My Secret to the Best Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies

Okay, so I’ve made these best homemade chocolate chip cookies probably a hundred times now, and I’m still not sick of them. That’s saying something.

Look, I’m gonna be honest with you. My first batch? Complete disaster. Like, hockey puck disaster. I thought I was following the recipe perfectly, but turns out I was overmixing the dough like crazy. My husband took one bite and just… looked at me. You know that look. The “I love you but what is this” look.

Why These Are Actually the Best Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies

Everyone claims their recipe is the best, right? But here’s the thing—I’ve tried at least twenty different homemade chocolate chip cookies recipes from Pinterest, food blogs, even that one from my neighbor Karen who swears hers are life-changing. (They weren’t. Sorry, Karen.)

What makes mine different? I think… no, I know it’s the brown butter. And the extra egg yolk. Oh, and—wait, I almost forgot—you have to chill the dough. I know, I know. Nobody wants to wait. But trust me on this one.

The first time I tried brown butter was actually an accident. I was making dinner last Tuesday and completely forgot about the butter melting on the stove because my 8-year-old decided that was the perfect moment to ask for help with fractions. By the time I got back to it, the butter was this gorgeous golden brown color and smelled like heaven. So I figured, why not try it in cookies?

Game changer.

The Secret to Chewy, Soft Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies

So, um, basically what happens is—you need more moisture and less flour than most recipes tell you. That’s it. That’s the secret everyone keeps overcomplicating.

I use one extra egg yolk. Just the yolk, not the whole egg. This was something I learned from watching too many YouTube videos at 2am when I couldn’t sleep. (Don’t judge me.) The extra fat from the yolk makes these homemade chocolate chip cookies soft and chewy in the middle while still getting those crispy edges everyone obsesses over.

Also? Don’t overbake them. Please. They’ll look underdone when you take them out. They should still be a little puffy and pale in the center. They’re gonna keep cooking on the pan after you remove them from the oven. If you wait until they look “done” in the oven, you’ll end up with crispy cookies instead of soft ones.

Been there. Many, many times.

My Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe (That Actually Works)

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (don’t pack it down when measuring)
• 1 cup unsalted butter (I always use Kerrygold because I’m fancy like that)
• 3/4 cup brown sugar (dark brown if you have it)
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs plus 1 egg yolk (the secret weapon)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (the real stuff, not imitation)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt (sea salt makes you feel gourmet)
• 2 cups chocolate chips (I mix semi-sweet and dark chocolate, but you do you)

Quick note about the chocolate chips—don’t buy the cheap ones. Just don’t. I tried it once to save three dollars and regretted everything. Get Ghirardelli or Guittard if you can find them.

Instructions:

1. First, brown that butter. Put it in a saucepan over medium heat and watch it like a hawk. It’ll foam up, then settle, then start turning golden. When it smells nutty and amazing (maybe 5-7 minutes?), take it off the heat immediately. Pour it into a bowl and let it cool for about 10 minutes. Set a timer because you WILL forget.

2. While the butter’s cooling, mix your flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Just whisk it together. Done.

3. Okay, so when the butter is cooled (not cold, just not molten lava anymore), add both sugars to it. Beat it with a mixer for like 2 minutes. It’ll look weird at first, kinda grainy and separated, but keep going.

4. Add the eggs and egg yolk one at a time, then the vanilla. Mix until it’s smooth and gorgeous.

5. Now dump in your flour mixture. Here’s where people mess up—they mix it too much. Just stir until you barely see any white flour streaks. Seriously. Stop mixing.

6. Fold in the chocolate chips. Use way more than you think you need. (Trust me.)

7. This is the key—cover the bowl and stick it in the fridge for at least 2 hours. I usually do it overnight because I’m lazy and also because it genuinely makes them better. The dough firms up and the flavors get all melded together or whatever the fancy cooking term is.

8. When you’re ready to bake (preheat your oven to 350°F first, don’t be like me and forget this step), scoop the dough into balls about 2 tablespoons each. I use an ice cream scoop because it’s easier and they come out uniform.

9. Place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet—don’t skip the parchment paper, learned that one the hard way—about 3 inches apart because these babies spread.

10. Bake for 11-13 minutes. They should look slightly underdone in the center. Golden edges, pale middle. Remove them from the oven and let them sit on the pan for 5 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack.

Tips for Making Easy Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies

Anyway, here are some random things I’ve learned from making these approximately eight million times:

Room temperature eggs matter. Cold eggs don’t mix as well. I forget this constantly, so I just put them in a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes before I start.

The dough freezes beautifully. Scoop them into balls, freeze them on a tray, then toss them in a freezer bag. Bake from frozen—just add 2 minutes to the baking time. This has saved my life when unexpected guests show up.

If you want thicker cookies, chill the dough balls in the freezer for 15 minutes before baking. They won’t spread as much.

For gooey homemade chocolate chip cookies, slightly underbake them. Like, take them out when they look like they need another minute. They don’t.

Actually, you know what? If you want them extra gooey, press a few extra chocolate chips on top right when they come out of the oven. The heat melts them slightly and it looks like something from a magazine. (Even though we both know it’s just Tuesday and you’re in your pajamas.)

What If You Want Healthier Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies?

Look, I’m not gonna pretend these are health food. They’re cookies. But I have tried some substitutions that actually work:

• Coconut oil instead of butter (different flavor, still good)
• Half whole wheat flour (makes them nuttier)
• Less sugar (I’ve gone down to 1/2 cup each and they’re still sweet enough)
• Dark chocolate chips (more antioxidants, right? That’s what I tell myself)

My friend Sarah swears by using almond flour, but honestly? I tried it and they tasted weird to me. Your mileage may vary.

The No-Egg Version (Yes, It Exists)

Oh, and another thing—if you need homemade chocolate chip cookies with no egg, I’ve done that too. My niece is allergic, so I’ve experimented way too much with this.

Replace each egg with 1/4 cup applesauce. I know it sounds weird. It IS weird. But it works. The cookies are slightly cakier, not quite as chewy, but still really good. Just don’t skip the extra egg yolk replacement—use another tablespoon of applesauce for that.

Why Do Mine Look Different From the Pictures?

Is it just me or does everyone’s homemade chocolate chip cookies pictures online look absolutely perfect? Like, suspiciously perfect?

Mine never look like that. Sometimes they spread too much. Sometimes they don’t spread enough. Sometimes half of them are golden and beautiful and the other half look like burnt offerings.

That’s normal. That’s real life. Ovens are liars. My oven runs hot, so I actually bake these at 340°F instead of 350°F. Maybe yours does too? Get an oven thermometer if you’re making these a lot. Changed my life. (I’m aware that sounds dramatic. I stand by it.)

Final Thoughts on These Best Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies

So yeah. That’s it. That’s my secret recipe that I’ve been hoarding like a cookie dragon for the past two years. People keep asking me to bring these to every single gathering now, which is flattering but also exhausting because apparently I’m the cookie person now.

If I can make these without burning down my kitchen (which I’ve almost done, twice), anyone can. They’re honestly pretty forgiving once you get the hang of them.

The brown butter is non-negotiable though. Don’t skip it. You’ll thank me later.

Happy baking! And may your smoke alarms stay silent.

Let me know how yours turn out! Seriously, drop a comment because I love seeing when people try these. Especially if yours turn out better than mine somehow.