Chocolate chip sugar cookies exude everything you love about soft, chewy sugar cookies, plus the added bonus of mini chocolate chips! These little bites are just as easy to make as any cookie recipe, and even easier to love thanks to their pillowy centers and sugar-coated exteriors. The mini chocolate chips scattered throughout will convince anyone resisting the urge for one of these indulgent treats.
Ingredients for Chocolate Chip Sugar Cookies
- Butter: There is a lot of butter in this recipe, so it’s important to use a high-quality, great-tasting butter. You’ll really be able to taste it! Our Test Kitchen pros have put together a list of their favorite butter brands for this exact purpose.
- Egg: Bring your egg to room temperature so it blends in with the dough better. Simply submerge one egg in warm (not hot!) water for 10 minutes, and you’re good to go.
- All-purpose flour: A combination of both hard and soft gluten, all-purpose flour gives cookies stability and structure while keeping a soft, tender crumb. It’s especially important for sugar cookies, which are supposed to have a characteristically delicate, pillowy bite.
- Mini chocolate chips: Mini chocolate chips disperse really well in this cookie dough. They also maintain the cookies’ rounded shape better than regular-sized chocolate chips would.
Directions
Step 1: Create the dough
Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, use a hand mixer or stand mixer to cream the butter and 1 cup sugar together until they’re light and fluffy, five to seven minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla.
In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Gradually beat the flour mixture into the butter mixture just until combined.
Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is incorporated, then fold in the chocolate chips.
Step 2: Shape into balls, and coat in sugar
Place the remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a shallow bowl. Pinch off enough dough to roll into a 1-inch ball, then roll the ball in the sugar to coat it completely. Repeat this process with the rest of the dough. Arrange the balls 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.
Editor’s Tip: Portion out the dough with a cookie scoop for consistency and ease.
Step 3: Bake
Bake the cookies until the edges are very lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the sugar cookies from the pans and onto wire racks to cool.
Editor’s Tip: One of our best tips for sugar cookies is to keep an eye on the clock. Overbaking them breaks the promise of soft, chewy sugar cookies, so start with the lowest time recommended. They should still be slightly soft and pliable once they’re out of the oven, and they’ll firm up a bit once cooled.
Recipe Variations
- Use your favorite chocolate chips: Swap out the mini chocolate chips for your fave regular-sized ones. Milk, dark and semisweet all work here. Or use M&Ms minis!
- Make them pink: Omit the mini chocolate chips, and use the bright-pink, vibrant ruby chocolate. This ivory-colored sugar cookie makes a lovely backdrop for the pink hue to shine. These would be perfect for baby showers, birthday parties and bachelorette parties.
- Add nuts: If you’re a texture person, we recommend a crunchy element in these otherwise incredibly soft, pillowy cookies. Nuts are your best bet, so chop up a handful of almonds, pecans, hazelnuts or pistachios, and fold them into the cookie dough with the chocolate chips.
- Make the viral version: A completely different cookie bearing the same name, this viral cookie hack starts with raw chocolate chip cookie dough that’s scooped into balls, then a seasonal Pillsbury Christmas or Halloween sugar cookie is placed in the center of each dough ball. Once baked, you’re left with a fun chocolate chip and sugar cookie double-cookie.
How to Store Chocolate Chip Sugar Cookies
Cool the cookies completely to room temperature, then store them on the counter in an airtight container (here are our favorite cookie storage containers). To keep the cookies soft and chewy, store a slice of bread in the container, too. The bread creates moisture, which softens the cookies and prevents them from getting crispy over time.
Chocolate Chip Sugar Cookies Tips
How are these cookies different from regular chocolate chip cookies?
A classic chocolate chip cookie recipe contains both granulated sugar and brown sugar, whereas a classic sugar cookie recipe uses only granulated sugar. Brown sugar adds moisture, depth of flavor and a darker color. Granulated sugar adds sweetness and crisping power. Since we only use granulated sugar here, the cookies are paler than chocolate chip cookies, but the leavening agents overpower the granulated sugar’s crisping power, keeping these light, fluffy and pleasantly sweet.
Why are my cookies flat?
There are plenty of reasons why cookies turn out flat. To avoid flat cookies, make sure to cream your butter and sugar until pale yellow and fluffy. This usually takes five to seven minutes on medium speed. Doing this properly adds air and structure to the dough. If your cookies are still turning out flat while baking, refrigerate the unbaked dough balls for 10 to 15 minutes before baking to prevent excessive spreading.
