Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies
I love a dramatic chocolate chip cookie as much as anyone, but sometimes I just want a simple cookie that’s done in less than 30 minutes.
These are not the fussiest or most elaborate chocolate chip cookies on the internet, and that’s exactly the point. They’re made with a bowl, a spoon, pantry staples, and no chill time.
These cookies are soft and gooey in the center, crisp around the edges, and ready when you want homemade chocolate chip cookies now — not in two hours and not tomorrow.
Goals:
I took a pole on Instagram before making these cookies to see what you guys all valued when it comes to ‘easy’ chocolate chip cookies. So these are the goals:
- Quick & Easy: by that I mean, NO MIXERS and NO CHILL TIME! Because I don’t know about you but when I want a cookie, I don’t want it tomorrow, I want it now lol.
- Small-Batch: I guess small-batch can mean different things to different people but I think 8 small cookies is a small enough batch to me…
- No awkward amounts of ingredients: aka, you guys were very anti “one egg yolk” or “⅔ cup flour + 1 Tbsp” LOL, which I love because I am too.
- Chocolate Chips AND/OR Baking Chocolate: sometimes a great cookie recipe is only great if you make it exactly as listed but the point of these cookies is to be accommodating, easy and convenient.
How To Make Cookies In Under 30 Minutes
This recipe is intentionally simple, but the texture is still impressive because the dough is balanced to bake right away without chilling.
There are no weird ingredients here — just the main characters of a classic chocolate chip cookie: butter, sugar, vanilla, egg, flour, leavening, salt, and chocolate.
Of course, you can take your pick with what kind of chocolate to use, but my favorite is dark chocolate.
- Melt the butter – this is more important than it sounds because we’re just lightly melting the butter. Don’t make it super hot because then your cookie dough will be too loose. If you do, let it cool (put in the fridge for a few minutes).
- Mix in the sugar and vanilla just until they’re combined.
- Add in the egg and whisk vigorously until the mixture is completely smooth and has lightened in color.
- Fold in the flour, baking powder and salt just until there’s only a few streaks left.
- Fold in the chocolate chips just until they’re evenly distributed.
- Scoop the dough into 2 ounce cookie dough balls – they won’t be stiff but they shouldn’t be runny either.
- Bake for 8ish minutes, remove from the oven, tap the pan on the counter to deflate them a bit, use a round cookie cutter to scoot them around and make them round and return to the oven for another couple of minutes or until the edges are starting to get golden.
- The cookies are done when the edges are golden brown and the center is no longer wet but still looks a little doughy. Remove from the oven and repeat the tap and scooting, followed by a sprinkle of flaky sea salt. Let them rest on the pan for about 5 minutes to set.
A Note On The Chocolate
I tested these cookies with different types of chocolate. You can use chocolate chips or baking chocolate chopped up but just expect slightly different results.
Chocolate chips give the cookies a little more structure and that nostalgic chocolate-chip-cookie bite because they hold their shape instead of melting fully into the dough.
If you’re using a chopped chocolate bar, the chocolate melts more fluidly and allows the cookies to spread a little more than chocolate chips. It works just as well, just depends on what you’re looking for. This cookie will take longer to set when it’s cooling though.
Troubleshooting
Cookies spread too much:
- the butter was too hot when mixed with the rest of the ingredients. Refrigerate the butter for a few minutes or refrigerate the whole cookie dough for a few minutes, just to help it set up a bit.
- Don’t put cookie dough on a warm pan, make sure to cool any pan before baking another round.
Cookies didn’t spread and are too thick or cakey:
- Too much flour – since this is a small batch, even a little extra flour can make a big difference. I HIGHLY recommend a digital scale for measuring dry ingredients.
- The dough rested too long. This isn’t necessarily bad, but the flour will continue to hydrate as the dough sits, so the cookies may bake thicker. If the dough has rested for a while, I like to lower the oven temperature slightly and make sure to bang the pan halfway through baking to help them spread.
- Don’t skip the banging on the counter halfway through baking – it kind of breaks the structure of the cookie a little before it finishes baking.
- Reduce oven temperature – My oven runs hot on the bottom, so I usually bake these on convection at 325°F (163°C). In other ovens, I’ve baked them at 350°F (177°C). Since every oven is different, I recommend using an oven thermometer and baking one test cookie first if you’re unsure.
- Usually from butter being too hot or the dough not being mixed enough before adding the flour. The butter should be just melted, not hot and separated. After adding the egg, the mixture should look smooth and a little lighter in color before the dry ingredients go in.
Dough is too loose/runny:
- The butter was likely too warm when the dough was mixed. The dough should be softer than chilled cookie dough, but it should still stay in place when scooped. If it looks runny, chill it for 5–10 minutes before baking.
Serving & Storing
Of course cookies are best served warm but I promise this is the best protocol: if they’re baked until lightly golden and the centers are no longer wet but still look a little doughy, then let them cool on the pan for 5-10 minutes and you’ll have the perfect gooey cookie with crisp edges and a center that’s set, not raw.
The cookies are best stored in your belly… lol. Ok, jokes aside, just place them in a ziplock bag and keep them at room temperature 3-4 days. They obviously will dry out a little more day by day but I just pop in the microwave for like 5-10 seconds before eating.
For More Cookie Emergencies
This is my quick, no-chill, small batch chocolate chip cookie — the one I make when I want warm cookies right now without making a full batch. But because cookie emergencies come in many forms, here’s where I’d go next:
If you want the big, dramatic, bakery-style moment, make my Bakery-Style Chocolate Chip Cookies or my Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies.
If you want this same easy dough in a different flavor, try my White Chocolate Strawberry Cookies, Cookies & Cream Cookies, or Small-Batch Chocolate Cookies.
If you have extra egg yolks sitting in the fridge, make my Egg Yolk Cookies or Pistachio Cookies. If you have extra egg whites, make my Egg White Cookies.
As always, thank you for being here and if you have any questions just comment down below. I would also appreciate a 5-star rating or review, if you enjoyed these cookies.
Have a blessed day and happy baking!
Love, B
The cookie “dough” was not a dough at all, instead, it was a runny mess. I let it refrigerate for about an hour to see if that would help. I knew it didn’t help but cooked it anyways. I think “1 cup flour” should be at least 2. Very disappointed with my big cookie mess 🙁
Hi Kylee,
I’m so sorry that happened—the dough definitely shouldn’t be runny, especially after chilling. Sometimes a small tweak in measurements can make a big difference. I’d be happy to help troubleshoot and get it working perfectly for you next time!
xx,
B
Love these cookies! I used dark brown sugar and an extra-large egg since that’s what was on hand, and followed all measurements and instructions as written. They turned out beautifully and oh so scrumptious!
The cookies tasted very good, but I was not a fan of how cakey they came out. I definitely enjoyed the small batch idea and I would probably make it again because they were convienient. I just wished the texture was closer to a cookie not a pancake.
These cookies are delicious and the perfect amount. Mine did puff up quite a bit. Have others gotten results like the photos?
Make sure to tap the tray on the counter when you take it out the oven, you can do this halfway through baking too if you want them to be less puffy!
This is a good and simple chocolate chip cookie recipe! I think it might be one of my favorites now. The cookies came out thick which I love, I don’t like flat cookies. They weren’t overly sweet which I also love. They had the perfect amount of sweetness. I didn’t have regular chocolate chips or chopped chocolate so I used mini chips. Still turned out great. I will definitely use this recipe again!
Incredible cookie! We live near Denver and it’s been so hard to find a good cookie recipe that won’t go flat! I doubled the recipe which made 16 larger cookies!
I followed this recipe verbatim and while they aren’t the prettiest cookies they taste amazing and everyone in my house was happy with them. I actually only used 3oz of chocolate because it’s all I had on hand but it was dark chocolate sea salt and it is perfect with the sweet base. I agree with the now sentiment and believe the cookies would be prettier if I had chilled the batter, even just a few minutes. Definitely printing out this recipe.
I would like to know if I can replace the regular butter for ghee? Thanks
Hi, I haven’t tried it but I don’t see why not
Literally the best cookies ever! Loved them, they were so delicious! And they were so easy to make. Will definitely be making these again! Highly recommend!