Bakery-Style Chocolate Chip Cookies
Prep Time: 40 minutes | Cook Time: 14-16 minutes | Course: Dessert | Servings: 6 Large Cookies
Thick, tender, and unapologetically oversized, these Bakery-Style Chocolate Chip Cookies deliver the crisp golden edge and soft, dense center you'd expect from a bakery counter — in a small batch made right in your own kitchen. The tops bake up peaked and textured, the chocolate settles into melted seams, and a finish of flaky sea salt keeps the sweetness in balance.
They're rich, substantial, and best eaten warm (speaking from experience, with a cold glass of vanilla almond milk), while the middle is still soft enough to pull apart.
Note: Cold/cubed or softened, slightly room-temperature butter works here — just not melted or greasy. The 30-minute chill after shaping is what keeps these tall, so be sure not to skip it.
Ingredients:
113g salted butter
100g light brown sugar
50g granulated sugar
1 large egg, cold
1½ tsp vanilla extract
180g all-purpose flour
1 tsp cornstarch
½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp fine salt
170g chocolate chips plus 75g chocolate chunks or roughly chopped chocolate (can use dairy-free chocolate)
Optional: Flaky sea salt
Instructions:
Beat the butter and sugars. Combine the butter with both sugars and beat on medium for 2 minutes.
Add the egg and vanilla. Mix just until combined, about 20 seconds. Over-mixing at this stage adds air you don't want.
Add the dry ingredients. Whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and fine salt together in a separate bowl. Add to the butter mixture and mix on low until a few dry streaks still remain.
Fold in the chocolate. Switch to a spatula and fold by hand until the last of the flour disappears. The dough will be stiff.
Portion and shape. Divide into 6 equal balls. Shape them tall rather than wide. Tear each ball apart and press it back together with the ragged side facing up. Do not flatten them.
Chill for 30 minutes. Refrigerate the shaped dough balls while the oven heats. This is not optional — it's the difference between a thick cookie and a puddle.
Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and line a sheet pan with parchment.
Bake 14 to 16 minutes. Space the cookies well apart. They're done when the edges are golden and the tops look dry and matte all the way to the center, with only the deepest crevices still glossy.
Salt and rest. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt immediately out of the oven, then leave the cookies on the hot baking sheet for 10 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack.
Serve and Enjoy!
Want Molten Centers Instead? Bake at 410°F for 10 to 12 minutes. The higher heat sets the outside fast and leaves the middle genuinely gooey.
If you tried this recipe out, I’d love to hear what you thought! Comment below.