There are a lot of chocolate chip cookies out there in the world right now. Browned butter, chopped chocolate, super thick, flaky sea salt, chilling the dough overnight…all good, all fine. But I’ve discovered that the ones that I actually make tend to be the simplest ones (and it’s these or the classic ones, what can I say, I am who I am, haha).

These old-fashioned chocolate chip cookies have no extra steps, no ingredients you have to think about or buy ahead of time. Just a straightforward cookie dough that comes together fast and bakes up into that familiar, classic cookie that, honestly, never really needed improving in the first place.

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Why You’ll Love These Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is a true back-to-basics chocolate chip cookie. It’s made with all simple pantry ingredients, has no chill time, and the cookies come out thin with a soft, chewy texture and golden brown crispy edges. Just like grandma used to make. Actually, they’re the quintessential chocolate chip cookie.

Ingredient Notes

• Use unsalted butter so you can control the salt. This dough already has a decent amount of salt, so salted butter can make the cookies taste a little too salty.
• We’re using both white and brown sugar so the cookies will have that classic soft center with just a little crispness around the edges. You can use either light or dark brown sugar, but I think dark brown sugar adds a caramel-y flavor that works really well.
• For a classic old-fashioned cookie, make sure to use semi-sweet chocolate chips (it’s really the only option, haha).

Step-By-Step Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, cream the butter, sugar, and brown sugar together with an electric mixer on medium speed for 2–3 minutes, until smooth and slightly lighter in color.
3. Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix until fully combined.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, sea salt, and baking soda.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix just until combined. Don’t overmix the batter at this stage, since we’re going to mix it again when we fold in the chocolate chips.
6. Fold in the chocolate chips and let the dough sit for 10–15 minutes while the oven finishes preheating.
7. Using a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop dough onto prepared baking sheets, spacing cookies about 2 inches apart.
8. Gently press the tops of the dough balls for a more classic, slightly flatter cookie.
9. Bake for 10–12 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through, until the edges are set and lightly golden and the centers still look slightly soft.
10. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them sit on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. A light tap of the pan on the counter will help settle the centers.
11. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe Tips & Notes

• These cookies bake up a little thinner with soft, chewy centers and lightly crisp edges and that’s exactly how they’re meant to be.
• Make sure to spoon and level the flour, to avoid adding too much. Too much flour will make the cookies dense and they won’t spread enough to be thin (they’ll be more hocky puck style).
• This recipe has slightly more salt to help balance the sweetness and really bring out the chocolate flavor.
• Don’t skimp, but also don’t overdo the chocolate chips. 3/4 cup is the perfect amount to keep the dough balanced without being overloaded, just trust me on this. Cookies with too much “stuff” end up looking weird.
• While the recipe calls for semi-sweet chocolate chips (and I, of course, recommend using semi-sweet) for that classic flavor, they are your cookies. You can use any kind of chocolate you love (or even white chocolate if that’s your favorite).
• Don’t overbake the cookies or they’ll dry out and be very crispy. The centers should still look slightly soft when you pull them out. They’ll continue to set up as they cool.

Storage Recommendations

Store these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. They also freeze really well. You can freeze the baked and cooled cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 months. You can also scoop the dough into balls and freeze them until solid. Then, you can bake them directly from frozen, just remember to add 1–2 extra minutes to the bake time.

Old-Fashioned Chocolate Chip Cookies

By: Kristine Underwood

Old fashioned chocolate chip cookies made the simple way. Soft centers, lightly crisp edges, and a classic dough that comes together quickly with pantry staples.

5 from 10 votes

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 12 minutes mins

Total Time 22 minutes mins

Course Sweets & Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 14 cookies

Calories 204 kcal

Equipment

• 1 Baking sheets
• 1 2 tablespoon cookie scoop

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar (light or dark, packed)
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups flour (all-purpose, spooned and leveled)
• 3/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 cup chocolate chips (semi-sweet)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, and brown sugar for 2–3 minutes, until smooth and slightly lighter in color.
  1/2 cup unsalted butter, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar
• Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix just until combined.
  1 egg, 1 tsp vanilla extract
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, sea salt, and baking soda.
  1 1/4 cups flour, 3/4 tsp sea salt, 1/2 tsp baking soda
• Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix just until combined. Do not overmix when you add the flour beacuse we’re going to mix it again when we fold in the chocolate chips.
• Fold in the chocolate chips and let the dough sit for 10–15 minutes while the oven finishes preheating.
  3/4 cup chocolate chips
• Using a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop dough onto prepared baking sheets, spacing cookies about 2 inches apart.
• Gently press the tops of the dough balls for a more classic, slightly flatter cookie.
• Bake for 10–12 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through, until the edges are set and lightly golden and the centers still look slightly soft.
• Remove from the oven and let the cookies sit on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. A light tap of the pan on the counter will help settle the centers.
• Transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Store cookies in at room temperature in an airtight container for up 1 week or freeze for up to 3 months.

Notes

• These cookies bake up a little thinner with soft, chewy centers and lightly crisp edges and that’s exactly how they’re meant to be.
• Make sure to spoon and level the flour. Too much flour will make the cookies dense and they won’t spread enough to be thin (they’ll be more hocky puck style).
• This recipe has slightly more salt to help balance the sweetness and really bring out the chocolate flavor.
• Don’t skimp, but also don’t overdo the chocolate chips. 3/4 cup is the perfect amount to keep the dough balanced without being overloaded.
• While the recipe calls for semi-sweet chocolate chips for that classic flavor, you can use any kind of chocolate you love.
• Don’t overbake the cookies or they’ll dry out and be very crispy. The centers should still look slightly soft when you pull them out. They’ll continue to set up as they cool.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 cookieCalories: 204kcalCarbohydrates: 25gProtein: 2gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.5gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 30mgSodium: 172mgPotassium: 84mgFiber: 1gSugar: 15gVitamin A: 225IUCalcium: 18mgIron: 1mg