Chef John's Chocolate Chip Cookies

They turned out fluffy and cake-like. What am I doing wrong? I like the flatter and chewy cookie.

I cut the salt back to 1 teaspoon but otherwise followed the recipe. I found the measuring out from the plastic bag a tedious task so won't do that again, and the mixing with a spatula was a pain, too, so I pulled out my handmixer. These are so very yummy! My family just loves them! I do have to admit that one family member who shall remain nameless asked me to make some without the chocolate chips! So another batch will be on the way soon. Mine looked exactly like what the description predicted: very thin, crispy on the edges, and very buttery! Thanks, Chef John--once again!

These are a very sweet / salty treat. Mine did not spread like Chef John's, but I used a cookie scoop and did not flatten them at all. 10 minutes at 375 was perfect for a crisp edge and soft middle. I did use unsalted butter and I am a salt lover but these had a very salty bite to them. I would back down the Kosher salt to 3/4 to 1 tsp. The dough was a bit difficult to deal with chilled in the bowl. (Very stiff) Next time I would scoop the dough, with a cookie scoop into balls first and then refrigerate. Then bake the chilled balls. Note: 2 cups chocolate chips equals a 12 oz bag of chocolate chips.

Mine were "puffy and cake-like" as another reviewer mentioned once they came from the oven, but rapidly flattened out to thin and crispy edges and chewy centers. I made them as-is and they're excellent. Another time, I would like to try adding a bit of cocoa to them besides experimenting with different nuts. Thanks, Chef John.

I used a gold williams-sonoma baking sheet without parchment paper. I baked a batch that wasn't chilled and another that was and used the same scooper as shown in video. Both turned out moderate thickness (not so thin as pictured) but spread evenly (no lump or cakey-ness as others described). In my oven they took 2 minutes longer than instructed. For me these were perfection: crispy bottom and edges with chewy, gooey goodness on top. Ghirardelli chocolate chips were amazing in these and the dough was delicious too. Thrilled! Thanks Chef John!

What a great recipe! However, I just have a few comments on my experiences with this recipe. I did not have to refrigerate the dough. The texture was just fine to roll into ping-pong ball sized balls. I slightly flattened the balls before baking. As other reviews experienced, they did not flatten-out as suggested in the recipe. Everyone's oven is different. I have a steam oven by Kitchen Aide. My cookies only took 10 minutes to achieve a crunchy edge and a soft, chewy center. My comments are definelty not negative toward the recipe itself. The flavour is fantastic! This is why Chef John receives 5 stars for this completely nummy cookie!

Great cookies—crispy, buttery, and toffee-like. For my taste, the salt amount was perfect (but some Kosher salt has larger crystals than others, so maybe that was an issue for the previous reviewer? For the record, I used Diamond Crystal). I usually make cookies in a mixer; I was surprised at how fast this was. My butter was super-soft, and I was pretty vigorous with my creaming of the butter and sugars. Next time I'm adding walnuts, because that's how I roll.

Amazing!! I used salted butter and only threw a small amount of regular table salt. Maybe 1/4 tsp? Followed the rest of the directions to a tee and they turned out perfect! I decided to cut twix bites into quarters and use them instead of regular chocolate chips for a twist.

I've tried a lot of different chocolate chip cookie recipes, and this is one of the best, if not my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. Refrigerating the dough really does make a difference. I tried both with and without refrigerating. Using the cold dough gives the cookies the perfect crispy and chewy texture, and the caramelized, brown butter-like flavor.

These are really good love the thin cookie and easy to make and I like them with NO nuts..( I am not a nut lover)

This cookie is so yummy. Expect the sweet and salty combination. I loved that they cooked flat with crispy edges! I packed them as a treat in my kids lunches for a surprise :) We will be making these again!!!

My cookies were cakey so I started researching recipes and found this is the same recipe as Alton Brown except AB uses 2 ounces of milk not 2 TBSP other than that exact same recipe.....I tried adding more milk and they were slightly thinner.....finally after many batches I found that adding less flour got me the cookies I was looking for.....I used 1 3/4 cups flour and kept everything else the same including 2 ounces of milk vs 2 TBSP! 3 stars because the cookies were still good even if they were cakey :)

My cookies didn't come out flat and chewy, but puffy and cake like instead. I was careful with ingredients (yes I used baking soda) but the only thing I can think of is not whipping the butter sugar mixture enough? I wish I had used a mixer because I just mixed until it was very smooth then my arm told me to quit. I also found the batter extremely hard after being refrigerated for 2 hours. Lastly, I have a convection oven which converts the temperature lower for recipes with traditional ovens. But at the time limit they didn't seem nearly done. So...all this to say, the taste is there but the texture will take some practice and modifications.

These are delicious! I only noticed after I had started this recipe the direction to refrigerate the dough for two hours in the fridge to have it become firm. I didn't have the time so I put the dough, bagged in a single layer of mounds in a large freezer bag, and put it in the freezer for 30 minutes and it was firm. I also cut back on the salt to just under one teaspoon and that was enough. I used a small cookie scoop which made an easy job of putting out the cookie dough from the large freezer bag onto the cookie sheet which I used parchment paper on for easy clean up. The scoop holds one tablespoon and made uniform sized cookies for perfect baking. I baked them for 11 minutes at the 375 F which was perfect for a golden brown cookie! These cookies have a little outside crispiness once they're cooled and the next day they are crunchier and really scrumptious!

I thought I followed the recipe exactly, but my cookies came out the same shape they went in, they didn't spread out at all, and were hard... The same day I made the PB cookies, and they came out like the chocolate chip ones were supposed too... not sure what would cause this lack of spreading, too much flour maybe? Always on the hunt for a chewy big chocolate cookies, and I can't seem to find it/make them properly... not sure what I'm doing wrong.

These cookies came out absolutely delicious. However, after meticulously following the instructions, my Cookies did not come out large and flat but rather small and cake-like - the results I’ve gotten from other recipes. I tried the recipe again - ensuring my oven was thoroughly preheated, the dough was chilled thoroughly, that I used baking SODA and not powder. Everything checked, and double checked, and still the flat style eluded me. Perhaps a few more batches of practice will yield better results.

Great! However like Marianne I cut the salt back to a tsp and there is a way to make them without refrigerating the dough, simply bake for only 7 minuets instead of the recipe time and vola! You have a cookie just as good, maybe better!

I love Chef John. But I dont love chocolate chip cookies and never have. I was a weird kid. But the main reasons I dont like traditional ones is they are too cakey. Too heavy. So I was delighted to try this one since texture is everything to me in a cookie. Followed directions and ended up with thinner cakey cookies. Very disappointing. Not at ALL like the pictures or his video. So I set the oven temp down to 340, rolled them into balls and then flattened them and got the texture better. Still not perfect. I am wondering if I need a artisan-type butter that melts better than Land-O-Lakes does. Kerrygold maybe. Or the Amish butters. Just not impressed with the recipe as it stands.

Very simple and straight forward recipe. Good idea using parchment paper, makes clean up much easier and the cookies slide right off the paper. I didn't transfer the dough to a plastic bag. I just put the cover on my mixing bowl and put it in the fridge. It worked fine and eliminated a messy step! These will definitely be my "go to " chocolate chip cookies! May try adding nuts next time.

I made this on a whim and these came out exactly as described- but tasted more like sugar cookies than traditional chocolate chip. They're thin but very soft in the middle (not cakey). The only thing I'd change is lowering the amount of chocolate chips - maybe even halving it because the chocolate chip flavor is a bit overpowering.

Very good! just a little too buttery for me. Hubby said these were perfect.This is a keeper.

Made these again...and again...and again. Seems everything shared by Chef John is an immediate family & friend favorite! These cook up exactly as described, and a batch of 32 cookies goes in a day or two! Don’t change a thing when making these. They are THE BEST chocolate chip you’ll eat.

Made these just as the recipe calls for, the best chocolate chip cookies I've ever made. My husband says they taste just like the ones his Aunt used to make. I will never make any other CC recipe again.

This is an amazing recipe!!!!

I always learn something new with Chef John's videos. I've been baking for years, but his tips on chilling the dough & using parchment and a tablespoon-sized disher made the work and cleanup so much easier. The cookies themselves are fabulous!

These just didn't hit the mark for us. Certainly buttery, perhaps a bit overly so. I refrigerated the dough as per the recipe and the first batch was puffed up and barely spread at all. Solved that by pressing the dough down before baking so the rest were crispy on the edges and soft and chewy in the centers. If there is a next time, I might be inclined to add a very few crystals of Kosher salt to the tops before baking.

I will definitely try them again. They just didn't spread out like the picture. A little thick in the middle and chewy, was looking for thinner and crispier

I did make some minor changes. I used salted butter so I cut the salt back to 1/4 tsp. I could still taste just the slightest bit of salt and it was perfect. I used my stand mixer and did not whisk the dry ingredients separately, just put them into the wet ingredients without combining first. It really doesn't matter, I think it's just a "chef thing" to dirty another bowl LOL! I didn't refrigerate the dough, so my baking time was 10 minutes, not 12. I've got an oven thermometer, so my oven is spot on -- they were perfect! I used butterscotch chips instead of chocolate chips since that's what I had on hand. I made my cookies a little smaller perhaps, a little smaller than golf balls, and spaced them 3" apart. I got 42 cookies that way. Also, some people were disappointed that theirs were fluffy & cake-like & didn't flatten out. Mine looked that way too, but were very crunchy anyway once cooled, not soft at all. I took some to some friends who participate in a charity group making hand-made bed pads for cancer patients out of clean used sheets. There were only six or seven people there this morning and they devoured the dozen & a half cookies in no time! Most were senior ladies who only ate one, and the empty bag ended up near the only gentleman in the group -- hmmm. He pleaded not guilty. :)

Thank you for this recipe.....Fantastic!!

This will be my go to Choco Chip recipe. I made the dough before reading the comments where people mentioned these were more cake like than they expected. First tray came out thick and cake-like which is what I did not want. I wanted thinner and a bit caramelized like it says in the intro. The trick is to flatten out the cookies a bit before baking. they came out thinner and with that slightly crispy and slightly chewy consistency I was looking for. This is exactly the cookie I was looking for.

Makes a good cookie. Next time I'm going to use a little less semi sweet chocolate chips.

Disappointing. Not thin. The flavor is fine, but they're ordinary, puffy chocolate chip cookies. I refrigerated the dough, as recommended. When my first batch came out puffy, I let the dough sit until it was at room temperature, hoping that would help them spread. No luck. Time for yet another recipe.

SO YUMMY !!!! I have made so many chocolate chip cookies but these are easy and delicious !! Not sure but mine made way more than 16???

superb

Great cookies but I would use less salt!

I loved the recipe, but I substituted half the flour for bread flour. It makes all the difference in choc chip/oatmeal cookies it gives cookies that extra star. Thanks.

Made this twice. Both times they've never flattened/thinned out like in the video or pictures which is pretty disappointing. The taste is great though and goes well with milk. I just wonder if there needs to be more clarifcation on this recipe since other people are having the same issue.

I think with all the granulated sugar, 375 is way too hot for this recipe, I burned an entire batch in less than 8 minutes.

Only used 1 and a 1/2 cups chocolate chips and they were perfect. Great recipe. My new favorite!

Very good cookies. Added 3/4 cup toasted chopped pecans. Delicious!

Didn't change a thing, crunchy and chewy! Perfect, perfect, perfect! Chef John rides again.

I love this recipe! Easy to make and the two hour wait was worth it. They went very fast.

I made them three times. !!! My scooper must rbe smaller than Chef Johns because my cookies were smaller. I’ll buy a larger scooper instead of using my melon baller.

great flavor but cookies kept coming out super fat and puffy not thin and crispy as described

Awesome cookies!

With the exception of salt ( I used 1tsp) I followed the recipe exactly. Will add 1/2 tsp more of vanilla next time because it was ever so slightly missing a bit of flavor. Baked for 10min in a 340 degree oven and then turned the oven off, left the door open and took them out after 5minutes - chewy in the middle and crunchy on the edges - delicious! My new #1 favorite c.chip cookie recipe!!

These are amazing! I recommend watching the video first as I have been making cookies for over 20 years and didn’t know some of the pointers Chef John had. These came out of the oven exactly like they should, crispy around the edges and gooey inside!

This is the BEST chocolate chip cookie recipe! You must follow the directions, including refrigerating the dough. Thank you for sharing your delicious recipe!

Not sure what happened. Followed the recipe to the T and all I got was a melted crepe that was all a buttered mess.

My new favorite! A number of reviews said they weren’t thin, so I pressed my cookies flat before cooking instead of leaving it as a ball and they came out perfect; thin, crunchy, chewy, and delicious! Also, don’t use convection, I tried it on one batch as an experiment and the cookies fluffed up.

Wonderful recipe everyone loved them!

great

Made these today.. Wow for the first time making these they came out amazing. Followed the recipe just the way it was written. Husband and sons loved them so much that I have to make another batch the next day. All and All I will continue to make these. Thank you for sharing your recipe

Best recipe ever, I have probably tried over 100 different recipes and this was the most successful!!

Not a thin as they say don’t know how to make them thinner but they still taste great!

I made this exactly as written (except I refrigerated overnight) and they were excellent. I did not find them to salty or to sweet. I did make them in three batches and the warmer my dough got the more cake like and less flat the cookie got. I would definitely recommend keeping the dough cold right until it goes into the oven! I’ll definitely make these again.

I absolutely loved this recipe, so easy peasy! I reduced my white sugar to half a cup instead of 1 full cup and still used half cup dark brown sugar, the sweetness was still there and delicious! Also added half cup chopped pecans.

these were the best chocolate chip cookies I have ever made or tasted, BUT I didn't follow the recipe as intended, and they didn't come out thin. all I did differently was roll the dough into golf ball shaped sizes.

Simply the absolute BEST chocolate chip cookie ever!

This is my go to cookie recipe. I've made this recipe so many times, and I don't make any changes. I've refrigerated the cookies before, however, and didn't see a difference. So if you don't have time, don't worry about it. I also like warm fresh cookies. So whenever I make the dough, I form them into balls and place them on a plate in the freezer. Once, they've hardened and won't stick, I place them all in a freezer ziplock bag. This just makes sure that they don't all stick together. Whenever I want a cookie, I set the oven to 375 (like the recipe states) and put it in for about 12 minutes or until they're brown. Fresh cookies every time! Also, it's on my bucket list to cook with Chef John. I use all of his recipes!

Review 5/5/19 - I used half and half instead of milk and baked them on a Silpat, not parchment. They came out all puffy and not crispy. I even baked them an extra 10 minutes to try and crisp them up! No worky. Chef John, could have these changes to your recipe caused this? (insert frowny emoji) ;-) UPDATE 5/9/19 - It WAS the Silpat! I did it again but with parchment, also flattened them out per the suggestion of one subscriber. Success! Crispy! Don't use a Silpat!

I make these all the time. Sometimes I use toffee chips, other times walnuts and chocolate chips. They are DELICIOUS!

This recipe was delicious! I used salted butter and cut back on the table salt. Next time I will follow the instructions to use softened butter. I worked much harder than necessary creaming in the sugars. Also, I will bake them for the suggested 12 mins... I cooked them a minute longer and they were a bit over done. I will definitely make them again!!

followed everything except refrigerating the dough that long. Only did for 20 minutes. They didn't spread and are more cake like. However they do taste delicious!

These were really good. His butter looked slightly different than mine, I had Costco unsalted butter on hand and I softened it using my microwave's soften feature, and it worked out well. Maybe I didn't have my egg at room temperature but he didn't say that so I used them straight from the fridge. Also, I used fat free milk and not almond milk. Mine didn't come out as flat as this recipe, but they still tasted and looked delicious, so I'm not complaining. Mine had to cook for 10 minutes and they turned out perfect - a full 12 mins and they were burning. I love Chef John's recipes because he explains everything and adds in the flavor of his humor :)

Didnt turn out thin at all Not bad flavour though.

We liked these cookies very much. Only thing different I did was add some chopped macadamia nuts. Just made another batch that are in the fridge setting up. Can't wait. Thanks Chef John!

These came out really thick and tasted liked normal cookies not amazing like most of chef Johns recipes. (Got a lot of compliments when i bought these in tho) On my second go i got European butter and they flattened better. from a little searching around it seems you need more butter to get them a bit flatter, so for my next batch im going to add half a stick (1/4 cup) to the mix and see how those turn out with normal butter

Tasty

I substituted for 1cup powdered sugar, 1cup light brown sugar, regular salt. I will make again! Ty

Absolutely delicious! I would not change a thing.

These are awesome!

I love your recipes John - but something must be off in the measurements in this one - I’ve made it twice now, followed the directions exactly, and I end up with fluffy cakes, nothing like the description or picture.

I made no changes and the texture of the cookie is a tea cake not a chocolate chip cookie. Definitely cannot bake without parchment. I monitored the cookies carefully but it is was difficult to determine golden brown for me without scorching the bottom. I am an experienced baker and I do not suggest this recipe to toll house chocolate chip cookie lovers.

I followed recipe and they are delicious! I took them to a party and everyone loved them they ate all of them! Only crumbs were left. I will keep this recipe.

No changes

These cookies were really good, i just wish they were crunchier and they were a little too salty.

These came out so good!!! Just like how they tasted when my aunt made them growing up. Not too soft, not too crispy, just right. Goldilocks chocolate chip cookies. Thanks so much! Madison - zerowastecalifornia.org

turned out identical to the picture. 10/10

cookies were delish, the texture was not quite like advertised. not sure what I did wrong. butter was salted. maybe used 1 teaspoon instead of 3/4 tsp. of salt, as I didn't have kosher. texture was crispy, not chewy and crispy on edges. kept the dough chilled while I was baking. maybe cooked to long, 12 minutes. all in all, they were really good.

These are SO GOOD!!! I added about 4 tablespoons of milk total, measured out 1 tablespoon of dough, and baked them for 12-13 minutes. Soooo delicious, I love this recipe!!

My cookies did not flatten at all. For my 2nd batch I let the cookie dough come up to room temperature on the cookie sheet before placing in oven, same result. My only change to the recipie was to add 1 tablespoon of unsweetened Cocoa. I also added crushed Pecans to several. Taste was ok.

Ok I have to say I was skeptical that a chocolate chip cookies would be better than Nestle Tollhouse but I was wrong. Mine came out just as pictured. Great combination of sweet and salty. My only deviation is I did NOT refrigerate the dough. They get puffy and then just as they start to get evenly brown they start to sink and then I take out of oven. 11 minutes for my oven.

yummy recipe for my collection, thank you Chef John

These turned out perfectly. The best cookie I've ever made!

Yep, this is the one

I followed the instructions exactly except I did not refrigerate the first batch (couldn't wait). I cooked at 350 due to nonstick dark pan.They were perfect for my tastes - crispy and thin.

I've had a hard time finding a chocolate chip cookie recipe that I love, but these are amazing! I only used 1 1/2 sticks of butter (and way less chocolate chips but that's only because I don't like a lot of them). They still turned out crunchy and delicious. Yum!

I made these fabulous cookies and they were a big hit. The only deviation from the recipe was I used 1/2 the amount of vanilla and the other 1/2 peppermint flavoring. It gave them that smooth vanilla flavor but the peppermint was just the right amount to taste it without being overwhelming. They might even be good with a bit of crushed candy cane in top for the holidays.

Loved it! Make these they are the best.

This recipe is just what I have been looking for. The soft center and crispy edges makes the perfect chocolate chip cookie FOR ME! I followed the recipe as written and it was great!

SHUT THE FRONT DOOR, these were fabulous! I love Chef John, and stumbled across this recipe last week. I made homemade vanilla ice cream and decided to turn these into ice cream sandwiches. First, the cookies alone are beyond magnificent. Everyone that I shared them with went out of their way to tell me how good they were. When I turned them into ice cream sandwiches (even rolled them in red, white and blue sprinkles), it took them over the edge. I doubled the recipe and am right now baking the remainder of the cookies to eat for dessert with a big glass of milk. The taste and texture of these cookies are the best I've ever eaten. Thanks, Chef John!

Chef John's recipes are always top tier. Made these to the letter, with the only change I needed being 3 extra minutes in my oven. They came out exactly as described, perfect.

When I made these cookies, I used a watermelon baller to form the cookies. They wouldn't come out nicely, so I gave up on that & ended up using it just for measurement. I baked them round, assuming they would spread out. They didn't. I pushed them down a bit, froze some, completely flattened some, put a few in the hot sun, I did everything I could think of. I changed the oven time, the temperature, anything! These cookies were not tender & bubbly. What may have caused this? (They tasted good, though a bit salty)

Great taste! Followed the recipe to a tee, but in a bad electric apartment oven, and suffered from the cake finish described by others here. I baked three at a time experimenting for a way to get close to the pictured result. The solution for me was to increase the oven temp setting to 390F, and place a water bowl below for humidity. I let the dough warm to room temp after the overnight fridge. I rolled the dough in balls (larger than ping pong; smaller than golf) and pressed them flat such that i could feel the chips on both sides. Cut baking time to 10 minutes for the thinner profile. Result: crispy on the edges; perfectly golden brown and delicious! I was unable to replicate the translucent finish shown in the YouTube, but this recipe as adjusted is a winner!

Perfect! If you are using salted butter, I would definitely cut back on the salt to 3/4 tsp. And if you are going to cook them right away without refrigerating them, you should cook them less than 10 min. I'd start checking at around 7-8min. But refrigerating them made a difference in the texture and taste. Thanks Chef John for another outstanding recipe!

Myself and the family did not enjoy this recipe. The use of kosher salt leaves the majority of the batter tasting bland, with the occasional unpleasant hit of large salt grains giving an overpowering salty taste in some bites. Also leaves a greasy feel on the fingers. Won't make again.

The cookies were crunchier than I thought they would be but still delicious. Will try the recipe again.

I think I must have done SOMETHING wrong. I followed the recipe to a T. The cookies were greasy, spread out (yes, I cooled them) and very chewy to the point that they got stuck in your teeth. No crispy edge or chewy middle. I only had dark brown sugar, so could that explain all the issues????