Thin and Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Stand mixer or hand mixer
• •Two 18x13-inch sheet pans
• •Parchment paper
• •Tablespoon cookie scoop
• •Wire cooling rack
• •Thin metal spatula

Instructions

1. 1

   Cream butter and sugars

   In a large bowl or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the softened butter with both sugars on medium-high speed for a full 4 minutes. Scrape the bowl once halfway through. You're looking for a pale, fluffy mixture that has noticeably increased in volume. This aeration is critical. It creates the structure that allows the cookies to spread thin and crisp rather than puff up.

   Truly softened butter (65-68°F) holds air better. If your butter is too cold, the mixture will look curdled. Too warm and it will be greasy and flat.
2. 2

   Add eggs and vanilla

   Add the whole egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract. Beat on medium speed until fully incorporated, about 1 minute. The mixture may look slightly broken at first. Keep beating. It will come together into a smooth, creamy mass that looks almost like buttercream frosting.

3. 3

   Combine dry ingredients

   In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Baking soda without baking powder is intentional here. Soda reacts quickly and encourages spread. Baking powder would create lift we don't want.

4. 4

   Mix the dough

   Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture all at once. Mix on low speed just until the flour disappears, about 30 seconds. Stop the moment you no longer see dry streaks. Overmixing develops gluten, which makes cookies tough rather than tender-crisp. Fold in the chocolate chips with a rubber spatula, distributing them evenly throughout.

5. 5

   Chill the dough

   Cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 72 hours. Chilling firms the butter so the cookies hold their shape during the first minutes of baking, then spread slowly and evenly. Skip this step and you'll have greasy puddles instead of lacey rounds.

   The dough actually improves with age. Cookies baked after 24-48 hours of chilling develop deeper, more complex flavor as the flour fully hydrates and the sugars concentrate.
6. 6

   Prepare for baking

   Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of your oven. Heat to 350°F (175°C). Line two sheet pans with parchment paper. Remove the dough from the refrigerator.

7. 7

   Portion the dough

   Scoop level tablespoons of dough, rolling each into a ball between your palms. Place them on the prepared pans spaced 3 inches apart. These cookies spread aggressively. Six to eight cookies per standard sheet pan is right. Flatten each ball gently with your palm until about 1/2 inch thick. The edges can be ragged. That's fine.

8. 8

   Bake until golden

   Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the pans front to back and switching racks halfway through. The cookies are done when the edges are deeply golden brown and the centers have lost their raw sheen but still look slightly underdone. They will appear too soft. They're not. Trust the color, not the wobble.

   Watch closely after 9 minutes. The difference between perfectly caramelized and burnt is about 60 seconds with thin cookies.
9. 9

   Cool completely

   Let the cookies cool on the pans for 10 full minutes. They're setting up during this time, transforming from floppy discs into crisp rounds. After 10 minutes, transfer to a wire rack using a thin spatula and cool completely. They'll crisp further as they reach room temperature. Listen for the snap when you break one in half. That's the sound of success.

Chef Tips

• •Use a kitchen scale if you own one. Flour measurements by volume vary wildly depending on how you scoop. Too much flour produces cakey cookies that refuse to spread.
• •Quality chocolate matters enormously here. With so few ingredients, each one shows. I prefer Guittard or Ghirardelli chips, though chopped chocolate bars from Valrhona or Callebaut create beautiful irregular pools of chocolate.
• •For even thinner, crispier cookies, press the dough balls flatter before baking and add 1-2 minutes to the bake time. The thinner they go, the more they approach a chocolate chip tuile.
• •Store in an airtight container at room temperature. Layering parchment between cookies prevents them from sticking. They'll keep their crunch for up to a week in dry conditions.

Advance Preparation

• •Dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days before baking, developing deeper flavor over time.
• •Portioned dough balls freeze beautifully for up to 3 months. Freeze on a sheet pan until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag. Bake directly from frozen, adding 2-3 minutes to the bake time.
• •Baked cookies can be frozen in airtight containers for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature and crisp briefly in a 300°F oven for 3-4 minutes if needed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 28g)