These bakery-style chocolate chip cookies are soft, chewy, and thick with irresistibly gooey centers.
As a pastry chef who has worked in professional bakeries, I’ve collected the techniques and small adjustments that consistently produce bakery-quality cookies at home. With a few carefully chosen ingredients and the right method, these cookies will rival any bakery treat.
They’re large, bold, and packed with chocolate. Recipe testers agreed this is one of the best chocolate chip cookie recipes they’ve made.
Variations I love include chewy toffee cookies and pecan chocolate chip cookies.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Cream the butter and sugars. In a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, cream the softened butter with the brown and granulated sugars until the mixture is light and fluffy.
Step 2: Add the wet ingredients. Mix in the egg and vanilla bean paste until just combined, scraping the bowl as needed.
Step 3: Fold in the dry ingredients. Add the all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and optional vanilla powder. Mix until almost combined, leaving a few dry pockets to avoid overworking the dough.
Step 4: Fold in the chocolate. Gently fold in dark chocolate wafers, semisweet chips, and chopped milk chocolate until the mix is evenly distributed without overmixing.
Step 5: Scoop and chill the dough. Portion the dough into six 5-ounce balls and place them on a parchment-lined tray. Shape each ball so it’s just over 2 inches tall; this helps the cookies bake thick rather than spread thin. Press extra chocolate on top for a bakery-style finish. Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight, or a minimum of 6–8 hours.
Step 6: Bake the cookies. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Place 2–3 chilled cookies on a parchment-lined baking tray, spaced 4–5 inches apart. Bake 16–18 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, until the edges are golden while the centers remain soft and underbaked. This underbaked center is essential for a gooey interior; the cookies will continue to set on the warm sheet after you remove them.
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Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted cultured butter, cool room temperature
- 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed (half dark, half light if preferred)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
- 1 3/4 cups + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla powder (optional)
- 3/4 cup dark chocolate wafers
- 2/3 cup chopped milk chocolate bar
- 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
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Before you start: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. The dough needs to chill for at least 6–8 hours, preferably overnight, to prevent excess spreading and to develop flavor.
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Cream the butter and sugars. Beat the butter with the brown and granulated sugars until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
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Add wet ingredients. Mix in the egg and vanilla bean paste until just combined, scraping the bowl as needed.
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Add dry ingredients and chocolate. Stir in flour, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla powder (if using), and salt until almost combined. Fold in the chocolate wafers, chopped chocolate, and chips.
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Scoop and chill. Divide into six 5-oz balls, shape each to be just over 2 inches tall, press extra chocolate on top, cover, and refrigerate for at least 6–8 hours or overnight.
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Bake: Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Bake 2–3 chilled cookies on a parchment-lined tray for 16–18 minutes until the edges are golden but the center remains soft. Transfer to a wire rack after 10 minutes to finish cooling.
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Storage: Keep leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for 3–4 days. Rewarm briefly to restore softness.
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Freezing: Freeze chilled dough balls in an airtight container for 1–3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator for 24 hours before baking.
Video
Notes
Chocolate recommendations: I often reach for Guittard, Lindt, Ghirardelli, or Valrhona for reliable flavor and melting quality.
Butter notes: Cultured butters like Kerrygold or European-style butters (Plugra, Danish Creamery, Vermont Creamery) lend extra flavor. American-style butter works, but the flavor will be different.
Butter temperature: Aim for cool room temperature butter between 64–68°F for the best texture and proper aeration.
Scoop size: This recipe is formulated for very large cookies. I recommend the 5-oz scoop; smaller scoops won’t produce the same thick, bakery-style result.
The calorie information provided is an estimate and not guaranteed to be exact.
This recipe was created and tested by a real person
AI recipes are taking over the internet, and they can’t be trusted.
The calorie information provided for the recipe is an estimate. The accuracy of the calories listed is not guaranteed.