🍪 Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies

These classic chocolate chip cookies are soft, buttery, and packed with semisweet chocolate chips. You don’t need to buy refrigerated cookie dough from the store—this simple homemade recipe makes about 3 dozen cookies and comes together with basic pantry ingredients.

Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven:
   Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or lightly grease them.
2. Cream the butter and sugars:
   In a large mixing bowl, add the softened butter, granulated sugar, and packed brown sugar. Stir or beat until the mixture is smooth and well combined.
3. Add the eggs:
   Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
4. Add the flavoring and leavening:
   Mix in the vanilla extract, baking soda, and salt until evenly incorporated.
5. Add the flour:
   Gradually add the all-purpose flour, mixing just until a cookie dough forms. Avoid overmixing once the flour is incorporated.
6. Add the chocolate chips:
   Fold in the semisweet chocolate chips until they are evenly distributed throughout the dough.
7. Scoop the dough:
   Drop rounded spoonfuls of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches of space between each cookie so they have room to spread.
8. Bake:
   Bake at 350°F for about 10 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden and the centers still look slightly soft.
9. Cool:
   Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

🍫 Helpful Tips

• Don’t overbake. The cookies will continue cooking on the hot baking sheet after they come out of the oven.
• For softer cookies, take them out when the centers still look slightly underdone.
• For crisper cookies, bake them for an additional 1–2 minutes.
• Make sure your butter is softened, not melted, for the best cookie texture.
• For extra chocolate flavor, you can substitute some of the chocolate chips with milk chocolate or dark chocolate chips.
• If you want to prepare the dough ahead of time, scoop it into portions and refrigerate or freeze it for later.

🧊 Freezing the Cookie Dough

You can make the dough ahead of time and freeze it instead of buying store-bought cookie dough.

Scoop the prepared dough into individual portions and place them on a parchment-lined tray. Freeze until firm, then transfer the dough portions to a freezer-safe container or bag.

When you’re ready for cookies, bake the frozen dough portions at 350°F, adding a few extra minutes to the baking time as needed.

Yield

Approximately 3 dozen cookies, depending on the size of each cookie.

Homemade, simple, and much better than reaching for a package of refrigerated dough! 🍪❤️