Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies. This small batch of chocolate chip cookies is everything you want in a cookie. The recipe makes a perfect amount for dessert for the family, having some girlfriends over, or even to make for yourself. Not only do they make the perfect amount (this is a 1 dozen chocolate chip cookie recipe or 6-8 larger cookies), but they are the PERFECT cookie. Crispy, golden bottom with chewy center, LOTS of flavor and lots of chocolate. The flavor is enhanced with melted brown butter & the recipe comes together quickly.
A Small Batch of Chocolate Chip Cookies – the perfect size
Everyone close to me is in love with this cookie recipe. I make them so much that I actually end up doubling the recipe all of the time to have lots of cookies – which defies the whole purpose of me creating them to be small batch. But they are so good. I have tons of answers to cookie questions below: how to make sure they turn out perfect, do you want to add toffee? Do you want to make larger cookies?
But what I love about these cookies is that they are packed with SO MUCH flavor. The cookie dough is one of my favorites in the world. I almost always make 7 cookies instead of 8, because I eat so much cookie dough while baking them. I know the feeling of eating an entire batch of cookies in one night – it’s delicious and it’s a blast, but it’s way better when you eat only 8 instead of 16 so let’s get to the details.
Ingredients
- Unsalted Butter
- All Purpose Flour: I always use King Arthur’s
- baking soda
- kosher salt: I always use Diamond Kosher Salt which is a little less salty than Morton Kosher Salt
- Dark Brown Sugar
- White Sugar
- Egg – room temperature. Put egg in glass of warm water for 10+ minutes to bring to room temp quickly.
- vanilla extract
- chocolate chips or chunks: I like to use chocolate bars chopped up for extra chocolatey flavor and a gorgeous look
- toffee pieces: homemade tastes truly unmatched, but I have used store bought many times in a pinch
Homemade Toffee Pieces
- unsalted butter: this should be classic, American butter for a foolproof toffee. Often the European style butters have too much fat, and it’s more difficult to make the toffee.
- kosher salt: I always use Diamond Kosher Salt which is a little less salty than Morton Kosher Salt
- light brown sugar packed
- This guide to Homemade Toffee is how I learned & I still refer to it. Some added tips: try not to touch it. Over whisking out of nerves always makes my toffee separate! I really only stir it 2-3 times during the 10-15 minutes.
Home Cook’s Notes – Tips for Perfect Cookies
What size cookie scoop to use for chocolate chip cookies?
For this recipe, you can use a 2tbs scoop or 3tbs coop. A 2tbs scoop will take a few minutes less than a 3tbs scoop.
Tips for Baking Cookies
Cookie Scoop: You may be someone who just guesses on cookie dough & never uses a scoop. BUT a cookie SCOOP will change your life. These are my favorite. They are great quality & there are 3 sizes. The 3tbs scoop is perfect – my favorite size for cookies. Cookie scoops great uniform cookie sizes and save so much time. You will end up using them for everything (muffins, cooking, meatballs – and more)
The Scoop & Roll: Make sure to roll the cookies gently in a ball after scooping. Using a cookie scoop makes uniform cookies (so they all bake at the exact same rate). And they look so beautiful right out of the cookie scoop, but gently rolling them in a ball from there is actually important to baking the perfect cookie. The gentle roll seals up the edges and helps create the gooey, perfect center.
Extra Chocolate Chips: After rolling the cookie dough and adding it to a baking sheet, add some extra chocolate chunks or chips to the top of them. I feel like chocolate chip cookies ALWAYS need more chocolate, and this also makes them more visually appealing. I like to use Ghirardelli Semi Sweet Baking Bars & chop them up.
Chilling the Cookie Dough: Don’t skip chilling the cookie dough before baking. I made this recipe as simple as possible, but try at least to give them 30 minutes in the fridge. It makes a huge difference in flavor, texture, and spread in the oven. The most perfect cookie needs time to chill!
What makes cookies chewy rather than crispy?
If you have ever made cookies following a recipe and they still spread too much or something went wrong, I feel your pain. Cookies can be so
From the Kitchen
Connect with Me
When you make these Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies, please share your thoughts in the comments or tag me on Instagram @quartersoulcrisis. I really love hearing from you, but if anything please come back and give it a rating!
Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies with Toffee Pieces
Equipment
- 1 baking sheet
Ingredients
Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies
- 6 tbs unsalted butter browned, but cooled
- 1 cup all purpose flour spooned & leveled
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 cup dark brown sugar packed
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 1 egg room temp
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup chocolate chips or chunks + more for baking
- 1/4 cup toffee pieces* optional
Homemade Toffee Pieces
- 1/2 stick unsalted butter*
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar packed
Instructions
Cookie Dough
- Brown Butter: Cook butter on medium-low heat. Stir often until butter melts, bubbles & foams. Stir often until there are lots of brown flecks & it smells like toffee, but not burnt. Pour in a bowl to stop cooking & let it cool. It should be melted, but not warm to touch.
- Whisk Dry Ingredients: While brown butter cools, whisk together dry ingredients. In a small bowl add flour, baking soda and salt. Lightly whisk and set aside.
- Make Cookie Dough: Add cooled, browned butter, & sugars to large mixing bowl or bowl of standing mixer. Beat (with mixer or hand mixer) butter & sugars together for 30 seconds or so, then add egg & vanilla. beat on medium high until combined. Add dry ingredients & beat on low until almost combined. Finish the dough by scraping sides and folding remaining flour in – as to not over mix. Add chocolate chips and toffee pieces & fold. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let chill 30 minutes or up to overnight. Best overnight or as long as possible.
- Preheat Oven to 350°: With 10 minutes left of chill time, preheat oven to 350*. If dough chilled overnight, let it sit out covered on countertop while oven preheats to warm up a bit.
- Bake Cookies: On a cookie sheet lined with parchment or silpat, place cookies about 2 inches apart. Scoop cookies with large cookie scoop (3tbs). Gently roll dough in hands to make an even ball. Place on baking sheet and lightly press a few more chocolate chunks or toffee pieces on top. Bake 12 minutes or until cookie is golden brown on the bottom. It may take 11 minutes or up to 14 minutes depending on your oven.
- Let cool 5 minutes on baking sheet before moving to wire rack to finish cooling.
Homemade Toffee
- Prepare a baking sheet with silpat or parchment paper. Melt butter in a small sauce pan on medium low heat. Add salt. Next, add brown sugar & whisk vigorously until everything is combined. Keep whisking for 12 minutes or until mixture reaches 295°. It looks like thick melted peanut butter & has gotten a shade or two darker. This is a really great guide if you have never made toffee before.
- Pour onto parchment and quickly spread evenly. It will start to cool while spreading. Let toffee cool 20 minutes. Carefully break up toffee into bits using rolling pin or large spoon. Store in airtight container and try not to eat them all to yourself!
Home Cook’s Notes
- For chocolate chunks: I use Ghiradelli Semi-Sweet or Dark Chocolate Bars and chop them up. chocolate chunks. Any store-bought chips or chunks will work fine in this recipe.
- Storage: You can scoop the dough into balls, roll and freeze them. In a freezer-safe container they keep for up to 3 months. If baking the cookies straight from frozen, be sure to add a minute or two to to bake time
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