If you’re looking for a quick, easy recipe for soft chocolate chip cookies, this is the recipe for you! These cookies are made of simple ingredients and come together in minutes.
Should Chocolate Chip Cookies be Chewy or Soft?
There’s a big debate on that subject and I always fall somewhere in the middle. I like mine to be chewy and fluffy. . .both at once!
Until today I’d never considered a simple fluffy chocolate chip cookie. But I stumbled across this recipe online and decided to give it a try.
As always, I changed up the ingredients a bit. Not enough to affect the outcome, apparently, because these really did turn out to be light and fluffy chocolate chip cookies.
In some ways they reminded me of my cake mix cookies, due to their texture. But these definitely had more natural flavors in them, since they’re made from scratch.
These cookies don’t have any of that. They’re super light and fluffy.
What Makes Some Cookies Chewy?
Chewy chocolate chip cookies often have more eggs. They also have brown sugar, which caramelizes while the cookies bake, giving them that chewy texture.
Some chewy cookies are baked a little longer or have a bit more flour.
These cookies, however? They come together in minutes and have fewer ingredients.
Soft Chocolate Chip Cookie Ingredients
You will find a full printable recipe card at the bottom of this post but here’s a quick peek at what you’ll need to make these cookies. I’m guessing you probably have most of these ingredients on hand in your pantry or refrigerator, even now.
- room temperature butter (salted or unsalted butter, your choice)
- white sugar
- salt
- room temperature egg
- vanilla extract
- all-purpose flour
- baking powder
- chocolate chips (optional)
- chopped nuts (optional)
How to Make these Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies
These come together so quickly! You’re going to love this simple recipe.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Place a piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet.
Place flour, salt, and baking powder in a small bowl and whisk together until well incorporated.
Place butter in a large mixing bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment.)
Cream butter until light and fluffy.
Add vanilla and continue creaming.
Add sugar and continue mixing.
Add egg and mix slowly. You will notice the batter begins to break down a little. Don’t worry!
Add dry ingredients, mixing only until fully incorporated.
Fold in chocolate chips.
Fold in nuts.
You’re going to be tempted to take a little nibble of that chocolate chip cookie dough. . .but don’t! It’s got raw eggs and flour in it, not to mention baking soda. You don’t want to consume any of those things.
If you like a good edible cookie dough, I’ve got a recipe coming up soon for that!
Use a cookie scoop to scoop out balls of cookie dough (1-inch balls, or slightly larger) onto parchment-lined baking sheet.
Press down with the palm of your hand to slightly flatten balls.
Place in preheated oven and bake until golden brown. Mine took about 12 minutes. Baking time may vary, depending on your oven.
Remove tray and place on wire rack to cool.
After ten minutes move cookies directly to the rack to continue cooling.
Serve with a big glass of milk!
Store leftovers in an airtight container or ziplock bag. It’s a good idea to keep these at room temperature, not refrigerated. They can be frozen and eaten later. They’ll stay good in the freezer up to two months.
What to Expect from these Cookies
I usually use my Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe so I wasn’t sure what to expect from this one. I like a darker, nuttier flavor, which is why I use browned butter and brown sugar in my mix.
That said, these were so yummy! They were light and fluffy, just as advertised. And I happened to be in the mood for some light fluffy cookies with a lovely soft texture.
I took these to a friend in the dog rescue business. I felt like she needed a reward for her labors. I swapped them out for this tiny pup, who I’m fostering! (I named him Peanut!)
Variations on this Recipe
This is one of those cookie recipes that would be a lovely base recipe for a variety of cookies, not just traditional chocolate chip. I might use this recipe to make:
Oatmeal raisin cookies: This would make a lighter, fluffier oatmeal cookie than my current Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Cookies recipe, which might be a fun option. Remember not to use any light brown sugar or the cookies will have a chewy texture. Dark brown sugar will result in an even chewier texture.
Ranger Cookies: I love a good ranger cookie because it’s chocked full of yummy textures and flavors. This recipe would make a great ranger cookie.
Almond Joy cookies: Add chocolate chips and coconut, then drizzle with thin ribbons of chocolate ganache.
Mint chocolate cookies: Skip the nuts. Add a bit of cocoa to the batter and use mint chocolate chips in place of regular ones.
Semi-sweet chocolate chips: I used milk chocolate but feel free to use semi-sweet chocolate or even white chocolate chips.
Sea salt: Sprinkle with sea salt before baking (or as they come out of the oven) if you like.
Other Chocolate Chip Desserts from Out of the Box Baking
Strawberry Chocolate Chip Cookies: If you love strawberries and chocolate together, I’ve got a treat for you! These simple cookies are packed full of flavor. And best of all, they start with a muffin mix! These are some of the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever made and I was astounded I came up with the idea using a muffin mix!
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread: If you love the flavors of peanut butter and chocolate together in one luscious dessert, do I have a treat for you! This simple banana bread incorporates both of those wonderful treats. It’s like a Reese’s in banana bread form!
Easy Chocolate Chip Brookies: If you love brownies but you’re equally as fond of chocolate chip cookies, this is the perfect recipe for you! These Brookies have a lush brownie bottom and a tender chocolate chip cookie on top. Best of all, they start with a box mix.
Ooey-Gooey Chocolate Chip Blondies: Have you ever had a hankering for something sweet but couldn’t quite put your finger on what you really wanted? These chocolate chip blondies are perfect for days like that! Not quite a cookie, not quite a brownie, not quite a cookie bar. Gooey, chewy, and crisp on the edges. . .they are (in a word) perfect.
That’s it for this post, friends! I hope you enjoyed this delicious recipe for these amazing cookies!
See this recipe at
About the Author
Janice Thompson is an author, baker, and all-around mischief maker! She has overcome a host of baking catastrophes, including a toppled wedding cake, to learn more about the baking process. Janice has published over 150 books for the Christian market but particularly enjoys writing recipes and baking devotions. To learn more about Janice or to drop her a note, visit her About the Author page.
Super Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies
If you’re looking for a quick, easy recipe for soft chocolate chip cookies, this is the recipe for you!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup room temperature butter (salted or unsalted, your choice)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- Vanilla extract
- 1 and 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 cup chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup chopped nuts
Instructions
How to Make these Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies
These come together so quickly! You’re going to love this simple recipe.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Place a piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet.
Place flour, salt, and baking powder in a small bowl and whisk together until well incorporated.
Place butter in a large mixing bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment.)
Cream butter until light and fluffy.
Add vanilla and continue creaming.
Add sugar and continue mixing.
Add egg and mix slowly. You will notice the batter begins to break down a little. Don’t worry!
Add dry ingredients, mixing only until fully incorporated.
Fold in chocolate chips.
Fold in nuts.
Use a cookie scoop to scoop out balls of cookie dough (1-inch balls, or slightly larger).
Press down with the palm of your hand to slightly flatten balls.
Place in preheated oven and bake until golden brown. Mine took about 12 minutes.
Remove tray and place on wire rack to cool.
After ten minutes move cookies directly to the rack to continue cooling.
Serve with a big glass of milk!
Store leftovers in an airtight container or ziplock bag.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 18 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 126Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 24mgSodium: 107mgCarbohydrates: 12gFiber: 1gSugar: 10gProtein: 1g
The nutrition information is a product of online calculators. I try to provide true and accurate information, but these numbers are estimates.
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