Yield: 24–30 cookies
Prep time: 20 minutes
Chilling: 30–60 minutes
Bake time: 10–13 minutes per batch
Oven: 175°C / 350°F
Ingredients
Dry ingredients
2½ cups (315 g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
Wet ingredients
1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup (150 g) granulated white sugar
1 cup (200 g) packed brown sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Chocolate
2 cups (340 g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
Optional: ½ cup (85 g) milk chocolate chips for a richer flavor
Optional nuts
For cookies with nuts, add:
½ cup (60–65 g) chopped walnuts, or
½ cup (60–65 g) chopped pecans
You can also use almonds or hazelnuts.
For nut-free cookies: simply leave the nuts out. Chocolate chips themselves are not necessarily free from traces of nuts, so check the package if you’re cooking for someone with a nut allergy.
Full Method
1. Prepare the oven
Preheat your oven to:
175°C / 350°F
Line baking trays with parchment/baking paper.
If using a fan/convection oven, use approximately 165°C / 325°F.
2. Mix the dry ingredients
In a medium bowl, whisk together:
Flour
Baking soda
Baking powder
Salt
Mix thoroughly and set aside.
Don’t skip this step: evenly distributing the raising agents prevents some cookies from becoming too puffy while others spread excessively.
3. Cream the butter and sugars
Place softened butter in a large mixing bowl.
Add:
White sugar
Brown sugar
Beat for approximately 2–3 minutes until the mixture becomes lighter and creamy.
Don’t melt the butter for this recipe. Softened butter gives you much better control over cookie spreading.
4. Add eggs and vanilla
Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition.
Then add the vanilla.
Beat just until combined.
Don’t overbeat at this point.
5. Add the dry ingredients
Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture.
Mix on low speed or use a spatula.
Stop mixing as soon as you no longer see dry flour.
Overmixing develops gluten and can make the cookies tough rather than soft.
6. Add chocolate chips and nuts
Fold in:
Chocolate chips
Optional chopped walnuts/pecans
Reserve a small handful of chocolate chips for placing on top of the cookies before baking.
7. Chill the dough
Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 30–60 minutes.
This is particularly helpful for achieving thick cookies like those in the photograph.
For even thicker, more flavorful cookies, refrigerate the dough for 2–24 hours.
8. Shape the cookies
Scoop approximately:
2 tablespoons / 35–40 g dough per cookie
Roll loosely into balls.
Place them on the baking tray, leaving approximately 5–7 cm (2–3 inches) between cookies.
Press a few extra chocolate chips onto the tops.
Don’t flatten them completely.
9. Bake
Bake at 175°C / 350°F for 10–13 minutes.
The edges should look:
Golden brown
Set
Slightly crisp
The centers should still look a little soft and underdone.
That’s what produces the soft middle seen in the image.
Don’t wait for the entire cookie to become dark golden in the oven.
10. Cool
Remove the tray from the oven.
Let the cookies sit on the hot tray for 5–10 minutes.
They will continue cooking from the residual heat.
Then transfer them to a cooling rack.
Nut Information
If you’re asking specifically about nuts/allergens, this recipe can be prepared either way.
With walnuts
Add ½ cup / ~60 g chopped walnuts.
They provide:
Crunch
Slight bitterness that balances the sweetness
A more traditional bakery-style cookie flavor
With pecans
Add ½ cup / ~60 g chopped pecans.
Pecans are softer and sweeter than walnuts and work especially well with brown sugar.
Other possibilities
Nut Amount Flavor
Walnuts ½ cup Classic, slightly bitter
Pecans ½ cup Sweet, buttery
Almonds ½ cup Firm, crunchy
Hazelnuts ½ cup Rich, roasted
Macadamia ½ cup Very buttery
Important allergy note: if these cookies are being served to someone with a tree-nut or peanut allergy, use commercially packaged ingredients labeled appropriately and avoid cross-contact with nuts.
How to Get Cookies Like the Picture
For that thick, bakery-style appearance:
Use softened—not melted—butter.
Use plenty of brown sugar.
Chill the dough.
Make tall dough balls rather than flat discs.
Don’t overcrowd the tray.
Bake until the edges are golden but the centers remain soft.
Add extra chocolate chips to the tops before baking.
Let them cool on the tray before moving them.
Extra bakery trick
After removing the cookies from the oven, immediately place a round cookie cutter or large glass around each cookie and gently swirl it.
This pulls the edges inward and makes the cookies thicker and more perfectly round.
Important Substitutions
No brown sugar?
Use:
1 cup white sugar
But the cookies will be less moist and have less caramel flavor.
Better substitute:
1 cup white sugar + 1 tablespoon molasses
No unsalted butter?
Use salted butter and reduce the added salt to approximately ¼ teaspoon.
Can I use margarine?
Yes, but the flavor and texture can change. Choose a firm baking margarine rather than a very watery spread.
Can I use whole-wheat flour?
You can replace about 25–30% of the all-purpose flour with whole-wheat flour.
Using 100% whole-wheat flour will produce a denser cookie.
Can I use brown butter?
Yes—and it gives an excellent nutty flavor.
Brown the butter first, then allow it to cool until no longer hot before making the dough.
Because browned butter loses water during cooking, you may need a small adjustment to the flour/liquid balance.
Recipe Q&A
Why did my cookies spread too much?
Common causes:
Butter was melted.
Dough wasn’t chilled.
Too little flour.
Baking tray was hot.
Oven wasn’t fully preheated.
Fix: chill the dough and make sure your flour is measured accurately.
Why are my cookies hard?
Usually because they were baked too long.
Take them out when the edges are done but the centers still look slightly soft.
They firm up as they cool.
Why are my cookies cakey?
Possible reasons:
Too much flour
Too much baking powder
Overmixing
Too many eggs
For chewy cookies, measure flour carefully and don’t overmix.
Why are they flat?
Try:
Chilling the dough longer
Checking that your baking soda isn’t old
Measuring flour accurately
Using properly softened rather than melted butter
Can I make the dough ahead?
Yes.
Keep covered in the refrigerator for up to about 3 days.
You can also freeze portioned dough.
Can I freeze cookie dough?
Yes. Shape the dough into individual balls and freeze them on a tray.
Once frozen, transfer them to an airtight freezer bag/container.
Bake directly from frozen, adding approximately 1–3 minutes to the baking time.
Can I freeze baked cookies?
Yes.
Allow them to cool completely, then place them in an airtight freezer-safe container.
They generally keep good quality for approximately 2–3 months frozen.
How should I store baked cookies?
Store completely cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.
For best texture, consume within approximately 3–5 days.
A piece of bread in the container can help maintain softness, although it may make the cookies slightly less crisp.
Can I make smaller cookies?
Yes.
Use approximately 1 tablespoon of dough per cookie and begin checking them around 8–10 minutes.
Can I make giant cookies?
Yes.
Use 60–80 g dough per cookie and bake longer at the same temperature, watching the centers carefully.
Chocolate Options
For a more interesting batch, try:
Classic: semi-sweet chips
Sweeter: milk chocolate
Rich: dark chocolate chunks
Fancy: dark chocolate + flaky sea salt
Extra creamy: milk + semi-sweet chocolate
Nutty: chocolate + toasted pecans
For the cookies in the photograph, I’d recommend semi-sweet chocolate chips with a small amount of milk chocolate.
Finishing Touch
Immediately after the cookies come out of the oven, sprinkle a tiny pinch of flaky sea salt over each one.
The salt makes the chocolate flavor much more pronounced without making the cookies taste salty.
Quick Recipe Card
315 g flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
¾ tsp salt
227 g softened butter
150 g white sugar
200 g brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
340 g chocolate chips
60 g walnuts/pecans — optional
Mix → chill 30–60 min → scoop → bake at 175°C/350°F for 10–13 min → cool 5–10 min.
With years of experience in restaurant research and local SEO, Sara creates accurate, user-friendly guides that work for both people and search engines. Her goal is to help users go from search results to their nearest restaurant or menu choice with as few clicks as possible.
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