Description
These bakery-style chocolate chip cookies deliver the ultimate texture and flavor combination: crisp, caramelized edges with a chewy and gooey center. Rich buttery dough with vanilla and butterscotch notes combined with generous chunks of dark chocolate make these cookies irresistibly delicious. Chilling the dough enhances the taste and texture, yielding perfect cookies every time.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups (250g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt (or ¾ tsp salt if using unsalted butter)
Wet Ingredients
- 10 tbsp (140g) salted butter, at room temperature
- ¾ cup (165g) packed dark brown sugar
- ⅓ cup plus 1 tbsp (80g) granulated sugar
- 1 tsp (5ml) pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp (5ml) honey or corn syrup
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
Add-ins
- 7 oz (200g) dark chocolate (55-70% cocoa), chopped into chunks
- Flaky sea salt for topping
Instructions
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt until evenly combined.
- Cream Butter and Sugars: In a large bowl or stand mixer bowl, combine softened salted butter with dark brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract. Mix vigorously by hand using the creaming method with a rubber spatula or use a handheld mixer. If using a stand mixer, attach the paddle and mix on medium-low speed for 1-2 minutes until the mixture resembles damp sand or a paste, scraping down the sides occasionally.
- Add Honey and Egg: Mix in the honey (or corn syrup) thoroughly, then add the large egg and mix until fully incorporated and smooth.
- Combine with Dry Ingredients and Add Chocolate: Add the flour mixture all at once to the butter mixture and stir gently until most of the flour is absorbed. Before fully mixing in the flour, fold in the dark chocolate chunks evenly throughout the dough, creating a soft, moderately moist dough.
- Chill Dough: Cover the dough surface tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 8 to 24 hours to enhance flavor and texture. If short on time, chilling for at least 4 hours is acceptable.
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Sheets: When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Portion Dough: Use a 1 ½-oz cookie scoop or divide the dough into 16 balls (or 18 for smaller cookies). If dough is very hard from chilling, let it soften at room temperature 20-30 minutes to ease scooping. Place dough balls on prepared sheets spaced 2 inches apart, without flattening.
- Add Extra Chocolate on Top: Press a few chocolate chunks on top of each dough ball for extra chocolate flavor and aesthetic appeal.
- Bake Cookies: Bake 6 cookies per sheet for 9-11 minutes until the edges are golden and the centers remain soft and puffy. Smaller cookies (18 balls) bake for 8-10 minutes. Avoid overbaking as they continue to cook on the hot sheet once removed.
- Cool and Finish: Transfer baking sheets to wire racks and allow cookies to cool on the sheet for 2 minutes. Then transfer cookies individually to wire racks to cool completely. Sprinkle flaky sea salt on top while cookies are still warm if desired.
Notes
- The ultimate chocolate chip cookie with rich buttery flavor and a perfect balance of caramelized edges and chewy centers.
- Chilling the dough for 8 to 24 hours develops a deeper flavor and improves cookie texture.
- Use salted butter and adjust salt in dry ingredients accordingly for best flavor.
- Smaller cookies require slightly less baking time; watch closely.
- Pressing extra chocolate chunks on top before baking enhances chocolate presence and cookie appearance.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie (approx. 40g)
- Calories: 220
- Sugar: 15g
- Sodium: 120mg
- Fat: 12g
- Saturated Fat: 7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 28g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 30mg
