I remember vividly when I fell in love with chocolate chip cookies. One year, close to Christmas, my mother came breathlessly into the house, cheeks red from exposure to the suburban Chicago cold (or possibly flushed from the shopping spree she'd just been on), and she plopped down a box that read "Mrs. Fields Cookies" on our kitchen counter.

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My brother and sister and I saw the word “cookie” and nearly came to blows to get to that box.

BBs. My God is an awesome God. And He is an awesome God for many, many reasons. But when I picked up my first Mrs. Fields cookie and took a bite, my little brain positively short-circuited from delight. That cookie was so perfectly chewy that it truly blew my mind. At the same time, the edges…the EDGES were perfectly and delightfully crisp. Even the chocolate itself tasted better. THE CHOCOLATE!

This is a photo of a chocolate chip cookie, split into two to show the chocolate, with a stack of oversized chocolate chip cookies in the background.

It’s safe to say that those Mrs. Fields Cookies were squarely in my mind when I was testing this recipe. Because if this chocolate chip cookie doesn’t remind you of the absolute best chocolate cookie you’ve ever eaten, I haven’t done my job.

About these Chocolate Chip Cookies

These chocolate chip cookies rely on some pantry staples, but they also feature one thing that you don’t often associate with chocolate chip cookies: bittersweet chocolate. Like 60% cacao chocolate. Combined with the semi-sweet chocolate that we are accustomed to using for chocolate chip cookies, that bittersweet chocolate creates a deliciously deep and complex chocolate flavor.

This is a picture of an oversized chip cookie, split into two to show the melt of the chocolate.

I realize that I’m talking about a chocolate chip cookie, but yes, complexity of flavor is absolutely possible here.

Aside from sourcing bittersweet bar chocolate (which is easy to do in your local grocer’s baking aisle), these cookies rely solely on pantry staples. Butter. Cream Cheese. Granulated Sugar. Brown Sugar. Eggs. And so on, and so on…

But with great technique and these ingredients used just so, you’ll have the most memorable, chewy/crisp chocolate chip cookie of your entire life.

And did I mention that they’re chewy, crisp, and the size of your palm? That’s right, BBs. This is an oversized cookie. 😊

Chocolate Chip Cookie Ingredients

All-Purpose Flour: All-purpose flour has a protein content of between 11-13% generally, so this makes it perfect for these cookies. The primary function of the flour in this recipe is to create gluten bonds that hold the cookie together. While we want the protein to form strong enough gluten bonds to create that wonderfully chewy/crisp cookie, we don’t want to overwork the flour in this recipe, because that will lead to a crumbly and unpleasant cookie.

Baking Soda and Baking Powder: In this recipe, the leavening works in interesting combination! The primary leavening that is responsible for cookie rise is the baking powder. The baking soda in the recipe, while significant, is there to help with caramelization and cookie texture instead of rise.

This is a picture of an oversized chocolate cookie.

This is a picture of a chocolate chip cookie, showing how bit it is by holding it in the palm of my hand. It covers my entire palm.

Cornstarch: These cookies have the most decadent, light crumb. That is because the cornstarch tenderizes the protein in the flour, and this also helps create a more chewy (and less crumbly) cookie. A big thank-you to cornstarch for understanding this important assignment.

Fine Sea Salt: These chocolate chip cookies really benefit from the use of fine sea salt instead of kosher salt. Because the dry ingredients do not get mixed very much into this recipe, using fine sea salt allows the salt to fully incorporate during the refrigerator rest period.

Unsalted Butter: Butter has a starring role in these cookies! It gives wonderful special flavor, and also the creaming process creates the absolutely necessary air pockets that help these cookies to rise and reach their full potential. Additionally, the fats in the butter are needed to tenderize the powerhouse protein molecules in your all-purpose flour and egg whites, helping the cookies achieve the perfect crumb. This ingredient does a lot of work! Make sure that your butter is room temperature before you begin. I set my butter out for at least 1.5-two hours before baking time.

Cream Cheese: There’s a luxurious mouth feel with these cookies that makes them different from other chocolate chip cookies. It’s because of the cream cheese! That additional fat element helps give your cookies that melt-in-your-mouth quality without sacrificing wonderful flavor. Make sure to use the full-fat block cream cheese for the absolute best results!

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Granulated Sugar: You know that sugar adds sweetness to your chocolate chip cookies, but did you know that sugar is largely responsible for the beautiful caramelization (browning) in the cookies? That’s right! Granulated sugar adds both sweetness and caramelization!

This is a photo of an oversized chocolate chip cookie

Dark Brown Sugar: I also added dark brown sugar to these cookies, to give them a luxe, molasses-y taste! The dark brown sugar is also responsible for creating the chewy texture of these chocolate chip cookies. If you want a more crisp cookie, then you can omit the dark brown sugar and simply use granulated sugar.

Pure Vanilla Extract: These cookies call for a tablespoon of pure vanilla extract. Make sure to use the good stuff, like Nielsen-Massey, for this incredible recipe! Whatever brand you use, make sure you use pure vanilla extract. Vanilla flavoring contains preservatives that could impact the final outcome of your cookies.

Extra Large Eggs: The protein in the eggs adds structure to the cake, while the fatty yolk adds delicious flavor. This recipe uses extra large eggs for just a lil’ extra razzle dazzle! It’s absolutely worth the extra effort.

Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar, cut into chunks: Semi-sweet chocolate is the gold standard for chocolate chip cookies. That is because this chocolate is not overly sweet or overly bitter. Many recipes use only semi-sweet chocolate, and you can absolutely do that here! But, if you want the absolute best chocolate chip cookies that you can make, you’ll want to add a little bit of…

Bittersweet Chocolate Bar, cut into chunks: Bittersweet chocolate, at about 60% cacao, adds a deliciously deep chocolate flavor to these cookies. It’s extremely potent, so you only need a little for the effect, but I absolutely recommend using bittersweet chocolate to really enhance the flavor of these cookies. With both types of chocolate, it is also highly recommended that you cut chocolate bars into chunks. Chocolate chips have less cocoa butter, which means that those chocolate chips are less likely to melt when baked! These chocolate chip cookies are a treat, BB. You want the best chocolate that you can source.

This is a photo of a tray of chocolate chip cookies.

Beginners Start Here

If you’re new to baking, or if you want to learn how to do some of the more tricky baking techniques, here are a couple of super helpful articles from the BwB site that will help you get set up for success with the Best Chocolate Chip Cookies!

While they aren’t mandatory reading, these resources are super helpful to help you build consistency and confidence on your cookie journey. Happy Reading!

Important Tools Used in These Chocolate Chip Cookies

I am so happy to announce that Begin with Butter has its own Amazon Storefront, where you can find all of the amazing equipment that I used in this special pie! Want even more specific links? Check out the recommendations, below.

I do get paid a commission when you purchase, but these are the tools that I use all the time in my own kitchen.

If you have these tools already, great! Think of this as a checklist to help you build the confidence that you’ll need to execute this recipe!

These chocolate chip cookies take me straight back to those December days of my youth, and I can’t wait to for you to try them! May you make many, many amazing batches of these cookies, and may they all be consumed before they leave the cooling rack! ❤️

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