If you think soft chewy chocolate chip cookies are the only ones worth eating, then this Alton Brown chocolate chip cookies recipe is for you! Soft warm cookies sprinkled with beautiful dollops of chocolate chips may just be one of life’s greatest pleasures, but we can’t always be there when cookies come out of the oven.
This Alton Brown chocolate chip cookies recipe ensures sweet soft chewy cookies even long after they’ve cooled and I’m not talking cookie jerky here. The beauty of this recipe is in a few simple hacks that make a big difference.
Let me show you!
Jump To…
What I Love About Alton Brown Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
This Alton Brown chocolate chip cookies recipe is a thing of beauty and I mean that from the bottom of my heart! There is a little refrigeration time, but the finished product is so worth the wait and it’s really not very long. Every single bite fulfills a soft sugar-coated fantasy! Here are even more reasons to love them.
- Fast 10-minute prep time
- Wholesome easy to find ingredients
- Plenty of semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Makes large chewy indulgent cookies
- No cookie jerky, no dry crumbles
Recipe Notes
Making Alton Brown chocolate chip cookies goes against everything you thought you knew about making chocolate chip cookies. Success strictly depends on the ingredients and techniques. Here’s whatcha’ need to know!
First, you’re gonna’ have to melt your butter. If you’ve made chocolate chip cookies before, you’ve probably had to cream the butter and sugar but not this time. Melt your butter first.
Once you get the cookie dough mixed, you’ll need to toss it in the fridge for an hour before you bake your cookies. The success of your Alton Brown chocolate chip cookies recipe depends on this step so don’t skip it. Chilling your cookie dough creates that soft chewy texture and solidifies the fat content in the cookie dough to control spreading as they bake.
Ingredient Notes
One thing to remember is not to overmix your batter. You’ll want to add the flour mixture gradually mixing only until combined. Mixing strengthens gluten so overmixing in this recipe can give you the tough dry cookie jerky you’re trying to avoid.
That being said, most of the hacks in this Alton Brown chocolate chip cookies recipe are really ingredient swaps. Here’s a little about the main ingredients.
Butter – This Alton Brown chocolate chip cookies recipe calls for unsalted butter. This is important because there is salt in the recipe, but it’s added separately to better control the amount. A small amount of salt enhances sweetness but too much will give you salty cookies.
Sugar – You’ll be using a combination of white and brown sugar in this recipe and it’s important to use both. White and brown sugar both affect gluten development and impact the cookie texture in different ways.
Flour – Here’s the second change. This recipe calls for bread flour instead of all-purpose flour. Bread flour has a higher protein content to help produce a chewier cookie.
Eggs – Eggs are one of the main sources of moisture in your Alton Brown chocolate chip cookies recipe. They also help bind the ingredients to give the structure of your cookie.
Milk – You’ll need a couple of tablespoons of milk for additional moisture to your cookies. This is one of your secret weapons for moist chewy cookies.
Storing Tips
Storing your Alton Brown chocolate chip cookies recipe is almost as easy as keeping them out of sight! They don’t have to be refrigerated but I like to err on the side of caution.
The main thing is to keep your cookies in an airtight container and limit airflow. It helps to store a piece of bread in the same container with your cookies to absorb excess moisture.
Can You Freeze This?
Yes, you sure can!! You can freeze the raw cookie dough, or you can freeze the baked cooled cookies. It’s up to you.
If you decide to freeze the raw cookie dough, it helps to portion out the cookies with a cookie scoop. Just slide the entire pan into the freezer until your cookie dough hardens. After that, you can toss them in a labeled Ziploc freezer bag to be baked at a later time.
Make Ahead Tips
Once you sink your teeth into these amazing cookies, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better recipe. I love mixing up a batch of these cookies and tossing half of them in the oven while the other half goes into the freezer. This recipe means that I can have soft chewy cookies any time I get the craving!
How Long Can You Keep This?
The length of time you can keep these cookies kind of depends on how long it takes for people to find out you’ve got them! These sweet delectable homemade chocolate chip cookies will stay good for at least week or longer when stored properly. They’ll stay good in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Alton Brown Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 8 ounces unsalted butter
- 12 ounces bread flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 tablespoons whole milk
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a small, microwave safe bowl, melt butter.
- In a medium bowl sift together flour, salt, and baking soda; set aside.
- Add melted butter and both sugars to a medium mixing bowl. Beat on medium speed, using a handheld electric mixer, for 2 minutes.
- In a small bowl mix together egg, egg yolk, milk, and vanilla. Slowly add the egg mixture to the butter mixture and beat until well combined. Gradually add flour mixture. Fold in chocolate chips. Chill dough for 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Adjust the racks in the top third and bottom third of the oven.
- Using a medium cookie scoop, form dough into balls, placing 6 balls on each prepared cookie sheet.
- Bake in preheated oven, 2 sheets at a time for 15 minutes, rotating halfway in between. Slide the parchment off baking sheet onto a wire rack and cool.
Fans Also Made:
More Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipes…
When I say that you can never have too many chocolate chip cookies recipes, I honestly mean it from the bottom of my heart! There are so many different types of chocolate chip cookies you can have a different flavor every day of the week.
Alton Brown chocolate chip cookies are my all-time favorite, but you may want to try some other recipes too. Here are some of my best ones.
- Strawberry Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Double Chocolate Snowballs
- Hershey Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Conclusion
Making this Alton brown chocolate chip cookies recipe is an easy way to add some smiles to your day. This soft sweet chewy confection is sprinkled with chocolatey goodness and the type of decadence that makes you crave more. Every time you take a bite, you’ll be inclined to stop and savor the yummy sweetness.
It’ll put a little extra pep in your step and a smile on your face. These Alton Brown chocolate chip cookies are a staple in my kitchen, and I think they will be in yours too! I can’t wait for you to try these!
The best cookies ever
Thanks, Vicky! Enjoy 🙂
I thought I followed this recipe to the letter with the exception of I only had one stick of unsalted butter, so I used one salted and cut back a bit on the salt. I weighed my flour and while my scale isn’t digital, I never felt like it was inaccurate. I did everything exactly as written and they look nothing like yours. They came out thick and cakey. ?
I made two pans but I am going to put the dough in the fridge for another day and I’ll try flattening them out before baking. I’m so mad at myself because I’m sure it’s my fault and not the recipe. ?
I planned to make these today but I want normal sized cookies. Will they still turn out the same?
Hi Marianne! You can adjust the size to your liking ? I haven’t done this yet but do let me know if you give this a try. Happy cooking!