Thin & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Although I am a huuuuge fan of the fluffy and soft chocolate chip cookie, these "crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside" cookies are crazy addicting. The trick to these is to bake them low and slow to ensure they spread out before they start to set and crisp up, and that they don't bake too quickly! I took some of my favorite chocolate chip recipes that i've used over the past few years and tweaked different parts of each to create the perfect combo of ingredients, timing, etc. 

To ensure these cookies don't overlap each other (because they can get really big), I only place up to four on a baking sheet at a time. It can take a while to whip up the whole batch of chocolate chip cookies because of this, but I promise it will be worth it and you can always chill the rest the unused cookie dough! Also, be sure to use 2 inch sized scoops of dough for each cookie if you want them perfect and big in size!

3/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 cup salted butter softened (2 sticks of butter)

2 whole eggs

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 3/4 flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. corn starch (not totally necessary if you don't have any on hand, but they add to the chewiness)

1 1/2 cups of milk chocolate chips (I prefer milk chocolate, but dark chocolate works too!)

Dash of salt (To preference, but I do about half a tsp.)

1. Preheat oven to 315F degrees.
2. Place parchment paper on baking sheet and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, beat sugar and butter together until smooth. Mix eggs and vanilla into mixture until combined.
4. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda and sugar and whisk until fully incorporated.
5. Add flour mixture to butter mixture and beat on low-mid speed (or mix using spatula - whatever you have on hand).
6. Add in chocolate chips.
7. Scoop dough onto the baking sheet using a large ice cream scoop (this is the one I use), leaving about two inches of room between each cookie (they will spread out a lot).
8. Bake for 15-16 minutes until edges of cookies are golden brown.
9. Tap the bottom of the baking sheet lightly against the counter two or three times once you remove it from the oven to create flatter cookies (helps some of the air escape from each cookie)!
10. Place cookies on cooling rack and let them set. Enjoy! 

Thick & Fluffy Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is another go-to recipe for me and I promise it will become your new favorite! These are the complete opposite of the thin & chewy chocolate chip cookie recipe, but they are just as good (if not better, depending on your cookie texture preference :)). They're reliable and always turn out perfectly if you stick to folding in the flour gently (do not over mix), use room temperature or chilled butter, and chill the dough prior to dropping dough onto cookie sheet. The original recipe is from Williams & Sonoma and it's wonderful the way it is, but I've made a few tweaks after making these cookies way too many times! Lets get to it!

1/2 cup room temperature unsalted butter (1 stick)

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon corn starch (not completely necessary if you don't have this on hand, but it keeps the cookies soft and chewy and I swear by it!)

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips (or semi-sweet chocolate chips; totally preference)

1/2 cup chocolate chips for putting on top of cookies :)

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (I swear by parchment paper and use it every time I bake anything on a baking sheet.)
3. In a large bowl, mix sugars and butter until completely smooth (I use a KitchenAid hand mixer but use whatever you've got on hand!)
4. Add egg and vanilla and mix until totally incorporated.
5. In a separate bowl, sift flour, baking soda and salt together. If you don't have a sifter, whisk all three ingredients in bowl thoroughly. 
6. Gradually add and fold flour mixture into large bowl and mix just until incorporated. DO NOT OVER MIX! 
7. Add and fold chocolate chips into batter gently, being careful not to over mix.
8. Chill dough for at least 15-20 mins (I promise it's worth it! This will stop the dough from spreading.)
9. Scoop dough onto the baking sheet using a large ice cream scoop (comparable to about 2 tablespoons) (this is the one I use), leaving about one inch of room between each cookie. I use a large baking sheet and can usually fit around 8 cookies comfortably!
10. Bake cookies for about 12-14 minutes (keep an eye on them at this point, every oven is different) or until edges are lightly browned. I usually take my cookies out a touch early from the oven because they will continue to bake once they've been removed from the oven!**
11. Place some chocolate chips on each cookie while they are still warm and fresh out of the oven to get that amazing melted chocolate chip topping!
12. Allow to cool for 1-2 minutes and move to a cooling rack or a laid out piece of parchment paper.
13. Enjoy!

**I love this tip from Good Housekeeping and swear by it: "To avoid overcooking, check cookies at the minimum baking time suggested in the recipe, and then watch them closely during their last few minutes in the oven. Also, after baking (and once they've cooled a bit) be sure to remove small cookies from cookie sheet to wire rack right away because they'll continue to bake on the hot sheet."