Today we’re making GIANT Chocolate Chip Cookies! These gourmet cookies have soft and chewy interiors, slightly crisp golden brown exteriors, and are absolutely loaded with chocolate! Oh, and did I mention they’re huge!? Almost 6″ in diameter!
Really Really BIG Chocolate Chip Cookies
Do these photos make my cookies look big?
No, really, I feel like they just don’t do justice to the size of these massive, thick & chewy, bakery-esque cookies! Each one is made with half a cup of cookie dough and loaded with three different types of semisweet chocolate chips. I think those chocolate chips might be part of the problem here, actually. Some of the chips in the pictures are actually jumbo chips (I used Ghirardelli), so maybe the cookie isn’t looking as big in comparison to the giant chips??
Whatever the reason, you should know that these are BIG, Giant Chocolate Chip Cookies! Like, half a foot in diameter big. And while they may not be my “worst” chocolate chip cookies, they’re still incredible in terms of flavor and texture, and I think you’re going to love them just as much.
When I started testing these giant cookies, I realized that making them wasn’t as simple as just scooping larger portions of my favorite cookie dough and baking for a longer time. Too many of my trial versions ended up with raw centers and rock hard edges, and when I dropped my oven temperature they just ended up spreading all over the pan like a sad rendition of my chocolate chip cookie bars.
Ultimately what worked with this recipe was reducing the amount of baking powder and baking soda that I typically like to use when making cookies and increasing the amount of cornstarch.
It’s no secret that I love baking with cornstarch. It helps to hold the cookie together and keeps it from spreading without drying it out or making it crumbly (which would happen if you opted to simply add more flour instead). Here it plays a critical roll in making the cookie soft at the center while still providing us with a dough that bakes evenly in the oven. See why it’s one of my favorite secret ingredients in the kitchen?
Tips for Making Giant Chocolate Chip Cookies
- You can use a half-cup measuring cup to measure out your dough, but I like to use a cookie scoop with a release lever. You’ll need a heaping scoop to get to 1/2 cup, but this is the easiest way I’ve found to portion the dough.
- Roll the dough between your palms for a smooth ball. This is the best way to get uniform, round cookies with rounded edges. It also might sound super obvious but for years I struggled with amoeba-like cookies because I just plopped them right on the cookie sheet.
- This cookie dough needs to be chilled for 30 minutes but you may chill it in the refrigerator for up to a week. Keep in mind that if you chill it for longer than an hour, the dough will get very hard and difficult to scoop, so you’ll have to let it sit out at room temperature before you’ll be able to scoop it. I personally recommend that if you don’t want to bake your cookies right away, chill the dough for 30 minutes, scoop the dough as indicated, then wrap each cookie dough ball up in plastic wrap or in a ziploc bag and store that way. Saves you a lot of wrestling with the dough later on!
- Never place cookie dough on a hot baking sheet, it will cause the dough to begin to melt/cook prematurely, resulting in cookies that spread way too much.
- One of my favorite tricks for pretty, picture-worthy cookies? Reserve a handful of chocolate chips and once your cookies have finished baking gently nestle additional chips into the tops of the cookies. This must be done 1-2 minutes after coming out of the oven.
- Let these cookies cool completely on the baking sheet. The centers should still be a bit underdone when they come out of the oven, and allowing them to cool completely allows them to finish baking all the way through. Plus, they’ll be to fragile to handle while they are hot!
If you’ve been following my other cookie recipes, you’re probably familiar with a lot of these tips, but they’re definitely worth repeating!
Enjoy!
More Great Cookie Recipes!
Let’s bake together! Be sure to check out my video at the bottom of the recipe where I’ll show you exactly how I make these GIANT Chocolate Chip Cookies in my own kitchen! If you enjoy watching, make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel where I’ve already uploaded over 150 recipe videos that you can watch for free!
Giant Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter melted and cooled to room temperature (226g)
- 1 cup brown sugar¹ firmly packed (200g)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar 150g
- 1 large egg room temperature preferred
- 1 large egg yolk room temperature preferred
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour 350g
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoons salt
- 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips -- I recommend using ½ cup each of mini regular, and jumbo semisweet chocolate chips (255g)
Instructions
- Combine melted/cooled butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in a large bowl and stir well.
- Add egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract and stir until combined.
- In a separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, stirring until completely combined. Stir in chocolate chips.
- Cover cookie dough with plastic wrap and transfer to refrigerator to chill for at least 30 minutes.
- About 15 minutes before dough is finished chilling, preheat oven to 350F (175C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper².
- Once dough has chilled and oven has preheated, remove cookie dough from fridge and scoop ½ cup (yes, cup!) of dough and roll into a round ball.
- Place cookie dough on prepared baking sheets, spacing several inches apart.
- Transfer to 350F (175C) oven and bake 14-16 minutes or until edges are beginning to turn golden brown.
- Allow cookies to cool completely on baking sheet before removing and enjoying.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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jerri ororke says
July 11, 2019 at 6:10 pmCan you use a regular scoop for this recipe? I’m not much for a big cookie. Would they turn out OK?
Sam says
July 14, 2019 at 12:41 pmSure! The baking time will be reduced, though (depending on how small you scoop them… if you go with 1 1/2 Tbsp I’d start checking around 8-10 minutes).
Linda R. says
July 10, 2019 at 1:21 pmI have some little cast iron skillets (skookies) designed for baking big cookies. I’m thinking of using them to bake your recipe.
Have you ever used them?
Sam says
July 10, 2019 at 4:12 pmHi Linda! I have not used them. I would love to know how they turn out if you try it. 🙂
Ann Berumen says
July 10, 2019 at 12:00 pmI live in a high altitude area (5,000 ft). What changes would I need to make for the Giant Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe? I usually have to make adjustments to flour, baking soda and baking powder in recipes. My cookies are flat and all over the place. I would love to make cookies that are “normal”.
Sam says
July 10, 2019 at 2:28 pmHi Ann, I’m sorry but I’ve honestly never baked at high altitude so I can’t advise. I’m hoping someone else who is familiar with high altitude baking can chime in.
Sarah says
July 11, 2019 at 11:34 amI used to live in a high altitude area & used a specific formula for adjusting my baking recipes. I don’t remember the formula anymore but worth looking into.