These soft chocolate chip cookies are bakery-style: thick, plush centers, crinkly rims, and melty pools of chocolate that stay tender for days. The secret is a carefully balanced dough—browned butter for toffee depth, a touch of cornstarch for pillow-soft crumb, an extra egg yolk for chew, and a short chill to control spread. Precise weights, times, and temperatures below deliver uniform color, clean edges, and that coveted bendy center every time.
Ingredients & Measurements
- Yield: 18 large cookies (No. 24 scoop, ~3 Tbsp each)
- Butter & Flavor
- 170 g (12 Tbsp / ¾ cup) unsalted butter
- 1 Tbsp whole milk (replaces moisture lost in browning)
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- Sugars & Eggs
- 150 g (¾ cup, packed) light brown sugar
- 120 g (½ cup + 1 Tbsp) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
- Dry Mix
- 280 g (2¼ cups) all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp fine sea salt
- Chocolate
- 170 g (1 cup) semisweet chocolate chips
- 85 g (3 oz) chopped dark chocolate (60–70%), for puddles
- Finish (optional)
- Flaky sea salt for topping
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Brown the butter cleanly (6–8 minutes). Place the butter in a light-colored saucepan over medium heat. Melt, then cook, stirring, until the milk solids turn deep golden and the aroma is nutty, 6–8 minutes. Immediately scrape all butter and browned bits into a large mixing bowl; cool to warm (not hot), about 10 minutes. Whisk in 1 Tbsp milk to restore moisture for proper spread.
- Line pans and set the rack. Line 2 light-colored sheet pans with parchment. Position an oven rack in the center; you’ll bake one tray at a time for even color and rise.
- Whisk in sugars for gloss (60–90 seconds). Add brown sugar and granulated sugar to the warm browned butter. Whisk until glossy and cohesive, about 1 minute—this dissolves some sugar for shiny, crinkly rims.
- Emulsify with eggs for chew (45 seconds). Whisk in vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until the mixture thickens slightly and lightens in color, 30–45 seconds. Proper emulsification yields that soft–chewy center rather than cakiness.
- Mix the dry ingredients separately (30 seconds). In a medium bowl, whisk flour, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, and salt until evenly combined. Cornstarch tenderizes; soda lifts; a touch of powder supports height without doming.
- Bring the dough together (1–2 minutes). Switch to a flexible spatula. Add the dry mix to the wet in two additions, folding until no floury streaks remain. Fold in chocolate chips and chopped chocolate, reserving 2–3 Tbsp chopped chocolate to press on top later for a bakery look. Dough should be soft but scoopable.
- Portion and chill briefly (30–40 minutes). Using a No. 24 scoop (~3 Tbsp), portion 18 mounds onto a parchment-lined tray. Press a few chocolate pieces on each mound’s surface. Refrigerate 30–40 minutes (or up to 24 hours covered). A short chill firms butter for tall cookies with plush centers; an overnight chill deepens flavor.
- Bake to set rims, soft centers (12–14 minutes). Heat the oven to 180°C / 350°F. Arrange 6–8 chilled scoops per sheet with 7–8 cm / 3 in spacing. Bake 12–14 minutes, rotating the pan at 8 minutes, until edges are set and golden but centers are puffy and just matte. They should look slightly underbaked; carryover heat finishes them without drying.
- Optional ripple technique (pan-bang). For pronounced rings, lift the tray 2–3 cm and tap it firmly on the rack at 10 and 12 minutes to collapse the center slightly and encourage wrinkly rims.
- Salt and set (15 minutes). Immediately sprinkle a tiny pinch of flaky sea salt on hot cookies (optional). Cool on the pan 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack 10 minutes more. This brief set locks in structure while keeping centers soft.
- Repeat and store. Bake remaining dough one tray at a time. Store cookies airtight at room temperature 3–4 days. To refresh, warm 3–4 minutes at 150°C / 300°F. Freeze baked cookies up to 2 months (rewarm as above) or freeze portioned dough balls and bake from frozen 14–15 minutes.
Cooking Notes
- Why browned butter + milk: Browning concentrates flavor but evaporates water; adding 1 Tbsp milk restores hydration so cookies spread correctly and stay chewy.
- Sugar ratio strategy: The brown:white split (≈60:40) supports moisture retention and caramel notes. Reducing sugar significantly will alter spread and texture.
- Cornstarch for plush crumb: A small dose (2 tsp) tenderizes the interior without reducing height or making the cookie cakey.
- Two chocolate formats: Chips provide structure; chopped chocolate creates glossy pools for a bakery finish. Use a mix for best texture and appearance.
- Chill window: 30–40 minutes gives height and defined edges. An overnight chill yields thicker cookies with deeper flavor; allow dough scoops to sit 10 minutes at room temp so they’re not rock-hard before baking.
- Doneness cues > minutes: Pull when rims are set and the center looks just matte but still puffed. Overbaking = dry, bready centers. Underbaked? Let them rest on the hot tray 2–3 minutes longer before moving to a rack.
- Spread troubleshooting: If cookies spread too much, butter may have been too warm or flour under-measured—chill longer and ensure flour is 280 g by weight. If too squat, reduce flour by 10–15 g next batch.
- Flavor boosters (optional): Add ½ tsp espresso powder to the dry mix to amplify chocolate, or ½ tsp molasses with the sugars for deeper caramel.
- Nutty variant: Fold in 60 g (½ cup) toasted walnuts or pecans with the chocolate.
- Gluten-free path: Use a 1:1 gluten-free baking blend (with xanthan gum). If dough feels stiff, add 1–2 tsp milk. Bake time is similar; watch visual cues.
- High-altitude adjustments: Add 10 g (1 Tbsp) flour and reduce bake time by 1 minute initially; evaluate spread and color.
Nutrition Facts (per cookie)
- Calories: 255 kcal
- Total fat: 13 g
- Saturated fat: 8 g
- Carbohydrates: 32 g
- Dietary fiber: 1 g
- Total sugars: 19 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Sodium: 150 mg
Conclusion
These Bakery-Style Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies rely on technique, not luck: browned butter for toffee depth, a calibrated sugar balance, cornstarch and an extra yolk for tenderness, and a brief chill for height and control. Pull them when rims are set and centers are just shy of done, and you’ll get golden, crinkly cookies with soft, bendable middles and melty chocolate pockets—consistently, tray after tray.
