For those of you who have been asking, here is my classic, no-secret-ingredient-required chocolate chip cookie recipe! It is soft, chewy, with slightly crisped edges, buttery, loaded with chocolate chips and tweaked to be superior in texture and flavor to every chocolate chip cookie out there (except one…)!
I originally shared this recipe for perfect chocolate chip cookies over on Spend with Pennies!
Well here I am again with another confusingly named chocolate chip cookie recipe. The second-best? Who wants to make the second-best cookie?
If you’ve tried my “Worst” Chocolate Chip Cookies, you already know that cookies don’t get better than that one. There’s a reason my video for that recipe has been viewed over 8 million times and I get dozens of e-mails and comments a day about it.
There’s simply no substitute for the worst, and since there’s not a cookie out there better (worse? I’m starting to confuse myself here) than that one, I never thought I’d share another chocolate chip cookie recipe here.
But I get a lot of e-mails from those of you who don’t have maple syrup on hand, those of you who want to leave it out for one reason or another (oh, please don’t!) and I finally decided that instead of sending people off to Google different chocolate chip cookies or stick to the back of the Tollhouse bag, I’d offer an alternative.
This is that alternative, and while every time I make a batch of these chocolate chip cookies they are devoured and they will definitely be a fast favorite and beloved by everyone who tries them, Im going to be honest and tell you that I still prefer the Worst Cookies.
But if you can’t make them, why not go for the second-best, right? I promise that these are a worthy substitute.
Tips for Making These Chocolate Chip Cookies:
- Melt the butter. As with the “Worst”, these cookies use melted butter. A lot of people (people who had not yet tried the recipe) have since argued with me that you *shouldn’t* use melted butter in cookies and I so strongly disagree. It gives these cookies a great buttery flavor throughout. It makes them nice and chewy. Melt the butter 😉
- But, let it cool, too. Let your butter cool for at least 10 minutes. If your butter is scorching hot, it will melt your sugars and you’ll end up with a soupy mess rather than cookie dough.
- Chill the dough. Because of the melted butter and the general consistency of the dough, the cookie dough will need to chill for at least 30 minutes before baking.
Can I Freeze this Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough to Bake Later?
- Yes. You will still want to chill the dough for 30 minutes to make it easier to portion, first. I recommend scooping the dough, wrapping each dough-ball in cling wrap, and then placing all wrapped dough portions in a large Ziploc bag and freezing. The cookies can be baked from frozen, they may just need an additional minute or two of baking.
So that’s how to make these “second-best” chocolate chip cookies. Don’t get me wrong with the label, these cookies are definitely worth your time and I wouldn’t be sharing them if I didn’t think you would absolutely love them (just check out the rave reviews they’ve received over on Spend with Pennies website!! — link just below the first photo)
They’ll still shrink your jeans. They’ll still consume your thoughts. They probably won’t steal your boyfriend but they will definitely flirt with him, like a lot.
Enjoy!
The Second-Best Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter melted and cooled at least 10 minutes
- 1 ¼ cup (250 g) brown sugar tightly packed
- ½ cup (100 g) sugar
- 1 large egg + 1 yolks room temperature preferred*
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ¾ cups (350 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¾ cup (300 g) semisweet chocolate chips plus additional for tops, optional
Instructions
- Combine melted butter and sugars in a large bowl. Stir very well.1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, 1 ¼ cup (250 g) brown sugar tightly packed, ½ cup (100 g) sugar
- Add egg and egg yolk, stir well.1 large egg + 1 yolks
- Stir in vanilla extract. Set aside.1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt.2 ¾ cups (350 g) all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons cornstarch, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ¾ teaspoon salt
- Gradually add flour mixture to wet ingredients — stir well so that all the flour is absorbed.
- Stir in chocolate chips.1 ¾ cup (300 g) semisweet chocolate chips
- Place dough in refrigerator and chill for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350F (177C) and prepare cookie sheets by lining with parchment paper.
- Scoop dough by rounded 1 ½ Tablespoon onto prepared cookie sheets, placing at least 2″ apart.
- Bake on 350F (177C) for 11 minutes — cookies may still seem slightly soft in the centers, that is OK, they will cook completely on the cookie sheets. Don’t over-bake or your cookies will be too hard.
- If desired, gently press additional chocolate chips into the tops of the warm cookies.
- Allow to cool completely on cookie sheets.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
TT
Girl!! These are the best cookies ever! I have made this recipe in the past but I forgot how good they are. Oh my 😊
Riv K.
These cookies are my favorite! They come out perfect every time. I love how they hold up really well and don’t fall apart; not to mention they’re absolutely out of this world delicious! 😀
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Thanks for the review, Riv! We’re so happy you love them 😊
Tam
These definitely shouldn’t be called second best! They have a very rich buttery flavor, I love them. I see what you meant about the melted butter in the post.
The ” worst chocolate chip” cookies are great but I think the sweetness overpowers the butter flavour in those a little,I taste it more in these. I’m so glad I tried this recipie, thanks for it!
Tam
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you loved them, Tam! 💜
Jan Painter
I have made The Worst Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe several times and it is delicious. I decided to try The Second Best Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe this morning. Must say it is phenomenal! Both are delicious though for me I find the second a bit less sweet. Also must mention what a pleasure it is to follow your recipes. They are so well written and I’m not scrolling about looking for the ingredients…they are right there in the instructions. Love that all the measuring is done on my scale, another huge plus for me!
JENNIFER JONES
This recipie is rock solid. I don’t have to buy the ready made cookie dough any more. It makes me feel like a super hero in the kitchen Thanks
Don
My cardiologist is a real stickler for proper diet, exercise and NO junk food… I took a batch of these cookies to my last appointment to be shared by the office staff. My doctor tried one then promptly hoarded most of the remaining cookies to his office desk for his own personnel consumption. The office staff were not happy… I had to make an additional batch for ONLY the staff the following week. Yeah, they are that good!
Sam
🤣 I’m so glad everyone enjoyed them so much! 🙂
Bette
I have to say I’ve made just about all of your cookie recipes. My family loves them all. Thank you so much for sharing with us.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We are so happy you’ve been enjoying everything, Bette! Thanks for commenting 🩷
Kat
Made this recipe…perfect! When I combined the ingredients, I put the batter in the refrigerator as suggested. That made it easier to scoop the batter onto the cookie sheets. Cookies are delicious and 11 minutes was the length of time that I baked them. C
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
So glad you enjoyed the cookies, Kat! Thanks for coming back to leave a review ❤️
Miriam Blanar
These are great! I made a mistake and put baking powder in it as well, so they didn’t spread too much. But just a reason to make them again.