Equipment
* optional
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 280 g all-purpose flour
- 5 g baking soda
- 3 g fine sea salt
Wet Ingredients
- 170 g unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 150 g light brown sugar, packed
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 10 ml vanilla extract
- 1 large egg, room temperature
Mix-ins
- 250 g semi-sweet chocolate chips
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 187 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbohydrates
- 26 g
- Fat
- 9 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sugar
- 15 g
- Sodium
- 166 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 6 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 1 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 0 g
- Cholesterol
- 15 mg
- Potassium
- 184 mg
- Calcium
- 25 mg
- Iron
- 0.5 mg
- Magnesium
- 9 mg
- Phosphorus
- 25 mg
- Zinc
- 0.3 mg
- Vitamin A
- 53 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 0 mg
- Vitamin E
- 0.2 mg
- Vitamin K
- 1 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.1 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.0 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.03 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.01 mg
- Niacin
- 0.4 mg
- Folate
- 3 mcg
- Water
- 2 g
- Alcohol
- 0 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and fine sea salt until evenly distributed.
In a large mixing bowl, cream the softened butter, light brown sugar, and granulated sugar together until light, fluffy, and noticeably paler in color.
Beat the egg and vanilla extract into the butter mixture until fully incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Fold gently with a spatula until just combined and no dry streaks of flour remain.
Stir the semi-sweet chocolate chips into the dough until they are evenly distributed.
Shape the dough into 30g balls and place them on the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 5 centimeters of space between each cookie to allow for spreading.
Bake in the preheated oven at 190°C/375°F for 10 minutes. The edges should be golden brown while the centers still look slightly pale and soft.
Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Chef's Notes
- Using a higher ratio of brown sugar to white sugar contributes to a chewier cookie, owing to the molasses content in the brown sugar.
- For an artisanal finish, sprinkle the unbaked dough balls with a tiny pinch of flaky sea salt just before placing them in the oven.
- Removing the cookies while the center still appears slightly underbaked is crucial. Carryover cooking on the hot baking pan will finish them perfectly.
Storage
Refrigerator: 1 week — Store in an airtight container to maintain chewy texture.
Freezer: 3 months — Freeze portioned dough balls on a baking sheet before transferring to a freezer-safe bag. Bake directly from frozen, adding 2 minutes to the bake time.
Troubleshooting
Cookies spread too much and are overly flat and thin.
Cause: The butter was too warm or melted, or the dough was placed on a hot baking sheet from a previous batch.
Fix: Chill the remaining dough in the refrigerator for 15 to 30 minutes before baking the next batch.
Prevention: Ensure butter is only softened to cool room temperature. Never place unbaked cookie dough on a warm baking sheet.
Cookies are tough and bread-like.
Cause: The dough was overmixed after the flour was added, developing too much gluten.
Fix: Cannot be fixed
Prevention: Fold the dry ingredients in gently and stop mixing as soon as the last streak of flour disappears.
Cultural Context
The chocolate chip cookie was invented by Ruth Graves Wakefield in 1938 at the Toll House Inn in Whitman, Massachusetts. Originally created by deliberately chopping up a Nestle semi-sweet chocolate bar into a standard butter drop dough, it has since evolved into the ultimate symbol of American comfort baking. The recipe's popularity exploded during World War II when Massachusetts soldiers shared the treats with troops from across the country.
