Chocolate Chunk Cookies | These simple 8-ingredient chocolate chip cookies feature a crispy edge and soft center. This is an easy one bowl cookie recipe you can make by hand, without a stand mixer.
Jump to:
These chocolate chunk cookies are so good. They are just the right mix of crispy edges and soft center and each cookie is dotted with big melty, chocolate chunks.
Cookies are about one of the easiest dessert recipes to mix and it's just as easy to make cookies by hand with a wooden spoon and bowl, as it is to make them with a stand mixer. By hand just takes a bit longer to get the butter fluffy, but it works just as well.
When I make my cookies by hand I always make sure my butter is a little more softened than it is when I make them in my stand mixer. The stand mixer easily does the job of whipping up the butter so it'll take more time by hand - I cut out a bit of that time by making sure my butter is really soft, but not melted.
Ingredients
See the recipe card for exact amounts.
- baking basics: You'll need the basics like flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, vanilla extract and a large egg.
- butter: I use unsalted butter and then add salt in the recipe. Salt enhances the flavor of other ingredients and is important in baking.
- chocolate chunks: Chocolate chunks melt into decadent pools of silky chocolate.
Substitutions
- chocolate: Use chocolate chips instead for smaller pockets of chocolate in your cookies.
Can You Microwave Butter to Soften It?
Yes you can but it's important to go slow with this method. Melted butter has a very different texture than softened butter. If you melt the butter instead of softening it, your cookie will spread into flat puddles in the oven.
When I use this shortcut, I only microwave for about 5-8 seconds, flip the stick over and try another 5-8 seconds. With my microwave this will get me soft-ish butter. Just go slow if you're trying this out.
To soften butter: Let the butter sit at room temperature for an hour or two. When pressing a finger into the surface, the butter should yield slightly.
You can also try this: Fill a tall cup (taller than your stick of butter) with boiling water and then empty it out. Stand your stick of butter upright on a plate and cover with the hot glass. This has worked just OK for me.
How to make chocolate chip cookies without a stand mixer
Prep Tips
Step 1. Cream the butter and sugar together.
This is where the stand mixer makes cookie recipes easier - it does a great job of whipping butter and sugar together.
To do this by hand will take some time and patience. I use a wooden spoon and fold and press the butter and sugar together. You want it to end up a bit lighter in texture and paler in color when you're done. This can take 10 minutes.
Step 2. Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix to combine.
Step 3. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt and mix to fully combine.
Step 4. Fold in the chocolate chunks.
I like to set a few chocolate chunks aside to press into the top of the cookie before baking. This creates melty chocolatey pools on the tops of the cookies and makes them look more inviting.
Step 5. Scoop the cookie dough using a 1 ½ tablespoon scoop and place them on a lined baking sheet. Using a scoop helps ensure evenly sized cookies that will bake at the same time. Press a few chocolate chunks into the top of each cookie.
Step 6. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until golden around the edges and cooked through.
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes and then move to a wire cooling rack to cool to room temperature before storing them.
Tips for making cookies with a stand mixer
What to serve with chocolate chunk cookies
I love cookies with an afternoon coffee. In the summer I switch to iced coffee and dirty chai lattes. Cookies and ice cream are a no fail combo. Try peanut butter chocolate ice cream, or mint chocolate chip ice cream with this cookie recipe.
Storage
Let cookies cool to room temperature before storing to prevent storing them with any steam that can make them go soft. Store in an airtight container for about 5 days. Freeze for up to 3 months.
FAQs
Yes, you can make cookies without a stand mixer. Use a wooden spoon or sturdy spatula to cream the butter and sugar. This can take up to 10 minutes by hand.
Recipe
Chocolate Chunk Cookies
center. Easy one bowl cookie recipe you can make by hand, without a
stand mixer.
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- ½ cup granulated white sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup chocolate chunks
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉ (180°C).
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- Beat the butter and sugar together with a wooden spoon until it is very soft, fluffy, and paler in color. This can take 10 minutes.
- Add the egg and vanilla and mix to combine.
- Add the flour, baking powder, and salt and mix to combine.
- Set aside a few chocolate chunks to press on top of the cookies before they go in the oven, if desired, and then fold the rest into the batter.
- Using a 1 ½ tablespoon scoop, place cookies on the lined cookie sheet.
- Press chocolate chunks into the tops and then bake cookies for 10-12 minutes, until golden around the edges and cooked through.
- Let cool for five minutes and then move to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Equipment
Nutritional information is an estimate. Values vary based on products used. Read our full Nutrition Disclaimer.
This post was originally posted on May 24, 2016.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!