Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredient Notes

Please check the recipe card below for a detailed, printable ingredient list.

BUTTER – Your butter needs to be room temperature for this to work. Press it with your finger and it should leave an indent without feeling greasy or shiny. Cold butter won’t cream properly with the sugar, which means flat cookies that spread all over the pan and bake unevenly. Set it out 30 minutes before you start, or cut it into small pieces if you’re in a hurry. Salted or unsalted both work fine since you’re adding salt anyway.

SUGAR – The ratio here matters more than you’d think. Brown sugar has molasses in it, which is what makes cookies chewy and keeps them soft for days. Granulated sugar creates those crispy edges and helps cookies spread just enough. This recipe uses mostly brown sugar because that’s what gives you that classic soft chocolate chip cookie everyone loves. Want thinner, crispier cookies? Flip the amounts and use more granulated sugar instead. Pack your brown sugar firmly into the measuring cup or your dough will turn out dry and crumbly.

EGG – A full large egg keeps these cookies tender without making you figure out what to do with leftover egg whites. Some small batch recipes call for just a yolk, which seems wasteful when you’re only making ten cookies. The whole egg adds structure and moisture without making cookies cakey because this recipe doesn’t use much flour. Use a room temperature egg so it mixes in smoothly instead of deflating all that air you just whipped into the butter.

FLOUR – All purpose flour is what you want here. Measure it properly by spooning it into your measuring cup and leveling it off with a knife. Scooping straight from the bag packs in way too much flour, which turns cookies dry and tough. Once you add the flour, mix just until you can’t see white streaks anymore. Keep mixing past that point and you’ll develop too much gluten, which means dense, hard cookies instead of tender ones.

BAKING SODA AND BAKING POWDER – Using both gives you the best results. Baking soda helps cookies spread and creates crispy edges. Baking powder adds lift so they’re not completely flat pancakes. Together they make cookies with the right thickness and texture. Make sure both are fresh because old leaveners lose their power. If your baking soda has been sitting in the cupboard for more than six months, grab a new box.

CHOCOLATE CHIPS – Semi-sweet chips are standard, but use whatever you like. Dark chocolate makes cookies taste less sweet and more grown up. Milk chocolate chips make them sweeter and creamier. Mini chips spread chocolate throughout every bite, while chunks create big melty pockets. Buy decent quality chips because cheap chocolate tastes waxy once the cookies cool down. Store chocolate chips at room temperature like you would before baking, not in the fridge where they develop that weird white coating.

How To Make Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies

Please check the printable recipe card below for more detailed instructions.

Leftovers and Storage

STORE – Keep your Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Don’t refrigerate them because cold chocolate chips turn hard and develop a waxy texture that tastes off. Store them the same way you store the chocolate chips before baking, which is at room temperature. If cookies start to harden after a few days, add a slice of bread to the container overnight to soften them back up.

FREEZE – Freeze baked cookies in a single layer on a baking sheet until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag for up to 3 months. They’ll taste fresh when thawed at room temperature for 20 minutes. You can also freeze unbaked cookie dough balls on a tray, then store them in a freezer bag. Bake frozen dough balls straight from the freezer, adding 1 to 2 extra minutes to the baking time.

MAKE AHEAD – Mix the dough and refrigerate it covered for up to 3 days before baking. Cold dough actually bakes up thicker because it doesn’t spread as much in the oven. Let refrigerated dough sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before scooping so it’s easier to work with. You can also prep all your dry ingredients in one bowl and wet ingredients in another the night before, then combine everything when you’re ready to bake.

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Serving Suggestions

AFTERNOON TREAT – Serve warm Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies with cold milk or hot coffee for a pick me up that beats any coffee shop cookie. The small batch means you can bake them fresh whenever the craving hits without committing to dessert for the whole week.

ICE CREAM SANDWICH – Split warm cookies in half horizontally and sandwich vanilla ice cream between them. The heat from the cookies slightly melts the ice cream edges, creating a homemade ice cream sandwich that’s better than anything from the store.

DESSERT PLATE – Pair with fresh strawberries and whipped cream for an easy dessert when you’re cooking for two. Add a drizzle of chocolate sauce if you want to make it feel more special without much extra effort.

BREAKFAST TREAT – These work surprisingly well alongside your morning coffee when you need something sweet but don’t want cake or muffins. The small batch means you’re not tempted to eat cookies all day long.

MIDNIGHT SNACK – Keep the dough in the fridge and bake one or two cookies when you want something warm and comforting late at night. Fresh baked cookies in 15 minutes beats eating stale leftovers or diving into a pint of ice cream.

Recipe Success Tips

CREAMING TECHNIQUE – Beat your butter and sugar for a full 2 minutes until the mixture looks lighter in color and feels fluffy. This incorporates air that helps cookies rise and creates that tender, melt in your mouth texture. Under creamed butter makes flat, dense cookies. Over creamed butter can make cookies spread too much. You want it pale and smooth but not so whipped it looks like frosting.

SWITCH TO A SPOON – Use a wooden spoon or spatula when adding flour to cookie dough, never a mixer. Mixers overdevelop gluten too easily, which makes cookies tough and chewy in a bad way. Hand mixing gives you more control and stops the moment flour is just incorporated. This single step prevents more cookie failures than anything else.

LET THE DOUGH REST – That 5 minute rest isn’t optional. Flour needs time to fully absorb the wet ingredients and hydrate properly. Dough that looks too soft right after mixing often firms up perfectly after resting. This rest period also lets you see if you need to add a tiny bit more flour, but only add it if the dough won’t hold a ball shape after the full 5 minutes.

BAKING TIME MATTERS – Check your cookies at 9 minutes but expect them to need 10 to 11 minutes total. They should look barely set in the center and lightly golden around the edges. Cookies continue baking on the hot pan after you remove them from the oven, so slightly underbaked cookies in the oven become perfectly baked cookies 5 minutes later. Overbaked cookies in the oven become hard, dry cookies that taste like cardboard.

Expert Tip – Leave cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes after removing from the oven before transferring to a cooling rack. This finishing bake time on the hot pan sets the structure and prevents cookies from breaking or bending when you move them. Trying to transfer them too soon results in cookies that crack or lose their shape.

Commonly Asked Questions