Here’s a super simple guide to making the best soft chocolate chip cookies—no need to chill the dough! First, grab these ingredients: 8 tablespoons of salted butter, 1/2 cup of white sugar (raw cane sugar works great for extra texture), 1/4 cup of packed light brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of vanilla, 1 egg, 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda, a pinch of salt (add a bit more if you like), and 3/4 cup of chocolate chips (mixing chips and chunks is a good idea).
Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees. Microwave the butter for about 40 seconds until it’s mostly melted but not hot. In a mixing bowl, use a stand mixer or electric beaters to cream the butter and sugars until smooth. Add the vanilla and egg, mixing briefly on low speed for about 10-15 seconds—don’t overmix, or your cookies might end up too stiff.
Next, toss in the flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix until it looks crumbly. Go ahead and use your hands to press the dough together until it forms a big, manageable ball. Now’s the fun part: mix in the chocolate chips with your hands.
Shape the dough into 12 large balls for regular cookies, or 9 if you want them really big. Place them on a cookie sheet and bake for 9-11 minutes. They should look puffy and dry and just barely golden on top. Remember, don’t overbake them! Pull them out when they still look a bit underdone; they’ll continue to cook on the sheet.
Let the cookies cool on the pan for about 30 minutes—if you can wait that long! They’ll settle into dense, buttery, soft cookies. Keep them in an airtight container to stay soft for days, or freeze them if you like. Enjoy your baking!
