These cookies aren’t anything fancy, and they don’t purport to reinvent the chocolate chip cookie or anything. They aren’t gooey, chewy chocolate chip cookies but are instead tender and crumbly. They aren’t all the same size, and they aren’t all perfectly round. And I love them for it. Because they taste like a cookie. Like a really good cookie. That’s all I wanted–a soft, crumb-leaving, delicious, straight forward cookie, studded and sprinkled with chocolate. And I can tell you with certainty, these are all those things.
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Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 12 cookies 1x
Description
These soft chocolate chip cookies are tender, crumbly, and studded with chocolate, offering a straightforward and delicious treat.
Ingredients
- 140 g (1 cup + 2 tbsp.) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- large pinch salt
- 113 g (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
- 90 g (1/4 cup + 3 tbsp.) granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp. vanilla bean paste or extract
- small splash almond extract (optional)
- 1/2 cup (85 g) chocolate chips (milk, dark, whatever you prefer)
- 1/2 cup (85 g) dark chocolate, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt until well combined.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the egg and vanilla bean paste to the butter mixture and mix until fully incorporated.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until just combined.
- Fold in the chocolate chips by hand, ensuring they are evenly distributed throughout the dough.
- Drop spoonfuls of dough onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden and the centers are set.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
- For a variation, try adding a pinch of cinnamon to the dough.
- If you prefer chewier cookies, slightly underbake them and let them cool on the baking sheet.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 10
- Sodium: 100
- Fat: 8
- Carbohydrates: 18
- Fiber: 1
- Protein: 2
- Cholesterol: 30
Find it online: https://honestcooking.com/soft-chocolate-chip-cookies-recipe/
If You Liked This Recipe, You’ll Love These
- Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies
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Frequently Asked Questions
What makes these cookies tender and crumbly rather than chewy?
The article describes these cookies as intentionally “tender and crumbly” rather than gooey and chewy — the result of a higher flour-to-fat ratio using all granulated sugar (90 g) rather than brown sugar, and baking at 350°F for 12–15 minutes until the edges are lightly golden. The notes actually say if you want chewier cookies, slightly underbake them and let them cool on the baking sheet.
Why does the recipe use both chocolate chips and roughly chopped dark chocolate?
The recipe calls for 1/2 cup (85 g) chocolate chips and an equal amount of roughly chopped dark chocolate. Chips hold their shape during baking for defined pockets of chocolate, while the chopped chocolate melts into irregular shards and puddles, giving you two different textures and intensities of chocolate flavor in the same cookie. 
What does the optional almond extract do, and can I leave it out?
The almond extract is listed as optional and described as a “small splash.” It adds a subtle nutty-floral undertone that complements the chocolate without being identifiable as almond flavor. You can omit it entirely — the recipe is designed around the vanilla bean paste as the primary flavoring.
