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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I just baked two of your Chocolate Chunk Cookies to see how they would turn out, before baking the entire recipe. The only change I had to make was replace the 2 ounces of Milk Chocolate baking bar with Milk Chocolate Chips. My cookies did rise, and taste delicious. This recipe is a keeper. Thanks Jenn for delicious recipes.
For decades, I have been searching for the “perfect” chocolate chip cookie. The first time I made this recipe, I followed it as written. WOW !!!! They were amazing !!!! Nothing could make this cookie better. They are not too sweet and deliciously buttery. The cookies are thick without being cakey. Actually, for a thick cookie, they are remarkably crisp. The combination of milk and dark chocolate takes these cookies to another level and using chopped chocolate (not chips) is key. By chopping the chocolate, you get pieces of varying sizes. I found that it appeared as though I had layered the chocolate into the cookies. Since that first attempt, I have made these cookies many times. I finally found the perfect chocolate chip cookie. Thanks.
I followed this recipe to a T, using King Arthur all-purpose flour and weighing it to make sure it was exact. I refrigerated the dough for over 4 hours and it was very stiff to scoop. The cookies spread even more than a tollhouse cookie would have. I thought maybe I scooped them too big so I decided to make sure I was doing about 1.5 TBSP – and then weighed each ball of dough so they were exactly that size, and THEN refrigerated them in ball form right until baking. Still they are spreading all over the pan. This is my first disappointing turnout from the blog and I hope you can figure out what needs to be adjusted so that we can have them turn out looking like yours!
Hi Adrianne, sorry to hear you had a problem with these! It Sounds like you covered all the bases and were very careful with your measuring, etc. When you scooped the dough into balls, did you make them pretty dense? I have found that that helps with achieving the puffiness you’re looking for.
Hi Jen, have made these a few times now (many thanks for all your recipes on your web site and in your cookbook – enjoy them all) and the amount of chilling time definitely impacts the cookies – I go for scooping out immediately (otherwise the chilled mix breaks my scoops!?!) and then chilling overnight at a minimum. I do struggle with them being too flat (hence 4 stars) despite trying all sorts of flours and since I use the metric measurements (I live in the UK) I would be interested in exactly how much more flour you suggest I add for a puffier end result as per your picture? You say below a few tablespoons – would that be 3 or 4 or more? When I lift the cooled cookies of the baking tray they leave an oily ring which suggests to me they need a fair bit more flour but I would welcome your recommendation. Many thanks
Hi Helen, Sorry you’re having trouble getting these to rise. I think I’d start with an additional 3 tablespoons of flour. Also, be sure you’re really packing the scoops; it makes a difference in how they rise.
Did you use good quality butter?
Easy, fool proof, so good and fluffy. Exactly what I was looking for! THANK YOU!
Hi Jenn,
Loved the cookies even though mine turned out a little flat. They were still chewy and crispy at the same time which I like. Have a couple of questions though:
1) For the puffy, could it be my baking soda? It’s not expired but probably has been open for about a year.
2) I wanted to add some nuts. Would walnuts or pecans work? Should I roast them ahead of time (I have raw) before adding to the dough? And how much do you think would work, approximately a cup?
Thanks so much! I’m going to try your brisket recipe next. 🙂
Hi Cherry, Baking soda generally keeps for a long time so I don’t think that’s the issue. (If you want, you can test it to make sure it works. Pour a few spoonfuls of vinegar into a glass or bowl. Add a bit of baking soda. If the baking soda bubbles, it still works.) I To make the cookies a little puffier, you might want to try adding another few tablespoons of flour to the batter. Also, make sure you use a cookie scoop to really pack the dough into balls — that can help a lot. (And hope you enjoy the brisket!) 🙂
Hi Cherry, I almost forgot to answer your question about the nuts! Either walnuts or pecans would work – really depends on your preference. No need to toast them first, but it will add a nice flavor if you do. And I’d suggest about 1/2 cup.
I used King Arthur flour and unfortunately it did not save the cookies from being very flat. The taste was fine. I think next time I might freeze individual dough balls and then bake straight from the freezer. Jenn, do you think that would help?
Hi Olga, I do think that would help. You might also try adding another few tablespoons of flour. And definitely use a cookie scoop to really pack the dough into balls — it makes a difference.
Would the texture of the cookies be impacted if I cut the recipe in half? thanks
That shouldn’t impact the texture, Cody. (But both the cookies and the dough freeze nicely if you want to make a whole batch.)
Just made this and they rose beautifully, I even mixed them by hand! I used Cadbury milk chocolate bars chopped up and they were delicious! Thanks for the rocking recipe!
Hi Jen!!Your site is my favorite!! Between your book and your site I’ve made at least 40 recipes, all of which have been excellent except this one did not come out quite right. I used the King Arthur’s flour and I refrigerated the dough for a day. The cookies seemed to melt on the pan into a puffy, cake like cookie. Any idea why? Was I supposed to bring dough to room temp before baking?
Hi Denise, Sorry you had trouble with these! The dough should definitely be cold so the cookies hold their shape in the oven. I’m wondering if they were a bit undercooked? Or were you hoping for a flatter, crispier cookie? Can you send me a photo (jennifer@onceuponachef.com)?
Just made these a did not have a flatness problem – I used Gold Medal flour. Both my flour and my baking powder were newly opened so maybe that made the difference. My only problem was that I only got 2 dozen cookies 🙊. I didn’t have a scoop so just eyeballed it and only got 24 cookies – they did not look done after 13 minutes so added more time.