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Crunchy Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe — All Butter

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If you are a fan of crunchy chocolate chip cookies, I have a special treat for you today. It’s an easy, butter-only (no shortening) recipe for a thin-to-medium-thickness chocolate chip cookie that is crunchy through and through.

crunchy chocolate chip cookies

Here’s the recipe as I made it, with notes about the flour.   If you have a scale, it’s best to weigh the flour for accuracy since it can settle in the canister or bag.

crunchy chocolate chip cookies

Update:  If you like these or just want to try another good and crunchy (and kind of crispy) cookie, I also recommend these Crispy Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies.  They are a house favorite, especially when I throw in a few M&Ms!  It took me a while to get them crisp through and through, but I finally figured out the trick.

 

4.8 from 5 reviews
Another Crunchy Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe -- All Butter
 
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Crunchy Chocolate Chip Cookies made without shortening. See my note if you'd like to make the mini" version.
Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Serves: 32
Ingredients
  • 1 3/4 cups (220 grams / 8 oz) unbleached AP flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar (100 grams)
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar (98 grams)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 large egg (50 grams)
  • 1 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a couple of cookie sheets with parchment.
  2. Sift or thoroughly whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
  3. Cream butter and both sugars with an electric mixer; Add egg and vanilla and beat until egg is mixed in.
  4. Add flour mixture and stir until incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips.
  5. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto the parchment lined cookie sheets and bake for 12-15 minutes (or longer) or until the edges start to brown.
  6. Let cool on the baking sheet for about 3 minutes, then carefully transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Notes
If you have a scale it doesn't matter, but if you are measuring by volume, make sure to really stir and aerate the flour thoroughly before measuring. I always weigh out 220 grams. Dough should not be too dry.

For mini chocolate chip cookies, preheat the oven to 300 instead of 350. Make tiny marble size rounds and bake for 18 to 20 minutes.

If your cookies still don't turn out crunchy, swap out about half of the butter for shortening. Easiest way is to use 4 tablespoons of butter (2 oz) and 4 tablespoons of shortening (1.7 oz). Shortening weighs a little less because it has less water.

chocolate chip cookies

Comments

  1. These were wonderfully crunchy with a tender centre once completely cooled! I know it’s too much to ask for a super crispy cookie without shortening so this is gonna be my go-to recipe from now on. It’s a little sweet for my liking but that’s nothing a glass of milk can’t sort out!

  2. My husband wanted crunchy milk dipping cc cookies. I usually make soft chew ones, so I tried these out. They were fantastic! However to get that visually appealing cookie, (the rounded tsp was more a rounded lump) I usd a rounded tbs and broke it open, then placing it on the parchment paper, forming it into a rounded shape at the edges. Perfecto! 5 stars

  3. Hi Joe,

    Thanks for the review. Glad the 220 gram version worked. I’m trying to put gram measurements in all my more recent recipes since it’s so much more accurate.

  4. Just made these using 220 g of flour before reading the comments.They came out fine.Thick but not too thick and a nice crunch to them.

  5. Good luck, Angie! I hope they work out well for you. Maybe your sister-in-law uses shortening. I find that cookies made with all or part shortening tend to be crunchier. The amount of egg sometimes factors into it as well. Hopefully this recipe will work for you.

  6. After reading the reviews I will be making this recipe today. I have a sister-in-law who for the last 20 years will not share the recipe she uses for her annual gift of crunchy cc. That was before I started to utilizing the internet for other reasons than work! I’m so glad I took the time to read and thank you for the recipe, I’ll let you know ☺️

  8. I tried this crunchy chocolate chip cookie recipe. It turned out great and very crunchy. I used butter and did not use shortening. Everyone who taste it loved it and found it to be crunchy. I stored it in clip sealed container.

  9. So my sister makes the most amazing chocolate chocolate chip cookies EVER. And I’ve been craving them. A LOT. So, I decided to look around for a recipe, but I couldn’t find one. Finally, I found this, and I thought, hey. I’ll give it a try, and just add some cocoa powder. So, I did. I replaced the sugars with organic coconut sugar, and added a little nutmeg, cinnamon, and almond extract. The batter was beautiful, and they smell amazing; they’re in the oven right now. ANNA, you might want to add that you can make them into chocolate cookies, if you just add a tbsp of cocoa powder. Love your pic, btdubz! <3 Love your recipe, too! Keep at it!!! <3

  11. If I omit the egg and use all white sugar leaving out the brown sugar would cookies be like crispy Pepperidge Farm Dark Chocolate Chip cookies? I so love that crunchy cookie.

  14. Hi Gina,
    I’m so glad you liked them! I know what you mean about getting a little “lazy” with technique because I get that way too (and sometimes it doesn’t matter because I just want something sweet!), but there are some recipes where tiny details really affect the outcome.

  15. Finally ! The recipe my heart has been searching for. I have been on a mission to find the best recipe & admit I have become “lazy” with technique…so I made these last night, softened my butter, used 2tsp of vanilla, then at the end Added 1cup of flour & a little under 3/4 cup( didnt stir/aerate flour before measuring) and was fearful of that! But low and behold….exactly what I have been longing for!
    Thanks again for sharing this Anna I’m so happy!

  16. THE best cc cookies I have ever made!! I changed the brown sugar to the darker type not the light brown sugar. SO awesome!

  17. Thanks for this recipe. I have been searching for the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe and now the search is over. I did decrease the amount of sugar by half and chocolate chips by 1/3. I also substituted half the flour with whole wheat flour. The cookies came out beautiful with just a hint of nuttiness. Super delicious and really easy!

  19. Hi Anna!
    I’ve tried your recipe. They’re crunchy and delicious. I just need to adjust the temperature according to my oven. My family love them. Thanks you so much for the recipe!

  20. Hi Brian! Sorry the cookies didn’t come out crunchy. When I made them, they were pretty crunchy, so there’s some weird variable here that we haven’t discovered — maybe ovens or cookie sheets. If you want to try another crunchy recipe, look for the King Arthur crunchy recipe I posted. Or maybe I’ll just send it to you. Funny about Dixie Crystals. This recipe is from Williams Sonoma, but chances are they got it from Dixie.

  21. I made these last night, and let the dough sit in the fridge overnight. There were good, more like a Soft Batch cookie than say Chips-Ahoy. A bit crispy on the outside, with a little chew in the middle.

    Ironically when measuring out the brown sugar there was a cookie recipe on the box, and low and behold it was this exact one. That was on a box of Dixie Crystals light brown sugar. Go figure.

    I’d really like to find a recipe for a cookie like the Pepperidge Farms Chocolate Chunk Nantucket cookies. Something almost crumbly.

  22. As mentioned in the note at the bottom, 1 1/2 cups for some people and 1 2/3 cups for others. It really depends on how you scoop your flour. If you don’t have a scale, my advice is to fluff up the flour in the canister, dip the measuring cup in carefully, then sweep the top flat. Do this with with a 1 cup measure and two 1/3 cups measure to measure 1 2/3 cup.

  26. Thank you Anna for the wonderful recipe. I made 3 batches for my family & they love it so much. It stays crunchy the way we like our CCC. It doesn’t even turn out flat. I kept to 1 egg for a double batch & for the 3rd batch, i sub 1/2 cup cocoa powder with the flour added pecans and added more chips. Highly recommended recipe 🙂

  28. Very yummy looking! I was looking for something sweet to make today, and I found it! Thanks!

  29. Hi Anna,

    I found your blog by searching for this very recipe. I needed one to make and compare to Chips Ahoy and this was perfect. These cookies turned out excellent and I wouldn’t change a thing. My husband loves crunchy chocolate chip cookies and he only wants these from now on. Thanks for posting it!

  30. I liked this recipe a lot, but what I’m finding is for crunchy/crispy cookies, the a little shortening really helps.

  31. when i made them they didnt turn out just like yours they were crispy on the out side and soft in the in side. but they did taste nice 🙂

  32. I’ve been using this recipe for quite some time. This one is my favorite so far. My dad likes um small (tablespoon sized) and crunchy. For regular sized they have the nice crunchy crunchy outside with a semi soft center, perfect. I also made giant cookies with this recipe. Up the temperature to 375F and chill the dough. The size of the dough I used was slightly less than a baseball. I just baked it until it was slightly brown and the cracks were not very shiny/raw looking. Perfect crunchy outside with a soft chewy inside.

    I’ve searched for many recipes and stopped at this one!

  34. Anonymous, you are right. 220 grams/28.4 = 7.7 oz.

    I’ve been using 7 oz of flour, so if you are weighing in grams, use about 200 grams. I’m going to change it.

    I need to go back and look at the book. I know it said 1 1/3 cup and am fairly certain it said 7 oz. So maybe the book’s measurements are off? I will check.

    You could use 220 grams, I guess “Lick The Frosting” did and her cookies were fine — a little thicker than mine.

    I used 7 oz.

  35. While my chewy cc cookies seem to be the most requested and I used to be a chewy fan, I have come to much prefer crispy cc cookies…these look great! I have not quite found the recipe to suit my tastes…I will have to give these a try!

  36. I made a comment but think I didn’t save it… So here it goes again: I laughed about you memorizing the recipe from the book in the store. I do the same thing, I’m glad I’m not alone!
    The cookies remind me of Maryland’s cookies, I think they’re british. Do you know them? Really crunchy ccc, I love them!

  37. These look very good. I’m probably going to make the Levain cookies soon. I forgot to watch the Throwdown episode! I’m so mad at myself. Okay, no more talking about Levain. Sorry.

  40. How about chilling the dough to make them a bit thicker? I agree about the chips… makes you want to reach into the screen to sneak a bite! PS I hope more “American” cookbooks start to come out with weights included!

  42. The ones I made yesterday were slightly thinner too. I stuffed these with chips (1 1/3 cups) and they came out thicker.

  43. Yours look a little thicker than mine. I like the look of the chocolate chips on the outside of the cookie.

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