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Small batch chocolate chip cookies for your next cookie craving! Make just a half batch of chocolate chip cookies the next time you need a warm, gooey chocolate chip cookie!
This is the BEST Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
I’m sharing this recipe today with so much love. I’ve been scaling down recipes since 2009, but it wasn’t until 2010 that I started this blog. If I remember correctly, small-batch chocolate chip cookies were one of the first 20 recipes I shared. My actual first recipe was chocolate cream pie for two, however.
We all need chocolate chip cookies every now and then, but we almost never need four dozen of them. I still believe in the dessert for two doctrines after all of these years. A little bit of the real dessert is better than a lot of the fake stuff.
Some of you said: why don’t you just freeze the leftover dough?
While I realize I can store leftover cookie dough balls in the freezer, I cannot be trusted around frozen cookie dough. I’m one of those people that thinks frozen dough is even better than the baked cookie! Plus, if I froze every leftover batch of cookie dough, I would soon need to buy a deep freezer for additional freezer space!
What you’ll need:
- Butter. You can use unsalted butter or salted butter, it truly doesn’t matter because chocolate chip cookies taste best with a big pinch of salt. If you’re using salted butter, reduce the amount of salt you add to the batter by half. We need 6 tablespoons of butter for this small batch chocolate chip cookies recipe, and it needs to be softened almost to room temperature. The best way to do this is to slice it up and leave it out at room temperature for 30-60 minutes.
- Brown Sugar. When it comes to brown sugar, dark or light work equally well here. However, I always reach for dark brown sugar, because the extra molasses makes for extra chewy, soft cookies. We need 1/4 cup of it.
- Granulated Sugar. Just 3 level tablespoons of white sugar.
- Egg Yolk. We just need the egg yolk for this recipe, not the egg white. Reserve the egg whites for another use.
- Vanilla Extract. While 3/4 of a teaspoon of vanilla extract sounds like a lot for a recipe that makes a small amount of cookies, it’s so good–don’t skip it!
- Flour. Plain, all-purpose flour that you fluff, scoop to measure and level off with a knife. Measure out 1/2 cup and an additional 2 tablespoons.
- Baking Soda. One-quarter teaspoon of fresh (not expired!) baking soda.
- Baking Powder. The same amount of baking powder (1/4 teaspoon).
- Salt. I use 1/8 teaspoon of fine sea salt, but this is really equal to one big pinch of salt. You’re more than welcome to sprinkle fancy salt on top after they come out of the oven.
- Chocolate Chips. I like to use dark chocolate chips or semisweet chips. Milk chocolate chips can be a bit too sweet.
How to make Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 375. Line a light-colored baking sheet with a silicone mat or a piece of parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy, about 20 seconds.
3. Add the sugars, and beat for about 30 seconds. The mixture will turn a pale color and be fluffy.
4. Next, add the egg yolk and vanilla and beat until just combined.
5. Sprinkle the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder on top of the butter mixture, and beat just until combined.
6. Stir in the chocolate chips. Scoop the dough into 12 dough balls, and space them evenly on the baking sheet.
7. Bake for 8-10 minutes, removing the cookies from the oven when the edges just start to turn golden brown. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 1 minute before moving them to a wire rack to cool.
Storage and Make Ahead Instructions
These cookies keep already baked on the counter for up to 3 days. They keep for up to 5 days in the fridge. You can scoop and freeze the dough and store in the freezer for up to 3 months, if you store in a freezer-safe container. Bake the cookies straight from frozen, but add a few extra minutes to help them cook all the way through.
Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies FAQS
To bake chewy chocolate chip cookies, first, you want to start by not overbaking the cookies. Do not let them cool completely on the cookie sheet after baking, because the residual heat will continue to cook them. Using dark brown sugar helps increase chewiness in a cookie. So, scan your cookie recipe and make sure it has a higher portion of brown sugar to white sugar and you’ll most likely end up with a perfectly chewy cookie.
In general, follow a trusted recipe. Read the instructions all the way through, use high quality ingredients, and practice baking! Ensure your butter is softened but not melty, your dry ingredients are properly measured, and that your leaveners (baking soda and baking powder) are fresh and not expired.
If your cookies cool and become crisp it’s because they were over-baked. Do not let them cool on the cookie sheet completely. Follow the instructions–let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 1 minute after they come out of the oven and then move them to a wire rack to cool completely.
So, some cookie recipes call for both baking soda and baking powder, and some call for one or the other. This small batch chocolate chip cookie recipe calls for both. Baking soda is acidic, which reacts with the ingredients the dough to create air bubbles, which spreads the dough, sometimes causes cracks (in the case of our sugar cookies) and makes it lift, ever so slightly. Baking powder, on the other hand, creates a high rise and plenty of lift in a cookie. This is why we use it in our Strawberry Shortcake Cookies–we want tall, fluffy cookies in the case of shortcake cookies. For chocolate chip cookies, we want both spread and lift, so we use both.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe (Small Batch)
Chocolate chip cookies recipe from scratch that only makes a small batch.
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 large egg yolk (egg white reserved for another use)
- 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/8 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/3 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375. Line a light-colored baking sheet with a silicone mat.
- In a medium bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy, about 20 seconds.
- Add the sugars, and beat for about 30 seconds. The mixture will turn a pale color and be fluffy.
- Next, add the egg yolk and vanilla and beat until just combined.
- Whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder in a separate bowl.
- Sprinkle the flour on top of the butter mixture, and beat just until combined.
- Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Scoop the dough into 12 dough balls, and space them evenly on the baking sheet.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, removing the cookies from the oven when the edges just start to turn golden brown.
- Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 1 minute before moving them to a wire rack to cool.
Notes
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 117Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 46mgSodium: 67mgCarbohydrates: 11gFiber: 0gSugar: 9gProtein: 1g
Excellent recipe. Used with infused butter, added crushed smarties instead of chocolate chips, chilled all the way through for the perfect chew!
Promised the grand babies some cookies and this recipe was quick and in a small batch like I needed.
Flavor is great, they are soft in the middles and has a little crunch on the outside.
One thing I notice they came out very thin, they fatten out a lot, not sure if it’s meant to be that way or i did something wrong, please let me know because we love the flavor.
Either way, delicious cookies! Thank you
Great cookies, the perfect amount. Thank you 🙂
My Mother and Grandmother always said, “The better batter is the butter batter, so you better use butter in your batter!”
This is by far the best chocolate chip cookie recipe that i’ve tried! Soo chewy and delicious. Thank goodness it’s a small batch 😅
I made these using Bob’s Red Mill gluten free flour (my hubby has gluten allergies) and they were perfect! Great small batch recipe! 🍪
Made these last night and they were soooo good. I want to double it or triple it for the holidays, should I just stick to egg yolks the recipe calls for or do you suggest using the whole egg?
If you double it, use 2 egg yolks. If you triple it, use 3 egg yolks :)
Love, love, love!!! Have made these twice & cookies were delicious every time! Thank you!!!! :)
Your recipes are always 10/10. I browned the butter and added walnuts and my family was so happy!
I just made these tonight and they were SO good. I was a little skeptical about just an egg yolk and not the white and both baking soda and baking powder but they came out perfectly! Buttery and crisp edges soft centers. I used Milk chocolate chips and I also added walnuts I put a bit too much of each but they taste fantastic. I have tried so many different recipes and have just been disappointed. Everyone says their cookies are the best . I really think yours takes that title All Day without a doubt! I will never use a different recipe.
How did you know HOW MUCH of each ingredient to use. I read and re-read the recipe and couldn’t find the amounts.