These HUGE, thick chocolate chip cookies are the kind you’d find front and center in a bakery case. My recipe takes just 15 minutes to prep before chilling and yields an incredible, gourmet chocolate chip cookie. Recipe includes a how-to video!
Bakery-Inspired Chocolate Chip Cookies
We’ve made giant and mini chocolate chip cookies, thin & crispy chocolate chip cookies, and even my best chocolate chip cookies… but these thick chocolate chip cookies are a first! Another gourmet-style cookie, these super thick and fat cookies are tender, soft, melt-in-your mouth, and oh-so-chocolatey.
They’re the sort you’d spy behind bakery glass and just wouldn’t be able to resist ordering one… or a dozen.
But before we get started, it’s so important that I note that while they are thick, these cookies are NOT cakey (dry, cakey cookies are unwelcome here!).
In order to achieve this tricky balance of melt-in-your-mouth-ness AND pillowy thickness, it’s very important you don’t accidentally overmeasure your flour, or your cookies could actually end up cakey. I recommend using a kitchen scale to be safe, but if you don’t have one of those (you should really get one), check out my post on how to (properly) measure flour!
What You Need
Most of these ingredients will be pretty familiar, but let’s chat about a few that can be customized to your liking:
- Brown sugar. You can use either light or dark brown sugar, or do what I do and use equal parts of each. Personally, I find that using all dark brown sugar yields a cookie that’s just a bit too rich.
- Cake flour. For someone who doesn’t stand for cakey cookies, I’ve found cake flour has made its way into an awful lot of my cookie recipes, recently. From my blueberry muffin cookies and coffee cake cookies to my Lofthouse cookies, I’ve found that, while not a typical cookie ingredient, cake flour contributes to the thick, tender texture we’re going for here. It creates a fine crumb that really does melt in your mouth. You can substitute all-purpose flour (instructions below), but the texture won’t be the same.
- Vanilla extract. I love using my homemade vanilla extract in these cookies. By the way… if you start making a batch of homemade vanilla now, it will be ready just in time for holiday baking 😉
- Chocolate. Chocolate chips work great (opt for semisweet), but I really enjoy using 8-10 oz of chopped dark chocolate or semisweet chocolate bars. The bars just melt nicer and leave varying sizes of chocolate throughout the dough.
- Cornstarch. Okay, this one isn’t customizable or negotiable, but it is highly important and therefore worth mentioning! Cornstarch helps with the thickness of these cookies (it prevents them from spreading too much) and their melt-in-your-mouth (I have repeated this phrase so often only because it is so relevant, I promise) tenderness. Don’t skip it!
SAM’S TIP: Add the dry ingredients gradually! If you add the flour all at once, you will have a tough time mixing everything together and your dough will be dryer and more difficult to work with than necessary (and this is already a stiff dough).
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Thick Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Cream together the softened butter and sugars until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs and vanilla and stir well to combine.
- Whisk together the dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then gradually add them to the wet ingredients.
- Fold in the chocolate until thoroughly incorporated, then cover the dough and let it chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Scoop ⅓-cup sized scoops onto a parchment lined baking sheets, spacing at least 2″ apart.
- Bake for 13-14 minutes at 375F or until the edges look slightly golden brown. The centers will still be a bit underdone and fragile when you remove them from the oven, so let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheet before enjoying.
SAM’S TIP: I use an ice cream scoop for this dough since we are going for huge chocolate chip cookies. You can always drop the dough right on the baking sheet, but I like to roll mine into smooth balls to make them more uniform first.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you don’t let these cookies cool completely on their baking sheets, they will likely fall apart on you (they are super fragile while warm). This isn’t a bad thing, but it can be unexpected if you are were planning to enjoy the cookies right after baking!
Yes! This dough can stay tightly covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. The dough might be a bit hard to scoop at first, so you can let it sit at room temperature for a bit to soften back up.
Unfortunately I don’t have a great substitute. I know sometimes bakers use tapioca starch and arrowroot powder instead, but I’m not sure how they would work here. If you do try either of these, please let me know how it goes for you!
Love these cookies? Try my thick peanut butter chocolate chunk cookies next!
Enjoy!
Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook
Big Thick Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup (200 g) brown sugar firmly packed (use light, dark, or a blend of the two)
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature preferred
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 cups (450 g) cake flour (see note)
- 2 Tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 2 cup (340 g) semisweet chocolate chips see note
Recommended Equipment
- Ice cream scoop
Instructions
- Combine butter and sugars in a large mixing bowl and use an electric mixer (or stand mixer) to beat until light and well-creamed.1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, 1 cup (200 g) brown sugar, ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- Add eggs and vanilla extract and stir well.2 large eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.4 cups (450 g) cake flour, 2 Tablespoon cornstarch, 2 teaspoon baking powder, ¾ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- Gradually add dry ingredients to wet, stirring until completely combined.
- Add chocolate chips and use a spatula to fold in until well distributed.2 cup (340 g) semisweet chocolate chips
- Cover bowl and chill for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat oven to 375F (190C).
- Once dough has chilled, uncover and scoop into ⅓-cup sized scoops (I use an ice cream scoop). Drop onto prepared baking sheet, spacing at least 2” apart, and bake for 13-14 minutes, until edges are just beginning to turn light golden brown. Allow cookies to cool before removing from the baking sheet, cookies will be fragile and prone to breaking while warm and will appear under-baked in the center if they’re broken into before they’re cooled completely.
Notes
Flour
I recommend cake flour for best results. However, you may substitute all-purpose flour (cookies will be less tender). Use 3 ⅔ cup (450g) all-purpose flour. DO NOT use 4 cups of all-purpose flour and please DO NOT make a cake flour substitute where you remove some of the flour and replace it with an equal amount of cornstarch. You’ll end up using too much flour! The commenters who complained of too dry cookies made these mistakes, don’t be one of them!Chocolate
I like to use a blend of mini and regular-sized chocolate chips or I’ll chop up 8 oz of semisweet chocolate and use that instead.Storing
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Cookies may also be frozen after baking and cooling. Wrap tightly and frreeze up to several months.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.
Fredda
I tried this recipe last night and… Wow!! These cookies are amazing! I was worried because I did not have cake flour. I tried to make my own, but then I screwed up the baking soda measurement (luckily before I mixed it into the wet ingredients) and threw out the bowl of flour. Then I decided to use the all purpose flour instead of doing the whole substitution again. I will have to try it with cake flour next time because I can’t imagine how it can be even better than these!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We are so happy you enjoyed them, Fredda! Let us know how you like the cake flour version 😊
Adrianna Baeza
Would i be able to store the dough in the freezer like pre made dough ? or do i have to bake it day of?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Yes! We provide instructions on how to do this in our post on how to freeze cookie dough 😊
Caitlin
These cookies turned out AMAZING! I only had all purpose flour on hand, so I made a cake flour substitute instead. They still came out perfect! I used dark chocolate chunks, chocolate chips and walnuts in mine. My husband said these might just be the best cookies I have ever made. This recipe will definitely be a staple from now on!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We are happy they turned out so nicely for you, Caitlin! Enjoy!
Clara
Best cookie recipe ever !!
Thank you so much for this.
I’m in France and it’s really the best cookies I’ve ever made.
French recipes usually make pretty thin and very dry cookies.
These ones are heavenly good !
I must confess I also tried to eat the dough raw and I loved it too.
This recipe is definitely a keeper ❤️
Tammy Tauiliili
I haven’t baked them yet but I used cake flour & did not make any alterations or substitutes. I measured my flour, but didn’t have a way to weigh it. It was super difficult to get all 4 cups of flour mixed into the dough. I ended having to knead it all together on the counter. I will weigh it next time and fingers crossed they turn out! I have a feeling they will be very dry.
Casey @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Tammy! Weighing is definitely the most accurate way to measure, but 4 cups is correct!
Jun
Hi!
i’ve been baking this recipe and its so delicious! but this time is it possible to use butterscotch morsels instead of chocolate chips? Pls and Thank you 🙂
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoy them so much! Butterscotch chips will work in these cookies. 🙂
Lyla
ITS LITERALLY CRUMBL COOKIE.
100% recommend i didnt use any cornstarch in mine, and had way less sugar, only chocolate chunks. I also added peanut butter but I should have added more you can’t taste it. But sooo good they rise a lot just so you know. Xx
Casey @ Sugar Spun Run
Peanut butter sounds delicious! So glad you loved it, Lyla!
Laura
Hi Sam, I’ve been trying your recipes for years and they’re amazing! Just made the chocolate chip muffins again a couple weeks ago. I wanted to ask since I’ve never used cake flour, do you recommend a brand that you use? I’ve searched a few different stores and there are multiple kinds: unbleached, ubleached and unenriched, and bleached and enriched. Thank you in advance!
Sam
I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed everything so much, Laura! I typically use Swan’s Down cake flour or “Soft as Silk” cake flour. They are enriched, bleached cake flours. 🙂
Laura
Thank you so much! I’ll definitely be sure to let you know how they turn out.
Tom C Gall
This is an excellent recipe. I didn’t use any white sugar only dark brown I add a dash of almond extract too. cake flour really made a difference will follow you for more
Saskia
These are amazing! I Make them all the time, the ratios are perfect.
I recently added some pistachio’s + pistachio cream in the middle. Then I freeze them and bake them when I want a cookie. The freezing makes the cookies even better, cause they don’t tend to spread as much and stay nice and thick.
Thanks for the great recipe 🙂
Shannon M.
By far the best cookies ever! I always make a bunch and freeze the cookie balls and also give them to my son as these are his favorite and he pops them in his oven when he has a craving! I use chocolate and salted caramel chips and my family goes crazy for them!! Thank you as always, for awesome yummy recipes!!
Sarah
How these cookies have such a high rating is beyond me. I was trying to decide between this recipe and another and I chose this one. im now still in the kitchen remaking these cookies with another recipe.
I used a kitchen scale to weigh everything and these are INCREDIBLY DRY! i also used cake flour. Not good whatsoever. this recipe is way off. its soo crumbly and dry do yourself a favor and save yourself time and money by using a different recipe.
Sam
Hi Sarah! Did you make any substitutions or alterations? If not, it sounds like something was accidentally mis-measured. You can watch me make them with the exact ingredients in the video. I’d recommend double checking all of your ingredients again. 🙁
Kate
Hi! I want to make these using my 1.5 TBSP cookie scoop! How would I adjust the baking time?
Sam
Hi Kate! The bake time would be reduced. I haven’t tried it, but I would probably start checking them around 7ish minutes. 🙂
Kyn
did great at the church bake sale, people loved them.
Casey @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Kyn! We’re so glad everyone loved them, this is definitely a crowd favorite!
Brianna
These cookies are terrible. They are super dry and the chocolate chips don’t even melt at all. I followed the recipe exactly as stated but they were more like a hard cake than a cookie. Would not recommend.
Sam
I’m so sorry to hear this, Brianna! Did you weigh your flour? It sounds like you may have accidentally over-measure the flour. 🙁 Did you make any other substitutions?
Naomi
i think my eggs are a little to big, my wet ingredient got very watery(?), i tried to save it by putting more flour but i think just made the dough to cakey hahaa. Im gonna have to retry this onee
Jena
These are the absolute best chocolate chip cookies! So soft and thick! I was running low so I used a mix of chopped chocolate bar (2oz), chocolate chips and peanut chips because that’s all I had to make it.