Best Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

With a gooey center, crispy edges, topped with flaky sea salt, these are the perfect chocolate chip cookies.

Published Apr 30, 2026

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The best chewy chocolate chip cookies recipe you’ll ever make. These cookies are lightly crisp around the edges with chewy centers and rich dark chocolate in every bite. They taste even better than options from a fancy bakery and are surprisingly simple.

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies with large melted chocolate pieces and a sprinkling of sea salt are arranged on parchment paper next to a small white bowl of coarse salt.

I like to experiment with unique cookie recipes like my coconut cookies and cookies for Santa. However, when I need a foolproof, crowd-pleasing dessert, this is the recipe I turn to.

A chewy chocolate chip cookie, broken in half, rests on parchment paper with visible pools of melted chocolate and a light sprinkle of sea salt on top.

I’ll walk you through how to achieve the best taste and texture with a handful of ingredients and a few tips and tricks. The recipe makes about 8 large cookies and can easily be doubled or tripled for a crowd.

A large Best Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie with melted chocolate patches and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt sits on parchment paper.

Prepare a large batch for holidays, parties, or keep them on hand to make weekdays a little more special. There’s never a bad time for a chocolatey treat!

❤️ Why You’ll Love Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

The perfect combination of crispy edges and gooey center.
Easy to make in one bowl.
No heavy equipment is needed. You can use a whisk (and a spoon).
Freezer friendly.

A stack of six chewy chocolate chip cookies topped with sea salt sits on parchment paper next to a glass of milk.

The Best Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies Ingredients

Please be sure to scroll down to the recipe card below for the complete details!

Ingredients for baking Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies: an egg, cane sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, flour, sea salt, vanilla paste, a chocolate bar, and melted butter are arranged on a gray surface.

Egg: You’ll need the whole egg. Opt for medium or large.
Butter: I prefer melted salted butter. Unsalted butter is fine, too.
Brown sugar: Use light or dark brown sugar for that chewy texture.
Cane sugar: To get those crispy edges.
Flour: Plain white flour (all-purpose flour).
Baking soda: To give a slight rise.
Vanilla paste: For that sweet vanilla flavor. Vanilla extract is fine, too.
Dark chocolate: I used Tony’s chocolate with nuts and sea salt, but any dark chocolate with 55-70% cocoa solids is fine. I like to buy a whole bar and chop it myself.
Sea salt: Add into the dough and sprinkle extra on top (I love flaky sea salt)!

How to Make The Best Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

A metal mixing bowl containing melted butter, brown sugar, and cane sugar.

Mix butter and the sugars in a medium bowl. Whisk for 2 minutes.

A metal whisk mixing a light brown batter with eggs, vanilla, melted butter, and two types of sugar in a stainless steel bowl.

Add egg and vanilla and whisk until creamy (about 1 minute).

A metal bowl filled with thick, light brown batter being mixed with a spoon.

Fold in the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, and sea salt).

A metal bowl with cookie dough being mixed by a spoon, topped with chunks of dark chocolate.

Spoon in the chopped chocolate. Save some for the top of the cookies.

Scoops of chewy chocolate chip cookie dough sit on a sheet of printed parchment paper, with a metal cookie scooper holding another portion in the foreground.

Shape the cookies with a scoop or a spoon and let them rest in the fridge for at least one hour (you can even bake them next day).

A hand is placing a chocolate chunk on a cookie dough scoop.

Top the cookie dough balls with the remaining chocolate chunks.

A ball of chewy chocolate chip cookie dough with large chocolate chunks sits on a sheet of parchment paper ready to bake.

Arrange the cookies spread apart on a lined baking sheet and bake at 170°C (338°F) fan for 10-11 minutes until the edges are golden and the center is barely set.

A hand uses a metal ring to shape a freshly baked chewy chocolate chip cookie on parchment paper, with another cookie nearby.

Final steps: Bang the baking sheet on a hard surface, shape the cookies, and top with sea salt. Enjoy.

Tips for Success

Use a kitchen scale for precise measurements.
Let the dough cool in the fridge. The longer the better. This prevents the cookies from spreading too much in the oven and makes them even more chewy.
Don’t overbake your cookies. You want the center barely set for that gooey texture.
Don’t skip those extra chocolate chunks on top for even more chocolatey flavor!

Six unbaked Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies with chocolate chunks rest on parchment paper, arranged in a rectangular baking dish.

Possible Variations

Cane sugar: Or granulated white sugar.
Brown sugar: Swap for coconut sugar, date sugar, or muscovado sugar.
Chocolate: Use milk or white chocolate, semisweet chocolate chips, or a combination. Flavored chocolate is delicious, too.
Add-ins: Add cocoa powder, espresso powder, caramel pieces, chocolate buttons, butterscotch, peanut butter chips, or chop up your favorite chocolate bar.

How to Store Leftovers

Keep the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature, unless it’s very hot in your kitchen (then transfer them to the fridge). Enjoy them within 3-4 days.

FAQs

Can I freeze the cookies?

Absolutely! Store them in a freezer bag and enjoy them within 3 months.

How do I best thaw frozen cookies?

Leave them on the kitchen counter for 1-2 hours, and they’ll be ready to enjoy.

Can I reheat the chocolate chip cookies?

Reheat at 170°C (338°F) fan for a few minutes.

I don’t have a cookie scoop. What do I do?

Measure the weight of the entire dough (without the added chocolate chunks on top) and divide it by 8 to work out the approximate weight of each cookie or eye ball it.