Sometimes you just need a warm cookie and a cold glass of milk when it’s chilly outside… I know I do. Cookies were my first foray into baking, I was obsessed with trying all sorts of recipes. Needless to say, cookies are still one of my favorite things. I don’t get to bake them as much as I’d like to these days, but there are just days you need a good batch of cookies!

I really love this recipe, it’s simple and quick plus the cookies taste amazing! What’s wonderful about these cookies is they almost taste better once they are cool and they stay soft for days (if you can even make them last that long)!

Soft Baked Chocolate Chip Cookies

From Pinch of Yum

Makes 12 cookies

Ingredients:

• 8 Tablespoons of salted butter
• ½ cup white sugar (I like to use raw cane sugar with a coarser texture)
• 2 Tablespoons packed light brown sugar
• 2 Tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 egg
• 1½ cups all purpose flour (more as needed – see video)
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt (but I always add a little extra)
• ¾ cup dark chocolate chips
• ¼ cup toffee bits

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Microwave the 8T butter for about 40 seconds (on medium power) to just barely melt it. It shouldn’t be hot – but it should be almost entirely in liquid form.
• Using a stand mixer or electric beaters, beat the butter with the sugars (1/2c white, 2T light brown and 2T dark brown) until creamy. Add the 1t vanilla and the 1 egg; beat on low speed until just incorporated – 10-15 seconds (don’t beat the egg for too long, the cookies will be stiff).
• Add the 1 1/2c flour, 1/2t baking soda, and 1/4t salt. Mix until crumbles form. Use your hands to press the crumbles together into a dough. It should form one large ball that is easy to handle (right at the stage between “wet” dough and “dry” dough). Add the 3/4c dark chocolate chips 1/4c toffee bits and incorporate with your hands.
• Roll the dough into 12 large balls and place on a cookie sheet. Bake for 9-11 minutes until the cookies look puffy and dry and just barely golden. Warning, friends: DO NOT OVERBAKE. This advice is probably written on every cookie recipe everywhere, but this is essential for keeping the cookies soft. Take them out even if they look like they’re not done yet (see picture in the post). They’ll be pale and puffy.
• Let them cool on the pan for a good 30 minutes (of course, eat a few while warm, they are good that way, too!) They will sink down and turn into these dense, buttery, soft cookies that are the best in all the land. These should stay soft for many days if kept in an airtight container. I also like to freeze them.

NOTES

The 3 most important things about this recipe are 1) melting the butter, 2) adding enough flour, and 3) not baking for too long.

If you find that the dough is wet and it REALLY sticks to your hands, you probably need a little more flour. This is important otherwise you’ll have flat cookies. I’ll usually add a few tablespoons at a time to get it to the right consistency. See video in post for reference. You should be able to roll the balls of dough between your hands without any issues.

Serve with a glass of milk, under a cozy blanket and enjoy.

Don’t forget to follow me on Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter – @sugarbbaking.

Happy Baking!

– SugarB