Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

While the most iconic of cookies may be wonderfully simple to make, the perfect chocolate chip cookie still must meet a few very important requirements. In our book, they should have a soft and chewy inside, crisp edges and plenty of chocolate. I’ve made my fair share of variations on the chocolate chip cookie over the years, from chewy to brown butter, but this recipe takes the cake: They’re the most classic, least-fussy version—exactly what you want when you’re looking for a no-frills, soft and fudgy chocolate chip cookie.

I tested these again and again (seriously—over 73 hours and 17 taste tests) to ensure they were perfected. Read on for everything I learned (and that you need to know!) to make these best-ever chocolate chip cookies:

How to make perfect chocolate chip cookies:
— Use two types of chocolate. For the ultimate chocolatey cookie, go beyond just one kind of chocolate. Besides using chocolate chips for the iconic look, incorporate chocolate wafers or pieces from a bar of chocolate to create layers of chocolate in your cookie, and swirls of melty goodness. You can also mix up your chocolates! I like darker chocolates so I use bittersweet and semisweet, but if you don’t like dark as much, use milk and semisweet together.
— Don’t underestimate the importance of chilling. Trust me, I tried so hard to create a perfect cookie without the chill, but in the end, it's the difference between a great chocolate chip cookie and the chocolate chip cookie. Chilling the dough not only makes the cookies more flavorful, but also helps them bake more evenly. The chilled dough will hold its shape for longer, giving you a taller cookie with a soft center instead of a mostly flat and crispier cookie.
— Make perfectly round cookies. For round, bakery-like cookies I always use a cookie scoop instead of just spooning it out with a regular spoon. That mold makes the round edges for you, and the cookie does well to keep its shape while baking.
— Melted butter is superior. When you incorporate softened butter with the sugar, it adds a lot of air into your dough, creating a cake-like texture in your cookie. While this is ideal for a classic vanilla cake, it’s not so ideal for cookies. Melted butter gives you chewier, fudgier cookies. Plus, it means you can make these cookies with a simple whisk and not an electric mixer!
— Underbake your cookies for a soft & chewy interior. When baking, look for crispy, set edges and middles that give slightly when you press the top with just a bit of pressure—that’s when you know they’re good to go.

Storage and freezing.
If you manage to have any leftover cookies (lucky you), store them in an airtight container at room temperature for around 5 days. Alternatively, you can also freeze the baked cookies: Once cooled, store in a freezer safe bag for around 3 months. I kind of love a frozen cookie straight from the freezer, but you can also wrap a cookie in a slightly damp paper towel and microwave for just 5 to 10 seconds and you’ll have a warm, melty, gooey cookie all over again.

If you’re freezing your cookie dough, scoop directly into a freezer-safe bag, and store for around 3 months.

Made out best-ever chocolate chip cookies? Let us know how it went in the comments below!