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My Big, Fat Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe by Tyler Florence yields about a dozen large, indulgent chocolate chip cookies. It involves creaming butter and sugars, combining with dry ingredients, and folding in generous chunks of dark chocolate. The dough is shaped into large balls and baked to a perfect golden brown, offering a choice between chewy or crispy textures. An easy-level recipe for a classic comforting treat.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Snack
Cuisine American
Calories 5156.8 kcal

Equipment

  • 1 Electric Mixer Stand mixer or hand mixer is suitable for creaming butter and sugar.
  • 2 Cookie Sheets Or baking sheets, ideally non-stick or light-colored to prevent over-browning.
  • 1 Parchment Paper Essential for easy release and consistent baking.
  • 1 Rubber Spatula For scraping bowls and gently folding in chocolate.
  • 1 Wire Rack For cooling cookies evenly and preventing sogginess.

Ingredients
  

Main

  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 8-ounce block dark chocolate, coarsely chopped

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.
  • Place the butter, sugar, and brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer; cream together on medium speed until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Beat in the vanilla and eggs. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and continue to mix until a smooth batter forms. Turn off the mixer and fold in the chocolate chunks using the spatula.
  • To form the cookies, scoop about 1/4 cup of cookie dough into your hands and roll it around into a ball; place them about 3-inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets; you should get about 4 cookies on each pan. Press down the tops of the dough slightly and bake until the cookies are light brown, 12 minutes for chewy cookies, or about 15 minutes for crispy cookies.
  • Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough/cookie sheets.

Notes

Ensure butter is truly at room temperature for optimal creaming with sugars, leading to a lighter, fluffier cookie. Avoid overmixing the dry ingredients once added, as this can develop too much gluten, resulting in tough cookies. Fold in the chocolate chunks gently to distribute evenly without deflating the dough. For enhanced flavor, consider browning a portion of the butter before adding it to the creamed mixture, or sprinkling a touch of flaky sea salt on top of the cookies before baking to balance the sweetness. For perfectly round and thicker cookies, chilling the dough balls for at least 30 minutes before baking is highly recommended.