Chocolate Chunk Cookies
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Tender, puffy, and fudgy with perfectly crisp edges — these chocolate chunk cookies taste better than Toll House and are more reliable.
I’ve been baking chocolate chip cookies since the fifth grade, and I still haven’t found a recipe that’s markedly better than the classic back-of-the-bag Nestlé Toll House version that everyone knows and loves. It’s not for lack of trying—I’ve rested the dough overnight to develop flavor, browned the butter, experimented with different flours, and more. But honestly, the difference in taste never justifies the extra time or effort.
That said, the Toll House recipe isn’t perfect (sorry, Toll House!). When followed as-is, the cookies often come out disappointingly flat. Over the years, I’ve tweaked their chocolate chip cookie recipe to make it more reliable and just a touch tastier. I use less sugar, more flour, two types of high-quality chocolate instead of ordinary chocolate chips, and I always chill the dough before baking. The result? A chocolate chunk cookie recipe that yields tender, puffy, and fudgy cookies with perfectly crisp edges.
“I just made these and they came out AMAZING— so chocolatey, so full of flavor!”
What You’ll Need To Make Chocolate Chunk Cookies
- Butter: Softened butter creates a tender, chewy texture and slightly puffy cookies. Its richness enhances the flavors of the sugars and chocolate.
- Granulated Sugar & Dark Brown Sugar: Together, they add sweetness, moisture, and a hint of molasses, helping the cookies spread just enough for a crisp edge and chewy center.
- Vanilla Extract: Rounds out the sweetness and adds depth to the cookie’s flavor profile.
- Large Eggs: Give the cookies structure and moisture, creating that perfect balance between chewy and cakey.
- Salt: Balances the sweetness and enhances the rich chocolate flavor.
- Baking Soda: Helps the cookies rise slightly and gives them a soft texture, which contrasts perfectly with the crisp edges.
- All-Purpose Flour: Forms the cookie’s base and structure. I highly recommend King Arthur All-Purpose Flour for this recipe — it’s high in protein and gluten and helps the cookies hold their shape.
- Bittersweet Chocolate: Adds intense chocolate flavor, with chopped pieces melting into rich chocolate pockets throughout the cookies.
- Milk Chocolate: Balances the bittersweet chocolate with a creamy sweetness and smooth texture.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
To begin, combine the butter and both sugars in the bowl of a hand-held or stand mixer.
Beat until light, fluffy, and cafe au lait-colored. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary.
Add the vanilla and eggs and beat for 2 minutes more. Scrape down the bowl.
Add the salt and baking soda and beat briefly until evenly combined.
Add the flour and both chocolates.
Mix on low speed until the flour is completely blended and the chocolate is evenly distributed throughout the dough.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or scrape the dough into an airtight container and let rest in the refrigerator until firm, a few hours. When you’re ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Drop the dough in 1.5-tablespoon balls onto prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart. (I use a #40/1.5-T cookie scoop with a wire trigger.)
Bake for 11-13 minutes, until golden around the edges but still soft and pale in the center. Let cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make-Ahead, Freezing & Storage Instructions
The cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. The cookie dough also freezes nicely for up to 3 months. Roll the dough into balls, let set on a baking sheet in the freezer, then place in a sealable bag and press out as much air as possible. Bake as needed directly from the freezer. (Allow 1 to 2 minutes longer in the oven.) The baked cookies can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Let the cookies cool completely and store in an airtight container separating layers with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Before serving, remove the cookies from the container and let them come to room temperature.
Enjoy! For more classic cookie recipes, check out my Oatmeal Brown Sugar Cookies with Raisins & Pecans and my Crave-Worthy Sugar Cookies.
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Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Tender, puffy, and fudgy with perfectly crisp edges — these chocolate chunk cookies taste better than Toll House and are more reliable.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup (packed) dark brown sugar (fine to substitute light)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2½ cups all purpose flour, spooned and leveled (preferably King Arthur flour - see note)
- 6 oz bittersweet chocolate, best quality such as Ghriardelli, roughly chopped
- 2 oz milk chocolate, best quality such as Ghirardelli, finely chopped
Instructions
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and both sugars for 3 minutes, or until light, fluffy, and cafe au lait-colored (use high speed on a hand mixer and medium speed on a stand mixer). Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary. Add the vanilla and eggs and beat for 2 minutes more. Scrape down the bowl. Add the salt and baking soda and beat briefly until evenly combined. Add the flour and both chocolates, and mix on low speed until the flour is completely blended and the chocolate is evenly distributed throughout the dough.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or scrape the dough into an airtight container and let rest in the refrigerator until firm, a few hours. (Alternatively, if you don't want to wait, form the dough into balls on the baking sheet as instructed below and chill in the fridge until firm, about 30 minutes.)
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and set a rack in the middle position. Line a 13 x 18-inch baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Drop the dough in firmly packed 1.5-tablespoon balls onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart. (I use a #40/1.5-T cookie scoop with a wire trigger.) Bake for 11 to 13 minutes, until golden around the edges but still soft and pale in the center. Let cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining cookie dough. The cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- Note: Some readers have had issues with the cookies being flat. This can happen as a result of using a "softer" flour. I highly recommend King Arthur All Purpose Flour for this recipe -- it's high in protein and gluten, and helps cookies hold their shape.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The cookie dough can be frozen for up to 3 months. Roll the dough into balls, let set on a baking sheet in the freezer, then place in a sealable bag and press out as much air as possible. Bake as needed directly from the freezer. (Allow 1 to 2 minutes longer in the oven.) The baked cookies can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Let the cookies cool completely and store in an airtight container separating layers with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Before serving, remove the cookies from the container and let them come to room temperature.
Nutrition Information
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- Serving size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 143
- Fat: 7g
- Saturated fat: 4g
- Carbohydrates: 19g
- Sugar: 12g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 2g
- Sodium: 76mg
- Cholesterol: 24mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Flat cookies – I am trying these again. I think the issue could be that I took a large spoon and poured the flour (King Arthur) into the measuring cups. The instructions say, “spoon” so I think I did not add
enough flour. We shall see…….
Hi Kimberly, Sorry to hear the cookies turned out flat. What I mean by spooning the flour into the measuring cup is that instead of digging the measuring cup into the flour to scoop it up (which can compact it), you should use a spoon to put it into the measuring cup and then use a straight edge (like a knife to level it off). But if you think you used too little flour, it does fit that the cookies came out flat. Hope you get better results next time!
I finally found a. Chocolate chip recipe my teenage triple boys all love. I make this recipe once or twice a week and they continue to ask for them .
Thank you!
Outstanding! Made these for a picky group and everyone LOVED them. Actual comments/why they liked them so much: Impressively Soft, Not Overly Sweet, Light and Airy yet still substantial; Great Flavor; So Fluffy! One person asked me how they get so light and fluffy. I really was not sure–was it the difference in adding a little extra flour and decreasing the sugar? Was it the chilling over night? Another Huge Hit, Jenn. Thank you for sharing such great tips and techniques!! Makes such a positive difference.
I am interning abroad this summer and would like to make these for a dinner party. Unfortunately I do not have access to any kind of electric mixer. Will it work if I just mix by hand? As an alternative I am also considering your Double Chocolate Chip Cookies with Pecans since they seem to be more fool proof. Also, my landlord’s flour has been sitting around for a long time… not sure if that would make a difference…
On another note, I have tried many of your recipes and they are all amazing! This is my favourite recipe website!
Hi Carly, For either recipe, you can make them by hand — the cookies will just be a bit denser and chewier. Be sure the sugars are well combined before adding the butter (with no lumps of brown sugar); then add the butter in soft globs. The flour should be fine…and so happy you’re enjoying the recipes 🙂
I live in the UK … should I use bicarbonate of soda or baking powder? Thanks
Bicarbonate of soda– hope you enjoy!
Hi Jen
I’m sorry to say that this recipe didn’t work for me. I followed the instructions exactly, but they turned out quite flat. The dough was left in the fridge overnight, my oven was at the precise temperature (oven thermometer) and though I don’t have access to King Arthur flour, the flour I did use has a comparable protein content. I am an experienced baker and I can’t figure out why I got this result. I have made many of your other recipes and they have always turned out perfectly (thank you!).
Hi Jenn,
I made them they are delicious but I left them in the cooling rack for about 6 hours. They got soft again. Did I leave it too long?
Can I make ahead of time and keep it in the airtight container and serve them next day?
Thanks Ruth
Ruth, I don’t think letting them sit out for too long would’ve caused them to get too soft. Perhaps they were just a little under baked. The cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
DELICIOUS! Didn’t have milk chocolate on hand, so my chip combo was bittersweet & semi-sweet. Almost addictive, and the finished product looked ROUNDED & GORGEOUS> Just served at party & literally not one left. Everyone loved them! Thanks very much for the tips!
Hi Jen!
I made these cookies and although they tasted great, they were rather flat… As the reviews and your notes had warned. I live in India and we don’t get king Arthur products here. What do you suggest I use to give the cookies more height? Maybe adding ng some proportion of whole wheat flour might help?
Hi Vanita, sorry to hear they were a bit flat. I don’t think it needs to be whole wheat, but you could add about 1/4 cup more flour to the batter to give the cookies a bit more volume.
I’m making these right now and have to admit I was worried based on the reviews. These are the best, thickest, delicious cookies I have ever made! They came out beautifully. Keeping them cold is key. Used the flour I had on hand and I’m pretty sure it was Gold Medal or Pillsbury. They look like they are from a bakery! Best recipe ever. Thanks so much!!