Tender, puffy, and fudgy with perfectly crisp edges — these chocolate chunk cookies taste better than Toll House and are more reliable.

I’ve been baking chocolate chip cookies since the fifth grade, and have yet to come across a recipe that’s markedly better than the back-of-the-bag Nestlé Toll House that everyone knows and loves. It’s not for lack of trying – I’ve rested the dough overnight to develop flavor, browned the butter, experimented with different varieties of flour, and so on. But to me, the difference in taste never justifies the extra time or effort. That said, the Toll House recipe isn’t perfect (sorry Toll House!). If you follow the recipe as is, the cookies often come out disappointingly flat. Over the years, I’ve tweaked the recipe to make it more reliable and just a little bit tastier. I use less sugar, more flour, and two types of high-quality chocolate instead of ordinary chocolate chips, and I always chill the dough before baking. The result is a chocolate chunk cookie that’s tender, puffy, and fudgy with perfectly crisp edges.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED TO MAKE CHOCOLATE CHUNK COOKIES

ingredients for chocolate chunk cookies

HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATE CHUNK COOKIES

To begin, combine the butter and both sugars in the bowl of an electric mixer.

butter and sugars in mixing bowl

Beat until light, fluffy, and cafe au lait-colored. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary.

creaming butter and sugar

Add the vanilla and eggs and beat for 2 minutes more. Scrape down the bowl.

adding eggs to butter and sugar mixture

Add the salt and baking soda and beat briefly until evenly combined.

beaten mixture with baking soda and salt

Add the flour and both chocolates.

adding flour and chocolate chunks to the mixing bowl

Mix on low speed until the flour is completely blended and the chocolate is evenly distributed throughout the dough.

mixed cookie dough ready to scoop

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or scrape the dough into an airtight container and let rest in the refrigerator until firm, a few hours. When you’re ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Drop the dough in 1.5-tablespoon balls onto a prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart. (I use a #40/1.5-T cookie scoop with a wire trigger.)

scooped chocolate chunk cookie dough ready to bake

Bake for 11-13 minutes, until golden around the edges but still soft and pale in the center. Let cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

baked chocolate chunk cookies on cooling rack

Enjoy! For more classic cookie recipes, check out our Oatmeal Brown Sugar Cookies with Raisins & Pecans and our Crave-Worthy Sugar Cookies.

Chocolate Chunk Cookies on serving platter