Just 4 Chocolate Chip Cookies
Just 4 Chocolate Chip Cookies

Just 4 Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recipe by David Turner
26 Reviews 4.6 out of 5 stars

King Arthur 2020 Recipe of the Year

Here’s the situation: You want chocolate chip cookies and you want them now. There’s no occasion, there’s no company, and there's no room in your freezer for bags of dough. And here’s the solution: small-batch chocolate chip cookies. This recipe makes four perfectly sized chocolate chip cookies that are crisp around the edges, soft in the center, and ready in 30 minutes. Whether you’re minimizing leftovers, baking for a small household, or running low on ingredients, this recipe is right for you.

This recipe was one of our Bake of the Week features for November 2024.

Prep
7 mins
Bake
12 to 14 mins
Total
20 mins
Yield
four 3 1/2" cookies
Save Recipe
Just 4 Chocolate Chip Cookies - select to zoom
Just 4 Chocolate Chip Cookies - select to zoom
Just 4 Chocolate Chip Cookies - select to zoom
Just 4 Chocolate Chip Cookies - select to zoom

Instructions

Prevent your screen from going dark as you follow along.

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the center. Line a baking sheet with parchment or lightly grease. 

  2. In a medium bowl, vigorously beat together the brown sugar and butter until fluffy, about 1 minute. Beat in the egg yolk and vanilla until thoroughly combined. 

  3. Add the salt and baking soda to the bowl, stirring to fully incorporate. Weigh your flour; or measure it by gently spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess. Add the flour to the bowl and stir until almost combined (a few streaks are OK).  

  4. Add the chocolate chips and stir just until incorporated and no floury streaks remain. 

  5. Scoop the dough into generous 2-tablespoon portions (about 55g each); a jumbo cookie scoop is a helpful tool here. Place them, evenly spaced, on the prepared baking sheet.  

  6. Bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes, or until the edges are just beginning to turn golden brown but the centers still look slightly underbaked. Cool cookies completely on the pan. 

  7. Store any leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for several days. 

Tips from our Bakers

  • Feeling nutty? Add up to 1/4 cup (29g) chopped pecans or walnuts when adding the chocolate chips. Bake as directed. 

  • For flatter, crisper chocolate chip cookies, use the flat bottom of a drinking glass, lightly greased, to flatten the scooped dough to 1/2" tall before baking. Bake as directed. 

Baker’s Resources