Warm Chocolate Chip Cookies (Bakery-Style Recipe)
Thick, chewy cookies with crisp edges, soft centres, and pools of melted chocolate — the classic American bakery cookie made at home.
What is this dish?
The American chocolate chip cookie — thick, chewy at the centre, crisp at the edges, with pools of melted chocolate. This recipe uses melted butter and a higher proportion of brown sugar for maximum chewiness, and rested dough for deeper flavour.
Why you'll love it
Warm from the oven with melted chocolate — few things are more satisfying. They can be made to order from frozen dough in 15 minutes.
When to serve
An afternoon treat, a bake sale, a dessert with ice cream, a gift, or any occasion that benefits from a warm cookie.
Quick tips
Melt the butter. Use more brown than white sugar. Rest the dough. Don't overbake — underdone centres set as they cool.
Melted Butter
Melted butter (rather than creamed) coats the flour proteins before the dough is mixed, reducing gluten development and producing a chewier, denser cookie.
Brown Sugar
Molasses in the brown sugar makes the cookies chewier, adds a toffee-like depth of flavour, and helps the cookies spread less than all-white sugar would.
Bicarbonate of Soda
Reacts with the brown sugar to give the cookies a slight rise and a more golden colour.
Substitution Options
Use all brown sugar for the chewiest possible cookie. Add 1 teaspoon of espresso powder for a mocha flavour. Replace 50g of chocolate chips with chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans). Use white chocolate chips for a sweeter, less intense variation.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Mix the wet ingredients
In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar, and caster sugar until fully combined. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla. The mixture should be smooth and slightly glossy.
Pro Tips:
- •Melted butter (rather than creamed softened butter) produces denser, chewier cookies.
- •Brown sugar contains molasses which adds depth of flavour and chewiness — use more brown than white for chewier results.
Add dry ingredients
Add the flour, bicarbonate of soda, and salt to the bowl. Fold together until just combined — stop as soon as no dry flour is visible. Fold in the chocolate chips.
Pro Tips:
- •Do not overmix — overworked dough develops too much gluten and produces tough, dense cookies.
- •Reserve a handful of chocolate chips to press on top of each dough ball before baking for visual appeal.
Rest the dough (optional but recommended)
Cover the bowl and refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes, or up to 72 hours. Resting allows the flour to hydrate fully and the flavours to develop — cookies baked from rested dough are noticeably better.
Pro Tips:
- •72-hour rested dough produces the best cookies — more complex flavour, better texture, and deeper colour.
- •If baking immediately, the cookies will still be excellent — just slightly less developed in flavour.
Shape and bake
Preheat the oven to 190°C (fan 170°C). Line two baking trays with parchment. Scoop balls of dough (approximately 50g each) onto the trays, spaced 5cm apart. Press a few extra chocolate chips on top. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Bake for 11–13 minutes until the edges are golden but the centres look underdone and slightly glossy.
Pro Tips:
- •The underdone-looking centre is correct — cookies firm up as they cool. An oven-baked centre produces a dry cookie.
- •Bake one tray at a time in the centre of the oven for even results.
Cool on the tray
Remove from the oven. Leave the cookies on the tray for 5 minutes — they are too fragile to move when hot. Transfer to a wire rack. Eat warm for a molten chocolate centre, or cool completely for a chewier texture.
Pro Tips:
- •5 minutes on the hot tray continues cooking the base, setting the exterior while the centre remains soft.
- •If cookies spread too much, the butter was too warm or the dough was not chilled.
Chef's Tips
Techniques that separate good from great
Bang the tray on the counter halfway through baking
At the 6-minute mark, remove the tray and bang it firmly on the counter 2–3 times. This deflates the puffed cookies, creating a rippled, uneven surface with more texture. Return to the oven for the remaining time.
Use chopped chocolate rather than chips
Roughly chopped chocolate (from a bar) creates shards and pools of chocolate of varying sizes rather than uniform chips. The irregular pieces melt differently and produce a more visually dramatic, more varied eating experience.
Nutrition Facts
Equipment Needed
- 2 baking trays
- Baking parchment
- Large mixing bowl
- Whisk
- Ice cream scoop or large spoon
Quick Tips
- Use melted butter for chewy cookies, softened creamed butter for cakey cookies.
- Don't overbake — the centres should look underdone when you take them out. They set as they cool.
- Rest the dough for at least 30 minutes. 72 hours produces noticeably better results.
Recipe Variations
Different ways to make this dish your own
Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Brown the butter until golden and nutty before cooling and using. The nuttiness adds remarkable depth to the cookie.
M&M Cookies
Replace half the chocolate chips with M&Ms pressed on top of each dough ball before baking for a colourful, fun variation.
Double Chocolate Cookies
Replace 40g of flour with cocoa powder. Use white chocolate chips. The result is an intensely chocolatey base with sweet white chocolate pockets.
What to Serve With
Perfect pairings to complete the meal
Warm with Ice Cream
A warm cookie straight from the oven topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream is a classic American dessert.
With Cold Milk
The definitive American pairing — a cold glass of milk to dunk the warm cookie.
Cookie Sandwich
Sandwich two cooled cookies with a layer of vanilla buttercream or ice cream.
Storage & Make-Ahead
Keep it fresh and plan ahead
Refrigerator
Not necessary — store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Freezer
Freeze raw dough balls for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen at 180°C for 14–16 minutes.
Make-Ahead
Make the dough up to 72 hours ahead and refrigerate. Bake to order.
Reheating
Microwave a cookie for 15–20 seconds to restore the warm, melty centre.
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