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Home & Kitchen with Caraway
The Most Delicious Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
Key Takeaways
The best chocolate chip cookies come from simple ingredients, balanced ratios, and careful baking timing.
Letting the dough rest and pulling cookies while the centers are soft creates the perfect crisp-edge, chewy-center texture.
Baking at home gives you full control over ingredients, sweetness, and texture for a cleaner, more satisfying cookie every time.
There are a lot of cookie recipes out there. Some are fussy, some are overly sweet, and some promise magic but deliver disappointment. This one is different. It’s built for real kitchens, real schedules, and real cravings.
At Caraway , we care about how food tastes and how it’s made. That means clean ingredients, straightforward techniques, and tools that make baking feel calm instead of chaotic. These cookies come out golden, balanced, and deeply satisfying without relying on shortcuts or mystery additives.
The Ingredients
Before you start mixing, it helps to know why these ingredients show up and how small tweaks affect the final cookie.
All-purpose flour: Gives structure without making the cookies cakey. Spoon and level for accuracy.
Unsalted butter: Melted, then cooled slightly. This creates chewy centers and richer flavor.
Brown sugar + granulated sugar: Brown sugar adds moisture and chew. White sugar helps with crisp edges
Egg + egg yolk: One whole egg for structure, one extra yolk for softness and richness.
Vanilla extract: Don’t skip it. It rounds everything out.
Baking soda: Helps the cookies spread just enough while browning evenly.
Salt: Balances sweetness and deepens flavor.
Chocolate chips or chunks: Choose what you love. Chopped chocolate melts into pockets; chips keep their shape.
Simple ingredients, intentional roles. That’s the whole idea.
Step-by-Step: How To Make Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies
Once you know what’s going in, the process itself is refreshingly straightforward.
Start by whisking together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Set it aside. In a separate bowl, combine the melted butter with both sugars until smooth and glossy. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla, whisking until fully blended.
Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture just until combined. Overmixing is the fastest way to tough cookies, so stop as soon as you no longer see dry flour. Fold in your chocolate last.
Let the dough rest for 20 to 30 minutes at room temperature. This small pause allows the flour to hydrate, which leads to better texture and more controlled spreading in the oven.
Baking Temperature and Timing Matter More Than You Think
Preheat your oven to 350°F. A fully heated oven is key to even baking and proper browning.
Scoop the dough into generous portions and space them well on your baking sheet. These cookies spread, and crowding leads to uneven edges. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, pulling them out of the oven when the edges are set but the centers still look slightly soft.
They’ll finish cooking on the pan as they cool. That’s how you get crisp edges with a tender middle instead of dry, overbaked cookies.
Using our ceramic-coated baking sheet helps here. Even heat means fewer hot spots and more consistent results batch after batch.
Let Them Cool
Resist the urge to move the cookies immediately . Let them rest on the pan for at least 5 minutes before transferring to a rack. This sets the structure and keeps them from falling apart.
Easy Ways To Customize Without Ruining The Dough
Once you’ve made these once, you can tweak them confidently.
Swap some chocolate for chopped walnuts or pecans.
Sprinkle flaky salt on top right after baking for contrast
Chill the dough overnight for deeper flavor and thicker cookies.
Use dark chocolate for less sweetness and richer cocoa notes.
Small changes go a long way when the base recipe is solid.
Why Baking at Home Can Be the Better Choice
Making cookies at home gives you control . You decide the ingredients, the sweetness level, and how much butter actually goes in. No preservatives. No artificial flavors. Just real food, baked thoughtfully.
That’s the philosophy behind everything we make at Caraway. Tools that support better cooking without adding unnecessary complexity.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did my cookies turn out flat?
Most often, the butter was too hot or the dough wasn’t rested. Letting the dough sit helps control spread.
Can I freeze the dough?
Yes. Scoop portions, freeze solid, and bake straight from frozen with an extra minute or two added.
How do I get thicker cookies?
Use slightly less sugar or chill the dough longer. Cold dough spreads more slowly.
What’s the best chocolate to use?
A mix of chips and chopped chocolate gives you structure and melt. Choose what tastes good to you.
How should I store baked cookies?
Keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days. Add a slice of bread to maintain softness.
Sources:
The Science Behind Baking Your Ideal Chocolate Chip Cookie | NPR