Chocolate Chip Egg Yolk Cookies
These super quick and easy chocolate chip egg yolk cookies are the best way to use up all those leftover egg yolks from other recipes! They’re crisp on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. The recipe can easily be halved or doubled depending on how many egg yolks you need to use up.
Why you’ll love these chocolate chip egg yolk cookies
- It uses all of our leftover egg yolks from other recipes we baked.
- The egg yolks and extra butter makes these more rich than traditional cookies
- Super quick and easy
- Can be halved to make four cookies with one egg yolk or doubled to make 16 cookies with four egg yolks
This recipe is adapted from my small-batch chocolate chip cookies. I swapped the egg for two egg yolks but had to increase the butter and sugar to get the texture and flavor right.
For cookie lovers we have a bunch to choose from like brown butter pistachio cookies (can also be made with 1 egg or 3 egg yolks), marbled mini egg cookies, cookies and cream cookies, s’mores cookies
Ingredients:
- Flour: I just used all-purpose flour for this recipe however, I HIGHLY recommend using a digital scale, as over-measuring the flour is the most common baking mistake and may result in dry cookies.
- Sugar: I’m going to spare you my whole rant on sugar lol… I used JUST light brown sugar for these cookies and I don’t recommend substituting it. Granulated sugar makes these cookies super pale and chewy and dark brown sugar is too dark and molasses-y. However, you could do half dark brown sugar and half granulated sugar as that would be the equivalent of light brown sugar.
- Reducing the amount will alter the texture of the cookies as well so I don’t recommend reducing it.
- Butter: I LOVE using salted butter in cookies! I started doing this last year and it just seems more flavorful.
- Egg: I used 2 large egg yolks in this recipe – they can be cold or room temperature.
- Vanilla: Don’t underestimate the power of vanilla extract in a cookie recipe. I stopped putting vanilla in EVERYTHING that I make but for cookies it’s essential.
- Baking Powder: just baking powder, no baking soda.
- Salt: I like sea salt but any salt works.
- Sea Salt Flakes: I would say this is optional but I’m not sure we can be friends if you don’t add extra sea salt flakes on top of your cookie lol
- Chocolate chips: I like to use a mix of dark chocolate and milk chocolate chips (or even white chocolate). The recipe can also be made with chopped baking chocolate but the cookie will spread a tiny bit more and take a little longer to set/cool after baking.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350F (177C) convection OR 325F (163C) conventional and line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Step 2: Microwave the butter for 20-30 seconds (if it gets super hot, then let it cool a little bit).
Step 3: Add the light brown sugar to the melted butter and whisk together for about a minute.
Step 4: Add in the egg yolks and vanilla and whisk aggressively for 1-2 minutes, until it’s completely smooth.
Step 5: Add the flour, salt and baking powder and fold the cookie dough just until there are a few streaks left of flour.
Step 6: Fold in the chocolate, just until they’re evenly dispersed.
Step 7: Split cookie dough into 8 small cookies and bake until the edges are starting to brown and the center is puffed and no longer wet.
Step 8: Remove from the oven allow them to rest for 5-10 minutes before transferring off the cookie sheet. Sprinkle with sea salt flakes and enjoy warm!
How to bake these cookies (convection and conventional)?
I always bake in a convection (fan) oven but when I took some polls on instagram, most of you said you either don’t have one or you don’t know how to use your convection oven. So since I developed ALL my recipes in a 350F convection oven, I decided to experiment with a conventional.
If you don’t know the difference, a convection oven has a fan that circulates the heat more evenly. This usually results in a quicker bake, so always do less time if you’re unsure and it also gives a more even browning. If you’re not used to it, the change can be frustrating.
Baking with a convection oven (fan)
Bake 2 oz cookies at 350F (177C) for 11-13 minutes
Baking with a conventional oven (no fan)
Bake 2 oz cookies at 325F (163C) for 13-15 minutes
How to customize egg yolk cookies:
- Swap 1/4 cup of the flour for cocoa powder to make them chocolate
- Use white chocolate and/or freeze dried fruit like I did my strawberry white chocolate cookies
- Swap half the chocolate chips for any kind of nuts
- Swap half or all of the chocolate chips for oreos, reese’s, marshmallows, etc.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can the cookie dough be made ahead of time?
The cookie dough is pretty soft so you’ll want to scoop it out, then refrigerate it on a plate or tray until the cookie dough balls are more firm. Then place them in a ziplock bag and freeze. To bake, remove them from the freezer as the oven is preheating and bake 325 F convection (fan) OR 300 F conventional (no fan) for 14 minutes or remove them a few hours in advance, bring them back to room temperature and bake like you would fresh.
Can I make these dairy free or vegan?
I haven’t tested egg free cookies but you can make these cookies with dairy free butter and dairy free chocolate.
Can I make these gluten-free?
I have tested my base cookie dough recipes with 1:1 substitute for King Arthur and Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Flour Blends. The cookies turnout perfectly, they just have a traditional gluten-free flour flavor which is a little earthy/nuttier.
How to get perfectly round cookies
Most cookies bake a little bit uneven around the edges, especially if the dough is soft and not refrigerated before baking. To get your cookies perfectly round, as soon as you remove them from the oven, use anything round like a biscuit cutter/cup/mug, etc. to scoot the cookies around within the circle.
Be gentle so you don’t break the soft cookie but you have to be quick and do it as soon as the cookie comes out of the oven, before the edges set.
What kind of chocolate can I use for these chocolate chip cookies?
As I mentioned before, I like to use a mix of dark chocolate and milk chocolate chips (or even white chocolate). The recipe can also be made with chopped baking chocolate but the cookie will spread a tiny bit more and take a little longer to set/cool after baking.
Can I double the recipe to make a big batch of cookies?
You can! I double this recipe all the time and it makes 16 normal size cookies (2.25 oz) or 8 large (4.5 oz) cookies.
How to store the cookies after baking
These chocolate chip egg yolk cookies won’t need storing. Once I start I just can’t stop lol. But really, just place them in a ziplock bag and keep them at room temperature for a few days. They obviously will dry out a little more the longer you leave them but I just pop in the microwave for like 5-10 seconds before eating.
Thanks so much for reading today’s post, if you have any questions just comment down below.
If you make these yummy chocolate chip egg yolk cookies, I’d appreciate it if you left a star rating for me. If it’s less than five stars, please let me know why! 🙂
As always, have a blessed day and happy baking!
Love, B
Egg Yolk Chocolate Chip Cookies
These super quick and easy chocolate chip cookies are the best way to use up all those leftover egg yolks from other recipes! They're crisp on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. The recipe can easily be halved or doubled depending on how many egg yolks you need to use up.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (113g) salted butter melted
- 3/4 cup (150g) light brown sugar lightly packed
- 2 large egg yolks room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2/3 cup (4oz) chocolate chips or chopped chocolate (I like to mix dark and milk or dark and white)
- pinch sea salt flakes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F (177C) convection OR 325F (163C) conventional and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, microwave the butter for 20-30 seconds, just until it's melted (if it gets super hot, then let it cool a little bit).1/2 cup (113g) salted butter
- Add the light brown sugar to the melted butter and whisk together for about a minute.3/4 cup (150g) light brown sugar
- Add in the egg yolks and vanilla and whisk aggressively for 1-2 minutes, until it's completely smooth.2 large egg yolks, 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Add the flour, salt and baking powder and fold the cookie dough just until there are a few streaks left of flour.1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour, 1/4 tsp fine sea salt, 1 tsp baking powder
- Fold in the chocolate, just until they're evenly dispersed.2/3 cup (4oz) chocolate chips or chopped chocolate
- Split cookie dough into 8 small cookies, about 2.25 oz each, and bake one sheet on the middle rack for 11-13 minutes on convection or 13-15 minutes on conventional, just until the edges are starting to brown and the center is puffed and no longer wet.
- Remove them from the oven, give the pan a quick tap on the counter and use something round like a biscuit cutter or cup to scoot them around so they're circular.
- Allow them to rest for 5-10 minutes before transferring off the cookie sheet. Sprinkle with sea salt flakes and enjoy warm!pinch sea salt flakes
Notes
You can also bake these into four large (4oz) cookies. Bake two per cookie sheet for 16-18 minutes.
This recipe is easily halved if you want to make just four cookies with one egg yolk or doubled to make 16 cookies with 4 egg yolks. I always recommend using a digital scale, especially for measuring sugar and flour.
Nutrition
Serving: 1gCalories: 286kcalCarbohydrates: 42gProtein: 3gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 39mgSodium: 140mgFiber: 2gSugar: 27g
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Can I use eggs instead of the yolks?
I would just use a cookie recipe that uses a whole egg.
https://baranbakery.com/small-batch-chocolate-chip-cookies/
The web “tool” that lets a recipe by doubled or tripled often doesn’t work. It’s gotten me on other sites. Watch what happens when you switch from 1x to 2X or 3x the amount in grams (in parentheses) will remain the same. It converts the cups or tsp (imperial measurements) but you’ll need to do the math for the other ingredients. Otherwise you’ll be using 4 oz of chocolate chips or 113 grams of salted butter for all 3 cookie outputs.
The weight measurements don’t increase when you use the 2x and 3x buttons to double/triple the recipe! They were still delicious though, can’t wait to try again
These were so very good and so different from the chocolate chip cookies I usually make. A great way to use my leftover yolks. I tripled the recipe. I’m gonna try lemon zest and nutmeg and just omit the chocolate next time. I think that’ll make a great sugar cookie! A real keeper, thank you!❤️
So glad you liked them Linda, the lemon sounds so good, I’ll have to try that too!
I think this recipe needs a little more flour as I found they were too sweet and lacked structure. They were crisp on the outside and soft on the inside but were a little too crumbly. I would maybe try a few extra tbsp of flour to give them a little more structure and cut the sweetness,
I was just wondering – why is the butter quantity the same even if you double eggs/flour etc? Thanks
Hi, sorry I don’t understand what you mean? If I double the recipe I double all the ingredients
hey! I think it’s an interface bug – when you multiply ingredients 1x 2x 3x in the recipe the measure (like cups, tsp) changes but the weight (grams, oz) stays the same no matter how you multiply.
just a website bug I guess but might be confusing for someone
Delicious! I had some egg yolks from making meringues left over and the cookies turned out amazing, the recipe made 13 good sized cookies and they were gone within two days! Will definitely make again
Made the batter at night and refrigerated it. Baked the cookies in the morning – so the dough was quite firm. Used a 1T cookie scoop. FANTASTIC! Made 25 3” cookies. DELICIOUS
Just made these tonight and added the 1/4 of cacao because that’s what everyone wanted. They were perfect! I used callebaut chocolate chip 54.5 % also only had medium sized eggs and use just the 2. They risen slightly and and just the right Suze to enjoy. I got 10 using a small scoop. This recipe like all your recipes is definitely a keeper. Thank you 😊
I would recommend using mini chocolate chips. They melt better, and these cookies are a rather flat cookies, and regular size chips stand up out of the cookie. Repeat: use mini chocolate chips
Fantastic recipe, the cookies were light, crispy on the outside and soft in the middle. I had 4 egg yolks left over from another recipe so I doubled the recipe. I prefer smaller cookies so I used an even tablespoon to drop the dough which yielded almost five dozen 3” cookies. Yummy!
Absolutely fantastic recipe and the cookies are perfect. I put the dough in the fridge for like 10-15 min and it made them much easier to scoop!
These are quick and easy cookies that will definitely satisfy your cookie cravings! 🙂 The dough is very soft, so scooping it is a bit more like slopping it, although they turned out looking just fine out of the oven, and of course the scooting trick is always a great way to fix any wayward edges. I did find that if I let it sit for about 10 minutes, even just on the counter, the dough thickened up just a bit. Also, I made these cookies pretty big and still came out with 10. If you made them to be a bit more normal sized, I would plan on coming out with a bit more. I took mine out of the oven just when they were starting to brown on the edges and still looked pretty underbaked, let them rest on the pan for a while, sprinkled on some sea salt, and I came out with chewy cookies with a softer inside and a crispy outside. I think that this recipe is pretty much a keeper, although it had a few little issues, it turned out great cookies in a small amount of time!