Food director Chris Morocco spent months developing this chocolate chip cookie recipe—testing 30 batches, then cross-testing 10 more—to land on what he considers the icon’s Platonic ideal: intentionally thin cookies with deeply caramelized flavor, crisp edges, and a soft, chewy center. Rooted in classic Toll House DNA, the recipe is elevated with brown butter for nutty depth and a higher proportion of brown sugar for richness and chew.
Because the dough also has a high butter-to-flour ratio, small variables—like kitchen temperature, flour brand, or how warm the dough is when it goes into the oven—can affect how much the cookies spread. When those factors are in balance, the payoff is chocolate chip cookies with rippled edges, puddles of melted chocolate, and a texture that sets as it cools.
Tips for the best chocolate chip cookies
Expect spread: This recipe is designed to bake up thin, with crisp, rippled edges. For slightly thicker cookies with less spread, chill the dough overnight or portion it into balls and freeze (dough balls can be baked straight from the freezer). Using a higher-protein all-purpose flour, such as King Arthur, can also help limit spreading. Avoid silicone baking mats here as they encourage spreading.
Measure flour precisely: We strongly recommend weighing your flour and sugar. If using volume measures, spoon ingredients into your measuring cup, then level with a flat-edged utensil. Undermeasuring flour can lead to greasy cookies, while overmeasuring sugar can make them flat.
Watch the bake, not the clock: Timing is a guideline and may vary based on oven calibration and kitchen conditions, so trust the visual cues above all else. Pull the cookies when the edges are deep golden, and the centers look just underdone; they’ll firm up as they cool.
Brown the butter thoroughly: Browning butter adds a rich, toffee-like flavor and reduces its water content (important for the cookie’s texture). Use a light-colored pan and cook until the milk solids turn deep golden brown. Have the remaining butter at the ready, but still cold, to stop the cooking and protect those toasty bits from turning black and bitter.
Mind the dough temperature: If your kitchen runs warm or the dough feels loose after mixing—especially if the brown butter was still warm—chill the dough briefly before baking. Starting with cool dough can mitigate spreading.
More great chocolate chip cookie recipes:
Love brown butter? Try these toffee-loaded cookies for an extra caramelly crunch.
Swapping out the butter and toasting a portion of the flour give these a savory undercurrent.
Buckwheat flour gives these extra-salty cookies an earthy, nutty bite.
Toasted nuts and tart cherries take these oat-based cookies even further away from the classic CCC.
The ultimate party cookie, this one is cut into wedges—or you and your friends can sit around the pan with spoons and just go for it.
What you’ll need
The Best Dark Chocolate for Baking, Melting, and Snacking
DEAL: Heilala Pure Vanilla Extract
$70 At Amazon
Half-Sheet Pan
$32 At Amazon (2-Pack)
If You Care Parchment Baking Sheets 24-pack (3 count)
$18 $17 At Amazon
