Santa’s favorite chocolate chip cookies are extra soft and gooey, not overly sweet, and just the right amount of salty. My Family, (and Santa), love these cookies so much because they have less butter, less sugar, and less chocolate than most chocolate chip recipes. Please don’t let that steer you away! I promise they have ALL THE FLAVOR. These are some of the most flavorful chocolate chip cookies I have ever tasted, because no single ingredient overpowers the others. They are seriously addicting. I mean, I guess most chocolate chip cookies are, but these are the best! Eat them baked fresh out of the oven or pop one in the microwave for a few seconds for warm, melty chocolatey heaven. Leave them out with a glass of cold milk and I promise Santa will be oh so joyful!
How I Landed on This Recipe
I had the same experience when I created my Saturday Southern Buttermilk Biscuit recipe. I made different variations of these cookies a thousand times and ultimately landed back on my original recipe. My freezer is literally packed full of chocolate chip cookie dough right now. I think we will have chocolate chip cookies at our disposal for the next year. Not a bad thing I suppose! Why so many attempts? There are MILLIONS of chocolate chip cookie recipes online, so I knew they had to be just perfect. I kept thinking maybe if I add a little more butter or a little more sugar or tweak this or that they can be even better. We all know that often times less is more. I should have taken my husband’s advice and posted these weeks ago. These are some seriously good chocolate chip cookies!
A Few Things I’ve Learned About Baking Cookies.
- Chill Your Cookie Dough in The Refrigerator
- This step is crucial. I talk a little more about the importance of chilling the dough in my Ginger Molasses Cookies post.
- Invest in a cookie scoop
- It isn’t completely necessary, but a cookie scoop makes for prettier more evenly baked cookies. I normally used a medium size, but I own a whole set.
- Scoop out the cookie dough balls before chilling
- I go ahead and scoop out my cookie dough and transfer it to lined baking sheets before refrigerating. Otherwise, you have to let the dough warm back up a little when it comes out of the refrigerator until it is soft enough to scoop. Doing this step ahead of time just saves you some time.
- Extra Chocolate Chips on Top
- After you scoop out your cookies, press a few extra chocolate chips into the very top of each cookie. This step makes them extra pretty.
- Use Parchment Paper or a Silicone Baking Mat
- Do not skip this step! Growing up, I always baked my cookies straight on the pan. I had no idea. Your cookies bake unevenly and the bottoms brown much too quickly. This is such a simple change that can make all the difference in making better cookies.
- Slightly Under-Bake for a Softer Cookie
- Some may disagree with this, but I love a really soft and gooey cookie. Bake these for at least 13 minutes and until they are set, but don’t overdue it. The cookies are still pale in color when I take them out of the oven. I just prefer the texture and they stay softer for much longer. Ultimately, you know how you like your cookies best!
Cookie Scoop Set
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I hope you will bake these cookies for Santa this week, and if I don’t post again before Friday, I hope you all have a Merry Christmas!
Other Christmas Cookie Recipes to Try:
Santa’s Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 3 dozen cookies 1x
Description
Extra soft and gooey chocolate chip cookies melt in your mouth, and happen to be Santa’s personal favorite ; ) These cookies are perfection!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter (1 stick should be at room temperature & 1/2 stick will be melted)
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2/3 cups white sugar
- 1/3 cups packed brown sugar
- 2 large eggs + 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (+ additional for pressing into the tops before baking)
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Melt 1/2 stick of butter (DO NOT MELT ALL THE BUTTER) in the microwave or in a small pot on the stove and allow to cool slightly. If using a microwave, use 50% power, and keep a close eye on the butter. Start with 30 seconds, then check every 15-30 seconds.
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the all purpose flour, salt, and baking soda.
- Cream together the remaining butter (1 stick) and sugars on medium low speed for two to three minutes in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a medium sized bowl using a hand mixer.
- Next, mix in the melted butter. Do not overmix.
- Add the eggs and egg yolk to the bowl one at a time, mixing in between each addition and scraping down the side of the bowl as needed with a rubber spatula.
- Add the vanilla and mix until combined.
- Slowly mix in your dry ingredients a little at a time until completely incorporated.
- Stir in the chocolate chips and chopped walnuts.
- Allow the cookie dough to cool in the refrigerator for at least an hour or up to 24 hours (the longer the better)
When ready to bake:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Use a medium cookie scoop and place your cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- I like to use the palm of my hand to flatten out the cookies slightly on the top. Just apply a small amount of pressure to flatten them just slightly.
- Press a few extra chocolate chips into the top of each cookie to make them extra pretty.
- Bake one batch at a time (if possible) on the center rack for 13 minutes. Cookies may look slightly underdone at this point, but as long as they are set this is perfect! Under-baking them slightly keeps them soft for days!
- Transfer cookies to a wire cooling rack to allow to cool completely.
Equipment
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Notes
- I find it easier to go ahead and make one to two batches of cookie dough balls before chilling the dough. Just place them on your baking sheet and pop them in the refrigerator ready to go straight into the oven.
- Do not skip the parchment paper or baking mat!
- You don’t need fancy equipment to make cookies. The products listed may just make it easier.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: chocolate chip, cookies, Christmas cookies
Yum! Yum! Yum!
These cookies are amazing! They are the perfect balance of sweet, salty and chocolate!
★★★★★
I’m so happy you liked them! Thanks for giving them a try ????
Usually make the toll house chocolate chip cookies, but for a change, gave this recipe a try. They were delicious, more cake like, and just the right amount of saltiness vs. sweetness. Cannot comment on the softness lasting beyond a couple days, as they disappeared quickly!
★★★★★
Glad to hear they didn’t last long!!