We’ve spent countless hours testing and used hundreds of bags of chocolate chips over the years to make this recipe. The main ingredients for chocolate chip cookies are simple.
Flour: All-purpose flour is the go-to choice for the right balance of chewiness to tenderness. It’s the most used type of flour in baking and cooking.
Sugar: We call for both granulated sugar and brown sugar. Granulated sugar brings sweetness and tenderness to the cookies while brown sugar adds to the rich, buttery flavor as well contributing to the chewiness.
Egg: Over the years we’ve gone up and down on eggs. They contribute to the height of the cookies as well as the texture. We landed on one egg to create the best cookie shape and texture.
Chocolate Chips: We’re partial to semisweet chocolate chips for their iconic, decadent taste.
Butter: We use salted butter since it is more readily available and stays fresh longer. This recipe calls for softened butter. To soften, leave on your counter until your finger makes an imprint.
Baking Soda: Gives the cookies lift.
Vanilla: Brings the flavors together.
Optional Nuts: For a layer of flavor and crunch. Our favorites to use are walnuts or pecans.
Cookie Sheet: Through over 75 years of baking cookies, we've found that the best cookie sheet has a classic shiny finish, which reflects heat more evenly, resulting in cookies that bake uniformly. It's helpful to have at least two cookie sheets, so one can be in the oven while you're scooping the next batch.
Cookie Scoop: A cookie scoop helps create more uniform cookies. We suggest using one that is 1 1/4-inches in diameter (#50 size). A soup spoon will also do the trick.
Other Cookware You’ll Need: Mixing bowl, dry measuring cups, measuring spoons, electric mixer or stand mixer, cooling rack.
Here’s how to make chocolate chip cookies you’ll be proud to serve.
Place your rack in the center of the oven; this is the best place to bake cookies because the heat circulates most evenly throughout the oven.