Description
These chocolate chip cookies are the best I’ve ever made, combining the perfect balance of soft and chewy textures with rich, melty mini chocolate chips and a subtle crunch from raw sugar sprinkled on top. Chilling the dough enhances the flavors and ensures a tender crumb. Perfect for enjoying fresh out of the oven with a glass of milk.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 1 cup butter (softened, 2 sticks)
- 1 cup brown sugar (packed)
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 1/3 cup raw sugar (turbinado or demerara)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon maple extract
- 3 1/4 cups all purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
- 4 teaspoons cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 (10-ounce) bag MINI semisweet chocolate chips (about 1 3/4 cups)
Toppings
- More mini chocolate chips (from a second bag)
- More raw sugar (turbinado or demerara)
Instructions
- Beat Butter In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat the softened butter until fluffy, about 2 minutes, remembering to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl.
- Add Sugars Add brown sugar, white sugar, and raw sugar; beat for 1 minute until fluffy and combined.
- Mix Wet Ingredients Add eggs, vanilla bean paste (or extract), and maple extract. Beat until combined and then stop.
- Prepare Flour Spoon and level the flour into a measuring cup, then add it to the mixing bowl but do not mix yet.
- Add Dry Ingredients Sprinkle cornstarch, baking soda, and salt on top of the flour and stir lightly with a small spoon to combine.
- Incorporate Flour Beat on low speed until flour is just barely incorporated; stop when white streaks remain. Scrape bottom and sides of bowl as needed.
- Add Chocolate Chips Mix in one 10-ounce bag of mini chocolate chips until combined, then stop mixing.
- Chill Dough Cover dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2-3 hours or up to 24 hours. To chill faster, shape dough into balls and chill on a plate or lined sheet pan.
- Preheat Oven Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Soften Dough If chilled in the bowl, let dough soften on the counter for about 15 minutes before shaping.
- Shape Cookies Use a two-inch cookie scoop or hands to form dough balls about two inches in diameter.
- Prepare Baking Sheet Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or Silpat. Space cookies about 2 inches apart.
- Top Cookies Sprinkle the top of each cookie dough ball with raw sugar for crunch and sparkle.
- Bake Bake cookies at 350°F for 11-12 minutes. The cookies should be pale with very slightly golden edges and may have a slight shine on top. Avoid overbaking.
- Add Topping Immediately after removing from oven, sprinkle more mini chocolate chips on top. They will melt on contact.
- Cool Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Serve Enjoy the cookies fresh, especially with a glass of cold milk.
- Storage Store shaped dough balls in a ziplock bag in the freezer for up to 1 month. Bake from frozen by adding a couple extra minutes to the baking time at 350°F.
Notes
- Use softened butter to achieve the best dough texture.
- Spooning and leveling flour prevents dense cookies by avoiding packed flour measurements.
- Chilling dough enhances flavor and texture; overnight chilling is ideal.
- Do not overbake cookies to keep them soft and chewy.
- Sprinkling raw sugar on top adds a pleasant crunch and sparkle.
- Mini chocolate chips melt nicely on top after baking, creating a gooey, irresistible topping.
- Dough can be frozen for longer storage and baked straight from frozen with slightly longer bake time.
