36 Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes to Make Now and Forever

When you think of classic cookies, the first thing that comes to mind is likely chocolate chip—and for good reason. They’re rich and indulgent, yet surprisingly easy to make. There are a few different methods to choose from (depending on whether you prefer a cookie that’s crisp, chewy or cakey) but, as long as you’ve mastered a few simple techniques, choose the right butter (yes, it matters!) and measure correctly you can whip a winning batch in no time. Best of all, chocolate chip cookies are infinitely customizable—and these recipes prove it. We’ve got options for all sorts of add-ins like peanut butter, banana, marshmallow and more. You’ll even find special variations like gluten-free—and cookies that go rogue and skip the butter altogether, in favor of olive oil. Craving a cookie, fresh from the oven? With this recipe you can enjoy one, even if you don’t want to bake a big batch. It makes exactly one dozen: enough to satisfy your craving a still share a couple with friends.

Small changes can make a big difference. We took our basic chocolate chip cookie and made one isolated change at a time. We added, swapped, melted, baked low, baked high and chilled. But mostly we had fun. And with each slight tweak we made a new cookie with a different texture, look and taste from the last. Use our guide as a way to find the perfect cookie for you. No big changes necessary.

Bake right on your countertop! Your air fryer can make more than just French fries. These chocolate chip cookies are small, sweet and cakey. Make the dough, roll into balls and freeze — then thaw and air-fry a few as needed for easy after-dinner treats.

These cookies are inspired by the thin and crispy style made popular by the Long Island bakery Tate's Bake Shop. In our version, we've upped the brown sugar, vanilla and chocolate chips for an even more flavorful and decadent treat.

The ground oats in this crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside cookie add an interesting depth of flavor, while the use of sea salt and bittersweet chocolate, create a mysterious sweet and salty contrast.

Recipe developer Carolina Gelen says, "These olive oil cookies are my take on everyone’s favorite ooey-gooey chocolate chip cookie. Instead of butter, good-quality extra-virgin olive oil is the base fat, adding moisture and richness and elevating the flavor profile of this dessert. While I can assure you the cookies won’t taste like salad dressing, they'll have a gentle floral, citrusy, nutty and herbaceous undertone that complements the chocolate."

A classic cookie gets mini chocolate chips and big coconut flavor (thanks to plenty of unsweetened shredded coconut) for a simple twist you won't be able to resist!

We took our classic chocolate chip cookie recipe and made one little change: replacing the light brown sugar and granulated sugar with dark brown sugar. The result is a lovely tender cookie.

All the best parts of chocolate chip cookies — chewy, crispy and tons of chocolate chips — meet all the tender moistness of banana bread in a perfect treat that straddles both worlds. We start off with a bang by simultaneously caramelizing a banana and browning butter for unmatched depth of flavor. From there, it’s just one bowl, two baking sheets and a little patience while the dough chills. But the result is worth the journey for a cookie that’s equally appropriate for dessert and breakfast alike.

We took our classic chocolate chip cookie and made one little change: baking it at 300 degrees F instead of 375. The result is a cookie that's flat and crunchy, with a toffee flavor.

Double the chocolate, double the fun, right? Well, here the fun (and the flavor) have been amped up with toasty-sweet halva swirled right into the batter. Topped off with some flaky sea salt, these cookies are all-around magic.

A perfectly designed chocolate chip cookie to me means a gooey center and lightly crisp edges. This cookie takes the “gooey center” part literally by having a vegan marshmallow tucked inside the center of each one. Since vegan marshmallows aren't made with gelatin, they stay fluffy throughout baking.

If you’re new to gluten-free baking, these cookies are the perfect starting point. They come together just like a classic batch would—no special techniques needed.

Here's the new standard, the chocolate chip cookie you'll bake again and again. More brown sugar than white and a pinch of cinnamon give them the richer, rounder, perfected flavor we pushed for as we tested batch after batch.

There is a special little bakery in New York City called Levain Bakery that makes seriously decadent and massively huge cookies, which are the inspiration for these giant treats. These oversized cookies are chewy on the inside and crispy on the outside with chunks of chocolate and slightly sweet walnuts studded throughout. The key to making them so chewy is using only dark brown sugar and skipping the granulated stuff altogether. The molasses in brown sugar gives the cookies the most ideal chewiness and just the right amount of sweetness.

Use bittersweet chocolate chips in these cookies — they're the perfect complement to buttery pecans and sweet brown sugar.

We all have the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe, but does yours have vegetables and oats? This delicious cookie has it all -- zucchini, oats, whole wheat flour, you name it. Toasted pecans and dark chocolate chips add just enough buttery crunch and sweet melt to put it over the top. Ditch your plain jane cookie and try this one that has a little of everything!

This is such an easy chocolate chip cookie. No special equipment, no creaming — a perfect cookie to do with kids. We love how versatile this dough is, too. It makes an awesome rocky road bar cookie.

Tahini, a rich paste made from ground sesame seeds, gives these chewy cookies a distinctive nutty flavor. It also makes the dough extra light and fluffy when you first put it together, so make sure to leave ample time to chill it before baking the cookies.

We took our classic chocolate chip cookie and made one little change: replacing all-purpose flour with cake flour. The result is a cookie that's tender and chewy, with caramelized edges.

Step up your chocolate chip cookie game with the addition of creamy peanut butter. Believe it or not, the secret to creating the cookies’ soft and chewy center and complex depth of flavor is…patience. Resist the urge to skip the dough resting step and you’ll be rewarded with the best peanut-buttery cookies. Some things are just worth the wait!

You’d probably never guess the secret ingredient in these cookies if it wasn’t in the name of the recipe. Cottage cheese is the star in these otherwise classic chocolate chip cookies, and it works to transform them in three impressive ways. First it boosts the cookies’ protein content, an excellent and unexpected nutritional bonus. Second, it acts as a fat replacer, allowing the dough to stay rich and tender with about half as much butter. Finally, these cookies bake up chewy and fluffy thanks to the moisture content the cottage cheese brings.

Grown-up bittersweet chocolate and kid-friendly honey-roasted peanuts make this chocolate chip cookies perfect at any age.

We skipped the white sugar and went all in with dark brown sugar, which gives our cookies the ideal chewiness and perfect level of sweetness. Paired with the right amount of semisweet chocolate chips, this treat is a definite winner. The recipe makes a lot of cookies, but in our opinion, this is never a problem!

The best part of these crispy-on-the-outside, soft-in-the-middle- cookies is they're ready in a snap; no oven preheating required. We prefer thicker waffle irons for these cookies, but if your iron is thinner, be sure to adjust your timing so they'll cook faster.

These soft, chewy cookies are studded with little morsels of chocolatey heaven. They are also completely gluten-free and grain-free thanks to the almond flour.

The classic chocolate chip cookie gets a doubly decadent upgrade: buttery hazelnuts and three different types of chocolate!

Get ready to meet your new favorite twist on the chocolate chip cookie! Pumpkin and chocolate chips make a powerful pair in these cakey treats with rich pumpkin pie spice flavor and loads of semi-sweet morsels. The cookies don't spread much in the oven, so flattening the dough is key.

Whole-wheat pastry flour and dried fruit make these irresistible chocolate chip cookies less indulgent, but you don't have to tell your kids that.

Enjoy a subtle twist on the classic semisweet-and-walnut cookie by swapping in milk chocolate chips and pecans.

Swap in coconut oil for butter in a classic chocolate chip cookie and what do you get? A tender cookie with a lovely light color and distinctly chocolaty chips.

You'll go bananas for this chocolate chip cookie — with chopped banana chips baked right in!

We took our classic chocolate chip cookie and made one little change: baking them at 425 degrees F instead of 375. The result is a cookie that is crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside.

These cookies develop a lot of flavor from chilling the dough for a longer about of time. This is the secret to amazingly flavorful dough.

If you refresh your starter often, it can be a challenge finding ways to use it. Nobody in my house has ever complained when I make more chocolate chip cookies, so this combo was a no-brainer. The sour starter combined with dark brown sugar makes for a softer, chewier cookie with a complex flavor that develops as the dough chills.