The secrets that make up the world’s best chocolate chip cookies (& the full recipe!)

Learn how to make the best, chewy and soft chocolate chip cookies…ever!

For as long as we can remember, any time our family had an event to attend, or we were having friends come over, or someone needed a sweet treat, our mom would bake chocolate chip cookies. These cookies have attended birthday parties, showers, funerals, road trips, book clubs, Bible studies, work parties, Halloween trick-or-treat bags, church carnivals…you get it. Sure, everyone makes cookies, and most of the time they are pretty great, but nobody bakes cookies like our mom.

People always ask what our secret family recipe is, but in truth, it isn’t a secret.

Her chocolate chip cookies are not your ordinary chocolate chip cookies. Oh no. There is something irresistible about the crisp, buttery edges that are crunchy and chewy at the same time, the oozy chocolate that is positioned just-so in the soft rich center, and their perfect size, not too big and not too small. These cookies are a favorite to anyone who has tasted them, coining them the name ‘Gaffke Cookies’ (our family’s last name).

Growing up, we started baking at a pretty young age. We would bake alongside our mom and grandma picking up on their tricks and trades. Our kitchen floor was perpetually sticky with sugar and butter. Our mom would follow behind our messes, sweeping and mopping without one utterance of complaint. We loved being in the kitchen and she loved that we loved it. We didn’t grow up with the most money, but mom and dad would always make sure we had what we needed. This included Costco-sized packs of butter, bags of flour, sugar, and chocolate chips. It was (and still is) a rare day to not have these items in the pantry. One of the first recipes we mastered was the Gaffke Cookie recipe. Now as young adults, we bake and bring Gaffke Cookies everywhere we go.

Chocolate chip cookie recipe. The original recipe our mom adapted.

People always ask what our secret family recipe is, but in truth, it isn’t a secret. The Gaffke Cookie recipe is an old Betty Crocker recipe with a few tweaks. Our mom still has her cookbook to this day. It is obvious the cookie page has received a lot of time on the counter crusted with sugar and butter stains, but it is nearly retired now that all three of us have memorized the recipe by heart (except for the occasional check-in to see if its 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp baking soda, or vise-versa).

So you’re wondering how to make these ooey-gooey-oh-so-delicious chocolate chip cookies and what makes them stand out from the rest?

1Use real, room temperature, salted butter. Betty Crocker’s recipe calls for margarine or butter, but non-salted butter and any butter substitutes will simply not do. Do not melt the butter to liquid. If possible let your butter reach room temp before use, or zap in the microwave for 10-12 seconds.

2More brown sugar. Betty Crocker’s original recipe calls for ¾ cup of white sugar, and ¾ cup of brown sugar. The Gaffke Cookie recipe uses ½ cup of white sugar, and 1 cup of brown sugar.

3Go big! Making a bigger cookie gives more room for the edges to get crispy and leave the center the perfect amount of chewy. Make you dough balls roughly 2” in diameter (we all own the Pampered Chef large scoop which works perfect).

4Cool the cookies on a paper towel. There is no science backing this up, but we think this helps with the texture.

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe (or Gaffke Cookies)

1 cup salted butter (2 sticks)

1 egg

½ cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 ¼ cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

2 cups chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 350*. Cream together room temperature butter, egg, and sugars until smooth. Add in flour, baking soda, and salt until well combined and the dough sticks together in one mass. Add in the chocolate chips and mix again until they are evenly distributed.

Scoop dough with a large cookie scoop, or create dough balls about 2” in diameter. 8 dough balls should fit on a standard cookie sheet.

Bake for 12-16 minutes, or until golden brown. Let the cookies rest on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer the chewy and soft chocolate chip cookies to cool on paper towels. Enjoy!