Thick, Gooey Chocolate Chip Cookies
The kind of cookie that never lasts long!
There’s something deeply comforting about baking a batch of chocolate chip cookies. The smell alone, that mix of butter, sugar, and melting chocolate, instantly takes over the kitchen and makes you pause for a moment. These cookies are thick, chewy in the middle, and slightly crisp around the edges. They’re the kind of treat that never lasts long once they come out of the oven.
This recipe hits that perfect balance, soft in the middle, crisp on the outside, and rich with chocolate. The secret is in the butter and the chilling time. Starting with cold butter gives the cookies a dense texture, and freezing the dough before baking stops them from spreading too much in the oven. The result? Beautifully thick cookies with a chewy centre that stays soft even the next day (if they last that long).
Another thing I love about this recipe is how customisable it is. I usually use a mix of milk and dark chocolate chips, but you can add white chocolate, chopped nuts, or even a sprinkle of sea salt on top before baking for a little contrast.
Ingredients
100 g cold unsalted butter (take out of the fridge 30 minutes before baking)
90 g light brown sugar
40 g white caster sugar
1 large egg (room temperature)
½ tsp vanilla extract
125 g self-raising flour
75 g plain flour
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
150 g chocolate chips (milk, dark, or white — or a mix of all three)
Method
Make the cookie dough
Chop the butter into chunks and place it in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer or wooden spoon for about one minute until slightly softened but not creamed.
Add both sugars and mix until just combined. Try not to over-mix at this stage or the butter will become too soft.
Mix in the egg and vanilla extract. The mixture might not look great yet, but don’t worry — it will come together soon.
In a separate bowl, combine the self-raising flour, plain flour, salt, and baking powder. Add this to the butter mixture and fold gently until a thick cookie dough forms.
Finally, add the chocolate chips and use your hands to mix them evenly through the dough.
Shape the cookies
Line a baking tray that will fit in your freezer with baking paper.
Weigh out 120 g portions of dough and roll them into rough balls. Thick and rustic is exactly what you want here — the less perfect, the better.
Place the cookie dough balls on the tray so they are not touching. Cover with clingfilm and freeze for at least 90 minutes, or up to 48 hours for best results. The longer you freeze them, the thicker your cookies will be once baked.
Bake the cookies
Preheat your oven to 180°C (fan).
Five minutes before the freezing time is finished, line a baking tray with baking paper and place it in the oven for five minutes to warm up. This helps the cookies develop a crisp outer edge.
Place three to four frozen dough balls on the heated tray, leaving plenty of space between them. Bake for about 15 minutes until golden around the edges but still pale and soft in the middle.
Allow the cookies to cool on the tray for about five minutes before serving. Enjoy them warm while the centres are still soft and the chocolate is melted.
My Baking Notes
These cookies are all about timing and texture. The moment they come out of the oven, they’ll look a little underdone, and that’s exactly what you want. As they cool, they’ll firm up slightly but stay perfectly chewy in the centre.
If you love extra-rich cookies, try browning half the butter first before chilling it back to a semi-solid state. It adds a deep caramel flavour that pairs beautifully with the chocolate.
And for a finishing touch, sprinkle a little flaky sea salt over the cookies as soon as they come out of the oven. It makes the chocolate flavours pop and adds that bakery-style finish. This recipe can easily be doubled/tripled or more to produce larger batches - leave some on the freezer for a few more days or bake them all at once!
