Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies are perfect for smaller families or those moments when you just want a warm, chewy chocolate chip cookie without leftovers tempting you for days.
Have you ever just needed a cookie, but didn't want the responsibility of restraining yourself from an entire batch, sitting on your countertop, inviting you to eat the whole lot? I find myself in that situation often. The cookie craving strikes and while 1 or 2 might be ok, having a full batch of 24 hanging around is just too dangerous for me. That's why I love small batch recipes - they're the perfect amount when your sweet tooth starts making a stink, but won't break the calorie bank (especially when the rest of your family is there to help you gobble them up).
I find myself making this easy recipe for small batch chocolate chip cookies a lot. And, if you really only want one or two, it's easy to freeze the rest of the dough, and then just pop a bit off to bake when you're in the mood. Diet crisis averted! (And really, there is NOTHING like a warm chocolate chip cookie, straight out of the oven.)
In This Post
Why This Recipe Works
- Easy. I have other chocolate chip cookie recipes on my site that involve different types of flours, or longer chill times, but this one is super simple, using everyday ingredients like purpose flour, eggs, and vanilla extract. These perfect chocolate chip cookies come together in a snap, requiring absolutely no chill time and a short baking time.
- Delicious. These are truly the best chocolate chip cookies if you're looking for chewy cookies with golden brown and crisp edges. If a classic batch of cookies is what you're after, this is it.
- Just the right size. These easy small batch chocolate chip cookies make just the right amount for your cookie craving.
- Easy to double. While I love making a half batch of chocolate chip cookies, you could also double the recipe for a larger crowd, or, freeze half the dough for an easy cookie session later on. An easy hack: roll the cookie dough into a log, freeze it, then just cut off a couple at a time when you want one. You can bake them straight from frozen! (Although you'll probably need to add just a couple of minutes to the baking time.)
Key Ingredients
As I said before, this small batch chocolate chip cookie recipe uses simple ingredients to make the best cookies. Here's what you'll need.
- All-purpose flour. The foundation of our cookies, giving them structure and chewiness.
- Baking soda & baking powder. These leavening agents help our cookies rise to the perfect texture.
- Salted butter & sugars. A mix of white sugar and light brown sugar with butter creates a rich, caramel-like flavor.
- Pure vanilla extract. A dash of vanilla enhances the flavor profile of our cookies.
- A whole egg. Binds the ingredients together and adds moisture.
- Chocolate chips. The star of the show! For this recipe, I used chocolate chunks because I love the bigger puddles of chocolate they produce in the cookies. I also used a few mini chocolate chips at the end of baking to add to the appearance of the cookies.
How To Make Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies
Making these deliciously chewy cookies is easy. These small batch cookies come together quickly - you'll be washing them down with a big glass of milk in no time!
- Preparation. Start by preheating your oven to 375 degrees F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix dry ingredients. In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Be careful not to add too much flour, which can make the cookie crumbly and dry.
- Cream butter and sugars. In a separate bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the softened, room-temperature butter with granulated and brown sugar until well combined. (I just used a hand mixer to make this easier and it works fine - I didn't feel like pulling my huge Kitchen-Aid out!)
- Add egg and vanilla. Mix the egg and vanilla extract into the butter/sugar mixture.
- Combine wet and dry ingredients. Gradually add your dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined.
- Stir in the chocolate chips. Fold in the chocolate chips or chunks, ensuring they're evenly distributed.
- Shape the cookies. Roll the chocolate chip cookie dough into small balls of dough (about 1.5 inches in diameter) and place them on your baking sheet. A cookie scoop makes this a lot easier!
- Bake. Put them in the oven for about 8 minutes or until they turn golden brown.
- Add extra chocolate chips. This step is optional, but it makes your cookies look pretty. Immediately after taking the cookies out of the oven, press a few extra chocolate chips into the top while the cookie is still soft (it will continue to firm up as it cools). I used mini chocolate chips for this but you can use whatever kind you wish.
- Cool. Let the cookies rest on the hot cookie sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Variations and Substitutions
One of my favorite things about these small-batch chocolate chip cookies is that while they're great on their own, they are also sort of a blank slate and you can customize them in loads of ways to change them up. Here are a few ideas.
- Use brown butter. For a nuttier flavor, use brown butter instead of regular butter. This takes just an extra step (you have to brown the butter in a pan for a few minutes), but oh man, the result is worth it! Brown butter chocolate chip cookies are incredible.
- Different sugars. This recipe calls for light brown sugar, but if you only have dark brown sugar that will work too, and will give you a deeper molasses flavor.
- Change the chocolate.I used classic semi-sweet chocolate in this recipe, but you could change it up to use milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate chips, or any other kind you prefer.
- Add extra chocolate. Feel free to add extra chocolate chips or chunks for plenty of chocolate in each bite.
- Other add-ins. These classic cookies go great with lots of other add-ins. Try nuts (Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies are a FAVE!) dried cranberries, toffee pieces, or peanut butter chips for a delicious variation on this small batch of chocolate chip cookies. You could also add some cocoa powder to the flour mixture to make these chocolate-chocolate chip cookies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can use unsalted butter. Just add a pinch more salt to the dry ingredients.
There's no need for chill time with this recipe. However, if you prefer, chilling the dough for 30 minutes can enhance the flavors.
Absolutely! Shape the cookie dough balls and flash freeze them on a baking sheet before transferring them to a freezer bag. The frozen cookie dough can be baked straight from frozen, just add an extra 2-3 minutes to the bake time.
For accuracy, spoon the flour into a measuring cup and level it off with a knife. Do not scoop the flour directly from the container. You can also use a kitchen scale if you want to be really exact (although I'm usually too lazy to pull that out!)
For a good chewy cookie, do not overbake them. Remove them from the oven when they're just golden brown and let them continue to cook on the hot baking sheet. This will result in the perfect cookie with a gooey and chewy center and a crispy outer edge.
Yes, you can. Just reduce the baking temperature by 25 degrees F and keep an eye on them as they may bake a bit faster.
Easy! Just double the recipe to make a full 24 cookies. I often do this, even if I only plan on making a small batch, then I put the cookie dough in a ziplock bag in the freezer and just use it later when I get the urge to make these chewy chocolate chip cookies.
This small batch chocolate chip cookies recipe is a fantastic way to enjoy homemade chocolate chip cookies without the commitment of a full batch. With crisp edges, chewy centers, and plenty of chocolate, they're the perfect cookie recipe to satisfy your next cookie craving.
If you make these irresistible cookies, let me know what you think in the comments below. And don't forget to tag me @frontrangefed on Instagram so I can see your masterpiece!
More Easy Cookie Recipes
- Lemon Ricotta Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Marshmallow Cookies
- Snickerdoodle Cookies
- Soft Ginger Molasses Cookies
- Soft Pumpkin Cookies With Cream Cheese Icing
- Soft Sugar Cookie Recipe
- The New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
- Best Chewy Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies
- Mexican Wedding Cookies
Recipe
Best Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ⅓ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅓ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup salted butter softened
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup chocolate chunks or chips (plus more for decorating at the end - optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a slip mat.
- Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt to a large bowl.
- Using a stand mixer or a hand mixer, cream the butter and sugars together until well combined. Add the egg and vanilla and beat lightly until well incorporated.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and stir until just combined (don’t overmix!).
- Add the chocolate chips or chunks and mix well.
- Roll the cookie dough into small 1.5-inch balls and place them evenly onto the baking sheet. (These will spread slightly while baking so be sure not to overcrowd the pan. I do just 6 at a time on 1 sheet.)
- Bake the cookies for about 8 minutes and remove them from the oven. (Cookies should be just slightly brown.)
- Optional: Immediately after taking the cookies out of the oven, press a few extra chocolate chips into the cookie dough for a nice appearance.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
- This recipe makes 12 medium-sized cookies. To make a full batch (about 24 cookies), simply double the recipe.
- Be careful not to overbake the cookies. They will still be very soft when you take them out of the oven, but will firm up as they cool. Watch them closely and as soon as they start turning a light golden brown color, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool on the hot pan, then finish cooling on a wire rack. Be patient!
- Freeze unused cookie dough in a ziplock bag. Cookie dough can be baked from frozen by adding just a couple of minutes to the baking time.
- These cookies are medium-sized and I made 6 on a pan. Feel free to make large cookies and cook them four to a pan if desired.
- Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 6 days. Baked cookies or cookie dough will keep in the freezer for 3 months.
Brittany says
My new favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe! One batch made 24 regular sized cookies for me. I did 10 minutes. They’re so delicious and perfect. My family loved them! Also, am I the only one without a 1/3tsp measuring spoon? I just heaped 1/4. Don’t tell JoJo Gaines but these are ranking higher in our household now over her recipe.
Sarah Jenkins says
Thanks Brittany!!
Megan says
Well I made them and now I have to make them again. So tasty!
Toni says
Turned out yummy! I've been trying out choco chip cookies recipe and this one is my favorite! Me and my kids love it!
Sarah Jenkins says
Thanks Toni!
Gwen says
I ran out of chocolate chips so I substituted M&M's. These were really good and it was nice to have a small batch since the kids aren't living with us anymore!
Pearl says
I love how simple and easy this recipe is. They were chewy and I loved the crisp edges. The mix of chocolate chunks and mini chips was perfect.
Chelsea says
So chewy and delicious! Using chocolate chunks instead of chips was brilliant! I'm definitely going to try this again!
Sarah Jenkins says
Thanks Chelsea!
Eyvonne says
Oh my goodness! These cookies are so good. It may be my oven but I had to give them an extra 2 minutes.
Sarah Jenkins says
Thanks Eyvonne! Glad you liked them!
Marin says
YUM!! These were so easy. Chewy and so chocolatey! I loved the small batch - perfect for satisfying my sweet tooth without destroying my diet!