If You Don't Want the Best Chocolate Chip Cookies, Don't Read These Tips

By Erin Cullum
POPSUGAR Photography
POPSUGAR Photography

Chocolate chip cookies are one of life's greatest treasures. It's hard to believe a simple chocolate chip recipe could improve, but there are small tweaks you can make to make your cookies that much more delicious. Let these tips lead you to the best homemade chocolate chip cookies ever.

  1. Make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature. Getting your butter and eggs to room temperature is an important step before you even begin baking. This will take about 30 minutes and will ensure everything is easy to mix. If you need your butter softened quickly, pop it in the microwave for a few seconds or grate it with a cheese grater.
  2. Use bread flour instead of all-purpose flour for chewier, cake-like cookies. More into cake than cookies? Use bread flour instead of traditional all-purpose flour for thicker, chewier cookies (that's how Alton Brown makes his cookies).
  3. Use all brown sugar for softer, thicker, butterscotch-flavored cookies. You don't have to use a combination of brown and granulated white sugar. If you love the deeper flavor of brown sugar, use extra.
  4. To take it to the next level and make your own brown sugar. That's right — you can make homemade brown sugar by combining pure cane sugar and molasses.
  5. Or use all granulated sugar for flatter, crispier cookies. In contrast, if you're not crazy about brown sugar, omit it altogether and use all granulated sugar for flat and thin cookies.
  6. Add a pinch of instant coffee granules if you love the combination of chocolate and coffee. Espresso chocolate chip cookies are the ultimate afternoon pick-me-up.
  7. Swap chocolate chips for chocolate discs. Chocolate discs create better pockets of melty, chewy goodness.
  8. Use an ice cream scoop. Scooping cookie dough with an ice cream scoop ensures there's an equal amount of dough in each cookie.
  9. Don't peak! It's tempting to look, but opening the oven will cause the cookies to flatten.
  10. Top with flake salt for a sophisticated finish. Is there a better flavor combination than sweet and salty?