This easy recipe for Small-batch Chocolate Chip Cookies makes six perfect cookies in 20 minutes.
I call these cookies my instant-gratification chocolate chip cookies because they go from cookie desire to cookie reality in 20 minutes.
These photos have been updated. Don’t worry, you’re in the right place. 🙂
The Best Small-batch Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
This recipe is designed to make the best chocolate chip cookies possible FAST. It uses melted butter so there is zero waiting time for butter to come to room temperature AND you don’t have to chill the dough.
So you can throw these cookies together with no planning needed and then pop them right into the oven.
It will make half-a-dozen chocolate chip cookies, and they come out soft, a little chewy, and packed full of gooey, melty chocolate chips.
How you choose to distribute those six cookies is up to you, though I vote for being a cookie monster and eating two for breakfast and then hiding the rest of them at the back of your freezer so you don’t have to share.
How to Make Small-batch Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Start with melted and slightly cooled butter. Your butter should NOT be hot to the touch as it can cause bits of your egg to cook if it’s too warm. Mix the butter with granulated sugar and brown sugar.
- Add the yolk from a large egg and vanilla. Make sure you’re working with a large egg or you might not have enough liquid in your dough for it all to come together.
- Add flour, measured precisely, and the other dry ingredients. Flour measurement is really important in small-batch recipes. Measure by weight or using the spoon and sweep method (stir the flour in your container to fluff it up and then spoon it into your measuring cup, sweep excess off with the flat of a knife). Too much flour can lead to a dry, sandy dough.
- Add chocolate chips. This recipe calls for semi-sweet, but you can use any chips you prefer (or add M&Ms and make M&M Cookies).
- Bake. Do not overbake your cookies! Bake just until the cookies look set and then pull them from the oven. They might still seem a little gooey, but they’ll continue cooking on the hot baking sheet as it cools.
Tips and Tricks
Can I freeze these cookies? Yes! Just store the cookies in an airtight container or freezer bag and they’ll keep for up to 2 months in the freezer. Give them five minutes at room temperature to soften a bit before eating or enjoy them frozen on a hot summer day.
Can I double the recipe? Yes! If you want to double the recipe, you can do so with no changes or use one whole egg instead of two yolks.
Cookie Troubleshooting
If you’re having trouble with your cookies, here are a couple troubleshooting tips that might help:
My dough is dry/crumbly: This is usually caused by too much flour in the dough (make sure you’re measuring it by weight or the spoon and sweep method) or it can happen when you get a particularly small egg yolk, so there isn’t enough liquid for everything to mix well. To fix crumbly dough, add a little milk or water by the half teaspoon, just enough so that everything comes together and there are no dry bits of flour at the bottom of the bowl, and your dough should be good to go.
My cookies didn’t spread: There are a couple of things that can cause this. One is (again) because there’s too much flour in the dough. Next time make sure to measure by weight or the spoon and sweep method. Changing the recipe, particularly cutting the amount of sugar, can also cause the cookies not to spread as much as they should.
More Small-batch Cookie Recipes
- Small-batch Peanut Butter Cookies
- Small-batch Oatmeal Cookies
- Perfect Small-batch Sugar Cookies
- Small-batch Gingerbread Cookies
- Small-batch Buckeye Brownie Cookies
Or check out my entire Small-batch Cookie Recipe Archive.
This recipe uses just one egg yolk. Check out these Egg White Recipes for ideas on what to do with the leftover egg white.
No-chill Small-batch Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup (80g) all-purpose flour measured by weight or the spoon and sweep method*
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup (2oz) butter melted and slightly cooled
- 1/3 cup (66g) brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons (25g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1/2 cup (3oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the butter and brown and granulated sugars. Add egg yolk and vanilla and whisk until well-combined. Stir in the flour mixture until just mixed and fold in the chocolate chips.
- Drop dough by rounded spoonfuls (just under two ounces) onto your prepared cookie sheet (for the most perfectly round cookies, roll into ball first), and bake for 9 to 12 minutes, until the cookies just look set. Cool on the cookie sheet and enjoy!
Notes
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission if you make a purchase using them. There is absolutely no additional cost to you.
Shaina says
Doubled the recipe and added walnuts. Friggen delicious! They were perfectly soft and probably the best chocolate chip cookie recipe i’ve ever used. Thank you
Tracy says
Thanks for the high praise, Shaina!
Kristin says
I have made these several times for my husband and I. We just love the small batch and they have always turned out perfect! This recipe usually makes about 9 cookies with my cookie scoop. Just curious. Is the calorie count per 1 cookie? or what do you count as a serving? Thanks so much.
Tracy says
Hi, Kristen. So glad to hear you and your husband enjoy the cookies! And yes, calorie count is per cookie, so for 9, it would be about 188.
Georgia says
I made this into one big cookie for myself – i do not regret it
Tracy says
You are my hero, Georgia.
Angela says
These cookies were absolutly perfect ! They Hit that cravings spot dead on with out over indulging! I was not expecting these to be exactly the perfect cookie I am always searching for ! But they are so, Now- being the piggy that I am …. if I wanted to make a larger batch for let’s say “company” do I just double this recipe or will that ruin it? I am so bad with measurements ! Thank you for this wonderful recipe my family Lobed them !
Tracy says
Hi, Angela, I’m so glad you enjoyed the cookies! And if you wanted to double them for company 😉 you could definitely do that. This recipe doubles just fine.
Laurel says
So a few days ago I made your fabulous sugar cookie recipe that needed one egg white, so I was looking for something to use up the egg yolk and found this recipe. OMG! So delicious. It’s the first time I’ve ever made chocolate chip cookies that didn’t spread. They were perfection. I followed recipe (weighed everything) and added some macadamia nuts. I got 6 cookies. My husband loved them! I was at Target yesterday and figured I better buy a 5 x 7 baking dish so I’ll be prepared when I move on to your cake recipes!
Tracy says
Thanks, Laurel! Glad you are both enjoying the cookie recipes, and hope you like the cakes!!
lily m says
absolutely loved them! would it make a difference if I doubled the recipe
Tracy says
Glad you enjoyed them! And doubling works just fine. 🙂
Tina says
I found this recipe and have made it about four times now. Such a perfect cookie!
Tracy says
So glad you enjoyed these enough for repeats!
Monique says
Best cookie recipe ever!!! Will make again and again with my girls!
Tracy says
Thanks, Monique! So glad you enjoyed it!
jesus says
the recipe made 9 cookies
Steph says
So, here’s my problem- if I make a giant batch of cookies, I’ll eat a giant batch of cookies. These were so good, and the small batch was perfect for our family of three to get a little sweets fix without going overboard. My son loved helping make them too. Thanks for the recipe, can’t wait to try your others!
Tracy says
I’m so glad your family enjoyed these and your son got to help out. Baking with mom is always so fun!
RL says
Can I double this easily by doubling all ingredients?
Tracy says
Yes. Just make sure to measure the flour carefully (too much flour becomes really apparent when you double the recipe), and if the dough doesn’t quite come together, you can add a *tiny* bit of milk so it does. Hope you enjoy the cookies!
Krista says
I didnt have any brown sugar, so i added half a box of pudding mix, and two tbsp of flax seed. I also used a vegan butter and Ener-g egg replaced. And they. are. DIVINE. WHAT A GREAT RECIPE!!!!
Tracy says
Thanks for the detailed comment, this is so helpful for people who want to make these vegan. So glad they worked out for you!
Jessi says
Just made these and they’re the best cookies I’ve ever eaten!!! So soft and fluffy and chewy! Gotta make a double batch next time for sure!
Tracy says
Thanks, Jessi! So happy you liked them!
nina says
not sure if this has been asked, but how long does the dough keep in the fridge?
Tracy says
You can keep this dough in the fridge (tightly covered) for up to 3 days. The chilled dough won’t spread as much as the cookies in the photos though, so if you want flatter cookies, let the dough sit on the cookie tray at room temperature for 10 to 20 minutes before baking.
Jaime says
I’ve made these twice now and my family loves them! In fact, my 8-year-old just exclaimed, “they are legendary “. Haha. Thanks for the great recipe, I’ve been searching for the perfect one for years.
Tracy says
Lol. Sounds like you are raising an excellent kid. 😉 So happy you guys enjoy the cookies!
Yolanda Green says
This recipe was ABSOLUTELY PERFECT for my project. They were so good!!! I also cheated and add a tiny bit more of butter and oh my goodness!! This will be my new “go to” choc. chip cookie recipe. Thank you for this recipe.
Tracy says
Thank you! Thrilled you enjoyed them, Yolanda!!