Gooey Chocolate Chip Cookies
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These are the best Gooey Chocolate Chip Cookies… and the kind that disappear before they even cool! With soft, buttery, golden edges and gooey chocolate puddles in the center, they’re downright irresistible. Every bite is warm, chewy perfection that tastes like home. Whether you bake them for a crowd or just because it’s Tuesday, these soft chocolate chip cookies will have you sneaking “just one more” straight off the pan.
Table of Contents
WHY YOU’LL LOVE SOFT CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
- Crispy edges and soft, gooey centers.
- Quick to make with simple pantry ingredients.
- Smells like heaven while baking.
- Great for freezing and baking later.
- Crowd favorite and always gone first.
Gooey Chocolate Chip Cookies
Listen… chocolate chip cookies have my whole heart. They’re the reason I fell in love with baking in the first place.
So, it’s only natural that I have about a dozen recipes on the site, from Disney-inspired monstrosities to the kind you can bake on a sheet pan.
There’s nothing better than the scent of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies wafting through the whole house and that first warm, melty bite.
I’ll be honest, I never wait for them to cool. I grab one (or two) straight off the pan, burn my fingers a little, and don’t regret it for a second.
But these extra gooey chocolate chip cookies?? They’re so soft and chewy you’ll want to hide them from the rest of the family. Trust me… been there!!
INGREDIENT NOTES
- Butter: Soften it first. Room temp butter blends better and makes fluffier cookies.
- Granulated + Brown Sugar: Adds moisture and that caramel flavor.
- Cornstarch: The secret to soft chewy chocolate chip cookies that are nice and thick too. Don’t skip it!
- Kosher Salt: A must to balance the sweetness. Fine grain is best, but reduce by half if using table salt.
- Chocolate Chips: Semi-sweet is classic, but mix in milk or dark if you like variety.
- Walnuts: Optional, but they add crunch and balance the sweetness beautifully. I sometimes like to swap out the walnuts for a cup of milk chocolate chips for extra gooey chocolate chip cookies.
VARIATIONS
No-Nut Version: Skip the walnuts for a nut-free cookie.
Double Chocolate: Replace ¼ cup of flour with cocoa powder.
Salted Caramel: Add caramel bits and sprinkle with sea salt before baking.
Peanut Butter Twist: Swap half the butter for peanut butter or use peanut butter chips.
Big Bakery Style: Make larger dough balls and bake for 1–2 minutes longer.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Classic: Serve warm with a tall glass of milk or a mug of hot chocolate.
Sweet Pairing: Add a couple of gooey chocolate chip cookies to a bowl with vanilla ice cream.
Dessert Table: Pile high on a platter with other cookie favorites. Try raspberry or strawberry flavors for contrast!
Yummy Gifts: Wrap them up in cellophane bags or share this soft chocolate chip cookie recipe at a swap!
SOFT CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE RECIPE FAQ
The high heat makes the edges crisp while the centers stay soft and gooey.
Yes! Chilling overnight gives deeper flavor and thicker cookies.
Not at all. Skip them if you prefer smooth, chocolate-only bites.
When the edges turn golden and the centers still look slightly underdone. They’ll set as they cool.
I’ve tested more chocolate chip cookies than I can count. I mean, we have over 100 cookie recipes on our site… and many of them are chocolate chip variations.
The secret to this soft chocolate cookie recipe? Chill your dough and bake it hot. That combo gives you the soft center and crispy edge you dream about.
And don’t overbake! Pull them out when they still look a little too soft. They finish cooking on the pan and stay gooey inside.
DONNA’S PRO TIPS
- Use parchment for easy cleanup and perfect bottoms.
- Don’t skip chilling. It’s key for the right texture and thickness.
- Keep cookies uniform. A cookie scoop ensures they bake at the same rate.
- Underbake slightly for that gooey magic.
- Let them rest 5 minutes before eating… if you can wait!
- Warm leftover cookies in the microwave for 10 seconds to revive the goo.
TOOLS NEEDED
- Large Mixing Bowl: For making the cookie dough.
- Hand or Stand Mixer: To cream butter and sugars perfectly.
- Wooden Spoon or Spatula: For folding in chocolate chips and nuts.
- Cookie Scoop: For even portions and bakery-style cookies.
- Baking Sheet: Heavy-duty for golden bottoms.
- Cooling Rack: Keeps cookies soft while they set.
Enjoy!
With love, from our simple kitchen to yours.
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Gooey Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips, 12 ounce bag
- 1/2 cup walnuts pieces
Instructions
- Mix the Dough: In a large mixing bowl, cream together softened butter, light brown sugar, and granulated sugar using either a hand mixer or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Cream them until the mixture becomes light and fluffy, which should take around 2 minutes.
- Incorporate the Wet Ingredients: Add the large egg and pure vanilla extract to the mixture. Beat them for about one minute or until fully combined. Set this mixture aside.
- Add the Dry Ingredients: Sprinkle in the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix on medium until combined. The dough will be thick, which is exactly what you want for these cookies.
- Add Chocolate Chips and Walnuts: Gently fold the semi-sweet chocolate chips and walnut pieces into the dough using a wooden spoon. Avoid over-mixing to maintain a gooey texture.
- Chill the Dough: Refrigerate the dough for about 30 minutes. This step helps the cookies keep their shape and allows the flavors to meld.
- Meanwhile preheat the oven: While the dough chills, preheat your oven to 475°F. This high temperature ensures a perfect cookie texture, crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. This step prevents the cookies from sticking and makes cleanup a breeze.
- Form Cookie Dough Balls: Once the dough is chilled, scoop out 2 heaping tablespoons of dough and roll each portion into a ball. Place these dough balls on the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches of space between each.
- Bake the Cookies: Bake for 7-8 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly browned on the outside and half-baked and gooey on the inside. The high oven temperature ensures this perfect texture.
- Cool and Enjoy: Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. You can let the cookies cool for another 5-10 minutes before indulging in these gooey chocolate chip cookies. They are at their gooey best when still warm.
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe’s nutritional value will vary depending on the ingredients used, measuring methods, and portion sizes.
Originally published December 2023, updated and republished December 2025
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We’re Donna and Chad, the dream team behind The Slow Roasted Italian. Our focus is on taking complicated OUT of the kitchen. Life is busy enough, making meals should be fast and easy, to help make your life as simple as possible. Read More >>
these were to die for!! came together easily and were absolutely delicious right out of the oven.
I found the dough to be crumbly & hard to keep together on the cookie sheet. Not sure why, other than I felt it needed something for more moisture, maybe another egg! But with that being said, the finished cookies were delish!!
I have a chocolate chip cookie obsession, and when I say these were good, they were amazing! Thank you for another great recipe.
These cookies were amazing! Even though my brother is naturally my harshest critic, he still had to admit that he loved them and that he wanted me to make them again!
Hi Friend!
We’re so glad that you enjoyed the recipe!!
TSRI Team Member,
Devlyn
These cookies are an absolute delight! They’re so easy to make and incredibly delicious. Definitely a new favorite in our house.
Hi Remy!
We’re so glad that you enjoyed the recipe.
TSRI Team Member,
Devlyn
It is so good the sweetness is just about right, tip follow the 8 mins cooking in the oven i got mine burnt lol and its kinda hard to chewy so. thank you for the recipe 🙂
Hi Jie!
We’re so glad you enjoyed the recipe!!
TSRI Team Member,
Devlyn
These cookies were amazing! The temp was a little high even for my oven which tends to run cooler. I’ll try them again maybe at 450!
These are by far the best chocolate chip cookie!
Hi Micky!
Glad that you enjoy!!
TSRI Team Member,
Devlyn
the ones i made turned out pretty swell, i used half cornstarch amount & gluten free flour ..thankss (;
Hi!
We’re so glad you enjoyed!
TSRI Team Member,
Devlyn
Just made them and they are Fantastic!!! Tender and delicious. Thank you!!
My go to cookie recipe!!! My family begs for these cookies everytime there is a get together. I searched for years for the best Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe and I found it. If you like thick eeeewy, gooey chocolate chip cookies, look no more.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe GAME CHANGER! I made this recipe last night and it delivered! I followed the recipe exactly and the cookies were, quite honestly, the BEST I’ve ever made! The flavor, texture and “plumpness” were spot on. I’m tossing all my other CC cookie recipes! Thanks sooo very much Donna and Chad!!
This is from Shirley and I doubled the recipe and they were perfect!!
I’m going to see what my huge family thinks and if they agree, I will be making these often.
Thank you for fine point details too!
Hi Shirley!
So glad that you enjoyed the recipe.
TSRI Team Member,
Devlyn
love this recipe very good
Love this recipe. Friends tell me I could sell my cookies. I don’t use nuts. I use all brown sugar
Hi Kristine!
So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
TSRI Team Member,
Devlyn
Amazing!
Perfect every time.
Hi Gwen!
So glad to hear that. Hope you enjoyed!!
TSRI Team Member,
Devlyn
Delicious! I’ll be making these again.
Hello! I’m T, and I tried you’r BEST GOOEY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE recipe, and I must say, it’s AMAZING! As a 13yr old baker and cook, I found this recipe incredibly easy, resourceful, and satisfying to make.Though this recipe said that it yields 12 cookies, I was able to make a batch of about 15 (which were devoured within a week!). I did receive a suggestion to lower the quantity of chocolate next time, so I will. I have a question about why my sugar didn’t melt totally, and kind of crystallized, and what I should do about it next time? I also found that the temperature this recipe called for was too high for my oven, so I made do by setting my oven to 400°F., and the cookies turned out perfect! I also used dark chocolate chunks instead of chocolate chips, and it made the best gooey craters in my cookies! This recipe was the only recipe that actually helped me make GOOEY and SOFT cookies! Thank you so much, Donna Elick and I look forward to making more delicious recipes from The Slow Roasted Italian !
Hi Karen!
We are so happy you enjoyed the cookies, they are a favorite around here! The problem may be not creaming the sugar and butter long enough. Creaming butter and sugar for too short a time won’t fully dissolve the sugar crystals. Cream the butter and sugar together for longer, about 8 to 10 minutes, until the mixture is lighter and fluffy. You should be able to rub a small amount between your fingers and not feel any sugar grit.
I hope this helps!
Have a great Day!
TSRI Team Member
Holli
I have been looking for the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe for years. I finally found it! This recipe is absolutely delicious. No more flat, thin, crispy cookies. These are crispy on the edges and chewy and gooey in the middle. I followed the recipe exactly. But, I did bake mine at 400° for 7 minutes. Perfect! Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe. It will now be my go to.
Hi Toya!
So glad that you enjoyed!
TSRI Team Member,
Devlyn
I wanted a great gooey cookie recipe but my Google search was surprisingly fruitless. I found this recipe with some digging and I almost didn’t try it because the cookies looked TOO GOOEY. I felt I should at least give myself the experience of trying them out. Oh my gosh, am I glad I did! These cookies are AMAZING!
These cookies are so good I’m making them for the second time in a day (so my husband can have them and maybe a few for me 😉). Wonderfully crisp on the outside and perfectly gooey on the inside. They’re so good! Make sure you set a timer you’ll hear because 475 F can give you a whole different cookie in a matter of 2 minutes.
Hi Ash!
So glad that you enjoyed the recipe!!
TSRI Team Member,
Devlyn