Soft & Chewy Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies

We ALL love chocolate chip cookies. Am I right? And sometimes we want just enough for two people so that we can eat them all while they are fresh and before they lose their peak deliciousness. My recipe for Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe is perfect for any time since it is so easy to make and requires NO chill time. Just grab a handful of pantry ingredients and make these delicious quick and easy cookies!

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

Because I love chocolate chip cookies SO much, I can easily eat 5 or 6 in one sitting and therefore having them linger around the house is just torture. I can't have cookies in the house and not eat them, and even freezing them doesn't keep me from getting at them. I mean, who can resist fresh-baked homemade cookies? This small batch chocolate chip cookies recipe makes 7 perfectly thick and soft with crisp edges and tender insides.

So, my solution is to make a small batch! At least if I eat 6 in one day, I can get over it because there won't be enough to do it again the next day. Also, sometimes there just isn't enough brown sugar, or maybe you're running low on flour..., or maybe you live solo? Having 2 dozen chocolate chip cookies is (maybe) overkill. And that's a hard "maybe" 😉

WHAT DO ONE YOLK COOKIES TASTE LIKE?

Since this is a small batch, we only need the yolk of the egg. Save the egg white for another use. So, what do they taste like with one egg yolk? Well, they have the most rich, custardy flavour unlike any other chocolate chip cookie. They are divine! And, they have a soft tender texture that is almost like shortbread the next day. I can't wait for you to give them a try!

SCIENCE BEHIND CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

You can certainly expect a few tips from me since I am a Food Scientist after all. The secret to the best chocolate chip cookies comes down to chemistry. Firstly it is about ingredient ratios. The amount of butter, sugar, flour and egg is very important.

• Ratio of Butter: Butter should be the main flavour in chocolate chip cookies since it is a simple recipe after all. Getting the right amount of butter to egg ratio is very important. Too much egg will dominate the taste and also make the texture more cakey rather than chewy.

• Liquid ratio: The moisture in egg serves to help dissolve sugar in the dough but too much will prevent the edges from becoming crisp and also delay browning. That means you will need to bake the cookies longer to develop the colour, and they will often become dried out before that point.

• Flour ratio: It is so important to either weigh your ingredients using a scale, or measure your flour correctly without packing it into your measuring cup. Too much flour will lead to thick cookies, but they will be more doughy and less gooey. Too little flour will make a very soft dough that will spread too much and lead to greasy cookies.

WHY YOU WILL LOVE THIS RECIPE

• Easy to make - these chocolate chip cookies are seriously easy to make! You don't need a mixer, although I often do use my hand mixer to do it anyway.

• Simple ingredients - you just need flour, butter, sugar, chocolate and 1 egg to make this recipe. These are all staple baking ingredients, so hopefully you have them on hand!

• Chewy texture - I love how these cookies have chewy insides and tender crisp edges. The egg yolk gives them almost a shortbread like texture.

• No chill cookie dough - you don't need to chill this cookie dough, so you can literally make these cookies in less than 20 minutes!

• Dark chocolate chips - I love using both chopped dark chocolate bar and chocolate chips for contrast in textures. The chocolate bar will melt more readily so you get nice puddles of chocolate in the middle.

INGREDIENTS

• All purpose flour - regular all purpose flour is perfect to make chocolate chip cookies. Use unbleached flour which will give you that nice chewy texture.

• Pure vanilla extract - vanilla is essential to the flavour of chocolate chip cookies. Do not leave it out and use a good one! I like this Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla extract.

• Butter - you can use unsalted or salted butter for this recipe. I often use salted butter and then I reduce the added salt in the recipe by half.

• Brown sugar - I definitely recommend dark brown sugar because it has a higher molasses content which will give the cookies a more chewy texture and also create that rich butterscotch flavour.

• Granulated sugar - simple fine white granulated sugar creates the crisp golden brown edges.

• Egg yolk - you only need the yolk for this recipe. Do not use the whole egg or there will be too much moisture. Save the egg white for another recipe.

• Dark chocolate - I like using really dark chocolate. Anything between 60 and 70% cocoa solids is nice, but you can use semi sweet chocolate if that's what you prefer. I prefer Bittersweet Chocolate and these bittersweet chocolate callets are very convenient.

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS

• STEP 1). Cream the butter and sugar. Beat together butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla and salt in a small bowl until smooth and creamy. You can use an electric hand mixer or do it by hand with a spatula.

• STEP 2). Mix in egg yolk and milk. Beat it in until evenly incorporated.

• STEP 3). Add dry ingredients. Mix in baking soda. Add flour and stir until combined. Fold in chopped chocolate.

• STEP 4). Chill the dough. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

• STEP 5). Bake! Roll tablespoons of dough into balls and place onto prepared baking sheet spacing them 2 inches apart. Flatten slightly. Bake for 8-10 minutes until golden brown and puffed. They should still be soft in the middle. Transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling, but definitely eat a few while they are warm!

EXPERT BAKING TIPS FOR SMALL BATCH CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

• Use dark brown sugar for even more chewiness

• Measure the flour accurately. Too much can make these cookies dry instead of chewy and too little will mean they will spread too much.

• Use baking soda, NOT baking powder: Not only is baking soda important to help the cookies spread, but it also gives them colour! Baking soda is an alkaline ingredient (the opposite of an acid), and the Maillard Browning reaction is encouraged in an alkaline environment.

• Add SALT! The right amount of salt is so important. If you have salted butter then you can reduce the added salt in the recipe by half.

• Portion the dough evenly. Divide the dough into 7 equal portions so that you get even baking and the right size to give you the soft chewy insides.

• Do not over-bake. These cookies should not take longer than 12 minutes. They should still be soft in the center and they will continue cooking as they rest on the baking sheet.

RECIPE FAQ

Why did my cookies spread too much?

Too much baking soda means the cookies will spread too much and maybe burn too quickly, while not enough means the cookies will not spread much at all and will be pale in colour.

Why didn't my cookies spread at all?

If your cookies didn't spread at all, then it may be because you added too much flour. Make sure you weight your ingredients for accurate results, especially when working in small quantities. Also, it could be that your baking soda is old and doesn't react anymore.

Can I make small batch chocolate chip cookies with salted butter?

Yes! I love using salted butter. Just reduce the added salt to ⅛ teaspoon.

Can I make small batch chocolate chip cookies without egg?

No, this recipe requires 1 egg yolk otherwise they will not brown evenly and they will have a dry and crumbly texture.

What type of chocolate is best for small batch chocolate chip cookies?

For the best results, use dark chocolate with over 55% cocoa solids, and use a high quality block of chocolate that you chop into chunks. When you chop chocolate, you make a variety of different shapes and shards that will get in all the crevices of the cookie dough. So, use your favourite dark chocolate — the kind that you snack on.

Using block chocolate instead of chips will also give you better texture in the cookies. Block chocolate has a higher cocoa butter content so it will melt more evenly and readily to create pools of chocolate that will melt into the crevices. It also helps the dough spread. You can also use dark chocolate feves, callets or discs which are often made from couverture chocolate (high cocoa butter chocolate).

HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES WITH CHEWY TEXTURE:

• Do not overdo the creaming step. Beat butter with brown sugar only until smooth and a bit fluffy like a damp sand, but not until pale. Over-beating will make them very crisp, but not as chewy.

• Use baking soda only - not baking powder. Baking soda is alkaline and promotes browning through Maillard reactions (delicious flavour reactions) to produce a nice rich flavour. Baking powder is more acidic and creates a cakier texture as well as a more pale colour.

• Measure flour accurately. Too much flour will leave you with a dry, doughy cookie where it will taste more pasty then butterscotch and caramel-like.

When you see how perfect these cookies turn out and how simple they are, you might just make small batches all the time!

They are so perfectly crunchy around the edges with dense and chewy insides. I promise these will please everyone - well, at least it will please a small batch of 7 people 😉    

Check out my other small batch recipes:

Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies

Christina Marsigliese

Super chewy small batch chocolate chip cookies that makes just 8 cookies. Perfect for when you just want a few fresh cookies, or for a small household or just single livin'!

5 from 23 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Chill Time 30 minutes mins

Servings 7 cookies

Ingredients

  

• ¼ cup 56g unsalted butter, softened
• ¼ cup 55g packed dark brown sugar
• 2 tbsp 25g granulated sugar
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg yolk
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ cup plus 2 tbsp 90g all-purpose flour
• ⅔ cup 100g dark chocolate chunks (I also love these bittersweet callets)

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Beat together butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar and vanilla in a small bowl until smooth and creamy, and a bit fluffy. It will look like damp sand.
• Mix in egg yolk until evenly combined, then mix in baking soda and salt. Add flour and stir until combined. Fold in chopped chocolate.
• Divide dough into 7 equal portions and roll into smooth balls. Place them onto prepared baking sheet spacing them 2 inches apart. Flatten slightly with the palm of your hand.
• Bake for 9-11 minutes until golden brown and puffed. They should still be soft in the middle. Transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling, but definitely eat a few while they are warm!

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