Chocolate Chip Cookies Milk

There's something about the smell of butter and brown sugar hitting a hot oven that pulls me back to my grandmother's kitchen every single time. She had this one wooden spoon she'd use to cream butter and sugar, and I'd watch the mixture transform from grainy to cloud-like while she hummed along to whatever was on the radio. Those chocolate chip cookies became my comfort anchor, the recipe I turn to when I need something familiar or when someone stops by unexpectedly and I want to feel like I have my life together.

I baked these for a winter bake sale once, and a friend came back asking for the recipe because her five year old declared them "the best cookies in the world." That moment stuck with me—not because of the compliment, but because I realized these weren't fancy or trendy. They were just honest cookies that made people happy, and there's something real about that.

Ingredients

• All-purpose flour (2 1/4 cups): This is your structure; it keeps the cookies from spreading into pancakes but still lets them stay tender inside.
• Baking soda (1/2 teaspoon): The secret spreader that helps them puff slightly and then settle into that perfect chewy texture.
• Salt (1/2 teaspoon): Don't skip this—it wakes up the chocolate and balances all that sweetness so nothing feels flat.
• Unsalted butter (1 cup): Softened is key here; cold butter won't cream properly, and you'll end up with dense cookies.
• Granulated sugar (3/4 cup): This gives you spread and crispness at the edges.
• Packed brown sugar (3/4 cup): The molasses in brown sugar adds moisture and that deeper caramel note that makes people ask what your secret is.
• Eggs (2 large): These bind everything and add richness; room temperature eggs mix in more smoothly.
• Vanilla extract (2 teaspoons): Pure vanilla tastes like actual vanilla, not artificial sweetness.
• Semi-sweet chocolate chips (2 cups): The star of the show, and honestly, quality matters here because there's nowhere for mediocre chocolate to hide.
• Cold milk (4 cups to serve): The perfect companion—cold milk and a warm cookie is how this story is meant to end.

Instructions

Get your oven ready:

Preheat to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. This matters because it keeps the bottoms from browning too dark while you're waiting for the centers to set.

Combine the dry team:

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Whisking incorporates air and distributes the baking soda evenly, so you don't end up with bitter pockets.

Cream butter and sugars together:

Beat them in a large bowl until the mixture looks pale and fluffy, about two minutes. You'll know it's right when it goes from looking like wet sand to something almost cloud-like.

Add the eggs one at a time:

Beat well after each egg so they fully incorporate. This builds richness and helps everything hold together.

Stir in vanilla:

Just a quick stir after those eggs are in.

Mix in the dry ingredients gently:

Add them gradually and stop as soon as you don't see streaks of flour. Overmixing develops gluten, and you want tender cookies, not tough ones.

Fold in chocolate chips:

Use a spatula and be gentle; you want pockets of chocolate throughout, not a chocolate-chip-flour situation.

Scoop and space:

Drop rounded tablespoons onto your prepared sheets, leaving about two inches between each cookie because they're going to spread.

Bake until just right:

Ten to twelve minutes is your window—watch for golden edges while the center still looks barely set. They'll firm up as they cool, and pulling them out a minute earlier beats pulling them out a minute too late.

Cool with patience:

Let them sit on the baking sheet for five minutes to firm up, then move them to a wire rack. If you skip this step, they'll fall apart when you touch them.

Save

My sister called me once on a terrible day, and I made these cookies while we talked on speakerphone. By the time she arrived, the kitchen smelled like butter and chocolate, and somehow that smell did more for her than my words could. I think that's when I understood these weren't just cookies—they were a way of saying I'm thinking of you without having to say much at all.

Chocolate Choices

Semi-sweet is the classic, but I've learned that chocolate preference is personal. Dark chocolate chips give you a more sophisticated, less sweet cookie that tastes like something a pastry shop would make. Milk chocolate is sweeter and softer, better if you're baking for people with a serious sweet tooth. I've even mixed them—half semi-sweet, half dark—and that balance feels like the best of both worlds.

Make Them Your Own

The beauty of this recipe is how open it is to tweaking. A cup of chopped nuts adds texture and a toasted depth that changes everything. A pinch of fleur de sel sprinkled on top before baking creates this incredible sweet-salty thing that feels fancy but is so simple. I once added a quarter teaspoon of cinnamon to the dry ingredients, and that warm spice note became something I kept doing.

Serving and Storage

Warm cookies and cold milk is the intended experience, but I've eaten these at room temperature straight from the container at midnight, and they're still good. They'll stay soft in an airtight container for about four days, though they rarely last that long in my house. These also freeze beautifully—both dough and baked cookies—so you can have them whenever you need them.

• Store in an airtight container to keep them chewy and prevent them from drying out.
• If they get hard, add a piece of bread to the container overnight to transfer moisture back to the cookies.
• Dough balls can be frozen for up to three months, then baked straight from frozen with just a minute or two extra in the oven.

Save

These cookies are pure comfort, the kind you return to because they never disappoint. They're the reason I believe in keeping recipes simple enough to know by heart.

Recipe FAQs

→ What makes these chocolate chip cookies chewy?

The combination of softened butter and the balance of granulated and brown sugars helps create a soft, chewy texture in these cookies.

→ Can I substitute chocolate chips with other mix-ins?

Yes, you can replace semi-sweet chips with dark or milk chocolate chips, or add chopped nuts for added crunch and flavor.

→ How do I prevent cookies from spreading too much during baking?

Chilling the dough before baking and spacing cookie drops adequately on the sheet helps maintain shape without excessive spreading.

→ What is the ideal baking temperature and time for these cookies?

Baking at 350°F (175°C) for around 10-12 minutes yields golden edges with a soft, chewy center.

→ How should I store the baked cookies to keep them fresh?

Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature to retain moisture and freshness for several days.