Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies satisfy every indulgently gooey, chocolatey cookie craving! They’re classic chocolate chip cookie goodness in a small batch.
Sometimes, a girl just needs a chocolate chip cookie. You know what I mean? Deeply caramelized brown sugar crisp edges. Soft, chewy centers studded with gooey, melty chunks of chocolate. Cookie nirvana, my friend. You’re going to love them!
Why Small Batch?
More and more, it’s just David and me at home. We don’t need to polish off three or four dozen cookies, no matter how tempting that may be.
When I crave fresh-baked cookies but don’t want a huge batch sitting around to tempt us for days and days, this scrumptious small-batch chocolate chip cookies recipe is the one I reach for.
I know I could just make this classic chocolate chip cookie recipe and freeze the extras, but there’s nothing quite like a perfect, fresh-from-the-oven chocolate chip cookie.
And, making a small batch means this is a quick recipe that gets me in and out of the kitchen in under 30 minutes.
These are honestly the BEST chocolate chip cookies you’ll ever eat.
And, if you want to go all out and make a huge batch for a gathering or holiday cookie swaps, just hit that 3x button in the recipe card and my small batch chocolate chip cookies recipe becomes a traditional-sized batch.
Welcome to small-batch chocolate chip cookie perfection, dear reader! You’re gonna love it here!
P. S. Do you love and dream about cookies but need an easy recipe that’s completely vegan? Check out these Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies with tahini and chocolate chips from my friend, Janelle, at Plant Based Folk. Yum!
The Ingredients
- Butter
- Granulated Sugar
- Brown Sugar
- Vanilla Extract (I use my homemade vanilla extract recipe.)
- Egg
- Unbleached All Purpose Flour
- Baking Soda
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Chocolate Chips
FAQs
Don’t overbake them. The cookies will be barely browned and appear to be almost underdone when you take them out of the oven. Resist the temptation to bake them longer. They will continue to cook for a bit from the residual heat in your baking sheet and in the cookie itself.
Why did my cookies come out flat?
- Baking on hot cookie sheets. If you’re making the classic size chocolate chip cookie recipe, and baking multiple trays, be sure each batch you scoop goes onto a cold baking sheet. A baking sheet still warm from the oven will start melting the butter too quickly and your cookies will flatten.
- Overmixing. This aerates the dough. Your cookies will rise too fast in the oven and then fall. They will still taste good, but they will be flat and crispy.
- Your leavening may be outdated. Try these tests and buy new leavening if you don’t get the expected results.
- Test baking powder by sprinkling 1/2 teaspoon into 1/2 cup of water. It should bubble instantly
- Test baking soda by mixing 1/2 cup water and 1/4 teaspoon vinegar. Add 1/4 teaspoon baking soda. The mixture should bubble instantly.
- Ingredients are too warm. Overmixing can warm up the ingredients. When butter is already warm when it hits the oven, it will melt too quickly and the flour won’t have had time to set up. So, the cookie spreads and flattens. Try refrigerating the dough for 30 minutes if your first batch went flat.
- Your oven temperature isn’t right. Keep an oven thermometer handy and test your oven often to make sure it is consistently holding the temperature you set it to. If you have a convection feature on your oven, use it. Convection distributes the heat more evenly throughout the oven.
Can I Freeze Chocolate Chip Cookies?
You sure can. There are two ways you may want to consider.
- Freeze the baked and cooled chocolate chip cookies. Flash freeze the cookies in a single layer on a baking sheet for 1 to 2 hours. Place frozen cookies in a freezer safe bag or container. Chocolate chip cookies can be stored in the freezer for 3 to 6 months. Remove as many, (or even just one), as you need for the occasion and leave the rest in the freezer.
- Freeze the cookie dough. You can scoop all the cookie dough into balls and arrange on a baking tray. They can be close together, but not touching. Flash freeze for 1 to 2 hours. Place the frozen chocolate chip cookie dough balls into a freezer safe bag or container. Remove as many as needed for the occasion and leave the rest in the freezer.
How to Bake Frozen Cookie Dough
I don’t have great luck baking this cookie dough from frozen. The butter won’t melt quickly enough, before the flour sets. So, the chocolate chip cookies don’t spread well enough and will remain more ball shaped and drier after baking.
Instead of baking them frozen, place the frozen cookie dough balls on a silicone mat lined, or parchment lined, baking sheet. Cover them with a clean kitchen towel and allow them to thaw until they reach room temperature. (30 minutes to 1 hour depending on the temp in your house.) Then bake the chocolate chip cookies as instructed in the recipe card.
How to Make Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies
(Full video tutorial in the recipe card)
- Preheat oven to 375° F.
- Prep one baking sheet if making small batch chocolate chip cookies (or three if making a traditional 3X batch). Lightly grease the baking sheet or line it with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- Cream the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer (or by hand).
- Beat in the egg and vanilla until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt and mix until the dry ingredients are fully incorporated. Don’t overmix.
- Stir in the chocolate chips or chocolate chunks.
- Use a #20 muffin/cupcake scoop[affiliate link]. It holds just under 3 Tablespoons of cookie dough. Scoop the cookie dough into balls and arrange on the prepped baking sheet.
- Bake the chocolate chip cookies at 375° F for 8 to 10 minutes, depending on your specific oven. Start checking at the 8 minute mark, so you don’t overbake them.
- Remove cookies from the oven and place the cookie sheet on a cooling rack. Allow cookies to cool on the sheet for at least 3 minutes before transferring them to the cooling rack.
Serve your cookies with a refreshing glass of milk or enjoy them with a steaming mug of hot chocolate. If you’re feeling especially indulgent, try them with Elise’s Rumchata Hot Chocolate over at What the Fab?
The Recipe
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Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Total Time: 16 minutes
- Yield: 12 cookies 1x
Description
Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies satisfy every indulgently gooey, chocolatey cookie craving! Classic chocolate chip cookie goodness in a small batch. Recipe makes a perfect dozen. (Hit that 3x button in the recipe card to make a full-size batch of these classic chocolate chip cookies.)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup salted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon homemade vanilla extract (or favorite store brand)
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, fine grind (or table salt)
- 1 cup chocolate chips or chunks
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375° F.
- Prep one baking sheet if making small batch chocolate chip cookies (or three if making a traditional 3X batch). Lightly grease the baking sheet or line it with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- Cream the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer (or by hand).
- Beat in the egg and vanilla until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt and mix until the dry ingredients are fully incorporated. Don’t overmix.
- Stir in the chocolate chips or chocolate chunks.
- Use a #20 muffin/cupcake scoop[affiliate link]. It holds just under 3 Tablespoons of cookie dough. Scoop the cookie dough into balls and arrange on the prepped baking sheet.
- Bake the chocolate chip cookies at 375° F for 8 to 10 minutes, depending on your specific oven. Start checking at the 8 minute mark, so you don’t overbake them.
- Remove cookies from the oven and place the cookie sheet on a cooling rack. Allow cookies to cool on the sheet for at least 3 minutes before transferring them to the cooling rack.
- Prep Time: 7 minutes
- Cook Time: 9 min
- Category: Baking, Cokies, Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
I hope you get a chance to make this easy, delicious small batch chocolate chip cookies recipe, this weekend! You and everyone you share them with will be in chocolatey, gooey cookie heaven!
If you do love this chocolate chip cookies small batch recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment and let me know you made them. And, would you consider please, giving the recipe a 5 star rating when you leave your comment? Your 5 star rating helps other find our recipe when they do a search on Google. Thanks so much!
More Delicious Cookie Recipes
About Glenda
I believe cooking from scratch doesn’t have to be complicated and that YOU can do it. My simple recipes, tutorials, and cooking tips will help you get weeknight dinners on the table with less stress. Forget takeout or the drive-thru. Let me show you how to make homemade easy. Read more...
This small batch is perfect for us as a family of 2! So delicious, it’s hard to stop at just 1. I’ll definitely be making these again.
Thanks, Genevieve! P.S. i relate to your hard to eat just one problem!
My boys made these and they were so good! Definitely will be making this again.
I love it! So glad they like being in the kitchen and that they enjoyed the recipe.
loving your recipes. I am just starting to bake and this one is easy and delicious.
Thank you, Hailey! I’m so glad you enjoyed it and I look forward to “seeing you” around the blog.
A small batch of cookies is perfect for me because I can’t stop eating them. This is a delicious recipe.
Thanks, Paula! I can relate to that perplexing “problem”. lol
This recipe truly helped me make cookies quickly! So gooey and delicious! Thank you very much for sharing your recipe! Craving satisfied!
Jade, that’s the best news ever! No one should suffer through an unsatisfied cookie craving. lol So happy you’re enjoying the recipe!
I love these cookies so easy to make!
Thank you, Miles!
These cookies are so easy to make! Love it!
If it wasn’t for how delicious they are, that would be my favorite thing about this recipe, too, Miles. But easy gets second place for me, since these are the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever eaten. So good! And I’m really happy you’re enjoying the recipe.
My eldest daughter has started baking as a way to relax after school. She loves it and is getting better at cleaning up after herself! But we have been overloaded with cookies and cakes! So when I saw this small batch cookie recipe I thought “this is one for her”
And it was! It was the perfect cookie and 12 cookies didn’t last long in our house, we had one each warm from oven, leaving 5 left to put in the kids lunchboxes for school.
Now she can bake again tonight so she is really happy.
Delicious cookies and so good to only make a dozen 🙂
Claire, that’s awesome! I love hearing others are teaching younger generations to cook and bake. I’m thrilled your daughter and your family are enjoying the recipe. Thank you for taking the time to let me know!
Is it wrong that I make these just for myself cuz my boyfriend cant have them? OMG the perfect portion for when *I* need a chocolate chip cookie!
K, not wrong at all! So glad you’re enjoying the cookies!
This was just what I needed! So good.
Sometimes we just need a cookie! Glad you loved them, Wendy!
Perfect. These chocolate chip cookies are just delicious.
Thanks, Scarlet!
Love these small batch cookies! Just what you need when your sweet tooth strikes plus it was so easy to make!
Shruthi, I agree! So happy you’re enjoying the recipe.
These are so perfect for those days when you just need SOMETHING indulgent! I love the crisp edges that came out on them, delcious.
Thank you, Shelby! I’m happy you love them!
Loooove this recipe! It cured my craving for cookies without having to make dozens and dozens of them!
That’s great, Jennifer! So glad you are enjoying the recipe!
These cookies tasted amazing! Thanks a lot for sharing this super easy to make chocolate chip cookies recipe! My family really loves them!
Thanks, Allyssa!
so easy to make and dellicious.
Thanks, Roxie!