Small Batch Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

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This small batch chewy chocolate chip cookie recipe makes just 2 large cookies that are extra gooey and stuffed to the brim with melty chocolate chunks. They only take a half hour and one bowl to throw together, making them the easiest cookies you'll ever make!

One chocolate chip cookie broken in half on crinkled parchment paper

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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Ingredients
Step By Step Instructions
FAQ
Expert Baking Tips
Storing and Freezing Instructions
More Cookie Recipes You'll Love
Small Batch Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Why You'll Love This Recipe

Have you ever been sitting around at home and thought, "I really want a chocolate chip cookie RIGHT NOW." Maybe that's just my sweet tooth talking but I feel this way a lot (probably more than I should). In this situation, these cookies come to the rescue. Yielding just 2 cookies, you can satisfy those cravings anytime without all of the leftovers.

(But if you're good with leftovers or are just a really serious cookie eater, try my brown butter pecan chocolate chip cookies and chewy oatmeal chocolate chip cookies)

If that's not enough for you, these cookies are:

A one bowl recipe
Made with simple ingredients you likely already have at home
A 30 minute recipe from start to finish
Amazingly flavorful from brown butter and extra brown sugar & salt
Soft and chewy with crispy edges
FILLED WITH SO MANY CHOCOLATE CHUNKS

Ingredients

Butter: For extra flavor, you'll brown the butter (more on that below!).
Brown sugar & granulated sugar: A combo makes chewy cookies with crisp edges.
Egg yolk: Since this recipe is small batch, you only need an egg yolk, not a whole egg.
Vanilla & salt: For flavor.
Flour: For structure.
Cornstarch: The secret weapon for extra soft cookies!
Baking soda: Provides lift.
Chocolate: I HIGHLY recommend using baking chocolate, NOT chocolate chips, for this recipe. Chocolate chips contain stabilizers that prevent it from fully melting down- baking chocolate doesn't, creating extra large, gooey pockets of chocolate. You can use chocolate chips instead, but your cookies will spread less- reduce the flour to 55 grams.

One chocolate chip cookie, broken in half and layered over a crinkled parchment paper sheet

Step By Step Instructions

STEP 1: Brown the butter. Heat the butter over the stove, stirring often, until it develops a dark amber color. For more details, here's a post on how to brown butter. Once it's brown, pour it into a bowl and cool for around 10 minutes. In the meantime, you can measure your remaining ingredients.

STEP 2: Make the dough. Whisk your cooled brown butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and whisk until combined. Then, fold in the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda. Lastly, add the chocolate.

Brown butter and sugars mixed together in a glass bowl

The wet ingredients mixed together in a glass bowl

The dry ingredients added on top of the wet ingredients but not yet combined

Chocolate chunks added to cookie dough but not yet mixed in

STEP 3: Shape the cookies. Divide the dough into 2 portions and roll into a smooth ball.

STEP 4: Bake. Place your cookies on a small parchment-lined baking sheet and bake until the edges are just golden brown. Do NOT over bake your cookies!!! The centers should still look a little underdone.

STEP 5: Cool. Allow your cookies to cool on the hot baking sheet for around 5-10 minutes before enjoying- this allows the centers to firm up a little so they're gooey but not doughy.

One ball of cookie dough placed on a baking sheet

One chocolate chip cookie laid flat on a crinkled sheet of parchment paper

FAQ

How do you make chewy chocolate chip cookies?

Use cornstarch, egg yolks instead of whole eggs/egg whites, and more brown sugar than white sugar. It is also important to NOT over bake! The cookies will still look a little underdone when you should pull them out- they will continue cooking on the hot baking sheet.

Why are my cookies flat?

If your oven runs cool, your cookies will spread more- use an oven thermometer to see how accurate your oven really is. Whisking the sugars with the brown butter before the butter cools down can also cause the sugars to melt, making the cookies overspread.

Can I scale this recipe up?

If you want more than 2 cookies, feel free to double, triple, or quadruple this recipe. Or, you can make my (full batch) brown butter chocolate chip cookies.

One chocolate chip cookie laying on a piece of crumpled parchment paper, with highlights from shiny chocolate on top

Expert Baking Tips

Use baking chocolate. Baking chocolate creates big, melty pockets of chocolate, while chocolate chips are smaller and less gooey.
Properly brown your butter. Most people under cook it- going for a darker, almost reddish brown as opposed to golden brown makes the flavor so much better!
Use an egg yolk. A whole egg would make the cookies too cakey.

Storing and Freezing Instructions

Store leftover cookies in an airtight container for up to 2-3 days at room temperature or 2-3 months in the freezer. Cookie dough balls can be frozen for up to 2-3 months. No need to thaw them before baking- they may take an extra minute or two in the oven. The cookies will spread less if the dough is frozen, so flatten the baked cookies with the back of a spoon or measuring cup if needed after baking if they're too thick.