This recipe takes timeless Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies to the next level with a few simple tweaks to make them thicker, chewier, and even more irresistible. Think gooey centers, slightly crisp edges, and that rich buttery flavor everyone loves.
I grew up making Toll House chocolate chip cookies. I remember helping my mom bake them each Christmas, carefully following the recipe on the back of the bag of chocolate chips. As an adult, I’ve tried many variations of chocolate chip cookies and while I love my classic chocolate chip cookie recipe, I kept coming back to the Toll House version.
I decided to recreate it, adjusting it just a bit based on my knowledge as a baker (and lots of trial and error). These tweaks create cookies that are thicker, chewier, and more flavorful, with just the right balance of crisp edges and gooey centers. The flavor is deeper, the texture is more indulgent, and they have that irresistible homemade-meets-bakery style.
What Makes These Better Than Classic Toll House Cookies
I made a few tweaks to the classic Toll House recipe to level up the flavor and texture. Here’s a breakdown of the changes and why they work. You can see the difference between my version and the original version in the photo above.
- Increased Flour: The original recipe uses 2 ¼ cups of flour, but I bumped it up to 2 ½ cups. This extra flour helps create a slightly sturdier dough, reducing spreading during baking. The result? Thicker cookies with a soft, chewy center.
- Added Baking Powder: The original recipe calls for baking soda only. By adding baking powder alongside the baking soda, you get a bit more lift, making the cookies puffier while maintaining a tender texture.
- Increased Brown Sugar: The original recipe uses equal parts granulated and brown sugar. I adjusted the ratio to include more brown sugar. Brown sugar adds more moisture (thanks to its molasses content) and creates a deeper, richer flavor while enhancing chewiness.
- Extra Chocolate Chips on Top: This is a simple aesthetic upgrade. Pressing extra chips on top of the dough balls before baking makes the cookies look more polished and bakery-style. It’s a small step that adds a big visual payoff.
- Underbaking Slightly: The original recipe suggests baking until fully set, but pulling the cookies from the oven when the centers are still soft creates that perfect gooey texture. The residual heat finishes cooking the centers without overbaking
Recipe Ingredients
The ingredients to make these cookies are pretty basic and the same as on the back of the Toll House chocolate chip package, just with the changes above. Scroll down to the recipe card below for the exact measurements.
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda & baking powder – Using both leavening agents helps achieve the perfect texture and rise in these cookies.
- Salt
- Unsalted butter – If you need to use salted butter, reduce the added salt to 1/2 teaspoon. Use butter that’s softened to room temperature, but not too soft. You want it pliable enough to cream with the sugars but not melted or greasy, which can lead to cookies spreading too much. If you’re unsure, press the butter lightly—it should leave a slight indent but not squish completely.
- Sugar – Both regular granulated sugar and light brown sugar are used to make these cookies. As I noted above, the brown sugar helps add extra moisture to the cookies.
- Eggs – Let your eggs come to room temperature before mixing. This helps them blend better into the dough, creating a smoother and more consistent texture.
- Vanilla extract
- Chocolate chips – Semi-sweet chocolate chips are typically used in these cookies but dark chocolate and milk chocolate chips work too.
- Walnuts or pecans – Optional, for some added crunch. Feel free to skip them entirely, or use dried fruit like cranberries or raisins for a chewy twist.
How To Make Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies
These classic cookies are super easy and straightforward to make. You can find the printable version of the instructions in the recipe card below.
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 375F. Line the baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Make the dough. Whisk the dry ingredients in a bowl. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugars for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla. Gradually add the dry ingredients, mixing on low speed until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips and nuts.
- Bake. Scoop the dough onto the baking sheets, placing them 2 inches apart. Press extra chocolate chips onto the top of each cookie. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the edges are golden brown but the centers are still slightly underbaked.
- Cool. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack.
Why Did My Cookies Spread Too Much?
Likely the butter was too warm. Make sure the dough is not warm before baking. If you need to, you can refrigerate it for 15-30 min.
Can I Make These Cookies Thicker?
Yes! Chill the dough longer (up to 24 hours), and try stacking two smaller scoops of dough together before baking for a thicker result.
Tips for the Best Cookies
As I experimented with improving the classic Toll House recipe, I discovered a handful of things that are super helpful in creating the perfect chocolate chip cookies.
- Don’t Overmix: When adding the dry ingredients, mix just until you don’t see streaks of flour. Overmixing can develop gluten, which makes cookies tough instead of soft and chewy.
- Baking Sheets: Use parchment paper or silicone baking mats instead of greasing your baking sheets. Greased sheets can cause the cookies to spread too much, while parchment or silicone provides a non-stick surface that helps cookies bake evenly.
- Underbaking is Key: Pull the cookies from the oven when the edges are set and golden, but the centers still look slightly underdone. They’ll finish cooking on the hot baking sheet as they cool, giving you gooey centers and perfect edges.
- Scooping for Consistency: Use a cookie scoop to ensure all cookies are the same size. This not only looks better but also ensures they bake evenly. For a bakery-style look, roll the dough slightly after scooping to create smooth edges.
- Cooling is Crucial: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. This allows them to set without breaking apart and helps develop their final texture.
Proper Storage
- Room temperature. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Freezer (cookies). For longer storage, freeze them for up to 3 months.
- Freezer (dough). Scoop the dough into balls, freeze on a baking sheet until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag. Bake directly from frozen, adding an extra 1-2 minutes to the baking time.
- Reheat. There’s nothing quite like a warm, gooey chocolate chip cookie! Pop a cookie in the microwave for about 10 seconds to make it warm and gooey again, just like fresh out of the oven.
More Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Oreo Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Deep Dish Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips plus extra for topping
- ½ cup chopped walnuts (or pecans) optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Cream the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together in a large bowl using a hand or stand mixer. Beat for 2-3 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla extract.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until just combined. Be careful not to overmix.
- Fold in the chocolate chips and nuts (if using) with a spatula.
- Scoop the dough using an ice cream scoop or cookie scoop and place on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Press a few extra chocolate chips on top of each cookie for that bakery-style look.
- Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown but the centers look slightly underbaked.
- Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.
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6 comments on “Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies”
On the top of the of the recipe it says chill time 30 minutes. In the recipe itself it doesn’t say to chill the dough. Is it supposed to be chilled? I made them before I noticed it and didn’t chill the dough and they were great.
Hi Linda. Chilling isn’t always necessary but can help if you have issues with the cookies spreading too much when baking.
I followed the recipe exactly but the dough was very dry/stiff. I couldn’t mix the dry ingredients by hand. First batch cooked 10 minutes but in my oven 8 minutes was enough. The cookies did turn out well, but not sure the batter should be so stiff. Any other suggestions?
Hi Pamela. No other suggestions off hand, the dough will be fairly stiff but not overly so where you can’t mix it.
Great cookies for decades and your suggestions are also welcome! Could I use dark brown sugar as part of or all of the light brown sugar?
Thanks Sherry! Yes, the dark brown will work fine as a partial or full substitute.