Bakery style chocolate chip cookies

This recipe was updated in August 2022 to create an even more delicious, crave-worthy and thick chocolate chip cookie!

I had been craving a thicker chocolate chip cookie, so I knew I had to work on this recipe. I was wanting something like what you would get at a bakery, but even better since it would be fresh baked at home! This meant cookie with:

• more height and less spread

• more dough per cookie as compared to my other recipes (1/3 cup or 100 grams)

• lots of semisweet chocolate in every bite, using a combination of chocolate chips and chopped chocolate

• a perfect, crisp exterior and soft, gooey center

Sometimes I get the recipe right on the first try, and sometimes I don't. I first published this recipe in the spring of 2022 after a bit of trial and error, and though the cookie was delicious - I had a feeling I could make an even more delicious cookie. For the recipe itself, I knew I would want to use chocolate chips to really give it that classic feel, but incorporating chopped chocolate as well would help to get chocolate into every bite. I also opted for a higher amount of flour in addition to a small amount of baking powder to give the cookie a bit more structure and height respectively. You'll also use cold butter which means you can bake these cookies any time without having to wait for room temperature butter.

One other key difference was the amount of dough I used for each cookie. Typically I use a scooper that's about 2 1/2 - 3 tablespoons large - in this case I used about 1/3 cup (or a #12 size scooper) for each cookie for a thicker end result. You can also make a smaller cookie with this recipe, and I've shared guidance for this down at the bottom of the recipe. For those who need the exact carb count per cookie, I always include the carb count for the full recipe so you can divide the total by the number of cookies you make so don't worry there!

The bake time and temperature were what I played with the most. I tried out 375 and 400 degrees because I knew I would need a higher temperature as compared to my typical cookie to bake more quickly without as much spreading. In the end I found that the best cookie came from a combination of a short chill and baking at 375! You also have the option to freeze your dough and bake later at 350, I'll be sure to share that guidance at the end of the recipe.

As far as special equipment goes, you will need a stand mixer or a hand mixer to make these cookies. You really need the extra power to cream the butter and sugar since you'll use cold butter for this recipe. Aside from this, you'll just need your standard measuring tools, a spatula, baking sheets and some parchment paper. I do recommend using a scale if you have one handy, but measuring cups will absolutely work too - just be extra sure not to pack your flour when measuring.

I am not someone who enjoys eating next-day cookies, so I highly recommend only baking the amount of cookies you plan to enjoy that day. You can always reheat your baked cookies the next day by placing them into the microwave for about 15 seconds, but nothing compares to a fresh baked cookie in my opinion which is why I'll share freezing instructions for the dough so that you can bake it at a later time if you don't plan to enjoy all of the cookies that day. I'll provide guidance on how to do this if you'd like at the end of the recipe - and this is one of my favorite tricks!

Ingredients:

• 10 tablespoons (1 stick + 2 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cold and cubed 141g

• 1/2 cup light brown sugar 96g

• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 72g

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 egg yolk

• 1 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons all purpose flour 165g

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 8 oz (1 1/3 cup) semisweet chocolate (half chips, half chopped chocolate)

Total time: A little over an hour

Prep time: 10-15 minutes

Bake time: 12-14 minutes

Chill time: 30 minutes

Servings: 7 cookies

Equipment:

• Cookie sheets

• Stand mixer with paddle attachment

• Spatula

• Parchment paper

• 1/3 cup measuring cup, cookie scoop, or scale for portioning your dough

Cooking instructions:

Place your cold, cubed butter and both sugars into your stand mixer with the paddle attachment secured. Bring your stand mixer slowly from a low to high speed and allow it to combine the butter and sugars for about a minute. Pause your mixer and use a spatula to scrape down the sides of your butter and sugar mixture as well as your paddle attachment to ensure that no pockets of butter and sugar go unmixed, and turn your mixer back on for another two minutes until your butter and sugars are fully combined. Scrape down your mixer and paddle attachment again.

Add in your egg yolk and vanilla extract to your butter and sugar. Slowly bring your stand mixer back to a high speed and allow it to combine your mixture for another minute. Pause your mixer and scrape down the sides of your bowl and paddle again. Let your mixer run for another minute until everything comes together into one smooth mixture.

Next, add in your dry ingredients, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and start your mixer at a low speed mixing until your dry ingredients are about half incorporated.

Pause your mixer. If you think you'll want to top your cookies with chocolate after you scoop your dough (I recommend this!), set a small portion of your chocolate aside. Add your chocolate chips and chopped semisweet chocolate into your dough and turn your mixer back on for about 30 seconds to a minute. Note: Your dough will be a bit more dry than our typical dough, but it will still come together. You may need to pause halfway through and scrape down to the bottom to make sure your dry ingredients get fully incorporated.

Use your 1/3 cup or cookie scoop to portion out your dough and place onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. This should make 7 cookies in total. Alternatively, you can weigh your dough scoops - they should be about 100 grams per cookie. If you set aside some chocolate, top your dough balls with your reserved chocolate chips. Place the cookie sheet with your portioned dough into the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.

When you're ready, preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Depending on the size of your cookie sheet, you may need to bake in two batches (only one sheet should go into the oven at a time). Bake your cookies for 12-14* minutes then allow to cool on your baking sheet for about 15 minutes (they will need some time to set once out of the oven) - and enjoy!

If you want to save some of your dough to bake another time, you can place your remaining scooped cookie dough in the freezer on a lined baking sheet for 12-24 hours. Then, transfer your frozen dough to a plastic bag or airtight container and store in the freezer. To bake from frozen, set your oven to 350 degrees and bake for 14-16* minutes.

*To avoid overbaked edges, I recommend gently shaping your cookies, using a round tool like a cookie cutter or bowl that is slightly larger than the size of the cookie, to nudge the edges in midway through baking and once they are done when they are hot fresh out of the oven.

Instructions for baking as a smaller cookie

If you want to use this recipe to make a smaller, more "standard" sized cookie follow the instructions to make the dough. Use a spoon or scooper to portion out your dough and place onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. This should make 13 cookies in total, about 2 1/2 to 3 tablespoons in size or 50 grams per cookie. Chill your dough scoops in the fridge for 30 minutes. Bake from the fridge at 350 degrees for 9 to 11 minutes. To bake the dough from frozen, preheat your oven to 325 degrees and bake for 12 to 14 minutes. Allow your cookies to sit for about 15 minutes, and then enjoy!

Carb and serving info:

Servings: 7 cookies

Carbs per serving: 62

Carbs for full recipe: 435

Carbs per serving, smaller cookies (1 of 13): 34

Carbs from chocolate: 133 (adjust this if you use a different type of chocolate!)

Note: Carb information is calculated based on the specific ingredients I used to cook with to help guide my own insulin to carb ratio when dosing before I eat my home cooked recipes.