Simple Chocolate Chip Cookie Ingredients

Simple chocolate chip cookie ingredients you can add nuts to or make into a sandwich. With homemade buttercream frosting inside and sprinkles, they’re the best holiday dessert.

What are the best chocolate chips to make cookies?

You can use any brand you like, there are quite a few out there. Nestle Tollhouse, Hersheys and Ghirardelli are popular and every grocery store tends to have their own brand. The latter is usually the cheapest unless there is a sale. When that happens, usually around the holidays, I bulk up. Semi sweet are my favorites and I like the mini versions the best.

Reason being as far as I am concerned is you get more chocolate throughout your baked goods so you get a few in every bite. The expiration is quite long too so even if I buy a dozen bags they have never expired the way we bake at home.

What are the basic ingredients used in all cookie types?

Flour, baking soda, a pinch of salt, softened butter, white sugar, brown sugar, eggs and most insist on a splash of vanilla extract makes a basic cookie. From there you can add any and all add in ingredients you like to add texture and flavor to the basics.

You can add any type of chips you want to these or our chewy double chocolate chip cookies recipe. There are so many different types out there, you could even mix and match them like this!

What can you add to cookies to make them better?

• Milk chocolate and peanut butter chips
• Peppermint chips (really crushed candy canes) and milk chocolate chips are great during the holidays
• Butterscotch chips and white chips are delicious together
• Crushed nuts are popular
• Raisins or dried cranberries will give it a sweet fruity flavor

Should you mix chocolate chip cookie ingredients with a mixer?

As for mixing you can do it three different ways. Good old fashioned elbow grease works just fine. I got a Kitchen Aid stand mixer years ago and that is incredible. BUT I had a cheap hand mixer for years and that worked just as well as the more expensive version. No matter how you do it you always want to mix the dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately.

After that is smooth you always want to gently fold in your add ins at the very end so they don’t break apart. Do not include those in with the beaters.

This is what you need for the basic cookie batter, then comes how long to bake cookies. 350 is ideal if you want chewy which is what we go for.

Basic Chocolate Chip Cookie Ingredients

1. All purpose flour
2. Baking soda and salt
3. Room temperature butter, softened
4. White sugar
5. Brown sugar
6. Eggs and vanilla extract
7. Baking sheet with parchment paper and measuring cups

What can you use instead of flour to make cookies?

Believe it or not you can make with boxed pancake mix instead if that is all you have. If you want to make these with fewer ingredients follow our Bisquick chocolate chip cookies recipe which means no added leavening agent since that is already incorporated in the yellow box.

How to Make Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is another option. You could try this with half of your batter to see what you think first before going all out. These are kinda’ nice during the holidays when you have long days full of family and sometimes need a pick me up. The only difference is that you’d add 1 Tbsp of espresso powder into the mix for a full recipe, half that for 1/2 of it.

Beyond that you decide what to add into the mix. Crushed walnuts are common beyond your chips of choice.

How to Make Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

Always make sure to measure flour properly aerating it as you measure or they will be dense and not as tender as you want. The #1 most important thing to remember though is to NOT bake them too long. You want them a bit underdone when you take them out. Once the outer rim is starting to crack and middle no longer looks wet, remove. Leave on the baking sheet to cool completely, then they will be gooey.

I cannot stress the baking time enough, that is how you make or break a moist cookie vs. being just okay. Another aspect that helps is butter that is softened to room temperature, not melted butter though. Some swear by shortening instead but I kinda’ feel that is icky so I’d rather use a stick, not margarine either.

The molasses in the brown sugar does help to keep them nice and soft in texture as well.

We use this kitchen hack every single time we bake. From making oatmeal, to these, or the best ever peanut butter cookies. It makes them taste like they’re from a bakery.

If you want to make it “super cute” you can put two together and sandwich them together too! Adding colorful sprinkles just jazz it up even more and are always a huge hit. If you make them this way I would use the smallest cookie scoop because essentially each serving will be double.

How to make chocolate chip cookies from scratch

• First off you want to preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Lay down parchment paper on baking sheets is best, or spray lightly with non stick spray.
• In a large bowl add dry ingredients and mix. Using another with an electric or hand mixer beat butter and sugars until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla, beat until combined.
• Slowly incorporate dry ingredients, and fold in chocolate chips at the very end.
• Use small cookie scoop to scoop up dough into balls rolled with your hands, 1 tsp. balls.
• Place on prepared baking sheet with space between them.
• Bake for 8 minutes until edges are lightly golden browned and very middle is no longer wet but no longer. May take up to 10 depending on their size.

Remove cookie sheet and set on cooling rack to cool completely. Remove cookies when have cooled and stiffened up but still stay super moist and soft. If you want to make them sandwich cookies then you’ll make buttercream and smoosh them together.

How to Make a Chocolate Chip Cookie Sandwich

Yes you could just use a tub of frosting instead if you want to save some time or allow little hands to do it themselves. I like to give little ones a plastic spoon and have them smear it on with the back of the spoon. It is easier to handle and maneuver than a knife.

• If frosting is made from scratch, cream butter and icing sugar until creamy. Then add vanilla and 1 tsp of milk at a time until it is the consistency you want.
  • Thicker is better so it doesn’t drip out. If you want to make these festive Christmas sandwich cookies you could use red and green sprinkles.
• Pour your colors of choice into a shallow dish or bowl and roll. Hold the middle of the sandwich cookie, press down gently so the frosting is at the edge. Dab or roll so they stick on the edges and make them pretty.
• OR you could dip the edge with melted chocolate like we did with our homemade shortbread cookies.

Homemade buttercream frosting

• 1.5 c. icing sugar
• 1/2 c. softened butter
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2-3 tsp. milk, enough to thin it out to your liking

This will take about 30 minutes to finish. I do not find a need to chill the dough before baking but if you want them to keep shape a bit better you can. Use the same dough to cook faster as air fryer cookies too sometime.

How to store leftover cookies

Air is the enemy, remember that. I like using pint sized freezer bags instead of plastic containers for this reason. You can easily suck the air from the inside so they don’t dry out at all this way. If you think you won’t finish them the next day either stick 1/2 slice of bread into the bag so they stay moist longer.

Believe me, it works y’all. It is a bit easier to save if you don’t stuff them either. Instead just make sandwiches one at a time to enjoy and save the frosting for the leftovers on the side. Then spoon in between the next day so they are fresh.