These Ripple Chocolate Chip Cookies are so flavorful with rich buttery caramel flavors, super crisp and crunchy edges, slightly soft and chewy in the middle and beautifully rippled all around. They are thin chocolate chip cookies that are unlike any other recipe on my site with their unique method for baking on an unlined baking sheet and the high butter to flour ratio. If you've heard of pan-banging cookies, these have the same effect without the need to bang your pan half way through baking. "Pan-banging" cookies are known for their large, round, flat shape and crisp, wrinkly edges - it kind of reminds me of a mud pie. These cookies are large and thin with so much great texture. Everyone who makes these absolutely loves them.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
- No pan banging - some recipes ask you to reach into the oven, lift the pan off the rack and let it go so that the force of the pan hitting down will cause the semi-cooked cookie dough in the center to deflate and ripple out. That's not necessary with this recipe so you can set your timer and walk away.
- Rich butterscotch flavor - the high butter to flour ratio means that these cookies taste so buttery with the perfect amount of sweet and salty balance.
- Crunchy caramelized edges - those caramelized edges are shatteringly crisp like candy. They taste like toffee and makes these cookies highly addictive!
- Soft centers - while the edges are crunchy, the middles are soft and chewy.
- Rippled edges - as the cookies bake, the butter melts and they spread out while simultaneously cooking and setting so they get this wrinkled effect.
HOW TO MAKE RIPPLES IN CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
You don't need to bang on a pan to get this particular look of chocolate chip cookies. My recipe below might look very similar to your typical chocolate chip cookie recipe. It uses the same ingredients you'd expect (butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, egg, vanilla, flour, baking soda and salt) because the trick to achieving those rippled caramelized edges is actually in the proportions of ingredients in the recipe. You can make these famous cookies with 9 simple ingredients that you likely have in your pantry.
INGREDIENTS FOR RIPPLE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
- Butter - there is no substitute for butter in chocolate chip cookies in my opinion! It is the foundation of the rich butterscotch flavor after all. In this recipe, you can use salted or unsalted butter, but if you choose salted then I recommend reducing the added salt to ¼ teaspoon.
- Granulated sugar - this recipe uses equal parts white granulated sugar and brown sugar. White sugar helps create the crunchy caramelized edges. I wouldn't recommend reducing the sugar because it will compromise the chewy texture.
- Brown sugar - I highly recommend dark brown sugar for this recipe as it has twice as much molasses as light brown sugar and will make a big difference to the flavor. It will also make the dough more acidic which means it will react more thoroughly with the baking soda so that you won't be left with a soapy taste (a defect I find common in many chocolate chip cookie recipes).
- Egg - you'll need one whole egg for this recipe. It's the perfect amount of moisture to make these cookies chewy and help them spread.
- Pure vanilla extract - good vanilla is absolutely essential to making delicious chocolate chip cookies. I like this Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla extract.
- Salt - don't leave out the salt! It really elevates the rich buttery, caramel flavors! It also enhances the chocolate taste and balances the sweetness. I also love to top these cookies with flaky sea salt after they're baked and while the chocolate is still warm.
- All purpose flour - regular unbleached all-purpose flour makes the best chewy chocolate chip cookies. The ratio of flour to butter and egg is lower than most chocolate chip cookie recipes and that is what makes these cookies spread and ripple. Compare it to my Classic Soft & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies or my Bakery-Style Chocolate Chip Cookies and you can see the differences.
- Dark chocolate chunks - this is important! I highly recommend chopping chocolate from a bar instead of using chips. Why? That's because chocolate that is made into bars, also known as "tablets", has a higher cocoa butter content so that it can be poured into molds at the factory and it typically melts smoother than chocolate chips to give you puddles of chocolate in the cookies. I love this effect! Chocolate chips will hold their shape and spread less.
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS: HOW TO MAKE RIPPLE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
- STEP 1). Cream butter and sugar. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle/flat beater attachment, cream butter on medium speed until creamy. Add both sugars and vanilla and mix for 3 minutes on medium speed until pale and fluffy.
- STEP 2). Mix in egg. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat in egg until evenly incorporated. The mixture should look a bit whipped at this point.
- STEP 3). Combine dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, salt and baking soda to blend evenly. Add this to butter mixture all at once and mix on low until just combined.
- STEP 4). Mix in chocolate. Add the chopped chocolate and mix on low for a just a few seconds to distribute them.
- STEP 5). Chill. Cover the dough in the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- STEP 6). Prepare baking sheets. Lightly grease two large baking trays with soft butter (I like to use a spent foil wrapper from a stick to do this - no waste!).
- STEP 7). Bake. Scoop 1.5 oz portions of dough onto prepared baking trays leaving at least 3 inches of space between them. Do not flatten - they will spread well enough on their own. Bake for about 12 minutes, or until nicely browned around the edges - like the color of a copper penny. The center should be lightly golden and just started to puff up - that's how you know it won't be completely raw in the middle. Remove trays from oven and transfer to wire racks. Let cookies cool 2 minutes on trays before transferring individually to the racks to finish cooling.
WHAT CAUSES RIPPLES IN CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES?
The ripples form because the cookies spread, and they spread almost instantly over the whole length of the baking time. This continuous spreading is what causes the ripples. As the first bit of dough melts, it spreads from the bottom of the dough ball. It looks like a ball of cookie dough sitting in a puddle of batter. This "puddle" now has a high surface area because it is spread out flat so it begins to cook quickly. As it sets, the rest of the cookie dough in the middle is still raw and continues to melt and push the cooked dough out. Alas, ripples start to form.
PAN BANGING COOKIE SCIENCE
- Butter ratio: What makes this cookie dough spread so quick is the higher ratio of butter. That doesn't mean that this recipe calls for more butter per batch compared to other recipes, it just means that there is more butter in comparison to flour by weight. In other words, the butter:flour ratio in this recipe is higher compared to my Classic Soft & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies or my Bakery-Style Chocolate Chip Cookies.
- Sugar ratio: The total amount of sugar is about the same as my go-to Chewy cookie recipe but slightly more than Sarah's pan-banging cookie recipe to produce ultra crisp edges and also keep them so chewy in the middle and keep them from drying out. These cookies are great days after baking and don't need to be eaten all in the same day for best results (although you might want to anyway!). The difference is in the proportions of brown to white. Generally I use more brown sugar, but in this recipe I use equal parts. White sugar will create those crisp edges and caramelization reactions will happen much faster without molasses in the way.
- Bicarbonate: ½ teaspoon of baking soda for just 1 cup of flour is generally a lot in most baking situations, but here it performs two important functions: 1) promotes spread - baking soda spreads while baking powder puffs, and 2) promotes browning by way of accelerated Maillard browning reactions that produce delicious nutty, roasted, caramel, coffee flavors. Maillard browning is a reaction that happens between specific proteins and sucrose (sugar). In our cookie dough protein comes from egg, flour and trace amounts in butter.
- Chill time: Refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes or up to an hour to help the flour hydrate and the baking soda to distribute itself. No need to chill this dough for multiple hours or overnight because we actually want to encourage some spread here, and there will be so much caramelization that the flavor benefit of prolonged chilling will be less evident. That means these cookies get from mixing bowl to mouth sooner!
EXPERT BAKING TIPS
- Do not use parchment paper - I rarely bake without parchment paper, but for those crisp edges and for rapid spreading, metal contact is key! Bake the cookie dough directly on a greased, nonstick baking pan. Heat transfers instantly from the metal to the dough so that you get instant spread.
- Bake at a high temperature - we want big flat cookies, but we're not making tuiles. Totally slimmed-out cookies can merge into each other, grease out and result in all sorts of odd shapes. They might taste great but they're not "take them to work" worthy, ya know? Bake the cookies at 375 degrees F (that's in a conventional oven, if you're using fan then try 350 degrees F). This will make sure that your cookies spread initially, but also set quickly around the edges to eventually stop the spread and bake to golden caramelized perfection. Leave plenty of room between dough portions - I do 6 per tray.
- Use any type of chocolate. You can make these delicious thin chocolate chip cookies with milk or dark chocolate. Just avoid using chocolate chips which are designed to be bake-stable and withstand melting. Good quality eating chocolate from a block and then chopped up (I love a Lindt 70% bar!) or flat discs or feves are the best choice. They melt gently into the dough and taste superior! Bonus: some of the chocolate around the edges of the cookies bake right into the caramelized dough and it makes a sort of chocolate toffee! Unreal.
RECIPE FAQ
Chilling this cookie dough is so important for the best results. You can bake them right away, but they will not be as golden or as chewy and flavorful as they could be if you chill the dough. Chilled cookie dough also makes cookies with a longer shelf life so they will stay chewy for longer and be slower to stale.
If your didn't spread, then it could be that you used too much flour, not enough baking soda or your oven temperature was too hot. The best way to measure the flour is using a scale to ensure you use the right amount.
If you prefer thicker cookies, you can add ⅓ cup (50g) more flour and you will have classic soft and chewy cookies.
For the best results, use dark chocolate with over 60% cocoa solids, and use a high quality block of chocolate that you chop into chunks (I often use Lindt 70% bars), or go for these single origin couverture chocolate discs.
To get melted puddles with irregular shapes like in these photos, use chopped chocolate from a bar with over 70% cocoa solids. The darker the better when it comes to meltiness because the higher the total cocoa content, the more cocoa butter it will have and that high fat content is what makes chocolate melt and spread easier. Also, block chocolate is tempered as a block that you will break up and expose all sorts of jagged edges whereas chips are tempered in a specific shape that will stay in place.
STORAGE AND FREEZING
These cookies are best stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Just place the cooled cookies in a resealable freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. They just need 5-10 minutes to thaw.
You can freeze the cookie dough two ways:
1) Wrap all of the dough (or any leftover dough) in plastic wrap, then place it in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to bake, thaw the dough and bake as directed.
2) Scoop and portion the dough into balls, then place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze individually. Once frozen, place them in a freezer bag and keep frozen for up to 3 months.
With nothing more than a tall glass of cold milk!
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Video
Caramelized Ripple Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (110g) packed dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon (5ml) pure vanilla extract
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 1 cup plus 1 tbsp (150g) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ¼ cups (6oz/170g) dark chocolate wafers (I love these bittersweet ones), or chop up a dark chocolate block
For best results, use a kitchen scale to weigh the ingredients.
Instructions
- Combine softened butter with both sugars and vanilla extract in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix by hand using the "creaming method" with a wide rubber spatula to smear the butter and sugar together and mix vigorously until smooth and slightly fluffed. If you use a stand mixer, secure the paddle attachment and mix on medium-low speed for 2-3 minutes. It should lighten in color and look quite fluffy. You can also use a handheld mixer. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix in egg until evenly incorporated. The mixture should look a bit whipped at this point.
- Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl and whisk to blend evenly. Add this to butter mixture all at once and mix gently until just combined. Add the chocolate and fold it in until evenly distributed.
- Cover the dough in the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Preheat your oven to 375°F. Lightly grease two large cookie sheets with soft butter (I like to use a spent wrapper from a stick or brick of butter to do this - no waste!).
- Use a 1.35-oz cookie scoop to portion dough onto prepared baking trays leaving about 4 inches of space between them since they will spread a lot. You should only have 6 cookies per tray. Do not flatten. Bake for about 10-12 minutes until nicely browned around the edges like the color of copper. The center should be just lightly golden and just started to puff up - that's how you know it won't be completely raw in the middle even though it looks underdone. The center will set as the cookies cool.
- Remove trays from oven and transfer to wire racks. Let cookies cool for 2 minutes on trays before transferring individually to the racks to finish cooling.
Sarah
Hi. Why not scoop dough into balls then refrigerate? Or turn the dough out onto plastic wrap to make a flattened rectangle? Bowl takes up so much space and it's very hard to scoop the dough after.
christina.marsigliese
Hi Sarah! Yes you can shape fore refrigerating if you want, you just need to ensure the tray is wrapped so the balls don't dry out.
Sarah
Much obliged!
I'm such a fan of your work.
AL
Hey,
If I wanted to brown the butter would that work in this recipe? And if so, would I need to make any further changes to the flour quantity etc?
christina.marsigliese
Hi AL! It will require changes to the recipe that I have not yet tested to get the same texture. I recommend my Chewy Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe.
Amy
Thank you for sharing this recipe! It came out so good! What if I want to reduced the sweetness, how would I do so?
christina.marsigliese
Hi Amy! Thanks so much! The sugar is necessary to create the caramelized edges and help the cookies spread for the rippled effect. If you'd like to reduce the sugar, I'd only recommend by 10%.
Amy
Thank you soo much! 🥰
PS
The chocolate chip cookie I have been searching for!! Incredible. Crispy on on the edges and bottom, soft and tender in the center. Love the crinkles that naturally form without pan banging.
christina.marsigliese
Thank you PS! Glad you enjoyed the cookies 🙂
Meg
O.M.G the best recipe ever! Ty for the perfect directions. Turned out amazing!
christina.marsigliese
Thank you Meg! Glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Pam
Loved the crunchy edges! This is a great recipe.
christina.marsigliese
Thank you Pam!
Chie Yaya
Hi, i baked the cookies and they are really chewy and crunchy though I didn’t get the full ripple effect. You got both worlds because of these cookies. Thank you very much for sharing your recipe.
christina.marsigliese
You are welcome Chie! Thanks for the comment 🙂
Felicia
Can you refrigerate/freeze the dough or will it not come out the same?
christina.marsigliese
Hi Felicia! Yes, you can. Be sure to wrap the dough well so it doesn't dry out and bring it to room temp before portioning and baking. Please note that the dough may feel a bit dry, which will make it more difficult to portion.
Claudio
I'm new to the site - this was the second cookie in made. Both worked perfectly.
This is an excellent cookie. Recipe worked perfectly. Really appreciate the level detail, explanations and tops.
christina.marsigliese
Thank you Claudio! Glad you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
S Cordero
Do you think this recipe will work with GF flour?
christina.marsigliese
Hi S Cordero! This recipe has only been tested with AP flour, but many readers have reported success with King Arthurs and Bobs Read Mill gluten free flour.
Miriam Barckert
I’m the one in a million that wants more of a praline/tuille than just crispy edges! How do I adjust?
christina.marsigliese
Hi Miriam! If you want them to spread and be very thin, you can flatten and bake them at a lower temperature (i.e. 350F). They will however merge into each other so you need to mindful of the size and how many you can fit on a pan.
Yvonne Kehoe
Hi!! I’m getting ready to make this recipe. They look so delicious! I’m wondering, how do you think the cookies will fair if I put crushed walnuts in? Thank you for your amazing recipes!! Your ginger molasses has been in repeat in my house 😋
christina.marsigliese
You are welcome Yvonne! You can add nuts, but I would not recommend adding more than 1/2 cup.
Nicole Fredericks
I never leave reviews but I had to for this cookie. I have been making CCC for 40 years and this simple cookie is perfection! The equal part of brown and white sugar surprised me, but it works! When I want a thin, chewy, crispy edge cookie, this is my go-to. I finish it with sea salt and my family inhales them. Love your whole site. Thank you for sharing. 🙂
Jay
If I wanted to use brown melted butter, would this work too or would that change everything?
christina.marsigliese
Hi Jay! It will require changes to the recipe to get the right texture. I recommend my Chewy Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe.
Su
I did not expect this to turn out as expected. I was worried I'd fail so I halved the recipe first. Imagine my surprise when the cookies started to look exactly like the pictures! Not even five minutes in I observed the cookies melt in the oven and quickly form those pretty wrinkly layers almost immediately! It was like magic! It was awesome! I was also worried that the batter was too warm, so I placed my first 2 test cookies in the fridge for a while again before baking. For the rest I decided to trust you fully and just shove em in the oven after scooping- and this time the wrinkles developed even more than the test cookies! So fascinating! I enjoyed reading everything and following your instructions to a T immediately! I wish I had pictures to show, but hopefully this comment will be enough. More people need to know the wonders of this recipe and trust your science, cause now I sure do! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe, the least I could do was comment here in return. (The cookies tastes great btw. Crispy and chewy at the same time without being too sweet! I used normal brown sugar btw, didn't have dark)
christina.marsigliese
Hi Su, thank you so much for your thorough feedback! I'm so glad this recipe turned out how you expected it to. They are such delicious and attractive cookies.
Su
Indeed they are! I am on love with the wrinkles and their texture- it's the best really! I am so impressed with how this recipe works! Truly magic! (Haha how ironic)
Emilie
So good ! Perfectly rippled and gooey in the middle. I followed perfectly the recipe and it turned out exaclty like I wanted. I had to cook them for 10 minutes though (french oven).
Thanks for the recipe !
christina.marsigliese
Thank you so much Emilie!
Traci
All I can say is WOW! This recipe truly delivers as promised. It was so easy to make and the end result was exactly as described. We were rewarded with perfectly golden caramelized rippled chocolate flecked cookies with crisp edges and a chewy center. I will only be using this recipe from now on. Thank you so much!!!
christina.marsigliese
Thanks Traci! I'm so glad you love them!
Michelle MacMillan
Currently waiting to get these in the oven!!!
Could you just use parchment?
christina.marsigliese
Hi Michelle, baking directly on the tray is what gives these their caramelized rippled edges.
Shane
I am not having great luck with this recipe unfortunately. I made it by grams, followed instructions etc. but they are turning out way darker than expected - practically burnt I tried a dark sheet pan, a light one, a nonstick coated one, and it’s just not really turning out. I also have an oven thermometer. I might try lowering the temp after a few minutes? Any other suggestions?
christina.marsigliese
Hi Shane! I would try either baking them less as your oven must be running hot. Take them out early if they are getting too dark.
Rita
Hi, the instructions say to add chopped chocolate? I didn't see where it says to chop the chocolate. Did I miss something? Thanks so much. Can't wait to make these!
Diane
First, and foremost, they are divine! My now go-to recipe. But, the title page on Pinterest says ➡️12oz of chocolate, which is the recipe I was looking at while mixing it up. Thankfully, I am an experienced cook and made the decision to not use that much. Only after baking the cookies did I that see the recipe on your blog is stated as 6 oz. I saw another person posted “the proportions intrigued” her. I assume she referred to the amount of chocolate.
Mary
Made your ripple cookie recipe for the first time! This is EXACTLY what I’ve been looking for: a simple foolproof recipe that gives the most beautiful look and chew to the cookie, all of which my family loves! This will definitely be my new go to recipe. The proportions in this recipe really intrigued me which is why I gave it a shot because I hundred percent trusted your science!!
christina.marsigliese
Thanks so much Mary! I'm so glad this recipe is what you've been looking for.
Anonymous
what consistency should my cookie dough have?
the bakery-style chewy cookies and melt and mix cookies recipes are some of my favourites but they always had a more structured consistency, this one is almost liquidy
christina.marsigliese
Hi there, yes that's right - this recipe makes a wetter dough in order to give the ripple effect.
Alyce Heidt
I’ve been looking for a recipe like this ..”For-Ever!” All Ive found was cakes like cookies. These are the kind I remember loving when younger!! I finally decided to “google it”..& put in rippled chocolate chip cookies!! Can’t wait to make these!! Thank you!!????
christina.marsigliese
Thanks so much Alyce! I'm so glad you found this recipe.
Amy
Best chocolate chip cookie recipe ever! Thank you for this!
Caitlin
Just wondering if you can freeze this dough and if so, what are your recommendations to bake after freezing? Thank you
christina.marsigliese
Hi! This dough is best not frozen. If you do, follow the same instructions but increase the baking time by 3 minutes or so.