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Easy Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies (Ready in 20!)

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These Chocolate Chip Cookies have changed all my beliefs about chocolate chip cookies. They are ready in 20 minutes, no chilling required, and are actually good: crispy edges, chewy and fudgy centers, and loaded with chocolate. And trust me - this means a lot coming from me as I've always maintained that chilling cookie dough is non-negotiable! But I designed this recipe to break that rule for those of us who don't want to wait 😉 Taking inspiration from blondies, these cookies have a small amount of milk powder for a nutty, caramelized flavor. They're made with melted butter (no need to soften) and come together in minutes without a mixer. I honestly can't think of any reason NOT to make them!

A stack of chocolate chip cookies on a cooling rack, with the top cookie missing a bite. Melted chocolate chips are visible on the cookies.

Why these cookies don't need chilling

It's a known fact that every cookie is better after chilling the cookie dough (I even share a side by side comparison in my brown butter chocolate chip cookie recipe). But I really wanted to develop a no chill recipe as I know sometimes we want a quick cookie fix. The first few tests turned out dry, soft and cakey - but I finally had my "aha" moment: blondies! Blondies and brownies turn out fudgy and chewy without chilling. After 12+ tests, I finally nailed it and here's how:

  • Melted butter instead of softened. This helps achieve a richer, denser texture that's less likely to feel cakey (not to mention, no need to wait!)
  • Very high butter to flour ratio. It might seem counterintuitive, but these cookies have much less flour than most cookie recipes so they don't feel as dry
  • Brown sugar only. Brown sugar results in a chewier texture than white, and while normally I mix both, here I did brown only to maximize the texture benefit
  • Very little raising agent. Unlike most cookie recipes, these have only ¼ teaspoon of baking powder, and no baking soda. That's because they spread on their own due to the high butter content, and we want them to be dense and fudgy instead of puffy
  • Milk powder. A simple ingredient that does so much work! It adds more milk solids to the cookies, which undergo the maillard reaction to get caramelized. This adds a lot of flavor depth to the cookies which is otherwise hard to achieve without chilling the dough
A stack of gooey chewy chocolate chip cookies, broken in half to show melted chocolate, sits on a wire cooling rack.

Chocolate chips over chopped chocolate

Another fun way this recipe breaks the rules? I recommend using chocolate chips, NOT chopped chocolate for them! Chopped chocolate is fantastic in chilled cookie recipes, such as my brown butter cookies or red velvet cookies - it melts more readily and creates delicious pools of chocolate. However, a no chill cookie is prone to spreading a lot more, and chopped chocolate which melts in the oven makes them spread a little too much. So for this one, I highly recommend using chocolate chips instead! I use these Callebaut milk chocolate and dark chocolate callets - they're shaped like chips, but taste better 😉

Step by step photos

Let's quickly go over the steps with photos to help you visualize this recipe!

A glass bowl with thick brown mixture of sugar and butter being whisked, placed on a wooden surface.
Whisk together the melted butter and brown sugar until smooth.
A glass bowl on a wooden surface holds eggs, milk powder, and wet ingredients being mixed with a metal whisk.
Add the egg, egg yolk and milk powder.
A glass bowl filled with light brown mixture of butter, sugar and egg sits on a wooden surface. A metal whisk with a copper handle rests inside the bowl, partially coated with the mixture.
Whisk until combined.
A glass bowl of light brown batter with a whisk and some baking powder and salt on top, sits on a wooden surface.
Mix in the salt and baking powder so they disperse evenly.
A glass bowl filled with chocolate chip cookie dough and a red spatula resting on the side, sitting on a wooden surface.
Lastly, fold in the flour and chocolate chips until just combined - taking care not to over-mix. The cookie dough will be a bit on the softer side!
Four unbaked chocolate chip cookie dough mounds are spaced apart on a parchment-lined metal baking sheet, resting on a light-colored countertop.
Scoop the cookie dough onto your lined baking sheet - keeping at least 2" of space between them.
Four chocolate chip cookies on brown parchment paper atop a metal baking sheet, resting on a light-colored countertop.
Bake until the cookies have light golden edges.
A hand holding a round metal cutter shapes a chocolate chip cookie on a parchment-lined baking tray with three other cookies.
While hot, use a 4" cake ring (or a similar round object from your kitchen) to "scoot" the cookies into perfect circles.

How to tell when they're done baking

You have to be very careful baking these cookies! Because of the high butter quantity in them, they can burn easily on the bottom. Use a light colored baking sheet, and bake only until the edges take on a light golden color. Remove them from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet. They might look underdone in the middle, but will cook through from the remaining heat of the sheet, and develop a light golden color. If they start to look dark golden on the bottom, pull the parchment off the baking sheet so they don't overcook.

If in doubt, it's always a good idea to bake one test cookie first to know exactly how long you need to bake in your oven

Press in more chocolate chips, sprinkle over flaky sea salt, let the cookies cool, and enjoy!

Six chocolate chip cookies cool on a wire rack. The cookies are golden brown with visible chocolate chips and have a slightly crisp edge. The rack sits on a lightly textured, light-colored surface.

Zoha's tips to perfect these cookies

  1. The quality of the butter makes a difference! If possible, use European style butter with higher fat content, such as KerryGold or Danish Creamery
  2. Weigh out the ingredients with a kitchen scale instead of using measuring cups. It's common to stuff too much flour into a measuring cup, which will make the cookies dry
  3. The butter shouldn't be hot! Microwave only until just melted
  4. The cookie dough will be on the softer side. However, if it feels runny/batter like, it might be because your butter was too warm. In that case, let it rest for 5-10 minutes and it should thicken up
  5. Don't overcrowd your baking sheets! I use 1 18"x13" sheet pan and 1 9"x13" sheet pan for these cookies. If both pans can't fit in your oven in one rack, I recommend baking one batch at a time
  6. Use a cake ring or cookie cutter to shape the cookies while they're still hot. Place it on top of a cookie and "scoot" it in circles to make the cookies smaller and circular. This is a trick many bakeries use to perfect cookies!
  7. To make the cookies extra pretty, press in chocolate chips after baking, while they're still hot. They will melt from the heat and look really inviting
Print
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A stack of gooey chewy chocolate chip cookies, broken in half to show melted chocolate, sits on a wire cooling rack.

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies (No Chill!)

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  • Author: Zoha Malik
  • Total Time: 18 minutes
  • Yield: 12 cookies
Print Recipe

Description

Gooey chocolate chip cookies with crispy edges and chewy centers. No chilling, no mixer, and milk powder for a toasty caramelized flavor!

Ingredients

  • 10 tbsp unsalted butter (140g) - I recommend KerryGold or another European style butter
  • 1 cup light brown sugar, packed (200g)
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 2 tbsp whole milk powder (12g)
  • ¾ tsp salt - if you want to sprinkle flaky sea salt on the cookies at the end, reduce salt in the cookie dough to ½ tsp
  • ¼ tsp baking powder
  • 1 ⅓ cup all purpose flour (173g)
  • 4 oz dark chocolate chips (113g)
  • 4 oz milk chocolate chips (113g)

Instructions

  1. Pre-heat your oven to 365F (conventional, no fan) and prepare your light-colored baking sheets with parchment paper. I use 1 18"x13" sheet pan and 1 9"x13" sheet pan (or 2 18x13 pans) to ensure my cookies aren't placed too close together. I recommend baking the cookies on the middle rack of your oven. If both sheets can't fit at once, you can bake them one at a time
  2. Add the butter to a microwave safe bowl, and melt in the microwave in 15 second increments until it's just melted. The butter should be warm, not hot!
  3. Add the brown sugar to the melted butter, and whisk for 20-30 seconds with a hand whisk until smooth
  4. Add the egg and egg yolk, as well as the whole milk powder. Whisk until the ingredients are combined
  5. Whisk in the salt and baking powder to ensure they are evenly dispersed. Do not over-mix
  6. Lastly, sift in the flour and add the chocolate chips. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold the flour and chocolate into the wet ingredients and stop folding as soon as the ingredients are combined and no more streaks of flour remain. Do not over-mix
  7. The cookie dough will feel soft, kind of like a thick brownie batter. If it feels too soft/runny, likely due to your kitchen or butter being too warm, let it rest for ~5 minutes or so and it will thicken up
  8. Use a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop the cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheets. Keep 2-3" of space between the cookies. You should have 12 cookies total, each cookie weighing around 65g
  9. Bake in the pre-heated oven, in the middle rack, for ~8 minutes until the edges look light golden. Do not over bake - these cookies can burn easily on the bottom!
  10. Remove from the oven, and use a 4" cake ring or cookie cutter to "scoot" the cookies into perfect circles. Sprinkle over flaky sea salt if desired, and press in more chocolate chips. The cookies will look really soft in the middle at first, but will set as they cool on the baking sheet
  11. Serve & enjoy!

Video tutorial:

Notes

  • Chocolate: If you can't find dark chocolate and milk chocolate chips, you can replace them with 8oz of semi-sweet chocolate chips instead
  • Storage: Store the baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. They are best eaten fresh, though!
  • Chilling / make ahead: If you want to chill the cookie dough, you can do so after scooping the cookies, and bake directly from the fridge. However, chilled cookies will take longer to bake. For cookie dough that has been chilled overnight, I recommend baking at 360F for around 9 minutes or until the edges are light golden. Remove from the oven and bang the pan on the counter a few times to flatten the cookies, then let them cool on the pan
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 8 minutes
  • Category: Cookies, Dessert
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American

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