The Best soft chocolate chip cookies
It’s not even winter yet, but we’ve hit subzero temps already in this land. I’ve no qualms with staying in, turning up the kitchen heat, and baking madly away.
I’ve been up to my forehead in cookies galore. Even as I write, there are several batches of different holiday cookie dough sitting in my fridge, waiting for their turn in the oven. I do have an event to bring them to (wink.)
I realized a couple weeks ago: I’ve absentmindedly neglected to write up these superbly soft, chewy, and chocolatey chocolate chip cookies. Even though I bake them on a very regular basis.
These chewy soft chocolate chip cookies are my all-time favorite soft-batch style cookies that never fail when we want a sure thing that never misses the mark. These are soft, toothsome, winning cookies that stay soft – but not cakey – for a long time, without drying out.
It’s like your favorite pair of jeans… so loved, so well-worn, and nothing else fits the same. That’s what these chocolate chip cookies are like.
Never cakey, never dry
These chocolate chip cookies are … well, chewy ‘n soft. They stay soft without being cakey, and they don’t dry out or become stale. Fact is, they have never been put to the test longer than 2 days on our kitchen counter. But I just know they would stay soft several days longer if people would leave them alone.
These are reminiscent of those soft-batch chocolate chip cookies that were crazy popular in the 80’s, except this homemade version is undeniably more flavorful and fresh tasting. If you liked soft batch cookies, you’ll be blown away by these.
The secret’s in the pudding
The reason these chocolate chip cookies stay decadently soft is because they’re essentially pudding cookies. Adding powder vanilla pudding in the dough keeps these cookies luscious and soft, without being cakey or dry at all. The pudding also packs an extra boost of vanilla flavor to the cookies.
Gift them, share them, freeze them
I have a habit of making my cookies on the smaller side…I make them the way I want to eat ’em. If they are smaller, I can absolutely eat as many as I want. Because the truth? It is impossible to eat just one of these soft chocolate chip cookies. Impossible.
Gift giving, party hosting, or anytime sharing… these cookies magically appear and disappear in an instant. However, if you were to make a mountain of these soft chocolate chip cookies, they keep exceptionally well at room temperature and are a prime candidate for shipping to your favorite people on their birthdays or during the holidays.
I try to provide enough for the adults to grab their share before the rush of kiddos come charging in. Once The Littles get to the dessert table, these soft chocolate chip cookies are goners in about 2 minutes.
Bonus: both the dough and baked cookies freeze well in airtight containers. Freeze dough in one big ball or form pre-shaped rounds to freeze for easy baking anytime.
Try these 3-ingredient shortbread cookies, too:
Chewy Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Prep Time: 20 min
- Cook Time: 8 min
- Total Time: 28 minutes
- Yield: 72 1x
Description
These chocolate chip cookies are super soft, extra chewy, and they stay soft for a long time! Not cakey. Everyone adores these cookies, and for good reason. This is recipe makes a big batch. Cookie dough freezes very well for future use!
Ingredients
- 4 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cups unsalted butter, softened just to room temp
- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed
- 2 (3.4 oz each) packages instant vanilla pudding
- 4 large eggs
- 1 TB vanilla extract
- 4 cups semisweet chocolate chips (minis and chunks work great, too!)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add flour, baking soda, and salt. Whisk together well and set aside.
- In bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the softened butter and brown sugar on medium high, until light and fluffy. Add packages of pudding mix, and beat until incorporated. Add eggs and vanilla, blending well.
- Slowly add in the flour mixture. Using dough hook attachment, fold dry and wet ingredients together just until fully incorporated
- Add in chocolate chips and mix into the dough. (If it gets too hard to mix, I sometimes use clean hands to work the dough!)
- Dough will be a bit sticky. Cover tightly and chill in fridge for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Form 1 inch balls of dough and place on parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake about 8 minutes or just until edges look golden brown. Cookies may seem slightly underdone, but they will firm up upon cooling. Do not over bake.
- Cool on baking sheet about 10 minutes, and remove to wire rack to finish cooling.
Notes
Yields about 72 smaller sized cookies. If you’d like to make them larger, bake a couple minutes longer, just until edges are golden brown and center looks slightly under-baked. Key is not to over-bake.
These cookies keep very well at room temp in an airtight container. Unbaked cookie dough can be tightly wrapped up and frozen for later use.
If you enjoyed this recipe, please come back and give it a rating ♡
- Category: dessert, cookies
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: soft chocolate chip cookies, chocolate chip cookie recipe
These are the best cookies I have ever made! Thanks so much for posting! I also froze half the dough and these cookies were still just as amazing 🙂
Hi i’m from the uk and i have a question about the vanilla pudding. Is it je-llo you use or do you use some other type of vanilla pudding. Sorry i haven’t ever used pudding in a recipe before
Hi, Leah! Yes, Jello has an instant pudding powder that comes in a little box. But other brands make it, too. Just be sure it’s “instant” pudding powder Enjoy! 🙂
Thanks! I did this recipe and its a sure winner! I couldn’t stop eating them
You’re so welcome, Leah! Thanks for coming over to let us know you guys liked this 🙂 And I’m with you…I can’t stop eating them either (pssst…they freeze pretty well, if that helps from devouring the entire batch by yourself) 😉
Well, I was going to make it but I need to know if I can use sugar free vanilla pudding mix?
Robin, you can use sugar free pudding. Hope you love these 🙂
I will definitely be trying this recipe.
★★★★★
I can’t wait to try to make these!
Wow, these look so delicious. If I were around those cookies, they’d be goners in less than a minute! I hope I muster the courage to make these.
★★★★★
This recipe sounds so delicious!
These sound so delicious, and they have so many chocolate chips in them! We just made ice cream cookie sandwiches, but the cookies were a little too hard. These would probably have been a lot better.
Oh my goodness, I totally want to make these now! Yummy.
These look extra yummy. Looks like I’ll be baking soon!
★★★★★
Thanks, Danielle!
Beautiful Cookies. I love these.
I like your recipe, easy to follow. Cookies are my favorite. I can’t wait to try.
Aww, thank you, Cathy! 🙂
This the BEST chocolate chip cookie recipe I have ever had. My family also thinks these are the absolute best cookie. Thank you for sharing.
★★★★★
Sooo happy you guys loved these, Jessica!
Hi! I’ve tried some of your other cookie recipes and they are amazing! I’d like to give these a try but I was wondering if they will still turn out if I half the recipe?
Absolutely, Alivia! 🙂
Hi
Can you give me the gram amounts for the flour and sugar. Thanks.