Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

Everyone prefers their cookies different ways. You might like delicate, crunchy cookies, or chewy and soft chocolate chip cookies. Some people make a recipe and bake cookies intending to make a certain texture, and others get a result they didn't expect.

Following a recipe will not ensure that you get the cookie type you want. There are different tips you need to follow while you are making the dough and baking the cookies in order to get the texture you want. If you want soft chocolate chip cookies, give the following tips a try.

Use a Great Recipe

Follow this great chocolate chip cookie recipe if you want to make cookies that taste delicious. It is the recipe that I use every time. As long as I follow the recipe correctly and follow these tips, I always get the soft chocolate chip cookies that I am after.

Mix it Thoroughly, but Not Too Much

If the dough isn't mixed thoroughly at each stage, you will end up with lumps. Lumps of butter will melt and cause flat, crunch spots. Plus, there won't be enough butter in the rest of the dough resulting in hard cookies and not soft chocolate chip cookies.

At the same time, don't over-beat the batter. When you mix the sugar in with the butter, you want to beat it enough to get out the lumps of butter and sugar and to make it fluffy. When you add in the eggs, they just need to be incorporated. If you mix it too much at this stage, the batter will have too much air and the cookies will be fat and cake-like. This is the opposite of a soft texture. They don't taste as good either.

Chill

Many people skip this step, but I always find the chocolate chip cookies come out softer when are chill the dough. Use softened butter, but put the finished dough in the refrigerator for at least 1 to 2 hours. Chilling overnight will ensure that it is thoroughly chilled. You can also freeze the dough, but leave it in the refrigerator overnight so that it defrosts before you use it. Also, put the dough back in the fridge in between batches.

Bake it Right

When you put the dough on the cookie sheets, make sure the sheets are not warm. At first, they won't be, but when they've been used, let the cool completely before putting on the next batching. Chilling them is even better. They won't be warm at all. Warm pan makes the dough melt and spread out before they hit the oven causing thin edges.

Don't over-bake the cookies. Some people think the cookies have to be super golden brown before they are done. For soft chocolate chip cookies, this is the exact opposite of what you want. They should be lightly golden brown. They shouldn't look doughy, but they should be just browned. 8 to 10 minutes for a 1 inch cookie is usually plenty of baking time for most ovens. If you over-bake the cookie, once they are cooled, they will be very hard and crunchy.