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.
Ana says
Hi!
I tried this recipe today, and it’s a BOOM! it holds it shape beautifully. it doesn’t spread a lot, just perfect like what my dream cookie would be. balanced taste of sweet and salty. ohh I baked mine in the air fryer btw. easier for me to clean up. thanks a lot dear!
Tracy says
So thrilled you enjoyed them, Ana! And I had no idea you could bake cookies in an air fryer. I’m going to have to check that out!
Shayna says
If you double (or triple, etc.), could you just use a whole egg then? Or do you still only want to use the yolks?
Tracy says
Yes, you can use a whole egg when doubling. The flavor/texture is a tiny bit different, but unless you’re really sensitive to the taste of egg, you probably wouldn’t even notice it. Hope you enjoy them!
Reva says
Best cookies ever!! Thank you!
Tracy says
Yay! So glad you enjoyed them!!
Shawn says
I just made these and I doubled the recipe and they spread a lot. They are delicious though. I’ll try them again without doubling and see it there is a difference.
Tracy says
Hi, Shawn, glad you still enjoyed them! I don’t usually get reports of these spreading, even with doubling, but it could be that. If they’re still spreading too much with a normal batch, feel free to comment back or send me an email (tracy@bakingmischief.com). I’m happy to help troubleshoot.
Morgan says
New to your blog. Love it!! Have tried three reciepes so and all taste great! Do you flatten your cookies a bit before baking?
Emily says
absolutely delicious! stuck to the recipe to the letter and made it into 10 small cookies. made everyone very happy, thank you!
Tracy says
Thanks for reporting back, Emily! I’m so glad everyone enjoyed them!
Aubrey says
I’ve baked with this recipe before and found it to be a “keeper”. I can’t wait to continue to use this many more times. Thanks for sharing, Tracy!
Tracy says
Thanks, Aubrey! That makes me so happy to hear!
Felisha says
Way too sweet for my taste. Even though they are soft, I can feel the sugar crunching when I chew, like eating a teaspoon of sugar. Also too high a ratio of brown sugar. Next time I’ll tweek it a bit.
Tracy says
Hope you find your perfect sugar ratio, Felisha!
Katie says
Hubs and I make these all the time. SO easy and SO GOOD!!!!!! Gooey, chocolatey, just the best.
Tracy says
Yay! I’m so glad you both enjoy them!!
April says
I love these – made a batch and they turned out great! Hardly take any time at all to make – Definitely a keeper 🙂
Tracy says
Thanks, April! That makes me so happy to hear!!
Ash says
Fantastic recipe! Yields 6 cookies that are appx 3 inches in diameter. Perfect amount for a cookie craving snack attack at my house.
Zelma says
Delicious! Would these work with just white sugar?
Tracy says
Hi, Zelma. You could definitely try it, but cookies made with all white sugar tend to spread quite a bit during baking, so I’m not sure what the finished product will look like. If you do try it, please let me know how it turns out!
Shannon says
Yummy! I got 6 cookies from the recipe. Hopefully there are some left in the morning for breakfast! Quick, easy and had all of the ingredients on hand. Thanks for the recipe!
Tracy says
Thanks, Shannon. Hope you got to enjoy some breakfast! 😉
Becky says
Hello i was wondering if it would be ok if i used canola/ coconut oil in place of butter ? Thanks!
Tracy says
Hi, Becky. You could definitely try it. The flavor will be a little different, not as buttery, but I think it would work. If you do try it, please let me know how it turns out!
Michelle says
My dough mixed up very dry and crumbly and the chocolate chips wouldn’t incorporate in. Still had a great taste but wondering what did I do wrong?
Tracy says
Hi, Michelle, sorry the dough gave you some trouble. Glad the cookies still tasted good! Sounds like you either had a little too much flour or got a really small egg yolk, so there wasn’t quite enough liquid in the dough. Next time, I’d try measuring the flour by weight or the spoon and sweep method as described in the recipe. If you already did that, and the dough comes out crumbly, your egg yolk was probably a bit small. You can add a little bit of milk by the 1/2 teaspoon until you end up with a dough that’s easy to work with. Hope that helps!
Nya says
Perfection! I’m not a skilled baker but love baking for fun. I’ve tried other chocolate chip recipes and I never seem to get it right but this recipe is perfect! I found your recipe while I laid in bed at 5am as my husband got ready for work and made it as soon as I got up before my little guy woke up. Because in all honesty, its fun baking with our kids but that can get messy! Definitely one for the books, Thanks!
Tracy says
So glad you enjoyed them, Nya!!