The most popular cookie recipe on the internet is the chocolate chip cookie, and I am so glad you found us today!
You'll be in good hands with our expert chefs, who have made countless delicious treats. For example, when we made these Chocolate Chip Cookies while attending Le Cordon Bleu culinary school, the students were in complete amazement at how great they turned out.
Our cookies turn out chewy with a crispy, sugary bottom-light and airy goodness. The centers are chewy and soft.
Do you love chocolate? Give these recipes a try: Butterfinger Cheesecake Brownies, or Ultimate Fudge Brownies | Award Winning Le Cordon Bleu
⬇️ Table of Contents
How To Make the Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
The first thing that makes this recipe better than most is using the correct type of flour for baking chocolate chip cookies. Online, 96% of the recipes suggest using All-Purpose flour.
That's okay for average chocolate chip cookies, yet not okay with the world's mentor of "baking and pastry" culinary technique; the French, who wrote the book on baking technique.
The inherent problem with all-purpose flour is the amount of protein in the flour, which is around 10-13%. When too much protein is included, it will create a denser cookie.
But let's make the BEST chocolate chip cookies in the world!
🥘 Ingredients
Using excellent ingredients will make all the difference with your cookie recipe.
- Pastry Flour (recipe to make follows)
- Butter
- Eggs
- Fine White Sugar
- Brown Sugar
- Vanilla Extract
- Sea Salt
- Baking Soda
- Chocolate Chips
- ½ cup Walnuts / optional
- Nutmeg / optional
📋 Secret Ingredient: Pastry Flour - How To Make
Today, I will teach you how to make something very easy at home in your kitchen. It's called Pastry flour. Please do not confuse Pastry flour with Cake flour.
Cake flour is very light and milled to the finest texture, just like a fine powder. Think of Pastry flour as the perfect balance of All-Purpose and cake flour.
The perfect chocolate chip cookie has a protein level of around 8% to 9%.
The goal of making pastry flour is to achieve the perfect protein level. I have two methods, both equally easy.
- First Method: Take 2 Cups of Cake flour and add 1 cup of All-Purpose flour - That's it you're done ( Important: Please make sure you stiff the flour to combine).
- Second Method: Take 1 cup of All-Purpose flour into a bowl. Next, remove 2 tablespoons of the flour and discard. Then, replace the removed 2 tablespoons of flour with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch. ( Important: Please make sure you stiff the flour to combine)
🤔 The question that arises is which method is better?
The second method has been around for a very long time and works. Yet it is not as good as method #1.
You can see the difference between cake flour and pastry flour. The pastry flour has a slightly darker color than the finely milled Cake flour.
The darker color comes from the additional protein in the flour.
TIP: You can scale up the Pastry flour recipe and make yourself a supply for future baking. Measure by x2, x3, or whatever amount you need.
NOTE: Pastry flour is difficult to find at your local grocery store.
🔪 Instructions
- Add ¾ cup of brown sugar to the kitchen aid mixer. You can easily use a hand mixer and a large bowl.
2) Add fine white sugar - ¾ of a cup.
3) Add 2 whole eggs plus one egg yolk
4) Add 1 whole stick plus half of another stick - 6oz total
5) Cream ingredients together. Attach the paddle attachment, turn the machine on low speed (1 or 2), and mix for 2 plus minutes.
Some believe the creaming process must take 2 to 4 minutes.⏲️
6) Add 1 whole tablespoon of vanilla extract. Yes, one full tablespoon. ✅
Add the vanilla extract after the first mix; do not just add it to the sugar and butter during the first mix
7) Sift the flour and baking soda. This step will reduce the risk of lumps in the flour. You probably noticed I omitted baking powder.
Baking powder will cause your cookies to puff up like muffins and cakes and mess up the overall texture.
8) Now, the good stuff: Adding Ghirardelli bittersweet 60 percent cacao and Ghirardelli milk chocolate chips to the cookie dough. The balance of both chocolates creates a flavor profile like no other. ✅
📖 Controlling the Cookie Shape? Flat/Thick/Tall
It's a popular question, for sure. What makes the cookies flat or sit tall and thick?
- Don't Do: If you add baking powder, the cookies will "overly" puff up and create a cake-like texture.
- Too much sugar will cause cookies to flatten out. Once the sugars are super hot, they begin to counterbalance the leavening agents like baking soda.
- Easiest TIP Ever: Get the cookie dough super cold before scooping and shaping. This increases the cooking time by 1 to 3 minutes. The cookie dough has to cool off/cook in the oven longer, resulting in a longer time and delaying the flattening out.
- Use a cookie scooper, a large one with natural height, and make sure the cookie dough is super cold out of the freezer (Pictured recipe below: 2 Tablespoons of Cocoa Powder added to the original recipe - So Good).
Chill the Dough
Cover the dough and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or up to 3 days for enhanced flavor and texture.
If you enjoy taller, thicker cookies, longer is better. Cookie dough that isn't cold will flatten out quickly once in the oven.
This gluten in the dough has a chance to relax. This will offer a more tender cookie.
- Do not use parchment paper or risk not getting crispy bottoms on the cookies. Use a cookie sheet for the best texture.
- TIP: For extra chocolate flavor and to help control the equal distribution of chocolate chips. I like to press in a few chips in places where it looks appropriate.
How Long To Bake Chocolate Chip Cookies?
There is no one-size-fits-all answer to the question of how long to bake chocolate chip cookies. The cooking time will vary depending on the recipe, the type and size of the cookie, and the oven.
However, as a general rule, chocolate chip cookies should be baked for between 10 and 15 minutes.
FAQ's
The chocolate chip cookie was invented by Ruth Wakefield in the 1930s. She was the owner of the Toll House Inn, a popular restaurant in Massachusetts. The cookies became so popular that she began selling them in her restaurant and soon became known as "Toll House Cookies."
There are a few reasons why your cookies might be coming out too flat. It could be that you're not using enough flour or that you're not creaming the butter and sugar together long enough. If your dough is too warm, that could also be causing your cookies to spread too much.
Make sure to chill the dough in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before baking to help prevent this. Lastly, make sure you're using fresh baking powder - if it's old, it won't work either, and your cookies will be flat.
Different types of chocolate chip cookies can be classified as homogeneous or heterogeneous mixtures.
For example, a chocolate chip cookie with evenly distributed chocolate chips throughout would be considered a homogeneous mixture. In contrast, a cookie with chocolate chips only on the top would be considered a heterogeneous mixture.
Posts To Visit
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Ooey-Gooey Chocolate Lava Cake
Watch How To Make
📖 Recipe
Best Chocolate Chip Cookies - Le Cordon Bleu Recipe
Suggested Equipment
Ingredients
Making Pastry Flour
- 2 cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1 cup Cornstarch
Mix Together
- 2 ¼ cups Pastry Flour Yes, you can use AP-Flour, yet the cookie texture will be denser
- 1 ½ sticks Butter
- 3 Eggs / 2 whole eggs + extra yolk
- ¾ cup Fine White Sugar
- ¾ cup Brown Sugar
- 1 T Vanilla Extract / yes 1 tablespoon
- ¾ teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 ¼ cups Chocolate Chips / mix of semi-bitter & milk chocolate
- ½ cup Walnuts / optional
- ⅛ teaspoon Nutmeg / optional
Instructions
Making The Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Creaming: Begin by creaming 1 ½ sticks of butter with ¾ cup each of fine white sugar and brown sugar. Using a KitchenAid mixer with the paddle attachment works best.Creaming the butter and sugar together takes longer than just mixing them together. You need to do this for at least 3 minutes. Some say long enough for the mixing bowl to get warm (not necessary), the sugar hydrates and softens in texture. The mix will lighten in color.Then add in the vanilla, not before. 1 tablespoon
- Preparing Pastry Flour: For the first method, mix 2 cups of cake flour with 1 cup of all-purpose flour. Alternatively, for the second method, take 1 cup of all-purpose flour, remove 2 tablespoons, and replace them with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch.
- Combining Dry Ingredients: Add 1 teaspoon each of kosher salt and baking soda to the pastry flour, ensuring to sift these dry ingredients together.Mixing Dry and Wet Ingredients: Gradually mix in the sifted dry ingredients into the wet mixture in thirds. After adding two-thirds of the pastry flour, fold in 1 ¼ cups of chocolate chips (a mix of semi-bitter and milk chocolate).
- Chef Tip: To ensure your cookies turn out great, Do NOT over mix once the pastry flour has been added. Just like when making biscuits. The longer you work the cookie dough the tougher the cookies become. #glutendevelopment
- Chill the Dough: Cover the dough and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or up to 3 days for enhanced flavor and texture.Longer is better if you enjoy a taller, thicker cookie. Cookie dough that isn't cold will flatten out quickly once in the oven.This gluten in the dough has a chance to relax. This will offer a more tender cookie.
- Shape Cookies: Scoop out dough using a cookie scoop or tablespoon, forming tall, cylindrical shapes. Place them on the baking sheets, spaced about 2 inches apart.Larger cookie scoops will result in larger cookies, which could spread into one another. For the biggest cookies, it is best to chill for a long time before shaping.
- Baking Instructions: Cook on a cookie sheet without any parchment paper. The parchment paper steals the texture of the bottom of the cookie, which is the best part. It's called a cookie sheet for a reason.Bake Cookies @ 350 for 14 minutes or until golden brown and delicious. Check the cookies after 11 minutes of baking to make sure everything is going perfectly.
Notes
Chef Tips
- Perfect Measurement: For the best results, use a kitchen scale to measure your ingredients. Precision in baking can make all the difference!
- Room Temperature Ingredients: Ensure your eggs and butter are at room temperature before starting. This helps the ingredients blend more seamlessly, creating a smoother dough.
- Chilling is Key: Don't rush the chilling process. Chilling the dough solidifies the fat in the cookies, which reduces spreading and enhances flavor.
- Don't Overmix: Mix your dough just until the ingredients are combined. Overmixing can lead to tough cookies.
- Baking Sheets Matter: Use light-colored baking sheets if possible, as they reflect heat, preventing the bottoms of the cookies from getting too brown.
- Oven Hot Spots: Rotate your baking sheet halfway through baking to ensure even cooking, as most ovens have hot spots.
- Underbake Slightly: Remove the cookies from the oven when they are just barely set and still a bit underdone in the center. They will continue to cook on the baking sheet, resulting in a soft and chewy texture.
- Cooling: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. This helps them set without falling apart.
- Experiment with Flavors: Don't be afraid to experiment with different types of chocolate, such as dark, milk, or white chocolate, or even a mix. Each brings its unique flavor profile to your cookies.
- Storage for Freshness: Store cookies in an airtight container with a slice of bread. The bread helps maintain moisture, keeping your cookies soft and fresh.
Cookie Flour Substitutes
All-Purpose
Cake Flour
Pastry Flour
Rye Flour
Soy Flour
Oat Flour
Whole Wheat Flour
Self Rising Flour
Acorn Flour
Almond Flour
Amaranth Flour
Apple Flour
Banana Flour
Bean Flour
Brown Rice Flour
Buckwheat Flour
Cassava Flour
Chestnut Flour
Chickpea Flour
Coconut flour
Cornmeal flour
Cornstarch flour
Hemp flour
Peanut flour
Potato starch flour
Potato flour
Rice flour
Sorghum flour
Tapioca flour
Teff Flour
Penny says
Hi, your recipe says 2 cups
Purpose flour & 1 cup CORNSTARCH. Isn’t it suppose to be 1 cup cake flour?
Steven Pennington says
Cornstarch is the ingredient that lightens the texture of the cookies. Cake flour is a finely milled flour with a lower gluten(protein) percentage. The difference is the cornstarch creates space between each fiber of the all-purpose flour.
Cake flour becomes an additional gluten structure between the flour fibers but with a different texture(mismatch), that promotes gummy/glue cookies. Pastry flour is the best baker's choice.
(All-purpose flour + Cornstarch)
Susie says
Can’t wait to make these!
Steven Pennington says
I still have a small amount in the refrigerator. I think today is the day to bake them.