Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

• 265 g (2 cups plus 2 tablespoons)plain flour
• 2.5 ml (½ teaspoon)bicarbonate of soda
• 2.5 ml (½ teaspoon)salt
• 170 g (12 tablespoons; 1½ sticks), melted and cooled until warmbutter
• 200 g (1 cup)light or dark soft brown sugar
• 100 g (½ cup)granulated sugar
• 1 largeegg
• 1egg yolk
• 10 ml (2 teaspoons)vanilla extract
• 255 g (1½ cups)plain chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips

Instructions

1. 1

   Cool the butter

   Melt the butter gently until just warm, not hot. It should look milky rather than clear yellow. To avoid overheating it, use half power and stop when a few pieces remain, letting the residual heat melt them. If the butter is hot, the dough may be loose; let it cool and firm up before scooping.

2. 2

   Mix dry ingredients

   Heat the oven to 177°C (350°F) and set a rack in the middle. Stir the flour, salt and bicarbonate of soda together in a medium bowl, then set aside.

3. 3

   Make the dough

   Beat the butter with both sugars until thoroughly blended. Mix in the egg, egg yolk and vanilla, then add the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

4. 4

   Scoop and bake

   Scoop the dough into balls; the recipe recommends about 3 tablespoons of dough per cookie for a larger size. Bake until the edges begin to firm while the centres remain soft and puffy, about 9–12 minutes for cookies of that size. Baking time varies with cookie size. Leave the cookies to cool on the baking sheets, then serve or store in an airtight container.

What are chewy chocolate chip cookies?

Chocolate chip cookies are an American-style bake made by folding chocolate into a sweet butter-and-flour dough. This version aims for a contrast of set, lightly crisp edges and soft centres rather than an evenly crisp biscuit.

Melted butter, brown sugar and an extra yolk help make the centres rich and chewy. The recipe keeps the method straightforward: mix the wet and dry ingredients, add the chocolate, then bake until the middle is still soft.

Nutrition and macros by portion

The nutrition label shows one serving as written: 241 calories, 2g protein, 34g carbs, 11g fat.

The flour and sugars provide most of the carbohydrates, while butter supplies much of the fat; the egg and yolk contribute some protein and fat. Pair a cookie with fruit or plain yoghurt if you want a more balanced snack.

Why use melted butter?

Butter temperature: the recipe calls for melted butter that has cooled until warm, not hot. The suggested slow melting helps avoid overheating it, and the butter should still look milky rather than clear yellow.

Dough texture: hot butter can leave the mixture loose. If that happens, wait for it to firm up before scooping.

Getting the dough together

Dry ingredients: mixing the flour, salt and bicarbonate of soda together first helps distribute the raising agent through the dough.

Gentle mixing: blend the dry ingredients into the butter mixture only until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips afterwards so the dough is not worked more than necessary.

Choosing a cookie size

Larger cookies: the recipe favours scoops of about 3 tablespoons of dough, which should take around 9–12 minutes to bake. This size gives the centre more time to stay soft while the edges set.

Smaller cookies: the method allows for other scoop sizes, but gives no separate timing for them. Keep an eye on the edges and centres, as baking time depends on size.

Reading the bake

Edges: look for the outer edges to start hardening before taking the cookies out. They do not need to be firm all the way across.

Centres: the middle should still look soft and puffy when baking ends. The cookies cool on the baking sheets, so follow the recipe's visual cues rather than waiting for the centres to look fully set in the oven.

Serving and keeping

Serve the cookies once cooled enough to handle, or keep them in an airtight container as directed. They make a sweet snack alongside tea, coffee or a glass of milk.

For a more balanced plate, pair one cookie with fruit or plain yoghurt rather than making the cookies the whole snack.

Recipe notes & tips

• Let the melted butter cool until warm before mixing it into the sugars.
• Use the middle oven rack for the bake.
• Mix the flour mixture into the wet ingredients only until combined.
• Scoop about 3 tablespoons of dough per cookie for the size recommended in the recipe.
• Start checking at 9 minutes, since the baking time depends on cookie size.
• Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets before serving or storing.

Variations

• Use dark chocolate: choose bittersweet chips for a less sweet chocolate flavour.
• Choose light brown sugar: use it for the lighter brown sugar option in the recipe.
• Choose dark brown sugar: use it for a deeper brown sugar flavour.
• Make smaller cookies: scoop less dough per cookie and watch the bake closely, as the timing will differ.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Hot butter: it can make the dough too loose; cool it until just warm before mixing.
• Overmixing the flour: the dough needs only to be mixed until the dry ingredients are just combined.
• Waiting for firm centres: take the cookies out when the edges are beginning to set and the centres remain soft and puffy.
• Using one timing for every size: baking time varies with the size of the scoops, so use the visual cues as well.
• Moving the cookies too soon: let them cool on the baking sheets as the method directs.

How to store

Store the cooled cookies in an airtight container. For best texture, enjoy them within a few days; warm briefly before serving if you like them soft.

Frequently asked questions