An actually easy chocolate chip cookie recipe made in one bowl, for when you want cookies but need them quickly!
Sometimes you just need a back-pocket super easy classic chocolate chip cookie recipe, and I felt it was finally time to make mine. For years, I've been making these Buckwheat and Oat Chocolate Chip Cookies on my other website (which are super delicious), but felt as a mom I owed it to my two kids to have a classic CCC recipe too.
This recipe is actually easy. Unlike many recipes that claim to be simple but require multiple bowls, mixers, and chilling, this one is made in a single bowl, hand-mixed, and baked on one sheet pan. From start to finish, it takes about 32 minutes using common pantry staples. Now that is what I call an easy recipe! And it doesn't make dozens of batches of cookies; it makes about 15 cookies.
The recipe does require a ten-minute chill in the freezer while the oven finishes preheating, but this step is necessary since the recipe uses melted butter. To get the right texture, the scooped cookies need to sit in the freezer after the dough is made. However, this doesn't add extra time because the dough is so simple to make that the oven likely won't be preheated by the time you finish mixing. So, we can excuse this one tiny chill in the instructions.
And the taste? It's a classic chocolate chip cookie with a gooey middle with evenly distributed pockets of melty chocolate, crisp edges with a slight chew and the perfect amount of salt to balance it all out. Also known as, CCC perfection.
Ingredients Needed and Substitutions
Here is a brief overview of the ingredients needed for this recipe. The recipe card lists the full recipe with quantities below this text.
- light or dark brown sugar + granulated sugar (a mix provides a perfect balance of moisture and chewiness, enriching both the flavor and texture of the cookie)
- unsalted butter
- baking soda
- coarse kosher salt (this recipe was tested using Diamond Crystal coarse kosher salt. If you use Morton's kosher salt or fine salt, decrease the volume by half.)
- an egg
- vanilla extract
- all-purpose flour (please please weigh your flour, as it will result in a cookie as the recipe intends--if you aren't going to weigh it, make sure to spoon it into the measuring cup, then level it off. If you scoop the flour out with the measuring cup and then level, it could change the outcome of the final product)
- mini chocolate chips (mini chips are best because they help ensure even distribution, a consistent texture and look, and smooth melting throughout each cookie, but ultimately you can use whatever chocolate chips or chopped chocolate that you enjoy)
How to Make It
As promised, it's made all in one bowl. It does require melted butter, which you can melt directly in the bowl in the microwave, to avoid dirtying a pan like I did. Pay special attention to whisking the sugar. The goal is to fully dissolve the sugar into the cookie dough for the right texture. Using warm, nearly hot melted butter helps, but it’s crucial to let the sugar-butter mixture rest for 30 seconds before adding the egg. Ensure the sugar mixture comes together before adding the egg, which indicates the sugar is mostly melted. The egg will help finish this process.
Step 1: Add the sugars, baking soda, salt and melted butter to a bowl.
Step 2: Whisk it together well, then let it sit for 30 seconds to allow the sugar to start to dissolve.
Step 3: Whisk in the egg and vanilla for 30-60 seconds to almost fully dissolve the sugar. This helps get the right chewy texture in the cookie.
Step 4: Add in the flour and the chocolate chips.
Step 5: Fold them in until it's just combined.
Step 6: The cookie dough should be smooth with a matte appearance.
Step 7: Scoop the cookies with a 1-ounce cookie disher (or about 2 tablespoons of dough).
Step 8: Evenly spread them out on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place the sheet in the freezer for 10 minutes (while the oven preheats).
Baking Notes
This recipe will yield about 14 to 16 (1-ounce) cookie dough balls. It'll be tight, but they can fit all in one standard 9x13 sheet pan. However, it's close! So if you are worried about your cookies running into one another, they can be baked off on two baking sheets with more space to spread apart. I find that just a bit too finicky for a so-called easy chocolate chip cookie recipe, so I always bake them all of in one pan.
I will use the cookie scoot I learned from Erin at Cloudy Kitchen if they run too close together (which is using a round cutter to shape the cookies while they are still warm right out of the oven).
Remember the key to baking a perfect chocolate chip cookie: pull them from the oven before they are fully done. That will look like a cookie that is puffed up in the center, but still slightly moist looking. Let the cookies sit on the baking sheet for 10-15 minutes for carryover cooking to make sure the dough is cooked through in the middle, while still being moist. Or if you like yours fully underbaked, go ahead and pull them while they are still very, very moist in the center.
However, if you suspect you've fully baked your cookies and pulled them too late, transfer them immediately (or as soon as safely possible) from the sheet pan to a cooling rack to prevent them from overbaking.
Make-Ahead + Freezing + Storage Info
Baked chocolate chip cookies keep well in a covered container at room temperature for 3-5 days, sometimes longer.
They will also freeze well, both baked and unbaked. Freeze the baked cookies or unbaked dough on a sheet pan until fully frozen, then transfer to an air-tight bag or container.
For baked cookies, defrost at room temperature outside of the container or use the microwave to slowly warm them up.
For unbaked cookies, preheat the oven and place them on a parchment-lined sheet pan at room temperature for 10 minutes, then bake as directed.
More Sweets
Making this Easy Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe? Be sure to leave a comment with a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review on your experience! Have a question? Leave a comment below and I’ll get back to you as quickly as I can!
PrintFull Recipe
One Bowl Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Prep Time: 00:10
- Chill Time: 00:10
- Cook Time: 00:12
- Total Time: 00:32
- Yield: 15 cookies
- Category: Sweets
Description
An actually easy chocolate chip cookie recipe made in one bowl, for when you want cookies but need them quickly!
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons (113 grams) unsalted butter, melted
- ⅓ cup (85 grams) packed light or dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1-⅓ cups (160 grams) all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup (130 grams) mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF, and place an oven rack in the middle part of the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (see note).
- In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt, and baking soda. Let sit for 30 seconds to allow the sugar to start dissolving, then whisk again.
- Whisk in the egg and vanilla until the sugar is melted and the mixture is lightened, 30 to 60 seconds.
- Fold the flour nearly all the way in, then fold in the chocolate chips.
- Using a #30 (1-ounce) cookie scoop, portion the dough and roll into balls about 2 tablespoons in size,. Place the dough balls spaced evenly apart on the baking sheet.
- Transfer the baking sheet to the freezer to chill for 10 minutes.
- Bake on the middle rack for 12 to 14 minutes, until the cookies have just started to puff up, but are still slightly moist in the center. Be careful not to overbake, as they’ll continue to cook after coming out of the oven.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 10 to 15 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.
Notes
This recipe was tested using Diamond Crystal coarse kosher salt. If you use Morton's kosher salt or fine salt, decrease the volume by half. See this Salt Guide for more information about how salt affects your cooking and baking.
Weighing your flour is the most accurate way to measure. If you aren't going to weigh it, make sure to spoon it into the measuring cup, then level it off. If you scoop the flour out with the measuring cup and then level, it could change the outcome of the final product.
You’ll need space in your freezer to fit a baking sheet. If you don’t have room in your freezer, you can place the baking sheet in your refrigerator for 15 minutes before baking.
These cookies can be baked on one baking sheet, which is what I often do, but the cookies can bump up against one another as they spread. If you want perfectly round cookies, divide the cookie dough evenly between two baking sheets and cook them on the middle and lower middle racks, rotating the pans halfway through baking. They may need an extra minute or two in the oven since the door will be open for a period of time while rotating.
Eleanor Rousseau
Delicious cookies and a dream to make.