The simplest recipes are typically the hardest to get right, and classic chocolate chip cookies are a perfect example. The most popular recipe is found on the back of the Nestlé® Toll House® chocolate chip bag, but if you follow the recipe as is, the cookies often come out flat as pancakes. I’ve tried other recipes and finicky techniques in search of the best chocolate chip cookies – resting the dough for days to develop flavor, browning the butter, using bread flour or pastry flour, etc. – but to me, the difference in taste has never justified the extra time and effort. And honestly, who wants to go to all that trouble for cookies?

Here I’ve tweaked the classic and easy Toll House® recipe to make it more reliable (no more pancakes!) and tastier. The cookies are thick with a chewy, moist center and slightly crisp exterior – and they have the perfect balance of sweet, salty, and chocolaty. Before you start baking, be sure to read my best baking tips to ensure success.

What You’ll Need To Make The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

Step-by-Step Instructions

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or beaters, combine the butter and both sugars.

Beat on medium speed (or high speed if using a hand mixer) for 3 minutes, or until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary.

Add the vanilla and eggs.

Beat for 2 minutes more, then scrape down the bowl.

Add the salt and baking soda and beat briefly until evenly combined, then add the flour.

Mix on low speed until the dough is uniform.

Add the chocolate chips.

Mix until evenly combined.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or scrape the dough into an airtight container and let rest in the refrigerator until firm, a few hours or overnight. (Alternatively, if you don’t want to wait, form the dough into balls as instructed below, arrange on the baking sheets, and chill in the fridge until firm, about 30 minutes.)

Drop the dough in firmly packed 1.5-tablespoon balls onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart. (I use a #40/1.5-T cookie scoop with a wire trigger.) For thick cookies, it’s important to really pack the dough in the scooper or with your hands.

Pro Tip: If you’d like to see the chocolate chips on the surface of the cookies, hold back about 1/3 cup chocolate chips and dot them on the dough balls, pressing them in slightly, before baking.