These milk chocolate chip cookies have perfectly soft and chewy centers, pools of melted chocolate, and crisp golden brown edges. They're made with creamy milk chocolate chips instead of semi-sweet, making them a little lighter and sweeter than your classic chocolate chip cookie recipe.
Is there anything better than a batch of homemade chocolate chip cookies? I don't think so. Nothing can beat a batch of chocolate chip cookies, whether they're thin and crispy, thick bakery-style, or soft and chewy.
These milk chocolate chip cookies are the soft and chewy kind of cookies with crisp edges and gooey centers. They have pools of creamy melted milk chocolate, which makes them milder and sweeter than cookies made with semi-sweet chocolate chips. Milk chocolate lovers rejoice!
If you love an easy chocolate chip cookie recipe, try these chocolate chip cut-out cookies, chocolate chip marshmallow cookies, chocolate chip cookie pie, or chocolate chip oatmeal cookies.
Jump to:
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Chewy chocolate chip cookies- My favorite kind of cookie is soft and chewy, not thin and crispy. The melted butter, brown sugar, and additional egg yolk give these cookies the perfect texture.
- Easy recipe- This recipe is super easy to make because of the melted butter. The dough comes together in one bowl and there's no stand mixer required!
- Sweeter, milder flavor- The creamy milk chocolate makes these cookie a little bit sweeter and creamier than your standard chocolate chip cookie. They're absolutely perfect!
Key Ingredient Notes
- Unsalted butter-ย I like to use unsalted butter to control the amount of salt in the cookies; we don't want them to be too salty! The melted butter encourages the cookies to spread and contributes to a chewy texture.
- Granulated sugar-ย White sugar sweetens the cookies, retains moisture, and encourages them to spread properly.
- Brown sugar- Adds a warm, subtle molasses flavor and keeps the cookies chewy! It can be light brown sugar or dark, just make sure it's moist and fresh.
- Egg and egg yolk-ย A large egg binds the ingredients together and makes the cookies puff up in the oven. The extra egg yolk is key for making extra chewy chocolate chip cookies!
- Vanilla extract- Pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste has the best flavor.
- All purpose flour- Measure the flour in grams with a kitchen scale for the best results. If you don't have a scale use the spoon and level method. Gently spoon the flour into your measuring cup and swipe off the excess. Don't pack it in!
- Baking soda-ย This leavener reacts with acid in brown sugar, making the cookies rise and spread as they bake. I prefer just baking soda for chocolate chip cookies because baking powder made them cakey during recipe testing.
- Milk chocolate chips- Use high-quality milk chocolate chips or chopped baking bars for the most delicious flavor.
Substitutions and Variations
- Unsalted butter: Brown the butter as directed in this recipe for brown butter peanut butter cookies to add a nutty flavor and make the best chocolate chip cookies ever.
- All purpose flour: Use gluten free 1-to-1 baking flour to your batch of cookies gluten free. My personal favorite is from Bob's Red Mill.
- Milk chocolate chips: You don't have to make these with milk chocolate! You can also use semi-sweet chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, chocolate chunks, or a chopped chocolate bar of your choice.
- If you aren't a chocolate fan, you can make chocolate chipless cookies or use M&Ms, chopped Snickers, Oreo pieces, or toffee.
Helpful Equipment and Tools
Bake the cookies on an aluminum cookie sheet lined with parchment paper so they bake up evenly. This material conducts heat evenly so all your cookies have the same texture.
For scooping the dough, use a medium 1.5 ounce cookie scoop (about 2-3 tablespoons). You can definitely use a bigger scoop, but keep in mind that it'll yield fewer cookies and they'll take longer to bake.
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1: First, whisk the melted butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together in a large mixing bowl. Mix everything vigorously so the sugar dissolves and air is incorporated. This creates soft, amazing cookies!
Step 2: Whisk the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract into the butter mixture until well combined.
Step 3: Fold the flour, baking soda, and salt into the wet ingredients with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until only a few dry streaks of flour are visible.
Step 4: Once the dry ingredients are roughly mixed, gently fold in the milk chocolate chips until they're evenly distributed. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours uncovered so dough hydrates and the flavors meld together.
Step 5: Preheat the oven to 350ยฐF and line 2 baking trays with parchment paper. Scoop the dough onto each lined baking sheet (8 dough balls on a half baking sheet, 4 on a quarter), leaving 1-2 inches between each so there's room to spread. Press extra chocolate on top and bake for 10-13 minutes.
Step 6: Pull the cookies out of the oven when middles look a bit raw but the edges are golden and set. Let them cool on the hot tray for 10 minutes (they'll keep baking slightly), and then carefully transfer to a wire cooling rack. Cool for 30 more minutes, sprinkle with flaky salt, and serve!
Expert Baking Tips
- Use room temperature ingredients. The melted butter, egg, and egg yolk need to be room temperature so they mix into the rest of the ingredients seamlessly.
- Measure the flour correctly. Weigh the flour in grams with a digital scale or in measuring cups using the spoon and level method. Too much flour makes the cookies dry and makes them not spread!
- Don't overbake. Make sure the cookies look a little underdone in the center when they come out of the oven. Let them cool on the hot baking tray for about 10 minutes. The heat from the warm cookie sheet will cook them a bit more and make them perfect.
- Scoot your cookies! To make the cookies perfectly round, reshape them right as they come out of the oven. Place a cup, mug, or biscuit cutter over each and swirl it around in a circular motion. This pushes the edges in, making the cookies a bit thicker and the perfect circle shape!
Storage and Freezing
Store your baked and cooled milk chocolate chip cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Freezing
Freezing baked cookies- These cookies freeze beautifully! Make sure they are completely cool and transfer to a freezer-safe bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat them in the microwave for about 20 seconds or in a 300ยฐF/150ยฐC oven for 5-7 minutes.
Freezing cookie dough- Follow the recipe instructions through Step 4. Chill the cookie dough for an hour and then scoop the desired amount of dough balls on a lined cookie sheet, leaving space between each. Freeze for 2 hours or until frozen solid, then transfer to a freezer safe container and freeze for up to 3 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can make the cookie dough 3-4 days ahead of time. Make sure to store in a large bowl covered in the refrigerator or scoop dough balls on to a baking sheet and cover that tightly in the fridge.
If you have flat cookies that spread too much in the oven, you probably didn't chill the dough long enough or didn't use enough flour. Make sure to measure the flour accurately and chill the dough for at least 4 hours!
You probably used too much flour! Don't pack the flour into your measuring cup so the cookies spread properly.
More Cookie Recipes to Try
๐ Recipe
Soft and Chewy Milk Chocolate Chip Cookies
Equipment
- 2 cookie sheets lined with parchment paper
Need Metric or US Customary Measurements?
Use the buttons below to toggle between grams and cups!
Ingredients
- 113 grams unsalted butter melted and cooled
- 100 grams granulated sugar
- 85 grams brown sugar light or dark
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 egg yolk room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 170 grams all purpose flour
- ยฝ teaspoon baking soda
- ยฝ teaspoon salt
- 140 grams milk chocolate chips
Instructions
- First, whisk the melted butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together vigorously in a large mixing bowl until well combined.113 grams unsalted butter, 100 grams granulated sugar, 85 grams brown sugar
- Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract. Mix well.1 large egg, 1 egg yolk, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- Pour flour, baking soda, and salt into the wet ingredients. Fold with a rubber spatula until a few dry streaks of flour remain.170 grams all purpose flour, ยฝ teaspoon baking soda, ยฝ teaspoon salt
- Gently fold in the milk chocolate chips.140 grams milk chocolate chips
- Chill the bowl of cookie dough in the refrigerator uncovered for at least 4 hours. While the dough chills, preheat the oven to 350ยฐF/180ยฐC and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Use a medium cookie scoop to scoop the cookie dough. Place the dough balls on the baking sheet 2-3 inches apart. Press a few extra chocolate chips on top of each.
- Bake the cookies for 10-13 minutes or until the edges are set and the middles look slightly underdone.
- Remove the tray from the oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
- Cool for 30 minutes, then sprinkle with flaky salt if desired and enjoy!
Comments
No Comments