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These homemade chocolate chip cookies are made with lightly browned butter, brown sugar, and what I think makes them better than the rest: plenty of vanilla, plus a mix of chocolate chips and chocolate chunks. Finish each cookie with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt (optional, but so good) for the perfect salty-sweet, chewy bite. They’re classic, with rippled edges and soft, chewy centers full of melty chocolate – just like Mom’s fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies. Simple and nearly perfect.
My mom baked cookies nearly every night when I was a kid. Yes, most nights of the week we had fresh-baked cookies. Either her cookies, her Special K bars (original / updated recipe), or, on special nights, a cookie pie. And on much rarer occasions, chocolate cake, or buckeyes.
We used to call her a chocoholic. She loved to bake, but only if it was something chocolate-heavy. She was most famous for her cookies — classic chocolate chip and oatmeal chocolate chip.
No one made them better.
I’ve tried to replicate her chocolate chip cookies so many times, but I could never quite land on that cookie… until now. Lightly golden browned butter plus extra vanilla did the trick.
These are even more perfect than you imagine, rippled edges, soft chewy centers, and more chocolate than you have to have (but exactly what you want). Mom, Dad, Asher, and my brothers all agree.
These are the details
Ingredients
-
salted butter
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brown sugar – I used dark
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granulated sugar
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one egg + one egg yolk
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vanilla extract
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all-purpose flour
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baking soda
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salt
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chopped chocolate chunks and/or semisweet chocolate chips
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flaky sea salt, for sprinkling (optional)
Kitchen Supplies
All you’ll need is a simple bowl, a whisk, and a spatula—nothing fancy here. This is the kind of easy, classic cookie recipe that comes together with the basics, so you can get straight to the best part: warm, chewy cookies fresh from the oven.
The Steps
Step 1: Brown the Butter
This step is simple, but it’s the little trick that turns an average cookie into a really great one. Add the salted butter to a medium skillet set over medium heat and cook until melted, bubbling, and foamy on top. As soon as the butter turns a light golden color, remove it from the heat — don’t let it get too dark. Lightly browned butter adds a warm, toasty flavor and really brings out the vanilla and chocolate in these cookies.
Step 2: Make the Cookie Dough
Pour the warm browned butter into a mixing bowl. Add the brown sugar, granulated sugar, egg, egg yolk, and plenty of vanilla (I use a full tablespoon — sometimes even two). Whisk until smooth. Since the butter is melted, there’s no need for an electric mixer.
Add the flour, baking soda, and salt, then use a spatula to gently fold everything together until just combined.
Step 3: Add the Chocolate
Fold in the chocolate chips and chunks until evenly distributed. The dough should be soft, glossy, and loaded with chocolate.
Step 4: Roll + Chill
Roll the dough into rounded tablespoon-size balls and freeze for 10 minutes. This quick chill helps the cookies bake up with those perfect rippled edges and soft, chewy centers.
Step 5: Bake
Bake the cookies for 6 minutes, then carefully tap the pan on the counter to create those signature ripples. Return to the oven and bake for another 2–3 minutes, just until the edges are set and the centers are still soft. Your kitchen will smell like browned butter, cozy vanilla, and warm melted chocolate.
Looking for cookie recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Brown Butter Raspberry Chocolate Chip Cookies
Cookies n’ Cream Chocolate Chip Cookies
Healthier Homemade Nutter Butter Cookies
Lastly, if you make these Really Good Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Really Good Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Servings: 18 cookies
Calories Per Serving: 251 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 sticks salted butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups chopped chocolate chunks or chips
- flaky sea salt, for sprinkling
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.2. Add the butter to a skillet set over medium heat. Cook, swirling, until the butter is lightly browned, 2-4 minutes. Pour into a bowl.3. Whisk in the brown sugar, granulated sugar, egg, egg yolk, and vanilla until smooth. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt, mixing just until combined. Fold in the chocolate.4. Roll the dough into rounded 1-tablespoon balls and arrange on the baking sheet. Freeze for 10 minutes. Bake 6 minutes, rotate the pan, then tap it on the counter 1–2 times to help flatten. Bake another 2–3 minutes, until the edges are set and the centers are just barely glossy.5. Cool on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with flaky salt.
This post was originally published on January 23, 2026
Cookies worked perfectly and taste excellent! Made them on a snow day and our freezer was “outside” — easy to follow recipe.
Hey Alex,
Thanks for giving this recipe a whirl, I’m so glad it turned out nicely! Stay warm!
Mine didn’t spread at all, flavor was just ok
Hi Morgan,
Thanks for sharing your feedback on these cookies, sorry to hear they didn’t turn out for you. Next time, I would skip the chilling if you want to try again.
These were very easy to make and absolutely delicious!
Hey Lindsay,
Thanks for giving this recipe a whirl, I’m so glad it turned out nicely! Stay warm!
Great cookie! Very chewy and sweet. The sizing was off for me, as well, but that just meant I got more cookies than anticipated!
I got about 30 Tablespoon size cookies from this recipe. I used my cookie scoop, so I know they were the right size amount. Will make
Hey Paige,
Happy Monday! I’m grateful you made this recipe and for your comment, so glad it was enjoyed!
Mind didn’t spread either. Will definitely skip the freezing next time.
Thanks for trying these cookies, Libby! Yes, you can definitely skip freezing when you make them again:) Have a great Monday!
These cookies are absolutely delicious!!! I mixed milk chocolate and semi sweet. I will continue to use this recipe for chocolate chip cookies and also pass it on to friends!!!
Thank you
Hey Mary,
Happy Monday! I’m grateful you made this recipe and for your comment, so glad it was enjoyed!
Way too much butter for amount of flour. Couldn t roll as it was too runny so dropped on sheet then froze. Ran all over and kinda bland.
Not sure if I did something wrong but checked the recipe and I used the right amounts.
Hi Roberta,
Thanks for sharing your feedback. How much butter did you use?
Not sure where I went wrong but my cookies were hard as a rock. They definitely took longer than 8-9 minutes to cook. These were a dud for me.
Hi Melissa,
So sorry to hear this! If you want to try again, I would skip chilling your dough and that should really help. Have a great week!
Delicious flavor and super simple to make. A snow day must!
Hey Carrie,
Yay! Love to hear these cookies turned out well for you, I appreciate you making them!
Both of my kids reported “these are the best chocolate chip cookies ever!” Another great recipe. Thanks!!!
Hey Olivia,
Awesome!! Love to hear these cookies were a hit with your kids. Thanks so much for making them! Happy Sunday!
Mine didn’t spread at all
Hi Erica,
Very sorry to hear this! Did you do the tapping? If you want to try again, I would skip chilling your dough. I hope this helps!
Mine didn’t either, but they’re delicious! I think next time I’ll try chilling for less time or skipping this completely. When I pulled mine from the freezer they were completely frozen. I’m also curious because your recipe size says 18 and I made around 28 so I think my cookie balls may not have been big enough to spread and chilled too quickly because they’re small!
Thanks so much, Lauren!