Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies – a delicious blend of gooey centers and the perfect hint of crunch–no hand or stand mixer required!
Try our other famous cookie recipes next: Snickerdoodles, Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies, or White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies.
Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Craving the ultimate chocolate chip cookies? Our family’s weekly baking ritual has revealed a game-changer: maple syrup. It was a happy accident when agave ran low, and now, it’s our secret to the softest, chewiest cookies that we just can’t keep enough of. It’s not about the sweetness—it’s about that slight maple hint that makes all the difference. Fresh out of the oven, they’re simply the best.
Ingredients In Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Unsalted Butter: Makes cookies rich and chewy. Melt then cool it to keep the dough right.
- Sugars: Brown sugar brings moistness and a rich taste; white sugar makes it sweet and helps cookies brown and spread.
- Egg: Holds everything together and gives shape.
- Vanilla & Maple Syrup: Add a deep, sweet flavor.
- Cornstarch: Keeps cookies soft.
- Baking Soda & Powder: Help cookies puff up and define their texture.
- Salt: Cuts the sweetness and brings out flavors.
- Flour: Builds the cookie’s body and soaks up wet ingredients.
- Chocolate Chips: Add bursts of chocolate for a delicious, melty heart.
Quick Tip
Not all syrups are created equal! For this recipe, use 100% pure maple syrup, which comes from concentrated maple tree sap. Avoid pancake syrup, which is just a mix of sugars with maple flavoring. Always check the label to ensure it’s pure maple syrup.
How To Make Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Prepare Dough: Melt the butter and let it cool. In the same bowl, mix in both sugars, the egg, vanilla extract, and maple syrup. Then fold in the dry ingredients (cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and flour) until just combined. Stir in most of the chocolate chips.
- Chill: Refrigerate the dough for 1 hour.
- Shape and Bake: Preheat the oven to 325°F (163°C), form the dough into balls on a lined baking sheet, and chill again for 10 minutes. Bake for 9-14 minutes until the edges are just brown.
- Finish: Press the extra chocolate chips on top immediately after baking, then cool on the tray for 5 minutes before moving to a rack.
Tips for these cookies
- Let the melted butter cool: Once the butter is melted, it needs to cool back to room temperature. This is extremely important. If the butter is hot, it will melt the sugars, which causes greasy cookies that spread.
- Chill the dough: Since we melted the butter, the dough needs time to chill. This allows the butter to re-solidify. Otherwise, these cookies spread into a pancake! The chilling time also gives the flavors and textures time to meld together and intensify.
- Measure carefully: The most important measurement is the flour. If you press a measuring cup into a bag of flour you are likely packing in way too much flour which will yield cake-y and less flavorful cookies. Spoon the flour into a measuring cup and level the top with the back of a butter knife.
Storage
Can You Freeze Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies?
Freeze cookie dough instead of cookies for freshness. Scoop dough onto a sheet pan, freeze until solid, then store in an airtight container or bag in the freezer for up to 3 months.
When ready to bake, cook directly from frozen, adding 1-3 minutes to the bake time, or thaw in the fridge first and follow the recipe as usual.
More Amazing Desserts
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- Carmelitas chewy oatmeal chocolate caramel bars
- Puppy Chow peanut butter & chocolate snack mix
- Homemade Cinnamon Rolls with cream cheese frosting
Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Equipment
- Large bowl microwave-safe
- Sheet pan (15″ x 10″) lined
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar or dark brown sugar, see note 1
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1-1/4 cups chocolate chips divided
Instructions
- In a very large, microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter. Once melted, refrigerate for 5 minutes. Hot butter will melt the sugars and make the cookies greasy.
- Once butter is cooled to room temperature, stir in both sugars. Briskly mix with a whisk or wooden spoon until smooth and integrated, about 1 minute. Stir in the egg, vanilla extract, and maple syrup. Stir again until fully smooth.
- Add cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix well. Add flour (see note 2) and mix until just combined. Don’t overmix. Gently stir in 1 cup of chocolate chips until combined.
- Cover the bowl tightly and chill for 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or use a silicone baking mat.
- Roll dough into tall cylindrical balls. Dough balls should be about 2-1/2 tablespoons each. Place 6–8 dough balls on a sheet pan to give the cookies plenty of room to spread. Place the tray back in the fridge for 10 minutes.
- Bake for 9–14 minutes. The cookies will continue to bake slightly out of the oven, so take them out as soon as the edges start to lightly brown. It’s better to under-bake than to over-bake.
- Remove from the oven and press the remaining 1/4 cup chocolate chips onto the tops of the cookies. Allow to cool on the baking tray for 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.
Video
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies FAQs
Cookies can turn out hard if baked too long, if the oven is too hot, or if there’s too much flour. Make sure your oven temperature is right, watch the baking time, and use new baking soda, powder, and soft brown sugar for the best feel.
Cookies may flatten if the dough isn’t chilled enough, letting the butter firm up. Warm butter, too little flour, or baking at high altitude can also cause cookies to spread too much.
Woops just re read it no milk sorry 🙂
No worries! 🙂
When is the milk added??
There is no milk in this recipe?
It says in the recipe 1 and 1/4 cup of milk? But I don’t see where you have added it to your instructions
What is the adjustment for a high altitude?
I’m sorry I don’t have experience baking at higher altitudes than where I’m at; hopefully this helps: https://www.wikihow.com/Adjust-a-Cookie-Recipe-for-High-Altitude
The three things I loved most about these cookies and this recipe. First, no need to remember to let butter come to room temp. Second, no need to bust out the electric mixer or stand mixer. Lastly, and most importantly, these are AWESOME! They are my new favorite recipe. Thanks!
I am so happy to hear this! Thanks so much for this comment Pam! 🙂
These were good. They kinda flattened after they came out of the oven. Oops..
Best chocolate chip cookies ever! And I love chocolate chip cookies.
I am so happy to hear this Mandy! Thanks so much for your comment! 🙂
Hi Chelsea!
I don’t have maple syrup. What do you recommend I use instead?
Do you have agave nectar?
First time I bake cookies on my own and they came out delicious!
A little bit too sweet for my mum’s taste, can I try a batch with less sugar or will the cookies come out not the same?
Made these yesterday and after I put the choc chips in I wasn’t sure how they would turn out. Turned out great, I did put the melted butter in the fridge to cool off. Great recipe can highly recommend
Yay! Glad you enjoyed these Carol 🙂
Chelsea I am really enjoying your website and your recipes.
Can I triple this recipe and still have a chewy cookie? I bake a lot at Christmas and use my cookies as gifts. I know 18 cookies won’t go very far.
Thanks
I’d make 3 different batches for best results 🙂 Enjoy!!