Thin & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Published: September 19, 2018 · Modified: December 24, 2022
These Thin & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies are thin yet still chewy and SO buttery, and they still have room for lots of chocolate. Just wait until you smell them in the oven! Thin, chewy, and buttery heaven!!
I have had several requests for chocolate chip cookie recipes, and my #1 request is for chewy. Therefore, I’m starting today with thin & chewy chocolate chip cookies. Thin & chewy, but still room for all those chocolate chips.
So are you ready to learn how to make perfect thin and chewy chocolate chip cookies?
Tips for making Thin & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Don’t over mix the batter. Mix the butter and sugars until they are creamy and free of all sugar lumps, but once you add the flour, only mix long enough to incorporate the flour. Add 1/2 of the flour and incorporate it, then add the second 1/2 and barely, I mean barely mix it in. Add your chocolate chips and then finish incorporating the flour along with the chocolate chips. This only takes a few seconds. Why should you incorporate the flour and stop mixing, you ask? Here’s why. The eggs contain water and once you mix flour with eggs (water), it forms gluten. Activated gluten makes things chewy. Gluten can’t form in fat (butter).
- Use butter, not margarine or shortening. Butter prevents the formation of gluten, which results in a more tender cookie but also a cookie that spreads more. The more butter you use, the more the cookies will spread.
- Use part brown sugar. For an extra chewy cookie use equal amounts of brown and granulated sugar. The brown sugar lends to a chewier texture.
- Add one extra egg yolk. If your recipe calls for 2 eggs, use 1 whole egg and 1 egg yolk. Egg whites dry out quickly when they are baked, stealing some of the moisture from the cookies.
- Bake at a lower temperature. The lower the temperature, the longer it takes for the cookies to bake, therefore giving them more time to spread.
- Don’t over bake. Remove the cookies from the oven as soon as they are golden brown around the edges. The centers will still be doughy looking. Leave the cookies on the cookie sheet to cool. They will continue baking for a few minutes on the hot cookie sheet.
- Add some cornstarch to the dry ingredients. Cornstarch makes cookies more soft and tender, and you can’t have chewy without tender…can you?
- Roll the cookies in balls of the same size so they will all get done at the same time.
- Once the cookies have cooled, transfer them to a wire cooling rack until they are set. Once they’re set, place them in an airtight container with waxed paper between the layers. Also, lay the cookies completely flat.
CAN I FREEZE THESE BAKED COOKIES?
Yes, you most definitely can. Place in a freezer safe airtight container with waxed paper between each layer. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
CAN I FREEZE THE COOKIE DOUGH?
Yes, of course. This is the way I prefer. Here’s what I do. I scoop balls of dough onto a lined baking sheet. I place the cookie sheet in the freezer for about 2 hours, until the balls are frozen enough to not stick together. Then I place them in a freezer bag. When I get a hankering for a chocolate chip cookie, I simply remove how many I want, allow them to thaw for about 15 minutes and bake them. If I were baking big fat cookies, I wouldn’t thaw them at all, but I want these to be thin.
UPDATE
I’ve had a couple of comments from bakers saying their cookies came out dry and did not spread. Make sure to read the tips above before making the cookies. These cookies should never be dry. Small things are a big deal in making perfect cookies, especially when it comes to measuring the flour correctly, not over mixing the dough and not over baking. If your cookies don’t spread after reading the tips above, try omitting the use of parchment paper and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees. Not all oven temperatures are the same!
Reader Dorothea says…”I have been searching for the best chocolate chip cookie recipe and I finally found it in your recipe! I just finished baking them and they receive 5 plus stars from me! Thank you for all your testing and refinement with your recipe to make me and family very, very happy!! Merry Christmas and I will never go back to the old recipe I have used for decades!
More chocolate chip cookies you might enjoy…
Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies
Thick & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Thick & Chewy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
If you make this recipe please rate it, and comment below on how you liked it. I love getting your feedback! 🙂
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Thin & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Prep Time: 15 Minutes
- Cook Time: 12 Minutes
- Total Time: 27 minutes
- Yield: 20 1x
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
These buttery chewy cookies will have you drooling just looking at them, and wait until you smell them in the oven. Thin, chewy and buttery heaven!
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, (see note below*)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2/3 cup light brown sugar
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 bag, bittersweet chocolate chips, good quality such as Ghirardelli, or you can use semi-sweet or milk chocolate
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Whisk together the flour, salt, cornstarch and baking soda in a medium bowl and set aside.
- Add the butter to the bowl of a stand mixer, or use a hand mixer. Mix on medium-high speed until the butter is very light and creamy, about one minute.
- Add the sugars and mix on high speed until all of the sugar is dissolved and there are no lumps remaining in the brown sugar, about one minute.
- Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and mix on medium speed just long enough to combine about 30 seconds.
- Add one cup of the flour, and mix just until almost incorporated, no more. Add the second cup of flour and mix until the flour is about halfway incorporated. Stop mixer and add the chocolate chips and mix on medium speed until the flour is incorporated and stop the mixer. Do not over mix.
- Using a large cookie/ice cream scoop, (see note below**) place scoops of dough on a cookie sheet that has been lined with parchment paper. The parchment paper will help the cookies from spreading too thin. They will already be thin, trust me.
- Bake until cookies are browned around the edges but still slightly doughy looking in the centers. Allow cookies to cool on the cookie sheet. They will finish baking on the cookie sheet. Once they are cooled, transfer them to a wire rack until they are completely cooled and set before stacking them or placing them in a container.
- Store cookies in an airtight container with waxed paper between the layers. Cookies should stay fresh for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
Notes
- *Either aerate the flour by running a fork through it several times before measuring or use the spoon & level technique by spooning the flour into your measuring cup, then leveling it off with a knife.
- **If you’re not sure what size your cookie/ice cream scoop is, fill it with water. If it holds 2 1/2 tablespoons of water it is a large scoop. This size will make 20 cookies.
- Cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months. Freeze in layers with cookies flat, using waxed paper between the layers and place in an airtight container.
Amazing! Thank you for the wonderful recipe! Be blessed
You are so welcome Dina! I’m so glad you liked them! 🙂
These are the best! This is the only chocolate chip cookie recipe I use now! Thank you!
Hi Sherry, I’m SO glad you like them. Happy cookie baking! 🙂
Hi! I just tried making these and followed the recipe and instructions to a tee but the cookies were more doughy and crumbly instead of thin and chewy. What did I do wrong? Baked at 375 for 9 min.
Only thing I did differently was the dough chilled overnight – is that too long?
Thanks!
Hi Amanda,
For this recipe, you want these cookies to spread and be thin and chewy. Were your cookies thin or on the thicker side? Also, if you don’t spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it off with the edge of a knife, you might unknowingly be using too much flour. This will make the cookies dry and crumbly.
Thank you! maybe that was the problem, overnight refrigeration! I will try again.
Yes, for measuring I made sure everything was exact and leveled off.
They were on the thicker side, with a sandy texture, not thin and chewy.
I also do have a cookie baking curse so it is probably just me haha!
LOL! I’m sure they’ll turn out better next time. 🙂
Hi there! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe, it was delicious 🙂 The only thing that went wrong is that my cookies have never came out flat no matter what recipe I use, and unfortunately yours was no exception. I made sure to airate the flour, refridgerate the dough for the correct amount of time, and do all the other cookie tips everyone mentions. Do you have an idea of what could be wrong? I’m startng to think I have a cookie curse or something haha
Hi Vivian,
No, you’re not cursed. Lol. Your oven temperature might be different than mine. All ovens seem to be different. I suggest not refrigerating the dough next time. They will spread more. Maybe your oven runs extra hot. Also, try reducing your oven temp by 25 degrees. This gives them more time to spread. Refrigerating the dough for a few minutes works for me, but my oven might not run as hot as yours. Good luck, and let me know how they turn out next time! 🙂
Cindy
How can I cut this recipe (x1) in half? I only have a stick of butter at the moment. Would cutting everything in half and just put in 1 whole egg VS 1 whole and a yolk be okay?
Hi Anna,
Yes, you can cut it in half and omit the extra yolk. Happy baking!!
Cindy
Made this with Kerrygold European butter and it turned out perfect. But when I switched butters, Costco organic butter, and omitted the yolk, it did not turn out flat. The cookie was thick and cakey but still crisp.
Do you know why the change? Was it the extra yolk missing? Or was it the butter change? Kerrygold is a more fatty butter vs the regular stick butters. Please help! I’d prefer to use the less expensive butter for baking rather the more expensive kind.
I think you needed an extra yolk not omit the yolk
These came out PERFECT! I think next time I’ll add some nuts to them. My new go to recipe!
Hello, do you think this recipe would work for a cookie cake? I have tried other cookies cake recipe and they are very cakes and fluffy. I want a flat soft and chewy cookie cake like the ones you get at the cookie places with out spending $40 bucks.
Thank you in advance!
Hi there! I haven’t made this as a giant cookie but it should work. I’m assuming you’re making it in a pizza pan? Just make sure to not over bake it. Remove it from the oven when the center is still slightly gooey. It will continue to bake in the pan for 2 to 3 minutes once it’s removed from the oven. Happy baking! 🙂
Hands down the BEST chocolate chip cookie recipe I have ever made. I used 1 cup light brown sugar and 1/3 cup of white sugar and they were PERFECT. In my oven I baked for about what ended up being 11 mins (following your guidelines about brown edges). This is now my go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe. Definitely making these next year for our friends annual cookie party. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Erika, I’m so glad they were a hit! Happy baking! 🙂
This is the best cookie recipe I’ve ever tried! ! Everyone loved it.
Hi Nancy, Yay, I’m glad they were a hit! 🙂
Followed the recipe to a “T” ended up with crumbly dough as well and had to add another egg which made them thick and cakey.
Hi Jennifer, I’m sorry they didn’t turn out. These cookies should never be thick or cakey. Did you “spoon & level” measure the flour? This makes a big difference. Flour gets compacted when it sits in a container or bag and if you use too much, the cookie dough will be dry and crumbly. This cookie dough doesn’t get refrigerated either…you want them to spread. I hope you will try them again. They really are a great cookie.
What is the equivalent of your sticks of butter to grams? I’ve been looking it up all over the internet but it varies. Thanks! Looking forward to making these soon.
Hi Violeta, This recipe calls for 2 sticks of butter. One stick of butter is 1/2 cup or 4 ounces or 113.398 grams.
These were just what I was looking for. So chewy and soft, not cakey like other recipes. So good! I’ll be saving this recipe as my go to.
These quickly became my family’s favorite choc chip cookies. Great recipe! Thank you #flatchocchipcookiesrule
Hi Mandy, You’re sol welcome! Happy baking! 🙂
My oven runs hot so I put them in at 325 degrees for 11 minutes. My boys loved them. Thank you!
Hi Stephanie, Yay! I’m glad they liked them!
I followed the recipe and my cookies came out fluffy. My husband loves the thin cookies, but I can not seem to make them like that.
Hi Dee, Did your cookies spread? Make sure you’re using room temperature butter. Also, if you over-measure the flour, the cookies will spread less. If your cookies still aren’t spreading, try baking them without refrigerating, and on an unlined cookie sheet. I hope this helps.
Like another commenter, my cookies NEVER flatten! When these were in the oven I was silently begging the cookie Gods to make them flat. What do you know they did! I followed your tips on turning down the oven temperature and not refrigerating them for as long. They’re amazing!
Hi Ashley, I’m so glad they turned out great! Thanks for your feedback! 🙂
Do you compact the brown sugar, i was always taught to puch it down in the measuring cup. Am i soppose to leave it fluffy?
Hi Rhonda, Yes, you should always pack it into the cup.
Omgoodness these are so good but my aunt is currently tracking her calories. I’m like don’t even think about it there so darn delicious hahahaha 🙂 do you know the calories on them though? These have been a hit at every single gathering I bring these too!! Thanks sooo much!☺️❤️
Hi Brittany, Sorry I don’t know the calories, but I’m sure they’re a lot as in most of my recipes. Lol.
Followed the recipe exactly and the cookies did not spread much and weren’t very thin. But still delicious!
I just finished baking them. They are fabulous. Exactly how I like them. Thin, crispy at the edges and gooey in the center. Thank you!!!
Hi Kat, You are so welcome! I’m glad you liked them! 🙂
Hey if you can make a YouTube video it would mean a lot!!!! I’m definitely a visual.
Yoom yoom
Very good!! And I never comment on these things. If you have a fan forced oven, definitely need to use a temp that is 25 degrees lower. Loved these cookies. A great recipe with super helpful tips. Weight in grams is always a plus but this actually works as she promises. Thin and chewy and delicious. Thank you 🙂
I finally found a true hard to F up recipe for chewy cookies! Only tweaks I made was ¾ tsp of baking soda and I melted the butter a touch
I think it’s just me over thinking this, but in total is it 2 or 4 cups of flour, because step 1 says mix flour, but then the ingredients says 2 cups, then step 5 says add 2 other cups of flour. Honestly, it’s probably just me LOL
Hi Deidra, It is 2 cups total of flour. In step #1 you’re mixing the flour with the other dry ingredients and setting it aside. In step #5, you’re adding in the 2 cups of flour, 1 cup at a time.
These tasted very good but despite following the directions, they came out slightly puffy and I was really looking for a recipe that came out like the photo. Will keep searching.
Mine did not come out thin at all but it doesn’t matter because they were still the best chocolate chips cookies I’ve ever made.
When you say sticks of butter do you mean 4oz sticks? I buy from Costco and they’re all 8oz blocks. Wondering the stick size of your recipe
Hi Richone, Yes…4 ounces or 1/2 cup.
Not thin unfortunately. I did not refrigerate…. And my butter sat out at room temp for a day before I started. I measured the flour with the knife leveling, did not use parchment, and turned the oven down to 350. What the heck?! The dough seemed dry as soon as we half-mixed in the second cup of dry ingredients. Stayed dry-ish while we folded in the chocolate chips. Any other tips?!
Hi, Your cookie dough should not be dry. Just checking…did you use 1 whole cup (2 sticks) butter? As long as you use the correct amount of butter, both the egg & egg yolk, and measure the flour correctly, by the dip level method, these should never be dry. Also if yours aren’t spreading thin enough, try not refrigerating the dough for 30 minutes. You can also add a little milk if needed, but you really shouldn’t have to.
Hi! I just wanted to make sure you knew that for the butter according to this says “2 cups of butter (2 sticks)” I have in the past gotten 1 cup sticks of butter so I assumed you had that kind, so since I only had 1/2 cup sticks I used 4!! To get to the 2 cups of butter. Was this a typo? My cookies didn’t turn out 🙁
Hi Holly, The recipe says 1 cup of butter or 2 sticks. One stick is 4 ounces here. Sorry yours didn’t turn out.
I followed the recipe exactly but mine came out thick and cakey. The dough itself was dry and crumbly until I formed balls. It does say in the instructions to refrigerate for 30 minutes but after reading the side notes and comments then you say not to refrigerate. I had already refrigerated before I read the comments.
Hi Julie, I’m sorry they didn’t turn out for you. They should never be dry or crumbly. I suggest not refrigerating the dough at all, and some ovens run hot. You might reduce the heat to 350 degrees. You can also eliminate using the parchment paper. Parchment paper somewhat helps to keep cookies from spreading too much. I used the parchment paper because I didn’t want them to be overly thin. But again, not all ovens are the same. I hope this helps! 🙂
This is one of my favorite cookie recipes. Love that it gets you a flat and chewy cookie. The only thing I will say is that the edges brown easily so I lowered the baking temperature to 340 for 10 min (because 350 was too hot). This is my new go-to recipe. Thanks for sharing!
This cookie recipe was my goto recipe for the longest time because it was so easy and perfect! But when we made the latest batch, they ended up puffy. Would you mind sharing your old recipe again? We’re a little devastated now because the revised version didn’t work well for us! It’s still delicious however, just not thin anymore.
Hi Annalisa, The only change in the recipe notes was to not refrigerate the dough. They should not puff up unless you’re using self rising flour instead of all-purpose. Sorry they did not turn out this time.
My all time favorite choc chip cookie recipe. BUT – I used it before you took out the refrigeration step!! Can you share the instructions for refrigerating? It worked for me!! I forget what it said.
Hi Kristianna, It said to refrigerate for 30 minutes.
The ultimate chocolate chip cookie! . Everything I wanted in this cookie, you delivered. Thank you so much. Still fresh, chewy and crisp three days later! Don’t skip the cornstarch, folks. 🙂
Hi Kim, I’m so glad you liked them!!
Hi Cindy! I love this recipe and won’t bake with any other! This time, though, they did not spread out thin and chewy. I don’t know what happened. I made sure to level off the flour in the measuring cup and refrigerated the dough for 30 minutes as instructed. Please help!
Thanks!
Dorothea
Hi Dorothea, Okay, next time, don’t refrigerate the dough, and don’t use parchment paper. You can also decrease the oven temp by 25 degrees to give them more time to spread. Also, make sure the butter is very soft. See if that takes care of the no-spreading problem.
One of the best chocolate chip cookies i made. I used a little less butter and half white chocolate.
so delicious and the perfect texture thank you so much for this recipe!!
Hi, I’m so glad you liked them! 🙂
These are fantastic cookies! I’m making my second batch tonight (doubled – with white/semi-sweet/milk chocolate chips!) after making these for the very first time just yesterday. Mine are not as flat as in the picture but still fairly flat and sooo delicious! My kids, neighbours, and friends ate up that first batch very quickly
Hi J.J., I’m so glad they were a hit! 🙂
Great thin chewy recipe. I baked it at 350 F, for 11 mins. It depends on your cookie baking tray. One tray cooked it faster and much more brown underneath vs the other. Also it was nice and flat. I think 11 mins and lower temp is best. It turned out great, so I’ll be using your recipe again. Thank you!
Hi Lan, I’m so glad you liked them! 🙂
This is truly the best chocolate chip cookie recipe I have ever used! Compared to other recipes there are seemingly only small differences but the science behind it makes a huge difference! I’ve made these a few times now and they turn out perfect every time. I’ve shared them with people aged 10-93 and all have been impressed. Everyone has loved them!!
Hi Jennifer, I’m so glad they were a hit! Happy Baking!! 🙂
Hi Cindy, I didn’t make them but wanted to leave a comment praising you for sharing THE best recipe in the world because my son’s 15 yr old girlfriend who is an excellent baker baked them perfectly thin and chewy I ate 3 large size cookies in one sitting. They are dangerously good!!! Thabk you for sharing!.
Hi Dao, I’m so glad you liked them. Maybe you should freeze them so you don’t eat as many at one time. Lol. 🙂
Followed all hints and recipe exactly as directed. Cookies still cakey and did not flatten. Tried baking them 3 different ways, according to your hints (no parchment, lower oven temp), still cakey and not even close to how yours are pictured. Also, a tad on the salty side.
These are over-the-top good. I’m glad I found your advice. Less mixing, less egg white, true measures on the flour….those, to me, are the big discoveries. And can never hurt to bump up the brown sugar. Now I’m searching to see if you do the same thing for oatmeal cookies. Haha.
Hi Bill,
I’m so glad they turned out great for you! 🙂
Hi, Cindy. I’m visiting Colorado. Any “high altitude” suggestions for THIN & CHEWY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES?
One of the best cookie recipe I ever made , added a pinch of kosher salt on top of the cookies , amazing , thank you very much
Hi Louise, I’m so glad you liked them! 🙂
I haven’t tried it but I am so excited to do so
Ok, I really wanted to be excited about this recipe but there are two major contradictions in the recipe. The first, the ingredients list calls for 2cups of butter and says that is equal to two sticks. Well a standard stick of butter is 1/2 cup so two sticks would equal ONE cup. I applied common sense and went with two sticks. I can’t imagine one batch of cookies that requires 4 sticks of butter???
Second contraction is the flour. The ingredients list called for 4 cups of flour which i diligently aerated and measured and added my remaining dry ingredients. Problem is, once you get down to the directions, it states “add ONE cup until barely mixed “ then goes on to say “add SECOND cup” ???? I followed everything to a tee including reading through other bakers tips and comments and I’m left with stupid cake like cookies that don’t even taste good. Plus I’m out the money for all the ingredients. So grumpy…
Hi there, It looks like you accidently clicked on the “scale” button at the top of the recipe card, and it doubled the ingredients. Sorry about the confusion.
These are great! I made 40 of them for my class, and there were no leftovers! I’m a beginner, I have limited cooking and baking knowledge so I was worried these wouldn’t turn out
well. But they were perfect. Thank you!
Oh my goodness these are the absolute best chocolate chip cookies! I never make chocolate chip because any recipe I try is just not good, but this one…just wow!! My whole family loves them too!!! Thank you so much for sharing!!!
Hi Yvonne, I’m so glad they were a hit! 🙂
So very yum! I baked for about 15 min and got crispy edges edges with chewy center
Followed recipe exactly and added a 1/2 cup ground pecans and these turned out absolutely perfect ; love ❤️
Will be my go to Chocolate Chip recipe
Hi Ellen, I’m so glad to hear they turned out perfect! 🙂
Turned out perfectly. I followed all the steps and only change was I used unsalted margarine.
Hi Cindy,
This is my go-to recipe and they come out perfectly thin and chewy every time—THANK YOU! I have been using your recipe since pre-refrigeration update and think it’s an important step! Anyway, I used to have to form the dough balls hand since I could’t find a cookie scooper in the correct large size but now that I have one, I’m wondering if this recipe would work on smaller cookies or if the thin and chewiness are factors of the larger cookie shape? I would hate to ruin a perfectly good batch of cookies without consulting with the master first. Please advise, thank you! 🙂
Hi Tanya, This recipe should work for any size. If you make smaller ones, watch the bake time. They’ll get done a little sooner. I’m so glad you like them! 🙂
Heh… years of experimenting trying to achieve this. Thanks for cracking the code for me (mixing it properly -not over mixing- plus the cornstarch). 2 tsp of whole milk also helps with chewiness (comp with TBS more flour). Again thanks! (Grrrrr I was getting close by myself….)
Perfect! Crunchy edges and soft and gooey in the middle! Your directions and tips are spot on! Thank you for sharing !
Hi Jill, You’re welcome! I’m so glad you liked them!
This truly the BEST chocolate chip cookie recipe! I use this recipe everytime. Thank you!
Hi Shaye, You’re so welcome! I’m so glad you like them. 🙂