Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chunk Cookies

How to Make the Best Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chunk Cookies | What are the Best Baking Pans for Cookies? | How to Know When Cookies are Done Baking

These soft and chewy chocolate chunk cookies are packed with chocolaty goodness. Not too sweet and not too salty, these cookies will give any chocolate cookie a run for the money! They are also soft and tender…like a good love story. They are just the right amount of chewy, soft, and slightly crisp on the bottom, which makes them a perfect cookie in my book. Read below for the recipe.

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soft and chewy chocolate chunk cookies

Isn’t there something dreamy about a warm chocolate chunk cookie fresh out of the oven? The smell, the texture, the melty chocolate that tantalizes your tastebuds with every bite…a truly great chocolate chip cookie can make you stop, smile, and enjoy the moment a little more deeply.

With every recipe I try to think through what it might make someone feel when they eat it. I hope when you try these delicious cookies, you will feel pampered and cared for. There’s something especially wonderful about a soft and chewy chocolate chunk cookie because it takes little effort to eat, but the texture is amazing!

close up of chocolate chunk cookie broken in half

How to Make the Best Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chunk Cookies?

Baking is a science, so follow this recipe exactly so that your cookies will turn out the right way!

Use cold butter for starters. Cold butter takes a little longer to cream in a stand mixer, but it helps the cookie to hold together with a tighter structure. If you use room temperature butter, the cookies will spread a lot more during baking.

Second, this is a basic cookie, so use the basic creaming method. Just in case you are new to baking cookies, the creaming method means to cream the butter and sugars together(using this amazing paddle attachment), then mix in the wet ingredients, and then mix in the dry ingredients and chocolate chunks.

Third, scoop cookie dough with a large cookie scoop, place portions on a small cookie sheet, and cover with plastic wrap. Chill the dough for at least 2 hours, then bake on rimmed half sheet pans lined with parchment for the best results. That’s it, now let’s dig in!

If you are new to baking, this is a great recipe to try! If you are a pro, this will be a cinch. Either way, own it and be proud of your cookies.

sheet pan with cookies and melted chocolate

What are the Best Baking Pans for Cookies?

The best baking pans for cookies are rimmed baking pans. Rimless pans and airbake pans will cause the cookies to spread more and turn out differently. We want cookies that bake evenly and that get the proper air circulation.

In addition, always use parchment paper over silicone mats. Parchment allows the cookies to brown on the bottom just the right amount. Silicone is not a great heat conductor and will not give you the same result.

close up of chocolate chunk cookies

How to Know When Cookies are Done Baking

This is honestly the most difficult part of baking, as is often the case with many baked goods. Knowing when a cookie is fully baked depends on the recipe and the desired result. Some cookies should be cooked until fully crisp while others should be slightly underdone.

For this specific recipe, we want the tops to be slightly underdone, but the edges should be golden. You may see a slight golden color on top of the cookies, but they should not be brown or dark at all. If they cook for too long, they will not be soft and chewy. Instead, they will be crisp and chewy.

So as a rule of thumb, take the cookies out when the edges are lightly golden and there is just a hint of color on top. The tops will look slightly underdone, but that is exactly what we want!

close up of chocolate chunk cookies

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Print

Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chunk Cookies

soft and chewy chocolate chunk cookies
  • Author: Camille
  • Prep Time: 2 hr. 10 min.
  • Cook Time: 15 min.
  • Total Time: 2 hr 25 min.
  • Yield: 18 1x
  • Category: cookies

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 170 g (3/4 c) unsalted butter, soft but cool
  • 67 g (1/3 c) granulated sugar
  • 200 g (1 c) light brown sugar
  • 1 whole egg
  • 1 yolk
  • 2 tsp. vanilla
  • 1/4 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp. baking powder
  • 3/4 tsp. salt
  • 240 g (2 c) all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups chopped chocolate pieces, either semi-sweet or dark chocolate

Instructions

To Make Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chunk Cookies

  1. Cream butter on medium speed for a minute or two in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment until smooth and creamy.
  2. Add granulated sugar and brown sugar, and mix on medium low until fully combined. Don’t beat on high, as this will incorporate too much air and change the cookie texture.
  3. Add egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and mix on low. 
  4. Chop dark chocolate into small, uneven pieces, making sure to leave some pieces bigger and some smaller.
  5. Add salt, baking powder, baking soda, flour, and chopped chocolate to mixing bowl. Mix on medium speed until combined, about 5 to 10 seconds. Do not keep mixing once all dry ingredients have been absorbed into the dough. The dough will develop too much gluten if it mixes longer than is necessary, resulting in a tough cookie.
  6. Scoop cookies with a large cookie scoop, and place cookie dough balls on baking sheet or in a container and cover. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, but 24 hours is best. Refrigeration allows the dry ingredients to absorb the wet ingredients, resulting in a better cookie.
  7. Remove cookies from the fridge when ready to bake. Preheat oven to 325. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, and place cookies 2-3 inches apart. On a half-sheet pan, you should be able to fit 6-8 cookies.
  8. Baking for 13-17 minutes. Start with 12 minutes, and then flip the pan around for the last few minutes so the cookies bake evenly.
  9.  You know the cookies are done when their edges are golden brown but the tops of the cookies look slightly underdone still. The tops may have a light golden color, but they should not be brown. Don’t let them bake any longer at this point. They will be much firmer and crispier if they cook too long. 
  10. Cool for 10 minutes and transfer cookies to a cooling rack. Cookies will still appear slightly underdone inside when they are warm from the oven, but they will firm up once cooled.
  11. Share and enjoy every morsel. You deserve it!

Notes

This is a Baker Street Society original recipe. If you wish to adapt this recipe, please give credit as this is the honest thing to do.

Keywords: soft and chewy chocolate chunk cookies

2 Comments

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