I am incredibly excited about this post today because these are secrets I have NEVER shared with anyone about my cookies. The number one question I get asked when someone buys cookies from me is what is the recipe and how do they turn out so perfect?! I definitely can’t give out my recipe, but I want to share these tips so that you can know the secrets to the perfect chocolate chip cookie!
Baking is truly an art form. It is also a complete chemical process that requires certain steps to be successful! I remember my first batch of cookies fondly. I saw the ingredients on the back, didn’t give a second thought to the directions, plopped it all in the bowl, and mixed it up until my hand hurt!
Guess what? The cookies turned into a big giant pile of you know what!
Thankfully, I have learned many things since then. My husband’s all time favorite cookie is the chocolate chip cookie. When we first got married almost eight years ago, he always begged me to make a batch. Embarrassingly, I didn’t know how, but I was bound and determined to learn. So, that is how it began, this love of baking I’ve acquired. Over the years, I have perfected my cookies through trial and error. I also did research getting my chemistry degree specifically on baking and the chemical process behind it.
I sell cookies to people locally and they always tell me, “My cookies always turn out like junk! How do you do it?”
7 secrets to the perfect chocolate chip cookie.
Did you know that the steps are more important than the ingredients for the most part?
1. Mix brown sugar and white sugar until it is one homogeneous mixture.
♥ I know, scientific word, but basically you want it to look like one substance. Why? Brown sugar chunks up easily once you have butter involved. It just keeps everything smooth once you add in wet ingredients.
2. Add in your butter, a little before room temperature.
♥ Room temperature is what you’ve been told your whole life…and it is true! But you see, as the butter gets mixed up, then turned into dough, there is quit a bit of wait time. Butter will continue to get warm and with an oven already on in the kitchen, it can get too warm. Especially if you live in a place like me (Texas) where it can get really hot (100+) and the inside of your kitchen is probably already warmer than room temperature. This will cause flat, runny cookies! So, start adding in your butter before room temperature. By the time you start putting the dough on the tray, it will be perfect.
3. NEVER over mix.
♥ Once your eggs are in your wet mixture, add in the dry in small portions. Then mix only until it is combined. Keep mixing and your cookies can turn out too fluffy or bread like.
4. Add in chocolate chips with a spoon, not with a mixer.
♥ Again, you can over mix it. I’m all about using a mixer, but just not for the chocolate chips.
5. Use a cookie scoop!
♥ I use this one. Years ago, I just used a spoon. It worked, but the cookies were all slightly different sizes causing them to cook uneven.
6. Always slightly under bake the cookie.
♥Cookies continue to bake once they are out of the oven, and it is essential that your cookies stay nice and chewy! When I take my cookies off the tray, they are very soft in the middle, looking like they might still be raw on the inside. Once they cool, that inside turns into the perfect texture!
7.Let your cookies cool completely before putting in Tupperware.
♥ I hate giving cookies to customers when they are broken! That is why you need to make sure they are totally cool before packaging them up. I actually leave mine out for at least 3 hours to make sure they are 100% firm.
I also send mine off in a cardboard box, with some twine and tape to keep it closed. I don’t like doing a heavy type tupperware because it will develop humidity after awhile and cause some moisture. This will make the cookies turn too soft and fall apart!
The biggest request I have from people is definitely the double chocolate chunk! Oatmeal Raisin are another favorite especially this time of year. For one of my favorite oatmeal raisin cookie recipes with some baking tips, stop by this recipe!
Another favorite cookie among my family is these Cow Pie Cookies. My husband can’t have dairy anymore, so I make those often for him to enjoy.
I think it is so awesome that chemistry is the reason for baking perfection. Cooking is something that doesn’t actually involve a chemical reaction, so it is easy to just throw stuff together in a pan and cook it, right? But baking is one of those things that HAS to be exact in order to get the best result!
[Tweet “7 AWESOME secrets to baking the PERFECT chocolate chip cookie!”]
That is why the steps to baking a cookie are more important that the recipe itself. Now don’t get me wrong, the recipe is very important too, but it doesn’t mean anything if the steps aren’t perfect! So, now that you know the secrets to the perfect chocolate chip cookie, try baking your favorite recipe again and see how wonderful they turn out! 🙂
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Have a great day!
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Your cookies look amazing!! I can imagine tasting them. It’s always nice to know the reasoning behind the process.
I wish you could taste them, they are great! It is so fun knowing how baking actually works 🙂
Great tips! Thanks for sharing. Have a great weekend.
Thanks Lynn! Have a wonderful one too!
Thank you for sharing! Pinned!
Thanks Anne!
Thank you so much for sharing these tips! I’m going to make cookies soon and try them! 🙂
Yay! I hope you enjoy them and let me know if you have any questions!
Pinning this gem for future reference and to share with others! Thanks for sharing your secrets!
xo – Brenda // Chatting Over Chocolate
Thanks Brenda! I hope they can come in handy for anyone! Have a great day!
Thanks for the great tips! I’m always pretty haphazard about my cookie-baking experience, so I shall have to keep these suggestions in mind for next time 🙂
Thanks so much! I hope they get to come in handy 🙂 Have a wonderful day!
Those cookies look freaking incredible! I love it.
xo
Krista
Thanks Krista!!! They are definitely favorite among my family and customers :))))
Chocolate chip cookies are my favorite! Thanks for these great suggestions, I will use them next time I bake. Thank you for sharing your tips at the Blogger’s Pit Stop!
Thanks so much Debbie, I hope you enjoy using some of the tips soon 🙂
Amazing tips!! I would love to just grab and eat them now lol
Thanks so much! Oh and I know, I wish that I could give out samples with posts like this one, it would really add to the experience :)))))
I remember the “aha” moment when I realized how chewy the cookies will be if you take them out of the oven when they still look underdone! But I still almost always second-guess myself. Now that I have you, the expert, telling me it’s ok, I think I’ll be more confident, lol! Thanks for linking up at Frugal Friday! 🙂
Doesn’t it make it so much softer and chewier! Now you can know for sure that is the best way to make them taste amazing 🙂 Thanks so much Ann, have a great day!
I’m a lazy baker. I’ll whack everything in one bowl once I’ve mixed the butter (usually mostly melted for speed!) and sugar. I can’t say I’ve noticed anything particularly wrong with mine, but worth keeping in mind the tips.
I grew up doing the same thing! I never knew there was as science behind baking. They definitely taste good no matter what, but if you ever get a chance, you should try this method and see how awesome the texture turns out. I have tested them with customers over the years, and these tips always get the best reviews. Thanks so much for stopping by, have a great day!
I always get so frustrated when my butter is too soft and my cookies run all over each other in the oven. Thanks for the great tips! Stopping by from Roses of Inspiration.
That is the worst! I hate that too! Thanks so much for stopping by, I hope these tips can come in handy 🙂
I had no idea the sugars were suppose to be mixed first. I’m going to try out your tips. Do you happen to have a tip for keeping the cookies fresh? Mine always turn hard after a day or two. Thanks!
Hi Emily, It will make the texture so much chewier by mixing the sugars and butter first! When I was a kid, I would make cookies with my mom and I read the directions once and it said that…I thought hmm I think we do it wrong lol. My cookies will stay fresh about a week and a half. I store them in a air tight tupperware container and I wait until they are completely cooled to put them inside. I also limit how many I put in each container so I don’t cram them in there :)Let me know if you have any other questions!
Very, very good tips as well! I love the chemistry behind baking as well. I hadn’t considered the tip about the butter before. Thanks for that!
I love the chemistry behind it too, there is so much going on in the background we don’t even realize!
These are some good tips! I’d never heard the one about mixing the sugars together – makes sense. And also the butter! Very interesting. Thanks!
Thanks Kerry! It’s amazing how much the steps make a difference 🙂
great tips!! now I need to make cookies (though I really want them NOW!)
Confessions of a Frumpy Mommy
I know every time I read this post or see the pictures, I want cookies!!
These are GREAT tips! Thank you for sharing! I have always wondered why my cookies aren’t as gooey and delicious as others’.
Thanks so much Ariana! I hope you can utilize some of these tips and make some warm, delicious, chewy cookies soon 🙂
Love the tips, yay!!! I’ve bookmarked this to come back to in the future – I’m not much of a baker, but I love to make great cookies for my hubby! Thanks for sharing with us at #tryabitetuesday – come back again, love to have you!
Thanks so much Debra! I hope you can make an awesome batch of cookies soon with these tips 🙂
Do you have a recipe posted for your Blueberry Walnut cookies? I cannot find it! I would LOVE to have the recipe! Thanks!
Hi Hazel, I actually don’t have a recipe for it on the blog. What you can do is use this recipe for our s’mores cookies. Eliminate the graham cracker, chocolates, and marshmallows. Add in 1 cup of chopped walnuts, 1 cup of dried blueberry, and a little white chocolate if you want. Everything else will be the same 🙂 Let me know if you have any questions!
These are good tips. I haven’t made this kind of cookie in a while, and the way yours come out, is how I want them to be!!! Now I know the secrets!
These tips always make the best chocolate chip cookie 🙂