This is the only recipe for chocolate chip cookies you will ever need. They are to this day my favorite cookies ever! Perfectly soft and chewy every time.
This Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe is a classic. It is one of those must-have family-favorite cookie recipes, much like our cut-out sugar cookies, easy no-bake cookies, or our classic peanut butter cookies.
When I say this recipe came from an actual bakery, I mean it. It wasn’t one of those recipes that came from an aunt’s cousin’s in-laws who used to work at a bakery. This recipe came from a bakery that I, myself, worked at. They are the best, most perfect, chocolate chip cookies ever!
How to Make Bakery-Style Chocolate Chip Cookies
I loved the chocolate chip cookies that we made at the bakery. Not many things sound great at 4 am…but bakery chocolate chip cookies always did.
They are so soft, chewy and DELICIOUS! You are going to love them. One of my favorite ways to eat them is chilled. At the bakery, sometimes the cookies would be chilled in the walk-in refrigerator and then given to employees the next day. You had better believe I was back in the fridge at 4 am gobbling these up. I never got sick of chocolate chip cookies.
At the bakery, we would make HUGE batches of these in massive mixers. Obviously I don’t have a bear-sized mixer in my home so I had to figure out the correct measurements for a small batch. It took some time but I figured it out and it is PERFECT. So here is my recipe for perfect bakery chocolate chip cookies. I know you are going to love them!
How to Get Your Chocolate Chip Cookies the Same Size
Ever wonder how bakeries have stacks of cookies that are all the same size? It isn’t by accident! The trick to getting bakery chocolate chip cookies all perfectly formed at the same size is using a cookie dough scoop.
I bought mine at a local restaurant supply store, but you can find them online. At the bakery, we would put on gloves, grab a big chunk of dough and scoop from our hand. I still like to do it this way, glove and all.
I like using the glove because when I do scoops I scrape the scooper along the palm of my hand to round off the dough and it protects my hands. Maybe that is my OCD coming out, but it is so satisfying seeing dozens of chocolate chip cookies, all the same size in perfectly straight rows coming out of the oven.
What Chocolate Chips Are Best?
I always like using mini chocolate chips. That is what we used at the bakery and it’s what I prefer today because you get the perfect amount of chocolate in each bite. Of course, if you don’t have mini chips, you can always use regular-sized. Because the dough, itself, is plenty sweet, you will want to stick to semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips. Milk chocolate chips tend to melt faster and make more of a mess.
Mix-In Ideas
If you want to venture out of the box and try some different mix-ins, you can swap out the chocolate chips for any (or any combination) of these:
- Peanut butter, butterscotch, or white chocolate chips
- Mini M&Ms
- Raisins
- Chopped nuts
- Chopped candy bars
- Sprinkles
- Pretzels
- Cherry chips (these can be hard to find but they were my favorite from the bakery where we grew up)
The Secret To Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies
Want to know the secret to getting those cookies perfect every time? Do. Not. Over. Bake. When you pull these out of the oven they might not seem like they are quite done. That’s ok! 8-9 minutes is the perfect amount of time for perfectly chewy cookies. While they are piping hot, they may break apart but as they cool, they will be chewy and stack-able. It is also important to not that not all ovens and elevations are the same. Experiment with your cookies and note the amount of time that works best for you.
If you prefer you chocolate chip cookies to be more crisp, just bake them a bit longer. I like to take my cookies out before the edges turn golden brown. If you want lightly crisp edges, keep a close eye on them and remove them once you start seeing the edges start to turn golden-brown (another minute or two tops). If you like the whole cookie crisp, wait an additional minute or two until the whole cookie is a light golden-brown color.
Bakery Tip: When your cookies are still warm and on the pan, lift the pan a few inches and drop it flat on the counter (this works best on a granite countertop). You don’t want to do it so hard that you break anything. Just smack it hard enough so the cookies sink into themselves instead of puffing up. They will flatten and look like the cookies below.
Can You Freeze Cookie Dough?
Yes! It’s so easy to do. That way you can make this recipe (it makes 4 dozen) and freeze whatever you don’t use. There are actually several different ways that you can freeze chocolate chip cookie dough. You can freeze it in a loaf, in scoops, or in balls. I have laid out how to freeze cookie dough in a separate post so you can learn all about it and how to bake after freezing!
What Our Readers Say
Over the years, we’ve had thousands of people make this recipe. Here’s what a few of them had to say.
“These cookies have a great look to them, just like bakery cookies. They came out perfectly round with soft crackly tops, and they stay nice and soft. My family really enjoyed these.” – Nicole
“Great cookies! Made for the first time the other night and the family was super pleased thank you so much! After 3 days the cookies are still soft and taste great .” – Michelle
“I found this recipe around 2 years ago, I made it for the first time and fell in love – and have been using it ever since!” – Katie
Other Cookie Recipes to Try
- Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Cookie
- Chocolate Marshmallow Cookies
- Peanut Butter Cookies
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Homemade Oreo Cookies
- Turtle Cookies
- Snickerdoodle Cookies
- Grandma’s Soft Sugar Cookie Recipe
How to Make Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 c butter
- 1 1/2 c. sugar
- 2 1/4 c. brown sugar packed
- 4 eggs
- 2 Tbsp. vanilla
- 6 c. flour
- 2 tsp. baking soda
- 1 Tbsp. baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 lb small chocolate chips (1 lb.)
Instructions
- Cream butter and sugar, add eggs and vanilla, mix well.
- Mix dry ingredients and add to sugar mixture.
- Add chocolate chips.
- Scoop with cookie dough scoop or small ice cream scoop.
- Bake at 325 for 8-9 minutes. Do not over bake!
Diane Lack says
Do i have to bake these on parchment paper? I always just bake them right on my cookie sheets,
Favorite Family Recipes says
You don’t have to use parchment paper, but I would recommend greasing the cookie sheets first!
Amy L Huntley says
These really are the best cookies ever. So soft and chewy!
Kristyn says
I could eat these cookies everyday!! They are so soft & chocolatey. I love having them ready for my kids when they get home from school.
Emily Walker says
❤️❤️❤️
Natalie says
There’s nothing better than a bakery-style chocolate chip cookie!! They are my weakness & I can’t resist them!
Camille Warner says
best recipy ever
Tina Chavez says
This is the BEST Chocolate chip cookie recipe I have EVER made!!! It will be the only one I use for chocolate chip cookies from now on and these are perfect for ice cream sandwiches!!!
Julie says
Are these good if I use a cup-for-cup GF flour? Or is there one you’d recommend?
schatzi says
I would do a browser search on how to adapt gf flour for regular recipes. May need extra xanthan gum and possibly almond flour. Good luck, I’m gf and sugar free meself.
Rick says
Can this recipe be halved or would it cause it not to work? Thank you.
Favorite Family Recipes says
Yes you can halve it! It will still turn out wonderfully!
Kaysi says
Can you substitute butter for margarine?
Favorite Family Recipes says
Sure!
Natasha says
I made these cookies for the first time today. They are absolutely delicious, one of the best cookies that I’ve tried!
Kara says
Using the mini chips was a great idea! Even though the amount of chocolate chips is the same, it feels like you are getting more chocolate in every bite. And more chocolate is always a win in my book!
Natalie says
So soft & chocolate-y!! My favorite! My kids love when they have some waiting for them after school!
Sue Caplinger says
These cookies are awesome !! I have been making chocolate chip cookies for 45 years or more, and these are the best!!
MJ says
Can you freeze the cookies or dough? If so how long will it stay good for?
Favorite Family Recipes says
Yes! Frozen cookies or frozen dough will be good for about 3 months.
Erin says
I have a chocolate chip cookie recipe I have used for years. This weekend I decided to try yours, as I have had it saved in my Pinterest account for a while…well, they were a hit…now my family won’t let me go back to the other recipe… and I agree with them! These absolutely are the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever made or eaten!
Favorite Family Recipes says
So glad you loved them! My kids won’t eat any other chocolate chip cookies either!
Norma says
Can you use half whole wheat flour?
Favorite Family Recipes says
We haven’t tried it that way so I can’t say. But let us know how it turns out if you do try it!
Maria says
Hi,
I don’t have small chocolate chips, but I have regular-sized semisweet chocolate chips. Could I use those instead?
Thank you!
Favorite Family Recipes says
Yep!
Teresa Peeples says
I have made these with both light and dark brown sugar and it is my belief that the dark adds a bit richer flavor than the light brown
Patricia Boucher says
I would love to make this recipe, but i like my cookies crisp. Is there any way to crisp them up.
Favorite Family Recipes says
You can try cooking them for a bit longer!
Victoria says
How many tablespoons would you say are in a small ice cream scoop?
Favorite Family Recipes says
I think its about 2 tablespoons.
jordan says
Thank you for sharing the recipe! should I use dark brown or light brown sugar or does it not matter which one I use?
also does the butter and sugar need to be creamed until
really light and fluffy (like when youre making a cake),
or just until it starts to lighten in colour
or until they are just combined?
Thanks!
Favorite Family Recipes says
I usually use light brown sugar, but you can use either. I also cream the butter and sugar until it is light and fluffy!
Kristina says
These cookies are perfect! I was actually given one of those commercial mixers and have never had a chance to use it. I wish I had your full size recipe to finally try it out! We have a big family but I might still have to give cookies to everyone I know-I’m sure they wouldnt mind.
Deborah L LaRocca says
Most anything from Hawaii is ono.
Tracy says
I’m horrible at baking so this question is meant to assure me that my cookies will turn out like a true bakery Ü Do the eggs and the butter need to be at room temperature?
Thanks so much!
Favorite Family Recipes says
The butter should definitely be at room temperature! As for the eggs, I usually just put them in straight from the fridge. Happy Baking!
Tracy says
Awesome! Thanks so much for the speedy reply *Ü*
Tracy says
Came back to declare these were the best cookies I’ve ever made in my life. No self-titling here, this honor came directly from my cookie snob Husband ❤️ I was beyond excited! My scooper broke after the first dozen but I powered through and have a lovely stash in the freezer for him. Thank you so very much!
Lorie K says
How many cookies should this make? Any one use air bake sheets? Sometimes they take longer to bake and cool.
Pam says
Tracy, Thank you for sharing the recipe, I can’t wait to try it.! Do you bake these on parchment paper, or grease the cookie sheet pan?
Thanks,
Pam
Michelle Todoverto says
Great cookies! Made for the first time the other night and the family was super pleased thank you so much! After 3 days the cookies are still soft and taste great . Only thing that was off for me was cooking time but not surprised as my oven cooks uneven it took 16 min to get a light gold color.
Favorite Family Recipes says
So glad you liked the cookies. Definitely our go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe 🙂
Maurice Clark says
I am looking for your Super Soft chocolate chip cookie recipe with vanilla pudding mix in it??
Favorite Family Recipes says
I don’t think we have a recipe like that, but the bakery chocolate chip cookie recipe in this post is hands down my favorite cookie recipe ever!
Jean bart says
For choc chip recipe w/ instant vanilla pudding mix, try http://www.averiecooks.com
Annie says
Love the recipe. Now I use A lot of random recipes online all of the time. I came across yours, and just saw the usual butter sugar etc. so I proceeded to just go for it. Let me just ask why I made Enough cookie dough for a wedding! It didn’t even fit in my kitchen aid! I am laughing, and am thankful I had enough of everything to finish! My family will be happy to have cookies for a month.
Saima Khan says
Hi there,
little confused about recipe , you didn’t use any flour in recipe or there is any printing mistake?
Erica says
Flour is found in the ingredients list. In the instructions it is considered one of the “dry” ingredients. Hope this helps!
Ashley says
You mention this being a “small batch,” however it’s not listed how many cookies this makes? Thanks.
Erica says
It depends on how big of cookies you make… typically we get about 3 dozen.
David says
Can you add pecans? If so how much?
Erica says
Sure! You can probably add 1-2 c.
Merry says
This recipe looks great! Back to the butter issue, recipe calls for 3 1/2 sticks but in parenthesis it says 2 3/4 cups? Thinking it should be 1 3/4 ????. Trying them today.
Erica says
Whoops! My bad! I fixed it 🙂
Sheila says
Love this recipe! Was just wondering if it can be made into bars (9×13)?
Thanks for the recipe ????????
Erica says
We haven’t made it in bars before but I am sure they would be great! Just keep checking them for doneness– you will probably have to cook longer
Carly says
Cubes are actually 1/4 stick of butter(2 tablespoon) so that measurement messed me up. I had made the cookie dough and realized it was not enough butter, so I had to add more at the end. They came out very small and rose too much, looked absolutely nothing like this. Would burn at the edges and not get cooked all the way through. Had an after taste to them. I will try next time to make these properly now I know you meant STICKS and NOT CUBES. Please change it! Thank you!
Erica says
Fixed it. 🙂 Sorry for the misunderstanding. Hopefully it is very clear on the post now!
Korey says
What size would you say a small ice cream scoop is? 1/4 cup?
Erica says
I guess technically the “ice cream” scoop I use is a actually a “cookie dough” scoop. Think bigger than a walnut, smaller than a golfball.. hope that helps!
Michael says
BYU-Hawaii!!! I loved my time spent there!
Kathy says
i am still not sure about the butter measurement. Is it 1 and 3/4 cups? They sound yummy!
Erica says
Yes, it is 1 3/4 cups
Shelly says
Fantastic recipe – and simple, too! My other favorite recipe is much more complicated and requires refrigeration, so this will be my new favorite! I would add that the bake time is increased when cooking with Silpat sheets, but perfect every time!
Echo says
We are so glad you like this recipe! We love it too!
Megha Clyde says
Hi there! I was just wondering about how many cookies does this make? Looks fabulous by the way!!
Echo says
This recipe makes a big batch of cookies. If you make large cookies, it makes about 6 dozen or so. If you make an average size cookie – a heaping tablespoon of dough per cookie – it makes 8-10 dozen cookies.
Krista says
I can’t see the recipe at all. Sad 🙁
Echo says
I’m sorry! We had some issues with our site this afternoon. It is back up now. Don’t miss the recipe – it’s a great one! 🙂
Nicole says
These cookies have a great look to them, just like bakery cookies. They came out perfectly round with soft crackly tops, and they stay nice and soft. My family really enjoyed these. I liked them also but felt that maybe an additional bit of salt could be added to balance out the sweetness, these do have a lot of sugar. I might try adding just a bit more of salt next time and see if that helps. Overall, these have the best look, texture, and chewiness than any other chocolate chip cookie I have made. Thanks for sharing!
Nicole says
Also I halved the recipe and ended it up with over 3 dozen cookies, more than I need sitting in front of me 🙂
Erica says
So glad you like them!! They are the ONLY chocolate chip cookies we make around here! 🙂
Danielle says
I am so happy I came across this recipe on Pinterest!!! I have been on a search for the best chocolate chip cookies that don’t go flat on me!!! These are it!! They came out great, not flat, have a slight crisp to the edge but are chewy! The recipe made a TON of cookies and would have been a cinch had my Kitchen Aid mixer not died on me last week. I used my hand mixer and it was a bit of a chore.
I had to play around with the time. I baked them at 350 and needed about 13 minutes but my scoop might have been a bit bigger than others.
Thanks again for sharing!!
Erica says
Yay! I am so glad that you like them! They are seriously my go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe. They always come out perfect and I always end up eating WAYYY too many. Hopefully you can get another stand-mixer soon so you can make them again and not have to do it all by hand!
Katie says
I found this recipe around 2 years ago, I made it for the first time and fell in love – and have been using it ever since! Chocolate chip cookies are my favorite dessert- and my hubby’s, too (well, the dough). I usually bake at 350 for 10 minutes, but every oven is different! But thank you for posting this recipe! It is already a family favorite, and the cookie my kids will grow up loving!!!
ps – I freeze the cookies and eat them as a snack – so I always have my favorite dessert on hand! Sounds weird, but you should try it. It only takes a few minutes for it to defrost.. and I actually prefer them frozen now instead of “fresh-baked”. I think it helps you savor every bite!
Christy says
Katie, I have not made this recipe yet, but I definitely plan to because chocolate chip cookies are a must for that go to sweet snack after dinner. I noticed that you said something about freezing them and eating them as a snack. Do you mean you literally eat them frozen? If so, what about the raw egg? Aren’t you worried about that making you sick? BTW… I love cookie dough…????
Sylvie says
You cook them first!!
makana says
Hey… I too worked in the BYU Hawaii Bakery. Oh… how i love that little place. And the chocolate chip cookies
The Goffs says
Made these cookies tonight… DELISH! Thanks so much for this blog… I use TONZ of your recipes. And I cooked mine on 325 for 8 minutes and they were no more than PERFECTO! They didn't look exactly like yours but so close… just not as cracky… more smooth 🙂 Is cracky a word? HAHA! YUMMO!
The Goffs says
These made good dough too 🙂 Love dough! Mine turned out a little crispy on the outside edge and bottom with the middle gooey. I probably have bad cookie sheets. What is your suggestion on cookie sheets? Where do you get them… Light, Dark, Specialty etc? THX!!! Oh, and they are still delicious! Maybe once they sit for a bit (like tomorrow) they will be divine!
Katie says
Sam’s Club sells a set of 1 half-sheets for a very reasonable price. They have edges so you can actually bake cookie bars/sheet brownies in them too. They rock! They are a light aluminum and you can find them with other kitchen supplies.
Your problem, though, can be solved by refrigerating the dough for 20-30 min (or as long as you want – it just increases the cooking time a bit, but they turn out great!)
Sonja says
Try USA pans! Amazon sells them. Made in PA and are the BEST cookie sheets ever!
Sonny says
I second the USA cookie sheets. Cooks Illustrated recommended them and I love mine.
Karen Hilliard says
These cooks are so good! Mine also took longer to cook, but I just might set my oven to 350. No big deal since they are so delicious…🍪
Lindsey says
I cooked them on convection @ 300 for 10 minutes..perfection.
Lindsey says
made these, divine.
~Diana~ says
I'm trying your recipe tonight. Is the oven temp really 325? Because after 9 minutes the cookies were definitely not done. Should it be 375?
Sylvia Albert says
Everyone’s oven is different!
Sarah says
These sound fantastic. When you say “small chocolate chips” are those the mini ones?
Echo Blickenstaff says
No, the small ones are just the normal sized ones. We just wanted to clarify because we have seen a lot of brands like Ghirardelli selling large chocolate chips that don’t work as well in this recipe.
Anonymous says
These have become my family’s favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. (I’ve received requests to make these for my childrens’ friends in the lunchroom.) The only alteration I made was to add a bit of instant coffee granules (I always do this when I bake with chocolate as it intensifies the chocolatey taste). Thanks so much for the recipe
Wei-Jing says
Hi, how much instant coffee do you add?
Anonymous says
THANKYOU VERY MUCH. WE ARE GOING TO MAKE IT TODAY.
Erica says
You will love these cookies! It is actually 3 1/2 cubes… so about 1 3/4 cups.
Anonymous says
I WANT TO MAKE THIS COOKIE. WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY 3 1/2 CUBES OF REAL BUTTER. DO YOU MEAN 3 1/2 CUPS OF REAL BUTTER.