Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies
These Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies are the result of years of baking, tweaking, and taste-testing. My mom and I started with the standard recipe on the chocolate chip bag and spent years making little tweaks until we finally quit tinkering with it. We’ve been baking this version for the past 15 years.
The result is everything we want in a homemade chocolate chip cookie: buttery, soft in the center, lightly crisp around the edges, and loaded with chocolate chips. Unlike so many standard recipes that spread into one giant cookie puddle, these bake up thick with perfectly chewy centers. Whether you’re baking for a holiday, a bake sale, or because you somehow ran out of cookies again, this is the recipe we keep coming back to.
- Serves: Makes about 4 dozen cookies
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Bake Time: 8-10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 ¼ all purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ cup shortening (preferably butter flavored)
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup dark brown sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 9 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
Get the full printable instructions at the bottom of the post in the recipe card.
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Step-by-Step Directions:
Step 1: Remove the butter from refrigerator and let soften. Preheat oven to 375º F (365º F if using a dark baking sheet). In a medium size bowl, stir flour, salt and baking soda together. Set aside.
Step 2: In a large bowl, mix shortening, butter, granulated sugar, light brown sugar and dark brown sugar with a hand mixer on medium high speed for 1-2 minutes until thoroughly combined. Add in vanilla and mix again.
Step 3: Add eggs, one at time, and mix throughly on medium high speed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula to make sure everything is mixed in.
Step 4: With hand mixer on low, add flour a little at a time reserving about 1/4th of it. When combined, stir in remaining flour with a spatula or wooden spoon. Stir in chocolate chips. Store dough in refrigerator until ready to drop on cookie sheets.
Step 5: Drop rounded tablespoons of dough on baking sheets a couple inches apart. Bake in the oven on the middle and/or lower rack for 8-10 minutes, or until desired doneness. It’s best to pull them out before they look completely browned.
Step 6: Let cookies cool on baking sheets for 1 minute, then remove to a rack or plate to finish cooling. Use caution as the baking sheet will retain heat! Enjoy with a cold glass of milk or cup of coffee!
Tips for the best homemade cookies:
- I use dark baking sheets lined with parchment paper for drop cookies because they conduct heat better and help them to crisp up on the edges.
- The combination of brown sugars and butter with shortening helps keep them from flattening out.
- Multiple trays can be baked at a time, but it’s best to rotate them halfway through for even baking.
Before you go . . .
If homemade cookies are your love language, you’re in the right place. Take a peek at all of our cookie recipes for more tried-and-true favorites that have earned a permanent spot in our recipe box.
Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ cup shortening (half of stick-butter flavored preferred)
- ¼ cup unsalted butter (half of stick)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar (packed)
- ¼ cup dark brown sugar (packed)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 9 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips (a little less than a standard size bag)
Instructions
- Remove butter from refrigerator and let soften. Preheat oven to 375º F (365º F if using a dark baking sheet). In a medium size bowl, stir flour, salt and baking soda together. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix shortening, butter, granulated sugar, light brown sugar and dark brown sugar with a hand mixer on medium high speed for 1-2 minutes until thoroughly combined. Add in vanilla and mix again. Add eggs, one at time, and mix throughly on medium high speed.
- With hand mixer on low, add flour a little at a time reserving about 1/4th of it. When combined, stir in remaining flour with a spatula or wooden spoon. Stir in chocolate chips. Store dough in refrigerator until ready to drop on cookie sheets.
- Drop rounded tablespoons of dough on baking sheets a couple inches apart. Bake in the oven on the middle and/or lower rack for 8-10 minutes, or until desired doneness. It’s best to pull them out before they look completely browned.
- Let cookies cool on baking sheets for 1 minute, then remove to a rack or plate to finish cooling. Use caution as the baking sheet will retain heat! Enjoy with a cold glass of milk or cup of coffee!
Notes
Nutrition
Disclaimer: All nutrition values are per serving and approximate. They will vary depending on products and quantities used.
Reminds me of my moms cooking! Classic!!
🥰
Love these – pro tip, dunk the cookies in ice cold milk!!