The Best Big, Soft & Chewy Jumbo Chocolate Chip Cookies: A Beloved Family Recipe
There’s a universally beloved comfort food that brings smiles to faces young and old: the humble chocolate chip cookie. But not all chocolate chip cookies are created equal. Today, we’re diving deep into a recipe for truly extraordinary cookies – ones that are famously big, wonderfully soft, incredibly chewy, and burst with rich chocolate flavor. These aren’t just any chocolate chip cookies; they are a cherished family favorite, perfected over years, and guaranteed to become your go-to recipe for an unforgettable treat. What sets them apart? A touch of Kosher salt, which elevates the chocolate to new heights, creating a flavor profile that is simply irresistible and has everyone raving. If I had to pick just two cookies to enjoy for the rest of my life, it would undoubtedly be these magnificent jumbo chocolate chip cookies, alongside my equally adored soft and chewy peanut butter cookies. Prepare to bake a batch that will disappear as quickly as they emerge from the oven!
Unlocking the Secret to the Best Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies
I know everyone claims their chocolate chip cookies are “the best,” but this particular recipe has been our family’s absolute favorite for countless years, and for good reason! The magic lies in the perfect balance of ingredients and a simple secret: Kosher salt. This isn’t just any salt; its coarser texture and cleaner taste provide that crucial contrast to the sweet chocolate, creating a flavor explosion that is incredibly addictive. Each bite offers a delightful dance between sweet and savory, making these cookies nearly impossible to resist. The combination ensures a rich, deep chocolate flavor that truly shines, complemented by an incredibly soft and chewy texture that melts in your mouth. This isn’t just a recipe; it’s a culinary tradition that consistently delivers exceptional results.
Key Ingredients for Irresistibly Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies and Their Role
Crafting the perfect jumbo chocolate chip cookie requires understanding the role each ingredient plays. Here’s a breakdown of what you’ll need and why it matters:
- Dry ingredients:
- Cake flour: This is a secret weapon for softness! Its low protein content results in less gluten development, leading to a tender, cake-like texture.
- All-purpose flour: Provides the necessary structure and body for the cookies.
- Baking soda: Works with the acidic brown sugar to create lift and contributes to the chewy texture.
- Baking powder: Offers additional lift and helps ensure those beautiful, puffy cookies.
- Kosher salt: As mentioned, this is key! It balances the sweetness, enhances the chocolate flavor, and adds a depth that makes these cookies truly special.
- Wet ingredients:
- Unsalted butter: Crucial for rich flavor and proper texture. Using unsalted butter allows you to control the total salt content precisely. Ensure it’s at room temperature for optimal creaming.
- Light brown sugar: The star for chewiness and moisture. Its molasses content contributes to a rich, caramel-like flavor and keeps the cookies soft long after baking.
- Granulated sugar: Provides sweetness and helps with the spread and a slight crispness around the edges.
- Eggs: Act as a binder, add richness, and contribute to the overall structure and moisture of the cookies. Room temperature eggs emulsify better with the butter and sugar.
- Vanilla extract: Enhances all the other flavors, adding a warm, aromatic depth that is essential to any classic cookie.
- Chocolate:
- Chocolate chips or chopped chocolate: The heart of the cookie! Whether you prefer classic chips or chopped chocolate for melty puddles, a good quality chocolate is paramount. You can mix semi-sweet, milk, or even dark chocolate for varied flavor profiles.
Helpful baking tools: Having the right tools makes the baking process smoother and helps ensure consistent results.
- Stand mixer or hand mixer: Essential for creaming butter and sugars properly, ensuring a light and airy dough.
- Measuring cups and spoons: For accurately portioning liquid and dry ingredients.
- Sifter: Ensures your dry ingredients are lump-free and evenly distributed, leading to a smoother dough and consistent texture.
- Insulated baking sheets: Prevents the bottom of your cookies from browning too quickly, promoting even baking and a softer texture.
- Silicone baking mat: A fantastic alternative to parchment paper, offering non-stick properties and promoting even baking.
- Ice cream scoop: Crucial for making consistently sized, jumbo cookies and ensuring they bake uniformly.
- Wire cooling rack: Allows air to circulate around the cookies, preventing them from getting soggy on the bottom as they cool.
- Spatula: Useful for scraping down the sides of the bowl, folding in chocolate chips, and shaping hot cookies.
Mastering the Art: Expert Tips for Baking Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies
Achieving cookie perfection is all about the details. Here are some expert tips to ensure every batch of your homemade chocolate chip cookies is nothing short of amazing:
- Adjust baking time for desired texture: If you crave those delightful crunchy edges with a soft center, bake your cookies on the longer side of the suggested baking time range. For truly soft and supremely chewy cookies throughout, aim for the shorter side of the range. They might appear only lightly browned, but trust the process – they’ll continue to set as they cool.
- Weigh your ingredients for accuracy (BEST results!): Baking is a science, and precision is key. While cup measurements are provided, using a kitchen scale to weigh your ingredients, especially flours and sugars, is the most accurate way to achieve consistently perfect cookies. Remember this essential step: place an empty bowl on your scale, reset the tare to zero, then add your ingredients. This eliminates measurement variations that can drastically alter your cookie’s texture.
- Shape hot cookies for perfect rounds: This tip is a game-changer for presentation! As soon as you remove the baking sheet from the oven, while the cookies are still hot and pliable, use a spatula to gently tap and push the edges of each cookie, working your way around to shape them into beautifully round and even discs. This small effort makes a big difference in their appearance.
- Properly soften butter: “Room temperature” butter is crucial but often misunderstood. To get it just right, remove unsalted butter from the refrigerator and cut it into tablespoon-sized pieces. Allow these pieces to sit on your counter for approximately 20-30 minutes. It should be pliable enough to indent with your finger but not melted or greasy.
- Don’t overmix the dry ingredients: Once you add the dry ingredients to the wet, mix only until just combined. Overmixing develops gluten, which can lead to tougher, less tender cookies.
- Chill your dough (optional, but recommended): If you have time, chilling your cookie dough for at least 30 minutes (or even overnight) can significantly improve flavor and texture. It allows the flour to fully hydrate and the flavors to meld, while also preventing the cookies from spreading too much during baking.
- Ensure room temperature eggs: Just like butter, room temperature eggs emulsify better with the fats and sugars in the dough, leading to a more uniform and tender crumb. You can quickly warm cold eggs by placing them in a bowl of warm water for 5-10 minutes.
- Check your oven temperature: Ovens, especially older ones, can vary wildly in temperature. An inexpensive oven thermometer can confirm your oven is truly heating to the proper temperature, preventing burnt edges or underbaked centers.
- For regular-sized cookies: If you prefer smaller cookies, use a standard cookie scoop (about 1.5 tablespoons) and adjust the baking time to approximately 8-11 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden and the centers are still soft.
Baking Perfection: Step-by-Step Guide to Your Best Jumbo Chocolate Chip Cookies
Follow these detailed steps to create the ultimate batch of jumbo chocolate chip cookies that are soft, chewy, and perfectly golden every time.
Before you begin, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175°C). Line insulated baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. This will prevent sticking and help with even baking.
- In a medium bowl, sift together the cake flour, all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, and Kosher salt using a wire whisk. Sifting ensures that all dry ingredients are thoroughly combined and lump-free, which is crucial for a consistent cookie texture. Set this bowl aside.
- In the large bowl of an electric mixer (stand mixer preferred for this quantity) fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the softened unsalted butter, light brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium speed. Beat for approximately five minutes until the mixture is very light, fluffy, and pale in color. This creaming process incorporates air, contributing to the cookies’ soft texture.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition until fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Once the eggs are mixed in, stir in the vanilla extract until just combined.
- Reduce the mixer speed to low. Gradually add the dry ingredients mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing only until just combined and no streaks of flour remain. Be careful not to overmix, as this can lead to tough cookies.
- Remove the bowl from the mixer and, using a rubber spatula or a sturdy wooden spoon, gently fold in the chocolate chips or chopped chocolate until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
- Since we are aiming for truly jumbo chocolate chip cookies, use a large ice cream scoop (about 1/4 cup capacity) to portion your dough. This ensures uniform size and even baking.
- Scoop the dough into balls using your ice cream scoop and arrange them on the prepared baking sheets, leaving enough space between them for spreading. Bake for 14-19 minutes, depending on your oven and desired crispness. The cookies should be lightly golden at the edges and still slightly soft in the center.
- Immediately upon removing the baking sheet from the oven, take your spatula and gently push the outer edges of each cookie inwards. This quick step helps to create perfectly round, aesthetically pleasing cookies. Do this while the cookies are still hot and pliable, before they cool and set.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for at least 5 minutes. This allows them to firm up slightly before you attempt to move them. After 5 minutes, carefully transfer them to wire cooling racks to cool completely. Enjoy them warm with a glass of milk, or once fully cooled!
Batch Baking Made Easy: How to Freeze Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
Yes, you absolutely can freeze this delicious chocolate chip cookie dough! Freezing cookie dough is a fantastic way to prepare ahead, ensuring you always have fresh, warm cookies just minutes away. This method is perfect for meal prepping desserts or having treats ready for unexpected guests.
I highly recommend flash freezing the dough balls first to prevent them from sticking together. Here’s how:
- Measure out your cookie dough into individual balls using your ice cream scoop, just as you would for baking.
- Arrange these dough balls on a baking sheet or plate lined with waxed paper or parchment paper. Place them as close together as possible without them touching.
- Transfer the baking sheet to the freezer and freeze for about 2 hours, or until the dough balls are solid.
- Once solid, remove the individual dough balls from the baking sheet and transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or airtight container. Flash freezing prevents them from clumping into one big mass in the bag.
Your frozen cookie dough can be stored for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to bake, simply place the frozen dough balls on a prepared baking sheet and add a few extra minutes to the baking time (typically 2-4 minutes more than the unfrozen dough) until golden brown and cooked through. Enjoy the convenience of freshly baked cookies anytime!
And don’t stop at just one type of cookie! Be sure to try my other fantastic cookie recipes, including my delightful peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, classic oatmeal cookies, fun monster cookies, and the cinnamon-sugar delight that is Snickerdoodles. You won’t be disappointed!
Craving More? Discover Other Delicious Cookie Recipes
If you’re a true cookie connoisseur, you’ll love exploring these other incredible cookie recipes from my collection:
- Neiman Marcus Cookies
- Reeses Pieces Cookies
- Skillet Chocolate Chip Cookie
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Tower
- Doubletree Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Toll House Cookie Recipe
Jumbo Chocolate Chip Cookies
IMPORTANT – There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
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Ingredients
- 8 ½ ounces cake flour 2 1/4 cups
- 8 ½ ounces all purpose flour 2 cups
- 1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons Kosher salt
- 2 ½ sticks unsalted butter room temperature
- 10 ounces light brown sugar 1 1/4 cups packed
- 8 ounces granulated sugar 1 cup, plus 3 tablespoons
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 15 oz chocolate chips or chopped chocolate 1.5 bags
Things You’ll Need
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Stand mixer
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Measuring cups and spoons
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Sifter
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Insulated baking sheets
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Silicone baking mat
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Ice cream scoop
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Wire cooling racks
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Spatula
Before You Begin
- If you like crunchy edges, bake your cookies on the longer side of the suggested baking time. For soft chewy cookies, bake them on the shorter side of the range, they will only be lightly browned.
- For BEST results be sure to use a kitchen scale to weigh your ingredients using the weights in the recipe. This is the most accurate way to get the perfect cookies. Remember, place an empty bowl on your scale and reset the tare to zero before adding the ingredients.
- When you remove the cookie sheet from the oven, shape the cookies using the spatula, gently tapping the edges, working your way around to shape the cookie. It has to be done right away while the cookies are hot, before they begin to cool and set up.
- To correctly soften butter, remove it from the refrigerator and cut it into tablespoons. Allow it to sit on the counter for 20 minutes.
- To make regular sized cookies use a cookie scoop and bake for 8-11 minutes.
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line insulated baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
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Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl with a wire whisk. Set aside.
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In bowl of electric mixer, cream together butter and sugars until very light, about five minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. With mixer on low, add dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips with rubber spatula.
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Scoop dough into balls using an ice cream scoop onto sheet. Bake 14-19 minutes.
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As soon as you remove the baking sheet from the oven, use a spatula to shape the outer edge of the cookies to make them nice and round and even.
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Allow cookies to cool on sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling racks to cool completely.
Nutrition
The recipes on this blog are tested with a conventional gas oven and gas stovetop. It’s important to note that some ovens, especially as they age, can cook and bake inconsistently. Using an inexpensive oven thermometer can assure you that your oven is truly heating to the proper temperature. If you use a toaster oven or countertop oven, please keep in mind that they may not distribute heat the same as a conventional full sized oven and you may need to adjust your cooking/baking times. In the case of recipes made with a pressure cooker, air fryer, slow cooker, or other appliance, a link to the appliances we use is listed within each respective recipe. For baking recipes where measurements are given by weight, please note that results may not be the same if cups are used instead, and we can’t guarantee success with that method.
This post originally appeared here on Aug 3, 2012.