Jillian Morris

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These Small-Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies are downright irresistible. They come out of the oven warm and soft with melted chocolate chips making for a nostalgic cookie experience that will pair great with cold milk.

Cookies are one of those treats that we devour as quickly as we make them. The aroma of freshly baked cookies is too much to resist. And that’s exactly why I reworked the recipe so it was a much smaller batch.

Don’t get me wrong, having a couple dozen chocolate chip cookies to look forward to is amazing, but it’s also not great for the waistline. There are times when I’d love to have a cookie, but I don’t want all the cookies. This small batch chocolate chip cookie recipe solves that problem.

If you need a gluten-free dairy-free option, try these Oat Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies.

»You might also like these Magic Cookie Bars.

Why You’ll Love It

Small Batch: It makes just six cookies so you don’t have the temptation of all those dozens of cookies staring you in the face.
Soft & Delicious: For those times when you want just a couple cookies, this is your go-to recipe. It’s really fast to mix up, and they’re super soft and delicious.
Quick & Easy: The dough takes ten minutes to mix up and doesn’t require pulling out the mixer or even the hand mixer. Twenty minutes later you have a fresh batch of cookies just waiting to be eaten.

Ingredients You Need

Butter – The key here is to melt the butter, but not so that it’s really hot
Granulated sugar
Brown sugar – You can use light brown sugar or dark brown sugar to your liking. It’ll be lightly packed.
Egg yolk – Save that egg white for breakfast!
Pure vanilla extract – The more high-quality the vanilla extract is the better the taste will be
All purpose flour – Sifted flour will help keep clumps from forming.
Baking soda – Be sure you’re using a fresh baking soda.
Salt
Dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips – I like dark chocolate a lot, so that’s what I typically use in my cookies. It’s up to you.

Tools Needed to Make Cookies

Mixing bowl
Whisk
Spatula
Baking sheet
Cooling rack
Silicon mat

Helpful Tips

This recipe produces soft and thick cookies. That’s the style we prefer. If you prefer flatter, crispier cookies, add more white sugar and less brown.
Brown sugar holds more moisture and will lend more of a soft texture. White sugar will make the dough spread out more instead of rising higher. The end result will be more crunchy than a normal recipe would be.

We also use salted butter for this recipe, even though there’s extra salt in the recipe. The salt off-sets the sweetness of the cookie and chocolate. It creates a more complex flavor with layers of salty and sweet. If you don’t like that saltiness, use unsalted butter.
Another tip for making these cookies that you shouldn’t skip is to melt the butter before mixing it with the sugar. You don’t want the butter to be hot, just melted. This will help you mix the sugar and butter together without having to cream it with a hand mixer. For more tips on butter in cookies read here.
Once the batter is mixed up and you’ve added the chocolate chips, I recommend letting the dough rest in the fridge for about 5-10 minutes (longer if you have the time), so it can chill. This will keep the cookies from spreading out too much on the baking sheet. If the dough is room temperature or warmer, the cookies will spread. The cookie dough balls will not melt as fast.
Finally, don’t overwork the dough. That will lead to airy cookies, rather than the soft gooey ones you desire.
If you want to make something a little different, you can use butterscotch or peanut butter chips instead of chocolate, or add nuts or oatmeal to the batter before baking.

What Chocolate Chips to Use

I have to say, I’ve tried a lot of different chocolate chips in pursuit of the best ones for these cookies. The winner by far is Nestle Tollhouse 53% cocoa dark chocolate morsels.

They’re only slightly darker than regular semi-sweet chips, so don’t worry about them not being sweet enough. They have a slight hint of cinnamon to them that is just divine.

My second choice would be Ghirardelli chocolate chips. Use a milk chocolate chip if you want a sweet chocolate. You can also use chocolate chunks if you want.

Questions About the Recipe

Can I make these from frozen?

You can freeze the cookie dough if you want to store it for later. I suggest forming the dough balls, then freezing those. When baking frozen cookie dough, add 1-2 minutes to the overall baking time.

Can’t I just Halve or Quarter My Other Favorite Recipe?

Many people wonder if it’s possible to simply halve or quarter a standard chocolate chip cookie recipe to make a smaller batch. The answer is yes, but be precise with your measurements, especially when it comes to leavening agents like baking soda or baking powder. Our recipe is a tried and tested small batch recipe that is a 1/4 of the typical chocolate chip cookie recipe, making just 6 cookies.

Do I Need to Adjust Baking Time or Temperature?

A common question is whether the oven settings need to be tweaked for smaller batches. Generally, the temperature stays the same, but the baking time may need to be reduced. Always keep an eye on the cookies to avoid over-baking.

How Do I Store Leftover Dough?

If you’ve made a small batch but still have some dough left over, people often ask how to store it. Cookie dough can be refrigerated for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Just make sure to wrap it tightly to prevent freezer burn or drying out.

Other Dessert Recipes to Try

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