I say this is the best chocolate chip cookie recipe because history says so. My mother has been baking these cookies since the ’90s. They were the rockstars at bake sales. They were hands-down the best valentines kids received in school. They nearly got me trampled in college when I told my friends my mom sent cookies. Anytime I said “my mother’s cookies” in a sentence, people knew exactly what it meant: they were about to eat the softest chocolate chip cookies on the planet.
Most of my friends would ask for the recipe, in which case I told them I can’t. It’s been held onto for years (decades even) and, now, I’m finally putting it on the Internet.
I prefer to roll out the cookie dough. However, if you’d rather have smaller cookies, you can also use an ice cream scooper. My mom usually used the scooper, but I’m a sucker for those big, bakery cookies that you can share between friends.
Another thing my mom usually omits, but I don’t, is salt. I think the salt enhances the sweetness while my mom believes it doesn’t do much. Either way, the recipe is amazing. I used Himalayan salt. However, sprinkling sea salt over the cookies pre-baking would be another great addition.
This recipe makes a dozen large cookies, if you roll out the dough and use the cutter (and don’t munch too much on the dough). If you decide to scoop the dough without rolling it out, it makes about 24 cookies. The smaller version are great to stack into a decorative bag as a gift for a friend!
Be careful transferring the cookies to a cooling rack. Most of the time, they are incredibly soft coming out of the oven and harden up on the rack, which means they can easily fall apart if you try to transfer them with your fingers. I recommend using a large spatula, especially for the big cookies.
In addition, my mother and I use a baking stone, like the one here. We’ve had it for years (again, more like decades) so that the cookies cook evenly and don’t burn on the bottom. Of course, a baking sheet will always work. However, if you want to upgrade your kitchen, I highly recommend a baking stone.
