One bowl chocolate chip cookies

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This simple, one bowl recipe gets you a soft and gooey chocolate chip cookie with no special equipment required. Make this quick dough early in the day, let it chill and then be ready to have delicious fresh baked cookies for an evening treat!

I have a lot of chocolate chip cookie recipes that I absolutely love, but almost all of them either require a stand or hand mixer, or a special technique like browning butter. And while each and every one of them are worth the extra effort and clean up, I felt like we needed an option that was simple and still completely delicious.

The biggest helper in this recipe is melted butter. It means we don't need anything other than a spatula to mix the dough together. It also helps lend to the soft and gooey texture of these cookies. The end result is a medium to thin cookie (depending on how long you chill the dough for) that has a great flavor and just the right amount of chocolate throughout. I used a combination of chips and chopped semisweet chocolate but of course this is something you can play with.

In a dream world this would've been a no special equipment and no chill recipe - but when it comes to chocolate chip cookies, chilling the dough is so important. I know it's hard to wait, but it really will ensure you get a gooey center and perfectly golden edges without too much spread. If you're looking for a truly quick and no chill recipe, the best option is my thin and chewy chocolate chip cookie recipe.

If you're looking to get perfectly round chocolate chip cookies there are two key ways to do that:

• Using a scooper for your dough: Using a scooper, like this one, is important not only for getting even scoops of dough but also for getting nice even and smooth, round dough scoops.

• Shaping after baking: I have this set of round cookie cutters that are perfect for gently shaping cookies when they come out of the oven and are still hot. This set has a variety of sizes (I usually use the largest one for these cookies) and right when the cookies come out of the oven I place the cookie cutter on the outer edges of one cookie at a time and gently swirl to nudge the edges of the cookie in and to create a perfectly circular edge.

I highly recommend using a scale for this recipe to ensure you get the best end result. This is important in all recipes, but I find it especially makes a big difference with cookies. Just a small amount, too much or too little, of something like flour or sugar can impact the final outcome of your cookies. I never used to use a scale when baking but now that I've made the switch, I've found that it's the main predictor of consistently delicious cookies! Of course in addition to high quality ingredients.

When testing this recipe, I used Plugra unsalted butter, Domino brand sugar, and Guittard chocolate (their classic semisweet chocolate chips and semisweet chocolate bars). These are my go to brands when making chocolate chip cookies! The butter is especially important. Plugra's unsalted butter is 82% butterfat, so if you're looking for a similar butter I'd recommend choosing one with that same percentage.

Ingredients:

• 12 tablespoons (170g) unsalted butter, melted

• 3/4 cup (144g) light brown sugar

• 1/3 cup (64g) granulated sugar

• 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 large egg

• 1 2/3 cup (200g) all purpose flour

• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda

• 3/4 teaspoon salt 

• 2/3 cup (4oz) semisweet chocolate chips 

• 2/3 cup (4oz) semisweet chocolate, chopped

Prep time: About 15 minutes

Chill time: Minimum 4 hour (up to 24 hours)

Bake time: 11-13 minutes

Servings: 14 cookies

Equipment

• Spatula or large spoon

• Cookie sheets

• Parchment paper

• Large cookie scoop (3 tablespoons)

Cooking instructions:

In a large bowl, melt or add your melted butter and then add in your light brown and granulated sugars. Use a spatula or large spoon to mix together until completely combined, about a minute or two.

Next, add in your vanilla extract and egg. Continue to mix with speed until your mixture is smooth and thickened, and your egg is fully incorporated.

Now add in your dry ingredients, all purpose flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. Fold your dry ingredients into your wet ingredients until you've formed a shaggy dough with some dry ingredients still visible.

Finally, add in your chocolate and continue folding your dough together. Fold together until your dough has formed and your chocolate is evenly dispersed.

Place your dough, uncovered, into the fridge to chill for about an hour. Note: do not chill your dough for any longer than 2 hours uncovered.

Once your dough has partially chilled, onto a parchment lined cookie sheet, use a cookie scoop or large spoon to portion out your dough - it should make about 14 cookies, 3 tablespoons per cookie (60g each). Cover your dough scoops with plastic wrap and place back into the fridge to chill for at least 4 hours (they can chill for up to 24 hours if you do this step a day ahead).

When you're ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Space out your dough balls onto at least two large, parchment lined cookie sheets and bake for 11-13 minutes one cookie sheet at a time. They should be golden around the edges when fully baked and just slightly damp in the center. Allow your cookies to cool slightly, and enjoy!

Your baked cookies will stay fresh in an airtight container for a few days, stored at room temperature or in the fridge. They will taste best when enjoyed the same day with crisp edges, but will still taste delicious the days following just with a chewier and softer texture throughout. You can also freeze some or all of your dough to bake later (the dough is best baked from frozen within the first two months). To do this, place your fully chilled, scooped cookie dough onto a baking sheet and into the freezer for 12-24 hours. Then, transfer your frozen dough to a plastic bag or airtight container and store in the freezer. To bake from frozen, set your oven to 325 degrees and add a few minutes to the bake time.

Carb and serving info: 

Servings: 14 cookies

Carbs per serving (1 of 14): 37

Carbs for full recipe: 513

Carbs from chocolate: 136

Note: Carb information is calculated based on the specific ingredients I used to cook with to help guide my own insulin to carb ratio when dosing before I eat my home cooked recipes.