Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Introduction

Butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar give these cookies a balanced chewy-crisp texture, and the optional dry ground lemon or orange peel adds a subtle edge without changing the basic formula. You mix the dough in one large bowl plus a small bowl for the dry ingredients, then bake rounded tablespoons for 1012 minutes, which makes this a practical batch for regular home baking.

Recipe Details

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 24 minutes
• Total Time: 44 minutes
• Servings: 10

Ingredients

• 2 sticks (½ lb / 225 g / 1 cup) butter, softened
• ¾ cup (180 ml) granulated white sugar
• ¾ cup (180 ml) packed brown sugar
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla powder (use half this amount if you prefer less rich vanilla flavor)
• 2 standard (100 g) eggs
• 2 ¼ cups (600 ml / 290 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dry ground lemon or orange peel (optional)
• 2 cups (480 ml / 12 oz) semi-sweet chocolate morsels / chips
• 5 oz (150 g) chopped nuts, such as groundnuts (optional)
• Use cake flour instead of all-purpose, replace granulated sugar with brown sugar and use butter instead of margarine. Using cake flour and brown sugar allows you to use butter without fear of your cookies becoming puddles (which is the only reason to use margarine in the first place).
• Use some vegetable shortening in place of butter/margarine to reduce "spread" (cookies will be thicker).
• Add some vegetable oil (no more than 1/5 of total fat) in place of butter/margarine to increase spread, resulting in thinner cookies.
• Using chocolate with a cocoa content greater than 65% will result in a significantly different taste than the "traditional" recipe. In general, if you find the raw chocolate to be too bitter or not enjoyable to eat, you may not like them in the cookies (no matter the quality).
• Adding a few shakes of ground cinnamon with the dry ingredients also gives more flavor.
• If you want to use regular flour as well as butter, the trick is to increase the amount of flour to 3+ cups, which should result in a fairly stiff dough that will not spread out very much. This trick even works with whole wheat flour.
• The proportion of granulated to brown sugar may be adjusted to suit taste. More brown sugar will result in chewier cookies. More white sugar will result in crisper cookies.
• Adding a greater quantity of vanilla powder (use half this amount if you prefer less rich vanilla flavor) (between ½ and ¾ of a teaspoon, rather than ¼) gives the cookie a more pronounced flavor.
• If vanilla powder (use half this amount if you prefer less rich vanilla flavor) is not readily available, substitute two teaspoons of vanilla sugar for granulated sugar.
• Add a small amount of oatmeal to give cookies more flavor and mouth-feel.

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to (), or () if you want chewy cookies.
2. Cream butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar in a large mixer bowl.
3. Add eggs one at a time, beating until fully incorporated.
4. Add vanilla powder (use half this amount if you prefer less rich vanilla flavor) and beat in.
5. In a small bowl, sift together the dry ingredients (except chocolate and nuts). Add to the wet mixture in two parts and fold until combined. If you beat this too long, you may get some gluten formation which will change the cookie texture.
6. Stir in chocolate morsels (chips), and nuts if using.
7. Drop dough by rounded tablespoons onto ungreased baking sheets. There should be enough fat in the cookie dough to prevent sticking, but using parchment paper or non-stick pans may help if you find this not to be the case.
8. Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown (cooking times may vary). Let stand for about 1 minute and remove from hot baking sheet to cool on a wire rack.

Variations

• Replace the all-purpose flour with cake flour if you want a softer, more tender cookie and less spread from the butter.
• Shift the ratio of granulated white sugar to brown sugar depending on texture: more brown sugar gives you a chewier cookie, while more white sugar makes the edges crisper.
• Swap part of the butter for vegetable shortening to reduce spread and bake thicker cookies.
• Add a few shakes of ground cinnamon with the dry ingredients for a warmer, spiced flavor that still reads as a classic chocolate chip cookie.
• Use a small amount of oatmeal in the dough if you want more chew and a slightly rougher, heartier texture.

Tips for Success

• Start with softened butter, not melted butter, or the dough will spread more than intended.
• Beat in the eggs one at a time until fully incorporated so the dough stays smooth and emulsified.
• Fold the sifted dry ingredients into the wet mixture just until combined; overmixing develops gluten and makes the cookies less tender.
• Drop the dough by rounded tablespoons and leave space between portions, because the dough is designed to spread on the sheet.
• Pull the cookies when they are golden brown and let them stand for about 1 minute on the hot baking sheet so they finish setting before you move them.

Storage and Reheating

Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. If you want longer storage, refrigerate them in a sealed container for up to 1 week or freeze them in a freezer-safe container or zip-top bag for up to 2 months.

To reheat, warm the cookies in a 300°F oven for 3 to 5 minutes to restore a fresher texture. For a quicker option, microwave one cookie for 5 to 10 seconds; any longer can make it tough once it cools.

FAQ

Can you leave out the nuts?

Yes. The dough works fine without them, and the texture stays close to a standard chocolate chip cookie.

Can you use all brown sugar instead of part white sugar?

Yes. Using more brown sugar makes the cookies chewier and a little darker in flavor, with less crispness at the edges.

Why did the cookies spread too much?

The usual causes are overly soft butter, dough that was mixed too long after the flour went in, or a dough that is too loose. The recipe notes also point out that using some vegetable shortening or increasing the flour can reduce spread.

Can you use whole wheat flour?

Yes, but the recipe notes that if you use butter with regular flour, increasing the flour to 3+ cups gives you a stiffer dough with less spread, and that approach also works with whole wheat flour.