Easy Chocolate Chip Cookies

This easy chocolate chip cookie recipe is one of the BEST Christmas cookie recipes I’ve ever made. They’re soft, chewy, easy and fast to create. All the makings of a great cookie if you ask me!

I seriously couldn’t be more happy with this batch of cookies every time I pull them out of the oven. Not only do they smell and taste just like the cookies my mom used to make when my brothers and I were kids, but they’re also just the right balance of sweet and salty that I feel like I could eat a million of them.

They’re exactly the Christmas cookie that Santa loves to get on his plate. With a glass of milk, of course, and maybe a little carrot for Rudolph. That said, you can really make these any time of year!

I want to stress, though, that this homemade cookie recipe is also one of the most versatile cookies I’ve ever enjoyed. You can add all sorts of crazy things to this batter and, without fail, they’ll cook-up into the most perfect cookies.

For me, this is the best kind of cookie recipe, because I can actually break the cookie batter up into different small bowls, if I want, and customize a little mini-batch for each person in the house. The kids think this is just the coolest idea on the planet because they each get a little bite of they’re favorite inclusions–a super special treat, if you ask me.

So, if you’re ready to make a great cookie, let’s get your oven going!

Easy Chocolate Chip Cookies

What Do You Need to Make Easy Chocolate Chip Cookies?

• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons white sugar
• 1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cups chocolate chips

How to Make One-Bowl Chocolate Chip Cookies

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream the sugars and butter together.

Add-in the egg and vanilla and mix until the dough is consistent.

Make a little well in the center of the batter, then fill this well with the flour.

Make a little tiny well in the top of the flour and fill with the baking soda and salt.

With a fork, combine the flour, baking soda and salt.

Once the four mixture is mostly combined, with your hand mixer, beat the batter as a whole until the entire mixture is well incorporated.

Fold-in chocolate chips.With a tablespoon, measure out cookie dough and place on the baking sheet about 2 inches apart.

Bake the cookies for 12-15 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned.

Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and allow them to cool to room temperature.

Make sure you’re following Fat Dad Foodie over on Pinterest!

How Long Do Easy Chocolate Chip Cookies Last?

These cookies easily last 3-5 days on the counter in an airtight container. I don’t like leaving cookies out uncovered because then they tend to dry out. So, I always pop them in a container, just to be safe.

If you want them to last for longer than 3-5 days, you’ll need to pop them in the refrigerator. They’ll last for 12-15 days in the fridge. But I don’t like cold cookies–that’s just weird.

So, if I’m pulling cookies out of the fridge, I either let them sit on the counter for an hour to come back to room temperature, or I put them in the microwave for 10 seconds. Not long enough to melt the chocolate chips, but just enough to make them warm.

Can Chocolate Chip Cookies be Frozen?

I’ll be honest, I don’t like the way that chocolate gets flaky in the freezer, so although you CAN freeze cookies, I hesitate to do so. I prefer to freeze the cookie dough.

Freezing the cookie dough in an airtight container can get you 3-5 month shelf-life for cookie dough. And, you can just defrost in the refrigerator for 12 to 24 hours, then bake.

It’s the perfect solution to get your cookie fix in much smaller batches over a longer period of time, if you want.

What Kind of Things Can You Add Into Chocolate Chip Cookies?

You remember when I said that this recipe was super versatile? Oh, it is. So, here’s a quick list of things you can put in chocolate chip cookies to customize little mini-batches for the kids:

• marshmallows
• pecans
• chocolate candies
• caramel
• white chocolate chips
• butterscotch chips
• candy bits (like butterfinger or reeces)
• pretzels (just try it–trust me)

What To Do When Chocolate Chip Cookies are Flat?

Oh, your cookies came out flat? That’s too bad. Good news, though? I have a handful of tips to troubleshoot your flat cookies:

• The butter wasn’t room temperature, but was melted. You have to use room temp butter.
• The oven was too hot. If you didn’t set the oven to a higher temperature than the recipe called for, your oven might need to be calibrated.
• The oven was cold. Yeah, if your oven wasn’t fully preheated or never reached the required temperature, the cookies might not have risen. So, again, if you didn’t pop your cookies in the oven too early, then you might need to calibrate it.
• You used really old baking soda. Did you know baking soda can go “flat”? Yeah, it totally can! So, be sure your baking soda is no more than 6-months old and has been stored in an airtight container.

More Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipes

• Easy Kitchen Sink Cookies
• Egg Free Chocolate Chip Cookies Made with Quinoa
• Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
• Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Balls
• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies