The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies with cornstarch – it’s the secret ingredient! These cookies are a must-have for any recipe box. These cookies are perfectly soft and chewy with crisp edges.

Believe it or not, just a couple of tablespoons of cornstarch makes all the difference.

Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Confession: My chocolate chip cookies have not always been very good. Fortunately, my siblings weren’t picky growing up. So, I have been on a mission to perfect my chocolate chip cookies and have finally mastered it.

The secret is the temperature of the ingredients, a bit of technique, and chilling of the dough. Let’s start with butter. Always use butter, nothing else. When the recipe says “softened butter” let it get to room temperature but no warmer.

Don’t be tempted to soften the butter in the microwave. It invariably leads to a little bit of melting in the middle. Cookie dough often can not recover from butter that is too soft when incorporated into the dough.

One last baking tip: Always spoon your flour into the measuring cup then level the top. If you scoop with your measuring cup you run the risk of an air pocket which impacts getting the correct amount.

Why Add Cornstarch to Cookies?

The secret to the best, soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies is cornstarch or pudding mix. There’s a good reason pudding cookies are so popular!

Adding cornstarch to chocolate chip cookies will make the cookies softer and chewier. Butter has a better flavor than shortening, but it tends to make the cookies flat and crispy. Cornstarch or pudding mix counteracts this and acts as a thickening agent.

Chocolate Chip Cookies with Cornstarch

1. Cream butter, white sugar, and brown sugar together. Beat in egg and vanilla.
2. In a separate bowl combine flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Add to butter mixture. Stir until combined, add chocolate chips. Form into balls about an inch or slightly more in diameter.
3. Chill for at least 2 hours.
4. Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake for 8 to 11 minutes until edges are lightly brown. The centers may still look doughy. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes and then cool completely on wire rack. (This cooling rack sees regular use in my kitchen.)

Why Chill Cookie Dough?

Chilling cookie dough before baking is a major step for many cookie recipes. I like to form the dough into balls (This scoop set works fantastic for that!) and then let them sit in the refrigerator for at least two hours.

Many times, rushing the process and skipping the chilling time can result in cookies that tend to be flat and/or too crunchy. HOWEVER, this is a solid recipe that will work nicely whether you chill the dough or not.

When chilled first, the cookies are a bit chewier and a tiny bit more flavorful. That said, I rarely am patient enough to chill the dough before baking. So, feel free to skip that step.

Easy Cookie Recipes

Chocolate Chip Cookies are always good to keep on hand. They will keep nicely in the freezer or in the cookie jar.

I actually use this same cookie recipe as a base for some of my other favorites.

White chocolate chips, raspberries, and blueberries make these Red White and Blue Cookies a fun, patriotic treat. Raspberry White Chocolate Cookies are similar in theme.

These thick and soft Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies have a chocolate cookie base filled with dark and white chocolate chips. If Double Chocolate is just enough for you try this one with walnuts.

Buttery, crispy Butterscotch Chocolate Chip Cookies triple-loaded with chocolate chips and oatmeal are perfect for snacking or sharing.

Loaded with pecan pieces and plenty of coconut flavor, these Coconut Pecan Cookies are perfectly chewy with just the right amount of crunch.

{originally published 5/1/14 – recipe notes and photos updated 8/11/22}