Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
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When you’re craving a warm chocolate chip cookie, but don’t want dozens of cookies lying around the house, this recipe for small batch chocolate chip cookies is what you need.
I LOVE chocolate chip cookies, but the problem is I end up with so many, that I can’t get to them all by the time they go bad.
My family is small and can only eat so many in a week, and depending on the time of year, there’s just no room in the freezer (food blogger life ‘am I right?).
So I set out to create a recipe that was small enough for my little family to get through without compromising texture.
And success! This recipe makes six perfect chocolate chip cookies (in one bowl) that have a thick and chewy center with crisp edges and are loaded with chocolate chips. AND they’re reasonably sized-not humungous like other recipes.
If you’re looking for more recipes that make a small quantity, try my super fudgy small batch brownies, or my cozy 4-count banana muffins recipe!
How to Make a Small of Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies
This is an easy recipe that comes together quickly and makes the perfect amount of chewy chocolate chip cookies. A full batch makes just six cookies, which is great for getting you through the week or sharing with a couple of friends.
There’s no chill time, but the cookies do need to sit for 20 minutes for the flour to absorb all the moisture and flavors.
The full recipe amounts and instructions are listed on the recipe card.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- All purpose flour– The flour provides structure and soaks up the moisture from all the butter and sugar. I like King Arthur or Gold Medal for these cookies since it makes them thick and chewy, without adding too much flour.
- Baking soda– Baking soda will provide leavening and will also brown the cookies nicely. Make sure your baking soda is fresh to ensure your cookies rise properly.
- Coarse kosher salt
- Unsalted butter- I like using unsalted butter to control the amount of salt going into the recipe. But if you only have salted butter on hand, just reduce the salt in the recipe by ½.
- White granulated sugar– For sweetness and crispiness.
- Dark brown sugar– For extra sweetness and a mild caramel flavor. The molasses in the brown sugar will also react with the baking soda to help make the cookies rise. Light brown sugar is ok to use, but the flavor will be milder.
- Egg yolk– The egg yolk will help bind the cookie. Using just the egg yolk will hold the cookie together while keeping it nice and chewy, without becoming cakey.
- Vanilla extract– For flavor and warmth. Use pure vanilla extract, this is not the place for imitation vanilla.
- Chocolate chips– You have to have chocolate chips for a classic chocolate chip cookie! I use semisweet chocolate chips, but you can use dark chocolate, milk chocolate, or big ‘ol chocolate chunks if that’s what you prefer.
Instructions
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Step 1: Melt the butter in a microwave safe bowl or over low heat in a skillet until just melted, but not hot. It’s ok if there are still some lumps of softened butter remaining; just whisk them into the rest of the melted butter.
Step 2: To a 2-quart mixing bowl, add the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Use a whisk to mix until the butter and sugars are fully incorporated, about 30 seconds.
Step 3: Whisk in the egg yolk and vanilla extract and mix well combined, another 30-45 seconds.
Step 4: Next, pour the flour, baking soda, and salt into the mixing bowl with the butter and sugars.
Swap your whisk for a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, and gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture. Keep mixing until the ingredients are almost fully combined, but some streaks of flour remain.
Step 5: Sprinkle in the chocolate chips and gently stir until the chocolate is evenly distributed and no streaks of flour remain.
Step 6: Scoop out cookie dough balls, about 2 tablespoons in size. Place the cookie dough on the parchment paper, two inches apart.
Tip: I find the best way to portion out the cookies is with a cookie scoop.
Step 7: Allow the cookie dough to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes to rest and hydrate. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Hint: Resting the dough allows the flour to absorb the moisture from the butter and sugars, keeping the cookies from spreading too much in the oven. This will also allow the flavors to marry a bit, giving you a tastier cookie.
Step 8: Once rested, bake the cookies for 8-11 minutes until lightly golden brown around the edges and puffed in the center. It’s ok for the cookies to look slightly underbaked in the center–doughy not raw. They’ll finish setting up as they cool.
After baking, remove the cookies from the oven and let them sit on the pan for 10 minutes to fully set before transferring to a cooling rack or a serving plate.
Storage
Store the cookies at room temperature in an airtight container for up to a week.
If you’re not planning on eating the entire batch in one sitting, baked and cooled cookies can be transferred to a freezer safe bag and frozen for up to a month. When you need a cookie pronto, thaw at room temperature for 15-30 minutes or heat in the microwave until warm and gooey.
Pro Tips For Making the Best Cookies
- Make sure the butter is not too hot when the sugars are added. The butter should be melted and warm and not hot to the touch. If the butter is too hot, it will melt the sugars, giving the tops of the cookies a brownie like texture, and would cause spreading during baking.
- Use only the egg yolk when making these cookies, not the whole egg. The extra egg white makes the cookies cakey.
- The key to making the best chocolate chip cookies is letting them rest for 20-30 minutes before baking. This allows the flour to absorb the moisture from the wet ingredients, making perfect cookies that are crisp around the edges and thick and chewy in the middle.
- Pull the cookies out of the oven while they still look slightly underdone. The centers will be a little doughy, but not soupy. The cookies will continue to cook even as they cool on the baking sheet, so pulling them out early will result in perfectly chewy cookies that aren’t overbaked!
- Allow the cookies to sit on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes after baking. Moving the cookies too soon will cause them to fall apart.
Variations and Substitutions
Next time you have a hankering for something sweet, feel free to switch up the chocolate chips with whatever you have on hand in your cupboard. Here are some highly recommended suggestions:
- Use milk chocolate chips, dark chocolate chunks or bittersweet chocolate chips, or a combo of chips!
- White chocolate chips, for extra sweetness (I have a white chocolate chip cookie recipe on the site!)
- Peanut butter chips, M&M’s, or Reese’s Pieces
- Add toasted chopped nuts
This is one of my favorite small batch cookie recipes. It’s foolproof, versatile, and super customizable–it’s just a great recipe to have on hand for an easy cookie base!
FAQs
Melting the butter and resting the dough allows the flour to absorb moisture, which will prevent spreading during baking. The egg yolk will add moisture without creating steam during the baking process, which prevents u0022cake-likeu0022 cookies. Underbaking slightly will ensure that the cookies stay chewy and soft.
Overbaking and overmixing will make cookies hard or tough.
To avoid overbaking and overmixing, remove the cookies from the oven when they start to brown but are still slightly doughy in the center—they’ll finish baking on the cookie sheet. And mix the flour until just incorporated to prevent tough cookies.
The cookies spread too much in the oven and then got overbaked. Prevent this by ensuring the butter isn’t too hot when adding it to the sugars and measuring the flour accurately. Also, letting the dough rest for 20-30 minutes will keep the cookies from spreading too much in the oven.
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Small Batch Of Chocolate Chip Cookies
Learn how to make a small batch of chocolate chip cookies
(in one bowl). This recipe makes six perfect cookies that
have a thick and chewy center with crisp edges and are
loaded with chocolate chips.
Ingredients
- 2 oz 1/2 stick unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup 2 oz dark brown sugar, packed
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons 3 1/4 oz all purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Melt the butter in a microwave safe bowl or over low heat in a skillet until just melted, but not hot.
- Add the melted butter, brown sugar, and white sugar to a medium-sized mixing bowl. Use a whisk to mix the butter and sugars until fully incorporated, about 30 seconds.
- Add the egg yolk and vanilla to the bowl and whisk until well mixed.
- Pour the flour, baking soda, and salt into the mixing bowl. Use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, to gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until almost fully combined, but some streaks of flour are still visible.
- Sprinkle in the chocolate chips and gently stir until the chocolate is evenly distributed and no streaks of flour remain.
- Scoop out the dough about 2 tablespoons in size and place on the prepared cookie sheet.
- Allow the cookie dough to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes to firm up. While your cookies are resting, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F, and place your oven rack in the middle position.
- Once rested, bake the cookies for 8-11 minutes until lightly golden brown around the edges and puffed in the center. The centers should look slightly underbaked and doughy, but not raw.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and let them sit on the pan for 10 minutes to fully set before transferring to a cooling rack or a serving plate.
