These bakery chocolate chip cookies are large, buttery, and packed with chocolate chips. They have golden edges, slightly gooey centers, and rival your favorite bakery. 
The Best Bakery-Style Chocolate Chip Cookies
There’s something deeply satisfying about an extra-large chocolate chip cookie. Whether paired with a cold glass of milk or a warm coffee, these bakery-style cookies compete with the best. What makes them special:
- Rich buttery vanilla flavor
- Crispy, golden-brown edges
- Chewy, tender centers
- Lots of chocolate chips
- Generously oversized for maximum enjoyment
Key Ingredients
The ingredients are familiar, but a few choices are essential to achieve that bakery-style result.
- Cold butter: Unlike softened or melted butter, cold butter helps create crisp edges. Cut it into small pieces for easier mixing.
- Brown sugar: Adds a caramel note and extra moisture, which improves chewiness.
- Cornstarch (cornflour): A small amount keeps the centers soft and tender.
- Sea salt: Balances sweetness and enhances flavor. Grind coarse sea salt before measuring — 1/2 teaspoon gives a bakery-style finish. If using table salt, reduce to 1/4 teaspoon.
Baking Tips
- Measure flour accurately: Whisk the flour, spoon it into a dry measuring cup, then level it off. For best accuracy, use a kitchen scale: 1 2/3 cups = 207.5 grams (7.3 oz).
- Keep the dough cold: Cold butter and a cold egg help the dough maintain its structure. If it warms up while you work, chill for 30 minutes before baking.
- Cookie size and yield: This recipe makes eight very large cookies. Each cookie uses about 1/3 cup of dough (roughly 100 grams / 3.6–3.7 oz) for uniform results.
Freezing and Make-Ahead Tips
You can prepare the dough a day ahead and store it in the fridge. When ready, shape into balls and bake. Baked cookies keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days, though they’re usually gone sooner.
To freeze dough for longer storage, form balls and flatten slightly. Arrange in a single layer in a freezer bag and freeze up to two months. Bake directly from frozen — add 1–2 minutes to the baking time.
Pro tip: Frozen dough balls are perfect for late-night cookie emergencies. Bake one whenever you want a fresh large cookie.
Chilling the Dough
Chilling is optional. If your cookies spread too much, chill the dough for 30 minutes up to 24 hours. I recommend baking one test cookie first to check spread. If they don’t spread enough, gently flatten the dough balls before baking.
More cookies to try (titles only):
- Bakery-Style Double Chocolate Cookies
- Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies — for pillow-soft texture
- Thin & Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Small-Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies — an easy no-chill recipe
Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour (207.5 grams)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch (cornflour)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt (grind coarse salt, then measure)
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (112 grams), cold
- 1/2 cup brown sugar (100 grams), light or dark
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar (100 grams)
- 1 large egg, cold
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips, plus extra for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Cut the cold butter into small pieces and place in a large bowl. Mix the butter with the brown sugar and granulated sugar until combined.
- Mix in the egg and vanilla extract.
- On low speed, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in about two additions until just combined.
- Turn off the mixer and stir in 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips.
- If the dough feels warm, cover and chill for 30 minutes to firm up.
- Form dough into balls of about 1/3 cup each (you should get eight). Place dough balls about 3 inches apart on the prepared sheets. Bake one sheet at a time for 12–14 minutes, or until the tops are just set and golden. Keep the second sheet chilled while the first bakes.
- After removing from the oven, optionally press a few extra chocolate chips onto the tops. Cool on the sheet for at least 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Notes
- Measure flour properly: whisk, spoon into a dry measuring cup, then level off. Or use a scale: 1 2/3 cups = 207.5 grams.
- Cold butter and a cold egg help produce crisp edges and chewy centers.
- Use sea salt for a classic bakery flavor. If using table salt, reduce to 1/4 teaspoon.
- If using salted butter, omit the added salt.
- Dark chocolate chips were used here, but any chip will work.
- For smaller cookies, use about 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough each and bake 9–11 minutes at 350°F.
- Dough balls freeze well for up to two months; bake from frozen and add 1–2 minutes to the bake time.
- Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days; they may dry out after five days.
- Nutrition information is an estimate per cookie, assuming eight equal cookies.