These soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies by Christina Tosi are the fastest homemade cookie recipe I’ve ever made, and they come together in just one bowl, no mixer required. The hit of flaky sea salt really sends them over the top.
Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies
Because it’s Monday. That’s why.
Mondays call for a stiff cup of coffee in the morning and possibly a martini with three olives to cap off the night. But homemade chocolate chip cookies — they’re in order no matter what time of the day.
Last Friday was the official chocolate chip day of the year. But since my sugar rolodex was on hiatus, I missed it. Ironically, I had this chocolate chip cookie recipe ready to rock and roll for today.
I may be a day or two late, but this cookie is FAR from a dollar short. Make that a chocolate chip short. Hardly. Because this baby is PACKED with chips. In fact, the amount of dough pretty much comes secondary to the number of chips, making for an extra rich, soft, chewy chocolate chip cookie with crispy edges.
All I did was add a sprinkle of flaky salt and I have a new favorite.
The chocolate chip cookie can be a point of dissension. Everyone has their favorite: their grandmother’s recipe or that one they used to buy in the mall, and let’s not ignore the recipe cited as the best from the NY Times. But come on, NY Times, when I’m craving a cookie I can’t wait 36 hours to rest in the fridge. I need my fix before my conscience comes to its calorie counting senses.
While I have my family favorite Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie, I’m happy to preheat my oven to try one more. Some stack up, and some don’t. This one though, it’s a keeper.
It comes from Milk Bar Life: Recipes and Stories by Christina Tosi of Momofuku fame. While at the library and leafing through the cookbook, I was immediately drawn to Tosi’s headnote that states, “this cookie is great because you can make it by hand in one bowl, with a wooden spoon, just like the old gals used to do.”
One bowl? No mixer? It truly is as easy as that and the cookie dough is ready to bake in just about 10 minutes flat.
Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies Ingredients
The surprising ingredient in this recipe is powdered nonfat milk. If you don’t use powdered milk often (I know I don’t) Carnation offers it in a small packet that tucks easily into your pantry or drawer. Although, now that my family has been requesting these cookies more and more, I may as well invest in the big box.
I didn’t stray from Tosi’s recipe but did add a sprinkle of flaked salt to the tops of each cookie, highlighting the chocolate flavor even more. If that is even possible.
Besides those two unique additions, these Milk Bar cookies are made with classic ingredients you’d expect to find in any homemade chocolate chip cookie, such as:
- Unsalted butter
- Light brown sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Egg
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Kosher salt
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Chocolate chips
How to Make Chocolate Chip Cookies
The butter is melted first, then mixed by hand into the sugars. You’ll mix it for a good minute or two, and as Tosi suggests, flex your muscles when mixing to result in a glossy sheen after adding the egg and vanilla.
Once your arms have been sufficiently exercised, mix in the dry ingredients followed by the chocolate chips. Scoop the cookie dough into golf ball-sized balls and place on a parchment paper-lined baking tray.
Bake the salted chocolate chip cookies until the edges are golden brown but the middles are still soft.
Is There a Milk Powder Substitute I Can Use?
I’ve only made these salted chocolate chip cookies as written, so I can’t say for sure what a a good substitute for the milk powder would be. However, Food52 has a discussion forum about this very question, so give the answers a read and see what other bakers are saying.
Can I Freeze Chocolate Chip Cookies?
Yes, you can freeze the raw cookie dough (after you’ve shaped it into balls) as well as the baked cookies. You can bake the cookie dough from frozen, but you’ll likely need to add an extra minute or two to the total bake time. And frozen, baked cookies can be reheated in the oven or microwave whenever a cookie craving hits.
Tips for Making the Best Chocolate Chip Cookies
As I mentioned above, this chocolate chip cookie recipe is packed with chips that nearly overtake the batter. The result is a soft and chewy cookie with rich, chocolate flavor. I used semi-sweet chips, but dark chocolate chips or even chunks would be just as decadent. I use a #24 round squeeze handle scoop to divvy out my cookies to the sheet.
I did experiment with this recipe and used browned butter instead of the called for plain melted. But as the butter browned, it also lost moisture and when added to the mix, rendered a dryer batter and hence, a dryer cookie.
It was not the delicious result I’d had the first few times I’d made the recipe. I’ll continue the tweaking and see if I can come up with a solution to share another time. Until then, I’m content to stay just where we are with this one for now. Just figured I’d mention my little experiment if you were thinking of doing the same thing.
Finally, it’s important that you take the cookies out of the oven while the middles still look soft and slightly underbaked. As the cookies cool, the middles will fall a bit, but the residual heat inside the cookies will finish cooking them through. Just trust me on this one, slightly underbaking is the way to go!
More Homemade Cookie Recipes You’ll Love
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- The Best No-Bake Cookies in the World
- Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies
- Chewy Oatmeal Currant Cookies
- Cranberry White Chocolate Chip and Macadamia Nut Cookies
- Loaded Monster Cookies
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment below or take a photo and tag me on Instagram or Twitter with #foodiecrusheats.
Milk Bar's Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies
This is the fastest, homemade chocolate chip cookie I've ever made and comes together in just one bowl, no mixer required. It's a soft and chewy cookie with crispy edges from Milk Bar Life: Recipes and Stories by Christina Tosi.
Ingredients
- ½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and just warm to the touch
- ¾ cup packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons nonfat milk powder
- 1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips*
- 1/4 cup flaked salt
Instructions
-
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
-
With a wooden spoon, mix the sugars together in a large bowl and add the melted butter. Stir vigorously for about a minute or more. Mix the egg and vanilla in the measuring cup you used for the sugar and add to the mixture. Stir until the mix gathers a glossy sheen, about 1 more minute.
-
Mix in the flour, milk powder, salt, baking powder, and baking soda until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips and mix until evenly distributed.
-
Use a #24 squeeze handle scoop to portion the dough (or lightly form into balls about the size of a golf ball) and place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper about 2 to 3 inches apart.
-
Bake for 9-11 minutes or until golden brown around the edges but still soft in the middle. The cookies will fall as they cool. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Recipe Notes
*I used semi-sweet chips, but dark chocolate chips or even chunks would be just as decadent.
More Easy Desserts You’ve Got to Make
- Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread
- Apple Blondies with Cinnamon Almond Streusel
- Classic Fat Witch Dark Chocolate Brownies
- Chocolate-Dipped Coconut Macarons
- Lighter Caramel Seven-Layer Bars
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Kathryn says
I’m all for anything that speeds up the time that it takes for ingredients in my kitchen to become a chocolate chip cookie! Love how packed these here with chocolate and the sprinkling of sea salt just takes it over the top. Definitely making these asap!
Meg @ The Housewife in Training Files says
I can’t imagine more from a cookie than what is right here. Brown butter and sea salt are calling my name!
Liz @ Floating Kitchen says
Oh man. I missed chocolate chip cookie day too. I’m perpetually behind. But no matter. Chocolate chip cookies are deserved everyday of the year in my opinion. These look fantastic, Heidi. I need one right now with my coffee…
Liz @ The Lemon Bowl says
Ok I need to try these – they sound like my idea of the perfect cookie. First I need to find flaked salt. It’s all about the salt in my opinion!
heidi says
Liz, you won’t go back! You can find it at Williams Sonoma or other well heeled baking stores on online at Amazon.
Laura Lee Brennan says
Trader Joe’s is selling a sea salt now as well!
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar says
I can definitely get on board with a quick recipe like this! Yum!!
Alice @ Hip Foodie Mom says
love Momofuko . . and the brilliant Christina Tossi . . baking these!!!
Brian // A Thought For Food says
Without some flakey salt on top, a chocolate chip cookie just doesn’t work for me. Point being: these look totally perfect. And can we talk about that last shot? That’s going to push me over the edge and have me in the kitchen this afternoon baking these beauties.
heidi says
It really does add to the flavor. But then, I love salt.
Sarah | Broma Bakery says
That wrinkly center and golden outer rim is a dead giveaway- these are PERFECT!
nicole ~ Cooking for Keeps says
I’m not even a cookie person per se, but these cookies look PERFECT, and I’d gladly snarf down at least three. The edges are perfectly crisp, but the center looks soft. And of course, the copious amount of chocolate really make these special.
Sara @ Cake Over Steak says
Oh dear. I love a good chocolate chip cookie recipe (especially with flaked salt on top). I do love the ones that require some refrigerating for a day or two, but a recipe is much better in my opinion if it can result in instant cookie gratification, for those moments when you decide you want a homemade chocolate chip cookie RIGHT NOW. Love this. I already had this book on my wish list but I might need to bump it up just for this. Thanks for sharing!
Caroline says
Ohhh these look delicious!! Thanks for posting. (And just FYI: it’s Christina Tosi and Momofuku! <3 )
heidi says
Can I hire you as my copy editor? :) Thank you for the correction, noted and fixed!
Jessica Kelley says
(whispering) it’s not fixed in the actual recipe!
BUT I love your photography of these cookies! way to capture perfection!
kate says
These look amazing! Is it correct to presume that the flaked salt is sprinkled on the cookies when they come out of the oven but are still hot? Or do they need to cool some, but not completely, before putting on the flaked salt?
Thanks!
Suzy says
Did you find out when you put on the flakes salt?
Brenda @ a farmgirl's dabbles says
I’m confident you can’t go wrong with Tosi’s recipes. I love all the things I’ve tried thus far. Now I must make these cookies! I’m intrigued by the use of melted butter and powdered milk, for sure.
Laura (Tutti Dolci) says
Wowza, these are my dream cookies! Love those salted tops!
Kelly says
There is always room for another chocolate chip cookie recipe. I love idea of one bowl and no mixer!
Becca @ The Salted Cookie says
It sounds like I absolutely NEED to make these asap! I also love that I don’t need to bust out my mixer for this. I’ll be trying it tonight :)
corinne says
Hello,
I want those cookies right now! the pictures are gorgeous! I dont have a car to zoom down the grocery store just this moment, so is there anything I can replace the pwd. milk with? :s thanks so much.
Craig Dickey says
Just found your blog. Pretty cool! One thing I read was you have a thing for pens. Weird, me too. If you want a really awesome one look up a Parker 5th. Little pricey, but well worth it.
Can’t wait to try these cookies!!!! Oh yeah following you on Instagram. Keep the recipes coming.
Robin says
Hi, I just had to tell you that I doubled the recipe and found that I needed to add a little extra flour but, these are by far the best chocolate chip cookies that I have ever baked, thank you for posting this recipe! I just can’t believe how perfectly perfect and yummy they are, I don’t think that even having doubled the recipe they will last around here :)
heidi says
Hi Robin, I’ve made them twice just since posting them this week. They are indeed a favorite!
Lorean says
I doubled the recipe as well and ended up having to add a little flour as well! They’re in the oven now! Can’t wait to try them!
Tara says
Hi Robyn,
Thanks for your infomative post! As experience has taught me that some recipes work well the first time, while others need a little tweeking, I ALWAYS read the comments before I decide whether or not to make a recipe–regardless of how alluring the food photography happens to be:) I scroll and scan in search of comments from people who have actually made the recipe as these are by far the most helpful- and try to offer posts which are similarly informative. After reading your post, I’m off to the market to pick up the ingredients for these cookies. I expect they’ll make a perfect after school snack for that post first day of school pow wow with the kiddies!
kelly says
Based on the picture, these look superb, and I plan to try them in my pursuit of the best chocolate chip cookie possible. I wonder however, about the amount of flaked salt involved. I do a lot of baking, including cookies with salt on top, and I can’t imagine 1/4 cup being used. Your yield is 15 cookies ,which I realize would be large, but still, that would mean about a TABLESPOON of salt per cookie! I know that I probably sprinkle about 1/8th to 1/4 tsp. of salt on an individual cookie at the most… and I really like salt. Is this a typo?
heidi says
Hi Kelly, the amount for sprinkling is really just to have on hand. I’ll probably just remove the actual amount and people can sprinkle as they like.
joy says
Lol, well it definitely wouldnt be a Tablespoon per cookie….that would mean there are fifteen Tablespoons in a 1/4 cup . Maybe that was a typo too? …and supposed to be teaspoons? Idk, but either way, they look lovely! I will be making them! Thanks for the recipe!!!
Laura @ Laura's Culinary Adventures says
You don’t need a special day to make and chocolate chip cookies :). Looks delicious!
thefolia says
These look to good to be true! happy baking!
Francesca says
Hi! I’ve made these cookies several times, and I’m writing with a question! The first two times I made them, they baked up perfectly, exactly like in the picture, but in the last three times I’ve made them, they have spread SO much during baking that they end up almost paper thin. Completely different from the first successful attempts. Any ideas as to why? Thanks for your help, love the blog!
heidi says
Oh gosh. You know, baking is tempermental and often has to do with how soft the butter is or how much humidity is in the air. Sorry that happened, but I’d have to say, try them again and see what happens!
Lindsay says
Francesca, I’ve had the same exact problem twice now. I thought it was a fluke the first time, but I made them a second time and once again they spread into flat discs. I even tried chilling the dough in the refrigerator the 2nd time around. My opinion is there needs to be more flour, maybe 2C instead of 1 3/4C. The good news at least they still taste great, but texture could be better so it really amps the chew-factor.
Heather B says
I just made these today and the dough was so goopy, and looked nothing like the photo of dough in the post. I remembered this comment, so I added in an extra 1/4 cup flour. The batter was much better, and the cookies turned out very tasty!
Carrie says
I just used 2 sticks of butter as the recipe calls for, and I think she means 1 stick of butter (1/2c).
Kim says
I’ve made these cookies twice now. The first time I made a double batch, trusting that I would not regret that decision. NO. REGRETS. I couldn’t find a small packet of milk powder so bought a box with three large packets in it. Am happy to have it on hand now because I will be making these a lot! Thanks for sharing this recipe and all of the recipe notes!
Lena Scalercio says
Just wanted to say I made these cookies for a companywide holiday party and they were voted the best dessert out of the entire company! For days people have been telling me how amazing these cookies are and they are the best they have ever had. Thanks so much for the recipe!
Sara says
I made these cookies and they were great. They had tiny white granules from the powdered milk. I could only find instant powdered milk in the store. Did I do something wrong or use the wrong kind of powdered milk?
sovee says
Made these and they were amazing! We also did a batch with half chocolate chip and half caramel bits…SOO GOOD! Thanks for sharing this awesome recipe.
chau taylor says
if i do not have milk powder, how do i sub?
heidi says
I haven’t tried them without the milk powder but here is an article about replacing or not using it http://food52.com/hotline/158-dried-milk-powder-do-you-think-i-can-just-leave-it-out-or-substitute-regular-or-maybe-evaporated-m
Allison says
That was the fastest I’ve ever made any cookie! I made a dozen baked on a sheet pan and put the rest of the dough into tiny cast iron skillets for a romantic dessert for me and the hubs. They were heavenly! This will forever change the way I bake chocolate chip cookies!
Kelly says
I just made these and they are AMAZING. I’m very picky about my chcocolate chip cookies and these are worth every calorie. Love the flaked salt on top and how chocolatey they are!
liz says
when do you sprinkle the salt?
Tricia says
Any idea how long you’d bake smaller cookies? Maybe a tablespoon scoop?
Katherine Yates says
I have seen several people inquiring about when to sprinkle on the salt….before baking? Or after baking????? Still haven’t seen the answer to that question!!!
Ttrockwood says
Sprinkle on dough just before baking so they stick better to the tops. Be sure to use a flakey salt like Maldon, the recipe here is wrong it’s probably a total of one TB or so needed for all of the cookies
Abby says
Just made them for Christmas lunch tomorrow. I already need to make more because my husband won’t stop eating them!
Kate says
Yep, mine spread all over, too. Really disappointing. I guess I needed more flour than the recommended 1 3/4 cups. Crud. :(
Chau Taylor says
i made these. they are delicious! i didn’t have flaked salt to put on top still tasted good. this beats alton brown chewy chocolate chip cookie :D thanks
nhomnautiec says
love Momofuko . . and the brilliant Christina Tossi . . baking these!!!
Bea says
Hello Heidi, well it’s to late now since I’m about to put these in the oven so I will put the salt flakes on prior to bake like I do for bread. You still need to fix the recipe so that others know when to add the Maldon salt flakes. Thanks!
Bea says
Way to salty to add the salt flakes will definitely add less salt to batter. They bake up nice with s good flavor so will make them again and tweak just a tad. Thank you for sharing. I will post for you to see
Vietnamese food says
love Momofuku . . and the brilliant Christina Tosi . ..
Nichol says
If someone already added this above- I apologize! But if you want to use browned butter, add an ice cube once it in browned. This is about the amount of liquid that evaporates during the browning process.
Alex says
Oh these are so good! I made them yesterday and they’re a tad sweet, but I’ll 100% be making them again. I messed up and added 1/2 a teaspoon of baking soda instead of 1/4 (whoops) but you couldn’t tell. I sprinkled the salt on after (it kind of went everywhere) and I also used sea salt instead of flaked… What’s cooking without a little adjustment eh. :)
melanie e says
Hi, i tried to copy this recipe and followed it strictly but why is my batter coming out too sticky and runny? your batter on the pic looks a little drier. is the pic aftee you chilled it? I dont know what Im missing. :(
Josie says
Omg, I made these yesterday and I’m secretly dreaming about make them again tomorrow. My kids LOVED them. By far my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipes.
nichole says
Hi,
How many grams of flour did you use for the 1 3/4 c. of flour for this recipe? For Tosi’s recipes I have noticed that the grams per cup differ based on the recipe and are not the King Arthur all purpose flour 120 g. per cup.
Thank you!
Nichole
heidi says
Hi Nichole, I supplied this measurement for flour in cups since most home bakers use that over ounces.
Sarah Petersen says
Mine are in the oven now and hopefully they come out even half as beautiful as yours! Quick question, if I don’t have flakes salt can I use coarse sea salt for the topping? I need to improvise LOL thank you and good job!!
Shannon says
I modified The NY Times recipe to include browned butter. The first try was too dry because of evaporation. I browned 10 T of butter. The second time I added 2 1/2 T of milk to compensate for the evaporation. Perfect!!
david vinh says
I love to eat cookies .. You write articles that I look craving too
Sierra says
Is the flakes salt added to the mixture or just for The tops?
janet says
This is the first time making cooking by hand (without my stand mixer) and the dough was very wet. My cookies were flat like pancakes (almost crepes). I put the dough that didn’t fit on the two cookie sheets in the refrigerator while the first batch baked and that helped, but not sure what went wrong here.
Cau noi hay ve cuoc song says
I modified The NY Times recipe to include browned butter. The first try was too dry because of evaporation. I browned
Mari says
It’s highly unusual to use this much butter people!
My guess is that it’s a typo to require two sticks of butter
No wonder y’all have spread and need more flour.
Maybe I’m mistaken but perhaps this can be addressed by the recipes’ creator
Sophia says
Same issue as stated above… Making them now and it’s soooo runny! Added more flour. Let’s see if that helps!
Mon an ngon says
Oh đây là rất tốt! Tôi đã làm cho họ ngày hôm qua và họ là một chút ngọt ngào, nhưng tôi sẽ 100% được làm cho họ một lần nữa.
Mon an ngon says
Oh these are so good!
Blog chia se says
This is the recipe that made my family fall in love with Brussels Sprouts.
Ed says
Oh…My…GOD!!!
These were amazing!!! They were easy and quick to make and were everything a chocolate cookie should be – soft in the middle and crunchy at the ends. Made them exactly as directed
For those of you that had problems with the cookie spreading too much or the batter being too runny, the reason is the melted butter is too warm and it’s melting the sugars. You should aim for barely warm to touch (65-70 degrees)
Ashley @ Foodie Crush says
Thanks for the tips Ed!
Jacob says
About how many cookies does this recipe make?
Ashley @ Foodie Crush says
I usually get about 24-36 depending on size!
Sarah Travers says
So I love a new good cookie recipe, and having recently watched Christina Tossi’s milk bar episode on Netflix I was so pumped to make these cookies. However I don’t always read the blog posts that go along with recipes I find on Pinterest because they can be really long and all I really want is the recipe, so thinking this was Christina’s original recipe I went to the store and got flaked sea salt, milk powder, and unsalted butter and proceded to make two recipes of extremely salty cookies even when I left out some of the salt only to discover after doing some googling that Christina’s real recipe doesn’t use any salt flakes and definitely not 1/4 cup in the batter which is what this recipe led me to believe. After reading the blog post and realizing it was probably a typo and I should of used commen sense I am left with my second batch of extremely salty chocolate chip cookies ( that I will probably throw away) and a bag of flaked sea salt that was pricey and I never use and a bag of milk powder that I never use. All that being said, please consider not using 1/4 cup of flaked sea salt in your cookie dough. Also I will say the consistency of the cookies was perfect; they are just disgustingly salty… Cheers!
Liz says
I too take my chocolates chip cookies seriously! If you do the brown butter version again, then use two eggs instead of one, or for a thicker cookie use one egg, one egg yolk; and 2Tbsp of whole milk.
Heidi says
Hey Liz, thanks for your insight, good tips for sure. Happy cookie eating.
Ashley @ Foodie Crush says
Thanks, Liz!
Ayla Turner says
I usually make these cookies as the recipe states, but the last time I modified them to be vegan. I replaced an equal amount of butter with a vegan butter replacement, replaced the egg with 1/2 a banana, and used vegan chocolate chips. They turned out well, rave reviews from my vegan friend.
8chiase says
Chúng thật tuyệt vời !!! Chúng rất dễ dàng và nhanh chóng để làm và là tất cả mọi thứ mà một chiếc bánh quy sô cô la nên có – mềm ở giữa và giòn ở phần cuối. Làm cho chúng chính xác theo chỉ dẫn
Laura Torchia says
how many does one batch make?
jeff says
I couldn’t bring myself to add 1/4 cup of flaked sea salt to the batter, I assume the 1/4 cup is for sprinkling on top, not added to the batter?
Ashley @ Foodie Crush says
Yes Jeff, it is for the top :)
DeeBee says
I’m on my second batch of these – excellent! However definitely only put in about 8 ounces of chocolate chips and added peacans into the mix. My boyfriend ate 7 of them after they cooled so….
Heidi says
My daughter and her friends made them again last night. I can’t keep out of the dough. Glad your boyfriend agrees :)
Ashley @ Foodie Crush says
They are SO GOOD! I don’t blame him!