Some days you need a 12-step skincare routine and a green juice. Other days you need a warm cookie and a moment (or twelve) of silence. Well my friend, these are those cookies—the ones you make when life feels a little sideways, or when you’re craving something sweet, and nostalgic, and real.

They’re classic. Familiar. Comforting in the way only a homemade chocolate chip cookie can be—with a chewy center, crisp edge, and just the right ratio of butter to chocolate to salt.

And the best part? No chilling. No fancy ingredients. Just one bowl, a small hand mixer (or stand mixer if you’re feeling fancy), and about 30 minutes until your kitchen smells like absolute heaven.

Why You’ll Love These Guys

• They’re the kind of cookies that taste even better the next day (assuming they last that long, I don’t have the best luck with that, personally heh).
• The texture hits the sweet spot—crispy edges with soft middles.
• You don’t need to chill the dough (so…cookies now).
• They’re made with simple pantry ingredients, which I’m positive you have on-hand.

Ingredient Notes

• Butter: Unsalted and softened, but not melted.
• Sugars: A mix of white and brown sugar for the perfect balance of sweet and chewy.
• Milk: Just a splash, but it softens the dough just the right amount.
• Flour: Spoon and level—no need to weigh, but also no scooping from the bag, please.
• Chocolate Chips: Use your favorite—dark, semi-sweet, or milk. Or a little bit of everything if you’re feeling rebellious (I mean, why not?).
  

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F and line three baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and sugar with an electric mixer for 1-2 minutes, until light and fluffy.
3. Add 1 tsp milk, 1 tsp vanilla extract, and 1 egg. Mix for another minute until smooth, but don’t go too crazy here.
4. Add the flour, baking soda, and sea salt to the bowl and mix gently just until crumbly, but not mixed.
5. Fold in the chocolate chips until just combined (this is where you’ll finish mixing in the flour).
6. Using a large size, 3 TBS cookie scoop, scoop and drop dough onto lined baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
7. Bake for 11–12 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. The cookies should be just golden on the bottoms, but not totally done—they’ll finish setting as they cool.
8. Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 2–3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe Tips & Notes

• Don’t overbake! These cookies will look slightly underdone when you take them out—that’s exactly right (don’t freak out).
• For extra chocolatey cookies, press a few chocolate chips on top before baking.
• Add a few flakes of sea salt to the tops right before baking for that sweet-salty fancy bakery vibe.
• Want smaller cookies? Use a 1.5 TBS scoop and reduce the bake time to 9–10 minutes. You’ll get twice as many cookies (roughly 28).
• You can freeze dough balls for up to 3 months and bake straight from frozen—just add 1–2 minutes to the bake time.

Serving & Storage Recommendations

• Serve warm with a glass of cold milk, obviously. Or sneak one straight off the baking sheet while nobody’s looking. They also make an excellent ice cream sandwich base if you’re feeling extra.
• Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. They also freeze beautifully—just pop them in a freezer bag once fully cooled. Warm in the microwave for 10 seconds for that just-baked feel (in even less time than whipping up a batch, haha).