Chewy Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Crisp edges, soft and chewy centres and pools of melted chocolate. The classic American cookie, perfected.
The chocolate chip cookie was born in the 1930s at Ruth Wakefield’s Toll House Inn in Massachusetts. Legend says she expected the chocolate to melt into the dough; it didn’t, and the world’s favourite cookie was born.
For the perfect cookie
- Brown sugar makes cookies soft and chewy.
- Chilled dough holds its shape in the oven.
- Pull them early while the centres look underdone; they finish on the tray.
Nutrition
Per serving (≈ 35 g). Approximate values.
How to make it
4 steps · start a timer right inside a step
Chop the chocolate
Chop the chocolate with a knife into pieces of different sizes, so the cookies get both fine streaks and big molten chunks.
Cream butter and sugar
Beat the soft butter with both sugars for 2–3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and mix again until pale and creamy.
Mix and chill
Add the flour, bicarbonate and salt and mix until no dry flour remains, then stir in the chocolate. Chill for at least 30 minutes so the cookies don’t spread and the flavour deepens.
Bake
Roll walnut-sized balls and space them 5 cm apart on a lined tray. Bake at 180°C for 10–12 minutes until golden at the edges but still soft in the middle. Cool on the tray for five minutes.
Cook’s tips
- 1Sprinkle each ball with flaky sea salt before baking.
- 2Swap some of the dark chocolate for white.
- 3Store with a slice of bread to keep them soft.
- 4Use a digital scale to weigh your flour rather than using a measuring cup, as packing too much flour into the dough is the most common reason for cookies ending up dry or cakey instead of chewy.
Serving & storage: These are best served warm alongside a cold glass of whole milk or a strong black coffee. They will stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for up to four days, and you can refresh them by warming them in a low oven for three minutes. If you want to keep them longer, freeze the unbaked dough balls for up to three months and bake them directly from frozen by adding an extra minute or two to the timer.
Freezing the dough
Freeze balls of dough and keep them bagged for up to three months. Bake from frozen, adding two minutes.
The takeaway
With this recipe, warm cookies are never far away. Serve with a glass of cold milk, as tradition demands.
