GF swaps.
So there you go—Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies, the real way (or at least, my way). Let me know if you discover any wild new chocolate combos. Or, just come by with milk?
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
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1Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
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2In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
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3In a large bowl, beat softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla extract.
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4Gradually blend in dry ingredients. Fold in chocolate chips.
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5Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
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6Bake for 12-14 minutes or until edges are lightly golden. Cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks.
Approximate Information for One Serving
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
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