The secret to quick and easy chocolate chip cookies is melted butter! No need to beat the butter or chill the batter—these cookies are ready in minutes. They feature a delightful combination of soft core, chewy core and a touch of crunch on the edges. This is our favorite foolproof chocolate chip cookie recipe!
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The easiest chocolate chip cookies from scratch
There are many chocolate chip cookie recipes out there, but this is the one I keep coming back to. While we’ve already shared an awesome chocolate chip cookie recipe that we still love (that you should try soon), these melted butter cookies offer faster prep time without sacrificing flavor.
Not only this easy cookie recipe saves you the extra washing up but it is also eliminates the need to soften the butter and allows optional chilling of the dough. You can even freeze the dough to bake another day. Trust me, these cookies might just be the best ever!
Let’s discuss the essential ingredients for making delicious chocolate chip cookies. Although our ingredient list is similar to the other recipe on our blog, these cookies differ in how they are combined. You’ll need flour, baking powder, salt, melted butter, sugar, vanilla extract, eggs, and plenty of chocolate chips.
Melted butter is the key to the simplicity of this recipe. Not only does melted butter make the recipe easier, but it also allows you to brown the butter, which gives the cookies a deliciously nutty flavor. It’s worth noting that browning the butter is optional, as the cookies turn out fantastic with just melted butter. We use the same trick when preparing our particularly simple oatmeal biscuits.
we use granulated and brown sugar, which may seem like a lot, but each type of sugar plays a specific role in enhancing the flavor and texture of the baked cookies. The granulated sugar sweetens the dough and keeps the cookie edges crispy. The brown sugar provides a caramel-like flavor and keeps the kernels soft and chewy.
Unlike our other recipe, these cookies call for more 1 whole egg and 1 yolk. By omitting the white of the second egg, we increase the richness of the cookie dough. This combination also ensures that the cookies spread perfectly during baking and have a crispy edge and a chewy center.
Cookies in three easy steps
By following these three simple steps, you’ll have the perfect cookie dough that’s ready to bake whenever you want a freshly baked cookie! I will provide freezing instructions below to save some cookie dough for another day.
- Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl: flour, baking powder and salt.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar, egg, egg yolks, vanilla extract, and melted (or browned) butter until well combined.
- Combine the two mixtures by adding the wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients. Stir until all ingredients are fully incorporated. You can also add chocolate chips or chocolate chips at this point.
Once your cookie dough is ready, you can adjust the size of your cookies. Here are some options:
- For Extra-Large Cookies: Use about 3 to 4 tablespoons of batter for each cookie, resulting in generous cookies.
- For smaller cookies (as shown in our photos): Use about 1 1/2 tablespoons of cookie dough per cookie.
Here’s a helpful tip! Before baking the cookies, take a moment and add a few extra chocolate chips to each mound of dough. This way, as the cookies bake, they create deliciously gooey chocolate pockets that are visible at the top of each cookie.
Related: Easy chewy double chocolate chip cookies
Go ahead and freeze the cookies
You can store this chocolate chip cookie dough in the fridge for up to 3 days. I recommend shaping the dough into cookie dough balls before cooling to make baking faster and more convenient. While these cookies already taste amazing when baked right away, there’s another benefit to preparing and chilling the batter ahead of time. Cooling the cookie dough improves the chewy, thickness, and overall flavor of the baked cookies.
If you want to freeze the cookie doughfollow these simple steps:
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Spoon mounds of cookie dough onto the baking sheet. You can huddle the piles of cookies together, but make sure they don’t touch each other.
- Place the baking sheet in the freezer and allow the mounds of dough to freeze until set.
- Once the dough is frozen, place in an airtight container or plastic bag. Store them in the freezer for up to 3 months.
When ready to bake one or more cookies, place the frozen mounds of dough directly onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving space for spreading. Then bake the cookies, adding 3 to 5 minutes to the original baking time given in our recipe.
Related: Extra Easy Oatmeal Cookies (also made with melted butter)
Extra Easy Chocolate Chip Cookies
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PREPARATION
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COOK
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IN TOTAL
Melted butter is the secret to making chocolate chip cookies quickly and easily! These cookies are soft in the center, chewy in the middle, and slightly crunchy on the edges. If you have five minutes left baking these cookies, try browning the butter before adding it to the cookie dough. Browned butter gives the cookies a nutty flavor. (Here is our butter browning tutorial and we provide instructions below)
Makes about 18 cookies
Watch as we prepare the recipe
you will need
1 ¾ cups (220 grams) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
10 tablespoons (140 grams) unsalted butter
3/4 cup (150 grams) packed brown sugar
1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 tsp espresso powder, optional, see notes
1 ¾ cup (8 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks
Flake sea salt, optional for sprinkling on baked cookies
directions
- Prepare the butter
1You can use regular melted butter or brown butter for this chocolate chip cookie recipe.
2For regular melted butter, melt the butter in the microwave or on the stovetop, then let it cool. Once cool to the touch, use the melted butter in the recipe below.
3For browned butter (our favorite), melt the butter in a light skillet over medium-high heat. Swirl the pan occasionally to ensure the butter melts evenly. As it melts, the butter will foam and change color from light yellow to golden and finally brown. This only takes a minute or two.
4When the browned butter smells nutty and is lightly golden brown, transfer the browned butter to a heatproof bowl to cool. Once cool to the touch, use the browned butter in the recipe below.
- Prepare the cookie dough
1In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Put aside.
2In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, whole egg, egg yolks, vanilla, and the melted butter or browned butter. Stir in espresso powder (optional).
3Switch to a large rubber spatula, then add the dry ingredients in three parts, stirring gently until dissolved. Fold in most of the chocolate chips, reserving a handful to place on top of each scooped cookie before baking.
- baking cookies
1Preheat the oven to 160°C and line a baking tray with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
2Scoop 1 1/2 tablespoons or use a medium cookie spoon onto the baking sheets. Leave a 5cm gap between the biscuits to allow them to spread out. (For larger cookies, use 3 to 4 tablespoons of dough and space them 3 inches apart.) Press a few extra chocolate chips into the top of each cookie dough mound.
3Bake the cookies piece by piece, turning once during baking for 12 to 16 minutes. The cookies should be golden brown around the edges but light in the center. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Before serving, sprinkle a few flakes of sea salt over each cookie (optional).
4Store the baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Adam and Joanne’s tips
- Espresso powder is an optional ingredient. It gives the cookies a little more richness and flavor. We don’t add enough to make them taste like coffee, but just enough to make them extra special. We use Medaglia D’Oro espresso, which we bought at a kitchen supply store (I saw it online too). In a pinch, instant coffee granules can also be used, but slightly less.
- Butter Browning: A full guide is here to help you with that.
Nutritional value per serving
serving size
1 biscuit
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calories
217
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total fat
10.6g
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Saturated Fatty Acids
6.4g
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cholesterol
37.5 mg
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sodium
106.9 mg
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fiber
1.2g
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total sugar
18.7g
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protein
2.7g