These easy brown sugar chocolate chip cookies are tender and chewy on the inside, with crispy edges. Made with brown sugar and a couple of other secret ingredients they are perfectly soft with an amazing caramelized flavor.
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The internets are not short on chocolate chip cookie recipes, that’s for sure. But just in case you haven’t yet found your CCC soulmate, why not give these a whirl?
There seems to be an obsession with “perfecting” this classic, so I thought I would throw my hat in the ring. Besides, what’s a food blog without a chocolate chip cookie recipe, right?
I’ve tinkered with this recipe for years, and here’s what I think makes them special.
- Brown sugar: most recipes call for white sugar or a mix of white and brown. Brown sugar lends softness and a warm molasses flavor to baked goods, so when it comes to these cookies, it’s brown sugar all the way for me. The backbone of this recipe is the one from the Model Bakery Cookbook, which is where I got the idea.
- Cornstarch: a weird addition maybe, but a little cornstarch keeps these cookies extra soft and thick. I got this idea from Sally’s cookie recipe. A couple of teaspoons really make a difference!
- Molasses: These cookies do not taste overwhelmingly of molasses by any means. There’s just a tablespoon in there to bump up the effect of the brown sugar even more. Commercial brown sugar is generally just white sugar with molasses. The molasses also give the cookies a gorgeous deep golden brown color.
- No chilling! That’s right. None. Because I’ve never had a cookie craving that could wait 72 (or even 2) hours. There is absolutely nothing complicated about these cookies.
How to Make Brown Sugar Chocolate Chip Cookies Step-by-Step
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cornstarch and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter, brown sugar and molasses together on medium speed about 3-4 minutes. Scrape down the bowl as needed.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, and the vanilla, mixing until well combined.
4. Add the four mixture in three instalments, mixing on low speed until just combined after each one.
5. Chop up some chocolate until you have 2 2/3 cup. You can also use just chocolate chips, but I prefer chopped chocolate because the larger pieces form delicious pools while the little shards permeate and flavor the dough.
Since I tend to keep a lot of chocolate around, I also like to use equal parts milk, dark, and white chocolate to make them extra interesting. But this is totally up to you.
6. Stir the chocolate into the dough by hand or on low speed in the mixer.
7. Scoop about 3 tablespoons of dough and form into a rough ball. Place cookie dough balls about 2 inches apart on the lined baking sheet. Add a few chocolate chips or chunks to the tops to make them extra pretty.
8. Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for about 12-15 minutes, until they are set.
I find it unnecessary to underbake these cookies too much because they stay soft and tender anyway, and the longer they bake the more amplified the caramelized flavor!
Enjoy! xx
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A Couple More Easy Drop Cookies to Try
Chewy Cherry Almond Sugar Cookies (a reader favorite!)
Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies with Peanut Butter
Brown Sugar Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon molasses
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 2/3 cups chopped chocolate or chocolate chips (dark, milk, white, or a combination)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Whisk together flour, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt.
- In a stand mixer on medium speed, cream together butter, sugar, and molasses for 2-3 minutes until lightened in color.
- Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and vanilla, scraping the bowl down, until well combined.
- Reduce the speed to low, and add flour mixture in thirds, mixing until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chunks.
- Scoop 3 tablespoons of dough shaped into a rough ball, 2 inches apart onto lined cookie sheets. Bake until the cookies are golden brown and just set in the center, 12 to 15 minutes.
- Cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheets and transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Paula B.
These just might be my favorite chocolate chip cookie of all time. I had to use up all the odds and ends left over from the holiday baking so my contribution to the recipe included semi-sweet, milk and dark chocolate chips. Oh my! And, to think I was just trying to find a recipe that didn’t include any white sugar. Today was my lucky day!
Ann
Thank you so much Paula!! They are a family favorite so this means a lot 🙂
Anne Clark
I know what I’m baking this weekend! These look awesome!
Ann
Woohoo!! I bet you will love them!