Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
These bakery-style chocolate chip cookies are perfectly soft in the center with crisp edges, infused with dark and milk chocolate for a rich, indulgent flavor. Chilling the dough overnight intensifies the taste and helps achieve the ideal thick, tender texture that melts in your mouth.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 large cookies
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups (292g) all purpose flour
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup (220g) unsalted European style butter, room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150g) dark brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk, room temperature
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste (or 2 tsp vanilla extract)
Chocolate
- 1 cup (160g) good quality dark chocolate wafers or chips
- 3/4 cup (130g) good quality milk chocolate bar, chopped
Finishing Touch
- Flaky sea salt for sprinkling
Instructions
- Prepare Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside to be incorporated later.
- Cream Butter and Sugars: In a large mixing bowl, use a hand or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment to beat the softened butter, dark brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium-high speed until the mixture is pale and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add Eggs and Vanilla: Scrape down the bowl, then add the whole egg and extra yolk along with the vanilla bean paste or extract. Beat again on medium-high speed for about 3 minutes until the mixture becomes pale and creamy.
- Combine Dry and Wet Ingredients: Scrape down the bowl, then add in the dry flour mixture. Mix on low to medium speed just until almost combined to avoid overworking the dough.
- Fold in Chocolate: Remove the bowl from the mixer. Use a rubber spatula to fold in the dark chocolate wafers and chopped milk chocolate, working in any remaining dry ingredients carefully without overmixing.
- Portion the Dough: Prepare a small cookie tray lined with parchment paper and a food scale with another piece of parchment for weighing. Weigh out each cookie dough ball to 6 oz (about 3/4 cup if no scale). Shape the dough to be fairly tall and place side-by-side on the tray. Optionally, press a few extra chocolate chips on top for garnish.
- Chill the Dough: Let the dough balls chill uncovered in the fridge for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight. This chilling step is critical for flavor development and texture.
- Preheat Oven: When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Bake Cookies: Place 3 cookies on the baking sheet spaced well apart. Bake for 13-16 minutes or until edges are pale golden and the centers look dull but still doughy. If the cookies maintain a mound after 13 minutes, bake an additional 2-3 minutes until the surface smooths out.
- Flatten Cookies: Right after removing the tray from the oven, firmly hit it against the countertop or oven surface a couple times to help flatten the cookies and create a dense, rich center. If any edges look uneven, gently press them in with a fork.
- Finish and Cool: Sprinkle the warm cookies with flaky sea salt. Let them settle on the baking sheet for 3-5 minutes to firm up, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Bake remaining dough in batches following the same process.
- Serve and Enjoy: Enjoy the cookies warm for a gooey center or cooled for a soft, dense texture. Store leftovers in an airtight container or freeze portions for later baking as noted in the recipe's FAQ.
Notes
- The dough must chill for at least 4 hours or overnight to achieve the best texture and flavor.
- Use high-quality European style butter and good-quality chocolates for optimal taste.
- Pressing the baking tray after baking helps achieve a rich, dense center typical of bakery cookies.
- Weighing dough balls ensures consistent cookie size and even baking.
- For freezing: Portion and freeze dough balls on a tray, then transfer to a bag once solid. Bake from frozen, adding a few extra minutes to baking time.
