New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies are the very best chocolate chip cookie recipe. They’re seriously the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever eaten.
Background of New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies:
First published in the New York Times on July 9, 2008, this recipe took the internet by storm when David Leite experimented with baking cookie dough that had a chance to rest in the refrigerator for a given number of hours.
Leite described that refrigeration allows for the dough and other ingredients to fully absorb the liquid, resulting in a drier dough baking to a better consistency. Leite shared that even Chocolate Chip Cookie inventor Ruth Wakefield noted in her 1953 Toll House Cookbook that the cookie dough is meant to be chilled overnight (a crucial piece of information that is not included in the recipe on the bags of Nestle’s chocolate morsels). Interesting stuff, huh?
How do you make the Best Chocolate Chip Cookies?
I decided to put this dough to the test for myself once and for all. I measured the flour and the sugar using a scale so that everything would be very accurate. And I baked all three versions of the cookies below on the same baking sheet lined with a silpat mat- at the same temperature- for the same amount of time.
I also rolled out the cookie dough and measured it so that it was exactly 3.25 ounces. The recipe suggests 3.5 ounces, but these still yielded a very large cookie with a slightly smaller measurement. I dotted additional chocolate chips on top of each round of cookie dough (as I do with all of my cookies… since it makes them look prettier).
After 5 hours of refrigeration, I couldn’t stand it any longer. I baked up my first cookie. It was what we like to call, “a very good chocolate chip cookie.” Nothing super special though.
After 24 hours, we pretty much had the same reaction as the first. It was good. Nothing to alert the media about.
For some reason, the magic seemed to happen around hour 48. The cookie dough was more crumbly and dry, as Leite mentioned in his article. The result of the baked cookie was a crispy edge with a softer interior.
The key to making them perfect is to take them out of the oven when they’re golden brown on the edges and still look slightly doughy in the middle. As they set on the cooling rack, they transform into the perfect cookie.
What makes New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies the best chocolate chip cookie recipe?
Well, they’re made with cake flour and bread flour- two ingredients that people don’t typically stock in their kitchen. I really have no idea how they’d turn out if you tried to sub all-purpose flour, but my instinct is that the measurements would be different and they just wouldn’t turn out the same. They’re topped with a sprinkle of sea salt- I used a flaky sea salt. It’s not overwhelming, just a little sea salt sprinkled on top. My kiddo didn’t care for the salt on top, so I made a few without. My husband and I enjoyed the occasionally salty bite that you get as you make your way through eating the cookie.
For the rest of the dough, I went with 2 ounce balls of cookie dough- about the size of a normal golf ball. I found that you still get the same result with a crispy edge and soft interior. And it’s not an overwhelming size for most people to eat.
Are they the best chocolate chip cookie ever? Perhaps… though I’m not entirely sure. I really love my Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies and my Secret Ingredient Chocolate Chip Cookies too. One of these days I’ll have to put all three side-by-side in a blind taste test to see which one truly takes the prize for best chocolate chip cookie ever.
New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies
Recipe Details
Ingredients
- 2 cups (minus 2 tablespoons) cake flour (8½ ounces)
- 1⅔ cups bread flour (8½ ounces)
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1½ teaspoons coarse salt (kosher or sea salt)
- 1¼ teaspoons baking soda
- 1¼ cups (2½ sticks) unsalted butter
- 1¼ cups packed light brown sugar (10 ounces)
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons) granulated white sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 20 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips (can sub semi-sweet)
- extra chocolate chips, optional
- sea salt, optional
Instructions
PREPARE THE COOKIE DOUGH:
- Sift together the dry ingredients (flour through salt). I just scrape mine through a fine strainer/sieve since my sifter isn't all that great. Set aside.
- Use an electric mixer to combine the butter and sugars- mixing until the mixture is very light, about 5 minutes. Mix in the eggs, one at a time. Add the vanilla. Reduce the speed to low, add the dry ingredients and, mix just until the dry ingredients are incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chips. Place the dough in an airtight container and refrigerate a minimum of 24 to 36 hours before baking (and up to 72 hours).
BAKE THE COOKIES:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat mats.
- For 5-inch cookies, scoop six 3.25 ounce mounds of dough- giant golf ball-sized (I roll mine into balls) onto a baking sheet, spacing them evenly apart. Don't try to fit more on the sheet or you'll end up with cookies baking into each other. Dot some extra chocolate chips on top, if desired. Sprinkle each ball of dough with a small pinch of sea salt, if desired.
- Bake until the edges are golden brown and the center is lighter and soft, 18 to 20 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 15 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a rack and let them cool completely. Repeat with the remaining cookie dough.
Video
Notes
- *If you'd prefer to make smaller cookies, shape your cookie dough into small golf ball-size instead (2 ounces), and bake for 15 to 18 minutes. You'll get about 31 smaller cookies.
The best! Finally, after 50 years of marriage, I can make a consistently excellent chocolate chip cookie. Hallelujah! My notes: DEFINITELY do the refrigeration. My husband and I baked 2 cookies right off the bat, before refrigerating, and the taste was pretty good, but texture was not great. Then 25-36 hours later, when we baked, we (and our neighbors & kids) were high-fiving each other and enjoying every dang bite!! For our preference we will use a bag and a half of Ghirardelli’s 60% cacoa chocolate chips. So 15 oz. vs. 20 oz. Cooking time: our gas oven baked these beautifully at 16 minutes. Thank you, recipe girl!!!
This recipe is excellent and I’ve been baking these over and over for at least a year. Everyone who has tasted them says they are the best chocolate chip cookies they’ve tasted! I do use a scale to measure the ingredients, as recommended. And I do try to give the dough at least 24 hours in the fridge. Thank you for publishing this recipe!
This is the best chocolate chip cookie recipe. Thank you for sharing!
Made this recipe and my family loved it. Next time I wont go too heavy handed on the chocolate!
Can you add pecans to the cookie dough?
sure!
We like pecans in our chocolate chip cookies, has anyone tried adding pecans to the cookie dough?
I mixed all the ingredients and then realized I forgot the two tablespoons of regular sugar. Will this make a difference in baking or the taste of them?
I wouldn’t think there would be a significant difference.
I startedthe cookies on thursday,and cooked them today my family waiting in the background,lol I find the cookies have a.firm texture cooking in my oven because I like them darker but switched to lighter texture,they have a.beautiful flavor.and I’m glad I made the batch of cookies my family love them,so a keeper thank.you.
Hi-
I am a novice baker and have never refrigerated my cookie dough before, but your findings have inspired me! I do not have the exact quantity of supplies but I could manage half, would it be ok to half the recipe??
probably– as long as all of the ingredients are halved exactly.
Would LOVE a good cookie recipe WITHOUT butter…Lactose is a family
problem which limits a lot of recipes…….
I just tested out 2 cookies after 2, 3 hrs only. I couldn’t wait to see how they turn out. I used a pizza tray to bake them since I don’t have a cookie sheet. They came out pretty good, crispy edges & soft middle but they got little dark (not the tops though) I tried testing less than 2 oz dough balls though & they were a decent size. Should I reduce the temperature or just take them out early next time if I choose smaller dough balls. Your reply will be greatly appreciated. But mine didn’t look like yours I guess after waiting 24 to 36 hrs they might turn out like yours, LOL. I love the cracked texture on your cookies, mine were not cracked (which I don’t prefer) Any tips regarding that will help me in my baking adventure & I love to have a recipe that turns out the way I want it to be. I have sen a lot of cookies but your cookies are my new obsession & I’m in love with them.
I love your pictures, they are so stunning. I followed this recipe & ran out of brown sugar I used 1 cup only. I hope it doesn’t make much difference. I couldn’t wait till 5 hrs even so I am testing one out after couple of hrs. Your cookie has a wonderful texture.
I baked a trial run of these yesterday-wanted to try them out before gifting some next week. They are delicious! While still warm, I felt the ratio of chocolate chips to cookie was too high but trying them this morning (great breakfast!) when they are 100% cool? Perfection! I added the extra chips to the top and they really made them look prettier. My only problem was even with a fan on, they took hours to dry before I could slip them into lollipop-style goodie baggies without the chips smearing inside the bags. This dried them out quite a bit and the middles are more crunchy/crispy like the edges now. Also, it took a few hours for my dough to warm up enough to be scooped out of the bowl. I will probably try rolling it into logs and refrigerating them that way. (Cradle the rolls with towels on a cookie sheet to avoid a flat bottom edge.) I also skipped the sea salt on top because I used salted butter and they are jyst salty enough. These are a keeper! Thank you!
Mixed up the dough today, chocolate chips consist of semi-sweet, chopped dark chocolate and 1/3 cup of toffee chips. The dough is delicious – looking forward to baking in a day or two.
I have made this recipe multiple times with bread flour and all purpose flour and they always turn out great! It started as an accident when I did not realize cake flour and all purpose flour were different. These cookies are my favorite!
These r fantastic. Longer chilled means better taste for sure. Sadly I can no longer eat these as I am now GF from celiac but this is one of the few things my family will still ask for. I call them worlds best choc chip cookies !
Oh dear Lord, these are SO great. I’ve tried many cookie recipes but these are worth every penny. Definitely the best ones!
Made these exactly as written and waited 48 hours. Excellent! I like the 48 hour wait. My kids rarely get sweets, so the 2 day wait just gets them excited for something special. If I start making cookies and 30 min. later my kids get them, they expect everything to be now, now, now. They didnt even touch the dough in the fridge. 🙂
I preferred same day baking…I might be the only one who feels this way. We tried them after 48 hours, but not fan of it. The recipe is still amazing and I can’t wait to bake them again.
I’ve tried a few different wait times in the fridge too. I liked them best after about 24 hours. 🙂 I always get amazing reviews from everyone about these cookies. They are so yummy!
What a great post, Lori! How interesting using the cake flour – I’m gonna bake up a batch this week (can’t wait!).
It’s so interesting how the number of hours you let the dough chill plays such an important part in the end result! I wonder what these would have tasted like if they were baked after 72 hours (the maximum amount of time advised) of chilling!
Mmmmm!!!! I made these!!! They are delish!!! The only
Thing I changed was the amount of baking powder cuz I don’t like cakey cookies
– cut it down to 1 tsp.
And I didn’t refridgerate them AT ALL! I’ll use this forever!!!!
Kind of ironic that his name was Leite. That means “milk” in portuguese.
I believe he’s Portuguese!
These cookies are fabulous! My daughter was supposed to join me for the grand baking ‘finale’ of these cookies but couldn’t at the last minute. I want to freeze some of the dough for her. What would be the best method?
I’d freeze them as little scoops of dough. Then you can just place them on the cookie sheet frozen and bake from there.
I made these cookies last December, they were fabulous. We enjoyed them a lot. The kids especially liked the size.
Hi Lori!
I love your blog!! I finally had a chance to make this recipe over the weekend and wanted to add a comment:
If you want to make even smaller cookies, you can make 1oz cookies and bake them for 12 minutes. Then I took them out of the oven and left them on the pan for another 10 minutes before moving them to the wire rack to cool for another 20 minutes.
Sooo delicious and just the perfect snack size!
I have been wanting to try this ccc recipe for a while now and to experiment with a few batches! 🙂
thank you!
does anyone know if it best to bake them cold or thaw the dough first?
It’s just refrigerated, not frozen. But bake the dough cold. I spoon it out and roll it into balls.
Thanks for doing the homework for all of us! I’m sure the 48 hour wait is worth the wait! They sound so yummy:)
This is so interesting!!! I actually recently made many different chocolate chip cookies doughs and freezing the dough to have fresh cookies for later. The cookies from the frozen dough were much better then the ones baked right after mixing the dough. I had no idea why but now I know the reason.
this is my favorite cookie recipe. I’ve substitute the chocolate chip and experimented with white chocolate and almonds, peanut butter, M&M’s, oatmeal & raisins, and will try to find other ideas. But yeah, the chocolate chip version is still my very favorite. Since I never stock up on cake flour, I combined 3 different kind of flour : All purpose flour, bread flour, and corn starch.
I’ve made these cookies and though good, I’m not sure what I was looking for but nothing about them screamed ‘the best’ to me. I made a chocolate chip cookie last year that I loved so much more; it combined molasses and sugar for the brown sugar and it did have brown butter AND it was supposed to be refrigerated overnight. I get that; I do but it’s hard isn’t it? Truth is the dough was so good they were lucky they got to the fridge!
Great tips here Lori! 48 hours, who would’ve thought? I’ll take mine with sea salt, love that sweet and salty combo. 🙂
Hi Lori about that cookie that I made with the package of instant vanilla pudding in them…nope, didn’t like them…they made a very soft cookie…I like mine a little crunchy…can I share my favorite recipe with you…
I love anything with brown butter. Any reason you couldn’t do that in the NY Times recipe?
Sounds like it would certainly be worth a try!
Well, these look like a huge success. I so rarely make chocolate chip cookies, but I’m always interested in hearing about a great recipe!
Those look fantastic Lori, and some day would like to try the NYTimes recipe…but like so many others I have a favorite that we just love… BUT…I did try a new recipe and it is sitting in the fridge right now(I have always let my CCcookie dough rest in the fridge) ready to get baked tonight…I have a funny feeling that they are going to be good…its a very different recipe, you use a package of instant vanilla pudding to the ingredient list…I’ll let you know…m
Well your NYT cookies certainly LOOK perfect. This is my go-to recipe. I always have/keep bread and cake flour in house just to make these, which I do often. (But I’m often pressed for time or too lazy to chill the dough for usually a few hours, sometimes overnight). I love these!
I am really going to have to break down and try these sometime. I am just so impatient 🙂
That is exactly how I enjoy my cookies – a little chewy on the inside. I’m also a huge fan of flaked sea salt. I will definitely keep this in mind when next making my cookies. I’m sure that if you made the regular nestle version, having that sit as well would work.
oh these sound really good, I love BIG chewy cookies!
It’s National Chocolate Chip Day today too! This looks like one magnificent cookie! I don’t know if I could wait that long…but it sounds like it’s worth the wait!
I have been wanting to make these cookies forever! Though… waiting 48 hours would be a tough one for the kids and I!
I’ve made these before, too! It was so hard to let the cookie dough set for days, and I definitely stole a few bites of dough in the process. 🙂 I agree with you, they were great, but there are a lot of great chocolate chip cookies out there!
Testing recipes like this is so much fun! I always have the best luck with longer refrigeration time.
I’ve heard a great deal about these cookies, and I’m so glad you made them with different time intervals! You saved me lots of time in the kitchen, Lori!
this looks super scrumptious!
Oh I love these cookies! I think I’ve made this recipe about 3 time now! I just can’t get enough of these cookies, when I’m looking for a chocolate chip cookies recipe, I find myself always coming back to this one! haha
I love that you did all of this experimenting for us…it’s a tough job being a food blogger, but someone’s gotta do it! I’ve been meaning to make these and at least now I know that if I plan to…I’d better be prepared to wait it out!
Can’t go wrong with chocolate chip cookies! Your pictures are gorgeous! Yum!
In 48 hours I’d have eaten all the cookie dough!
You had me at chocolate 🙂
I just recently started experimenting with various types of chocolate chip cookies. For years my favorites were oatmeal raisin so I only used to make tollhouse or that neiman marcus cookie that floated around the internet.
I definitely think the resting of the cookie dough is a crucial step. I guess the only way to make myself wait is to whip up a double batch….freeze some dough for later usage and make some pronto. Or maybe if I whipped it up late at night to satisfy a cookie dough craving (who me?), then refrigerate over night…that would work as well.
Thanks for sharing…love your gorgeous pics!
I’ve made these, and I love them. I’ll never use another recipe. I love your hour by hour analysis, spot on. I call them Thursday Night Cookies because if I want them over the weekend, I need to mix the dough up on thursday night. The higher gluten content in the bread flour is what gives them the chewiness, so brilliant. I also add 1 tsp of corn starch, makes them puff up a bit more but doesn’t make them “cakey.”
I keep meaning to try this. I have a weak spot for giant cookies and chewy centers.
another review on this cookie recipe…i guess i have no excuse to try it now! 😀 i just don`t think i can wait that long…but i suppose, for the good of a delicious cookie, i must…LOL! thanks for showing the different hours! ahah~
Ahh I’ve been dying to make these ever since I received them from Julie during the cookie exchange! They’re amazing and look soo delicious! Looks like you made them perfect!!! xoxo
I am a nut for chocolate chip cookies. I have some homemade Tollhouse dough in my frig even now! These look sooo good..i’m going back to click on the links to your other two recipes asap!
Lori, these cookies look PERFECT. Thank you so much for linking up to David’s experiment- so interesting to see how refrigerating the dough for a certian amount of time changes the cookie’s taste and texture. I have got to try this. I love cookies after freezing the tall – makes them nice and thick – but i think this will be my next test. And your cookie photos in this post? GORGEOUS.
Fantastic recipe, Lori! I have got to try this for myself!
Ive seen this recipe for years, too. And I am more partial to the Cooks Illustrated recipe because well, I just love it. It produces, soft, chewy, perfect for me, cookies b/c I am not a fan of anything too crisp. Good to know about the magic at hour 48! I am working my way through some of the Momofuku Milk Bar cookies and she suggests refrigerating for at LEAST 24 hours, up to a week. I’ve only ever waited 24 hours, I may try waiting a little longer and seeing what happens.
Holy Moly! The pics make me want to bite my laptop screen. 🙂 Thank you for going through all of that trouble so that we can bake the most awesome cookies!!!
I love your thorough review of the cookies! Looks like I totally need to try this recipe. Looks perfectly crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside!
Fun to see your review of this recipe. A great cookie, but generally I don’t want to wait 2 days to bake even if the cookie is a bit better after the long chill.
We love these cookies! Great photos!
Love your pics, Lori! I have wanted to make these for so long too. They look so good!
I’ve made this recipe many times and love it! But letting that cookie dough sit for 48 hours is soooo incredibly challenging 🙂
I still haven’t tried this recipe because I am so stuck on my “go-to” chocolate chip. These look too good to pass up though, must-tr. Gorgeous photos, Lori!
They look perfect! It’s funny, I’ve made this recipe as a gluten free cookie for a friend and they turned out amazing and gorgeously huge. Just like your pics. That fridge time does make a difference. Now I really need to make the original version!
Totally amazing!!! 😀
Interesting time line. I’ve read about these. Sounds like they’re worth a try…they sure look good. (Were you eating the dough out of the fridge?)
The 48 hours really makes a difference in my mind. And I admit I swapped out the bread flour for all-purpose once when I had run out of bread flour, and the texture was definitely off. I wouldn’t recommend doing that! And now you’ve inspired me to bake up a batch – or at least make the dough and wait two days! 🙂
I have been making these cookies for about a year now, and have found that leaving the dough in the fridge for 72 hours is the BEST!!!!
I’ve always wanted to try this recipe and now I’ll definitely have to give it a go. But I have to wait 48 hours? Torture!
Love these! I’ve never tried baking cookies with anything but all purpose flour, but I think you sold me on this. Next time I make cookies, I’m trying these!
Interesting!!! These huge cookie photos look DELICIOUS!
It really is amazingly delicious, isn’t it? I’ve learned to make a double batch, one for immediate baking (because if my family knows cookies are in the works, they are ready for them NOW) and another for the true recipe.
Beautiful photos, Lori! (As always!)
I’ve seen this recipe around a lot and I’ve always wondered how it compares to my personal favourite (a Heston Blumenthal recipe where you make your own chocolate chips). I’m always happy to fly over for a blind taste test if you need any help 😉
Funny! I was eating this cookie dough just last night. I rolled them into balls and froze them so we could have a fresh cookie whenever I have the oven on for something else. I know that they’re supposed to taste better after the long wait, but they always taste the same to me, which is fine with me because they always taste like perfection. My husband sometimes whines about all the “healthy junk” I make and this is the only request for baked goods he makes. When he wants something “normal” he gets these cookies! They’re the best. 🙂
48 Hours?! I just might eat all the dough by then…but I’ll have to try, just in case!! These look amazing!!
Yum! I’ve wanted to try these for so long. They sound awesome.
I have always wanted to make these! 48 hours is a long time to wait for cookies, but I am willing to give it a shot 🙂
These really are the best! And now I tend to chill my dough at least overnight if I’m not making them for something immediate, as I’ve learned this really helps with consistency!
I have some chocolate chips on the counter waiting to be put into a cookie so I am glad you posted this. They look like great cookies…I am just worried that if I had dough sitting in the fridge for 48 hours it would get eaten by my entire family.