Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies are super easy to make. Small Batch Cookies are made with brown butter and can be made by hand - no mixer required. This cookie recipe makes 12 homemade chocolate chip cookies, and can easily be doubled. This cookie dough freezes well, so that you can always have a stash of frozen cookie dough to bake as needed!
Hi hi! Just popping in to share this recipe for Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies. This recipe makes just 12 cookies, and comes together with just a whisk or an electric hand mixer - no stand mixer required! The dough is great to freeze and have on hand in the freezer for whenever you need a cookie!
I have a lot of homemade chocolate chip cookies on my site, and few brown butter chocolate chip cookie recipes - but wanted to make something that can be made by hand and doesn't make two dozen cookies.
These small batch cookies are great to whip up for a quick dessert, or to just have when you need a few cookies. Back when we used to have friends over, or if we were going somewhere for dinner, I would make cookie dough ahead of time and then pop it in the oven to bake after dinner.
Why this is (one of) my favourite recipes
There are a couple of things that make these cookies so, so good. I think I made them about 8 times while testing - playing around with flour quantities, sugar ratios, leavening, chilling time, and baking time. I finally landed on what I think is the best small batch cookie dough.
- Small Batch - This recipe only makes 12 chocolate chip cookies, which is perfect if you are in a small household or have limited freezer space. You can easily double this recipe for a full 24 cookies if you need!
- Brown Butter - I love adding brown butter to recipes. It adds a depth of flavour that isn't immediately obvious what it is, but adds a complexity to the cookie.
- No Mixer Chocolate Chip Cookies - I made these using just a bowl, a whisk, and a spatula! You can use a handheld electric mixer if you like, but a whisk works just fine.
- Easy to freeze - If you don't want to bake all of this small batch cookie dough off at once, you can freeze some of the dough. I'll add tips for that further down the post.
For a perfect freezer stash - make these ahead!
If you want to make this chocolate chip cookie recipe super small batch, and have six cookies now and six later, you can freeze some of the dough. Chill all the dough down. Then, place however many balls of dough you are wanting to freeze on a parchment paper lined sheet pan. Cover lightly with plastic and then freeze until solid (also known as a flash freeze) - 30 minutes to an hour. Transfer the dough to an airtight container or ziploc bag, and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
I like to label the dough with what it is and baking time - you will need to add 2-3 minutes onto the baking time when baking frozen dough. There is no need to defrost. You can bake it straight from frozen! Sometimes we will bake just two cookies off to have in the evening. I like to drop the temperature when baking to 325°f / 160°c and increase the bake time by a few minutes to account for frozen dough.
For all my best tips on freezing cookie dough and baking from frozen, check out my post: How to freeze cookie dough
How to get perfect chocolate puddles
Moisture loss when browning butter - this is important!
Ranting aside, it is particularly important that you use a scale to bake with for small batch recipes, or recipes using brown butter. Small batch recipes rely on the ratio of ingredients being correct and there is much less room for error. And the best way to get this correct is to by using a scale. Different butters will have different moisture levels, which affects the yield of brown butter. American style butter have a higher water content, so will produce less brown butter when the water is cooked off. European or New Zealand style butter, which is higher in fat than American butter, will have less water that needs cooking off, so you will end up with a higher yield of brown butter.
The quantity of the butter in the recipe is important here, so the best way to measure it is by using a scale. You start with an initial quantity of butter - in this case 120g, and then cook it down. You then re-measure the weight of the brown butter, and use 95g of that in your cookie recipe. I have accounted for the moisture loss from the initial quantity of brown butter in the recipe.
❤️ Made this recipe and love it? ❤️
I would LOVE for you to leave me a review and star rating below to let me know how you liked it! Also, please make sure to tag me on Instagram!
Answers to your baking questions
Over the years, many of you have asked me questions about:
- baking in grams
- adjusting oven temperatures
- what kind of salt to use
- and many more!
I've curated and answered them all for your easy reference in this frequently asked questions post!
Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 12 cookies 1x
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
Description
These Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies are super easy to make. They are made with brown butter and can be made by hand - no mixer required. This recipe makes 12 chocolate chip cookies, and can easily be doubled.
Ingredients
- 120g unsalted butter, cold from the fridge is fine
- 120g dark brown or light brown sugar
- 45g granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 140g all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp espresso powder (optional)
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- 180g chocolate from a bar, chopped (I used 100g dark and 80g milk, use what you like here), plus extra for pressing on top, if desired
Instructions
- Place the butter in a medium saucepan, and place over medium heat. Cook until the butter has melted, and then continue to cook, swirling the pan often, until the butter foams and turns golden brown and nutty - this should take 3-4 minutes.
- Measure out 95g (see Notes section below) of the brown butter into a medium or large mixing bowl, and set aside for 15-20 minutes to cool so that it doesn't scramble your eggs.
- When the butter is cool, add the brown sugar and white sugar, and whisk briefly to incorporate.
- Add the egg and whisk well for 1-2 minutes, or mix using an electric mixer, until the mixture has lightened in colour and has thickened.
- Add the vanilla and mix well.
- Add the flour, salt, espresso powder if using, baking powder, and baking soda. Mix to combine with a rubber spatula until there are some flour streaks remaining - this is to ensure you do not over work the dough.
- Add the chopped chocolate and mix with a spatula to incorporate and finish incorporating the flour.
- Line a quarter sheet pan or other container with parchment paper. Using a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop balls of dough (approx 55g) , arranging them on the parchment (they can be touching). Cover with plastic wrap or a lid and chill the dough for at least 30 minutes. See "how to freeze cookie dough" in post for tips on freezing
- 10 minutes into the chilling period, preheat the oven to 350°f / 180°c. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper.
- Arrange 6 cookie dough balls onto the pan. If desired, flatten each ball of dough, press more chocolate on the top, and roll into a ball, then space evenly on the pan.
- Bake the cookies for 11-13 minutes, or until set around the edges and golden brown. Bake for closer to 11 minutes for still gooey inside, or 12-13 for more set cookies.
- Remove from the oven, and if desired, use a cookie cutter slightly bigger than the cookies to 'scoot' them into a round shape.
- Sprinkle with flaky sea salt if using. Leave to cool on the pan for 10-15 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack.
- Repeat the baking process with the remaining 6 balls of dough.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature.
Notes
You may notice that there are two quantities of butter in the recipe - the initial quantity of butter, then a second measurement in the method which is the quantity of brown butter. The larger initial quantity is to account for water loss when browning - read more about that in my FAQ.
Please note that if you use the 2x button to double the recipe, this only doubles the ingredients list and not the quantities within the method, so you need to weigh out 190g brown butter to use in your cookies.
For notes on adding biscoff chunks please see the notes in the body of the blog post.
I like to use a little trick to get those big puddles on the tops of my chocolate chip cookies. Just before the dough goes in the oven, I take each ball of dough, and flatten it slightly. I then press chunks of chopped chocolate onto the top. You can add some of the chocolate dust from chopping too. Then I squeeze it back into a ball, and place it on the baking sheet. This means that when the cookie bakes, the chocolate will end up spread across the top of the cookie, and give you those big chocolate puddles on the tops. If you are freezing your cookie dough, do this step before they go into the freezer. You can't squish frozen dough!
Can I add Biscoff to the cookies?
I added biscoff chunks to this cookie recipe in a similar way that I did with my Nutella chocolate chip cookies. To add biscoff, pipe 170g biscoff spread (I used crunchy) into blobs on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, then freeze for at least 30 minutes until firm. Release from the paper and place back into the freezer until ready to use.
Reduce the chopped chocolate in the recipe to 110g. Add the biscoff pieces in with the chocolate, reserving a few for the tops of the cookies (place back into the freezer while the cookie dough is chilling). Scoop the cookie dough into balls, chill for the time in the recipe, then add a few of the biscoff pieces when you are adding the chocolate on the top of the cookies before baking. Bake the cookies as per the recipe - because the biscoff gets a little melty the cookies may come out a little flatter than the ones in this recipe but they are just so, so good.
I use a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop - I like this 2 tablespoon cookie scoop. You can also weigh your dough balls if you don't have a scoop. Mine weighed about 55g each.
Comments
Ember W says
Simply the best cookie recipe😍 it’s an extra step to brown the butter but hey, you would’t regret it. Especially when your asian mum asks “what did you buy inside?! It’s so fragrant” 🙈
Kara Jo Engelbrecht says
Had friends over for dinner and I threw these together, popped them in the fridge while we ate, and then baked them up after. So easy and so good. It was the perfect amount. Thank you!
Erin Clarkson says
Yayyy that's my favourite thing to do too! I often also double the recipe and then bake off frozen cookie dough too x
Catherine Burrell says
Sooo gooood!! Super reliable. 100% the perfect cookie! X
Stacey K. says
Have always wanted to
make the perfect choc chip cookies and always been left slightly disappointed. Well, not anymore! These cookies were outstanding.
The brown butter is amazing, leaving to chill for 30min is totally worth it as I see the change in texture! Delicious!
Lily bosak says
I was wondering are they like super soft thicker cookies or more thinner and chewier cookies??
Erin Clarkson says
Hi! They aren't super soft - I would say medium thickness?
Shauna says
So delicious- just made them for Santa, hopefully he’s a fan too. Love the fact I could weigh out each cookie (55g) made it so much easier to make them uniform. So it says 120g of butter in the ingredients but then 95g of burnt butter and I was a bit confused as to why you wouldn’t use the whole 120g but after burning you are pretty much left with 95g so it makes total sense.
Erin Clarkson says
Hi! So happy you loved! There is a note in the recipe with the heading 'moisture loss when browning butter' which explains this too 🙂
Emma Tiernan says
Can anyone cover at the g to tablespoons and cups?
Erin Clarkson says
You are welcome to google it! 🙂
Lexi says
These were so so good! I doubled the recipe because I have a big family and we are serious about our cookies haha! When I measured out the butter it seemed to be a little less than 95 g x 2 but I went ahead with it anyway. It could be because I used American butter and not Europe because it’s what I had on hand. Additionally, when they baked they were super flat, not a bad thing just an observation. All the more reason to try them again and see how they turn out next time:)
Harleen says
Hi Erin,
I have made these cookies 3-4 times now (losing count as you can see!)...taken them round when invited for dinner, gifted them to friends and made them for family. They are by far THE BEST chocolate-chip cookies ever! I've had people ask me to send them the recipe as they enjoyed them so much. The rich, deep smell and flavour from the browned butter is so comforting, makes the house smell divine and of course tastes absolutely delicious! I always struggled to find a good cookie recipe, as any ones I tried were either cakey, dry or too flat. These are the perfect texture, even when reducing the sugar slightly - chewy on the inside and crispy on the edges. They are an absolute crowd-pleaser and I'm already exctied to bake them again...thank you sooo much for sharing this amazing recipe xx
Erin Clarkson says
Ahhh I am so happy you loved@
Juniper says
These are absolutely delicious and bake up so professionally! I’ve made them twice in the past month and have gotten rave reviews from everyone!
Erin Clarkson says
Ahhh yay! They are a fave around here too x
Louise says
Not sure what I can add to what’s already been said other than perfect and I *don’t want to eat a whole a batch every time by myself it’s that good.*
Favourite dessert when sandwiched with some vanilla ice cream.
Meghan says
Idk what happened. I followed directions. Chilled them before hand and now I have 12 massive flat cookies 😂
I mean they taste good but where did I got wrong?
Erin Clarkson says
Hi! Hmmm is your oven too hot? Often it is an oven temperature issue if they spread. Did you use fan bake (And if you did did you adjust the temp to account?)
Sarah says
I love small batch recipes, as even if I'm tempted to eat them all myself over a few days (which isn't healthy!), there's not very many to eat in total haha. Will definitely be giving these a go this weekend 🙂
Erin Clarkson says
Yay I hope you enjoy!
Alyce Graf says
This is hands down the best chocolate chip recipe I've ever used.
Erin Clarkson says
Thank you so much! x
Isabel says
Hey Erin,
I love your blog and my whole family loves these cookies! They are delicious for dessert and whatever is left will thankfully be taken to school in a lunch box 😊
Definitely my favorite baking recipe at the moment!
(Can‘t wait to try your ciabatta recipe by the way - hope it‘ll be on your blog before Easter…?)
Lauren says
Delicious cookie recipe! Really appreciated the instructions on freezing. Now I keep a batch in the freezer and bake one or two at a time when the craving for cookies comes!
Atheer says
I made this recipe a while ago and I’m in love! all my friends and family loved the cookies so much 💗💗 the only issue is it becomes stale as soon as it cools down and I have to keep a piece of bread inside of the cookie jar and change it after the cookies suck all the moisture from it💔
Erin Clarkson says
Hi! These cookies keep for at least a few days before going stale - are you possibly over baking them? So happy you loved the recipe 🙂
Rachel Barraclough says
These are the cookies I make if i want to impress people and make them think I’m a sensational baker!! Absolutely incredible, chewy, melt in your mouth!
Such an easy bake with very simple and informative steps. Every question I may have while baking this has been answered in the explanations from Erin!
I’ve even used salted butter as it was all I had and omitted the salt and they were absolute perfection still! 10/10!
Michelle says
Beautiful cookies, easy recipe. Soooo good!! Will make again.
Sarah says
This is a great recipe, I am forever experimenting with cookies and this one is a great one added to my growing list.
Kelly Viggars says
The Moustache Cookie caravan is in Wellington but the line for cookies was over an hour wait. My workmate refused to stand in line to get us cookies on his way home so I made us these instead. Best bloody cookies ever! And I love weighing everything and knowing they will turn out perfectly. From a fellow Whitbyian 🙂 xx
Billie says
SUCH a good recipe - turned out perfect and every one of my friends went back for a second cookie. Super yum and has a slight savoury touch to it so isn’t too sweet.
Lauren says
Have just made these after trying your M&M cookie recipe last week. Busy eating one (ok, two...) right now. Insanely good! This is my new favourite cookie recipe. Thank you! xoxo
Julia says
This is such a great cookie recipe (and I have tried many!), it's that perfect combination of crispy edges and a chewy fudgy centre. This is definitely part of my regular cookie routine from now on!
Emma says
The ideal recipe for when you just want a quick cookie pick me up. Absolutely beautiful flavours from the browned butter and brown sugar. Perfect mix of crispy edges and chewy centre.
Elaine Tan says
This recipe was absolute yumms! If I would like to reduce the sweetness of the cookie, is it possible if I reduce the sugar content? I'm a bit wary because I understand sugar plays a role.
Alternatively, if I use Lakanto instead of brown sugar, would it produce similar results? Greatly appreciate an advise on this. Would love to have my parents enjoy the cookies too.
Erin Clarkson says
I don't have any experience using that sorry! I have only made them as written with the sugar, so if you change it, it is likely to alter the results.
Bex says
The depth of caramel-y flavour the browned butter gives these cookies really takes them to a whole new level. There is simply no going back to normal chocolate chip cookies after this. Thanks for the fab recipe with detailed steps and helpful tips to ensure the baker’s success. I doubled the recipe and ended up with 37 normal-size biscuits (I used a 2 T scoop, but did not weigh the balls). I did not use espresso powder, as I only had granules (wonder if they might work?).
The amount of butter turned out to be just enough after it melted (I used NZ butter) and I had to scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pan to get the right weight, but I reckon those browned bits added even more flavour. Oven set to 170, biscuits ended up flat as after 10 minutes, with bottoms a bit too browned and slightly too doughy middles. Of course, my oven is a complete POS (I rent, so unable to buy a new one). Your cookies look like they turned out great, so I don’t believe your recipe is the problem. I completely blame my oven. The cookies are still delicious, even flat as. Thanks again for this keeper of a recipe.
Erin Clarkson says
Hi! Ahh yes this def sounds like an oven issue! If you can get a thermometer (you can get them pretty cheaply at briscoes etc) it might be worth popping it in to see how far off your oven is!
Mindy Sutch says
I love this cookie recipe. Definitely one of the best I've tried. I love when I do the brown butter and my 4 year old says "what's that amazing smell"
Olivia says
These were so good! And I made my browned butter with Mykonos vegan butter which turned out great and didn't mess up the cookies in at all
Lucy says
Absolutely perfect cookies! Made these exactly as written with no changes and would definitely make them again. Not only are they delicious but they are a beautiful cookie too! The size and thickness were just right and they have remained tender into the next day. My new favorite CCC recipe - thanks Erin!
Alyce Graf says
This is my favourite cookie recipe, thank you so much for sharing it. They're my go to dessert, from frozen I like to slightly under cooking them (9- 10mins) and serving them hot over vanilla ice cream. Delicious! 🙂
Rachel says
I've made this recipe twice now - first exactly as is, and secondly with a lower ratio of brown sugar to white sugar (75 g brown and the remaining weight in white sugar) since I ran out of brown mid-recipe. They came out perfect both times, but the second time they spread out a little more, which I might actually prefer, but that could be recency bias. Like I said – perfect both times!
I never enjoyed basic chocolate chip cookie recipes, because I always felt they lacked flavour. They never tasted like the ones from the bakeries and coffee shops that sell those giant plate-sized cookies! I've tried a few recipes with the browned butter/chopped chocolate/salted tops combo that is known for elevating a basic chocolate chip cookie, but this one is the best yet – the ratios make for the perfect crisp bottoms, chewy centre, and gorgeous café-style crinkly texture on the top of the cookie.
Also, this recipe really made me a believer in baking by weighted measurements instead of volume. I think this is the last stop on my journey to find the perfect cookie recipe. Thank you cloudy kitchen!!
Ashley says
These cookies were so, so delicious and turned out so, so well—I'm making an extra batch now to gift to a family member! Chewy with just the right amount of crispiness, I especially loved the combination of chopped milk and dark chocolate. Definitely will be coming back to this recipe!
Andie says
I missed the part about re-measuring the butter after browning so I may have added too much (the cookies spread out quite a bit). I'm not mad about thin & crispy cookies, though! They still tasted great. I'll be making this again and will make sure I'm using the correct amount of browned butter next time. Thanks!
Nicole says
This is the only recipe I use when making chocolate chip cookies. I have made them twice in the last week. I love them. They are ridiculously good
Amanda Berry says
These are hands down the best chocolate chip cookies. My husband loves them so much that I included “I promise to always make you your favorite cookies” in reference to these cookies as a part of my wedding vows. So I guess they’re marry me cookies now?
Ariana Tobe says
I have made this recipe 5 different times since I discovered it a year ago. People tell me it’s the best chocolate chip cookie they have ever had. Thank you so much for this recipe! Now the question is to I gate keep it or spread the wealth haha!
txgirl says
As a self proclaimed cookie queen, I'm here to pile on the praise for your epic recipe. I've been baking CC cookies for more than 25 years and I think this just may take the top spot! Followed the ingredients and directions as written, and thank you for your clear concise explanations behind the science of your recipe. My new go to recipe!
Ashleigh says
These are THE BEST CCC EVER!! They always turn out perfect and have the best crinkly edges and rich deep flavour. I’m obsessed 😍
Ellie says
I’ve made these cookies countless times - they are loved by the whole family. This is now my “go-to” cookie recipe. No need to look elsewhere, this is the recipe you NEED to try!
Olivia says
These cookies are so damn good. Have absolutely become the thing I make when I need to impress someone, whip up a gift, or bribe a lecturer/boss. Kiwis I've found that Whittaker's Dark Ghana is the tastiest option for chocolate choice.
Erin says
Great recipe! My very fussy child approves so these will be a go to recipe for his lunchbox 😁
Anna says
These are so delicious and super easy. I love that they don’t require a mixer and can be done in one bowl. Perfect recipe for when you must have chocolate chip cookies on a Monday night!
Franny says
Made these cookies for afternoon tea and they turned out amazing!
Kelly Kardos says
These cookies are the best-I use bobs RedMill 1to1 and chill for an hour. Love them
Ning says
These were so amazingly good!!!! My husband said that it's the best chocolate chip cookies I've made so far and trust me, I've tried a lot of different recipes and always found them either too sweet or too oily, but these ones knocked our socks off! Thank you 💞
Stasi says
I personally find these cookies a bit too sweet for me. It’s worthwhile going as dark as you can for the choc.
HOWEVER! This is very clearly a me issue because everyone else in my life is obsessed with them and have asked me to make them for every gathering.
Super easy to put together and they freeze and bake amazingly. I have a bag of the dough in my freezer pretty much at all time.
Jamie says
Ok… this recipe is ridiculous. Ridiculously amazing. It’s almost 1am and I’m so tired, but I couldn’t sleep without leaving a review first. 5 stars is not enough, this is everything I’ve ever wanted in a cookie and MORE! I cannot describe it, but the cookie dough itself is VERY flavourful. Same ingredients as per every other recipe, (I’ve made many other brown butter cookies) but these are different. I’ve made/tasted some bland cookies, this cookie is NOT bland! (I added some cinnamon!) It’s insanely good and I will at ALL times keep some in the freezer. My only complaint is, that the cookies baked up very FLAT. Of course melted butter, flatter cookie, it’s a fact. But I chilled mine for 2 hours and they did not look like the picture, which I was disappointed by. But to me, the taste FAR outweighs the looks. I will try adding 10-20 grams more flour next time, because my cookie dough was a tad “oily” when mixing. So overall break down: Taste - 11/10, Visual appearance: 3/10. Thank you for this fabulous recipe!!
Erin Clarkson says
Hi! thank you so much for the lovely review! Maybe check your oven to make sure that it is not running too hot? This can often be a culprit for cookies that spread a lot!
Michele says
New favourite recipe. Didn’t have enough chocolate, so chucked in mini marshmallows - a deranged but delicious decision.
Also, how relaxing is baking in grams instead of trying to find 800 different measuring cups?! Thank you.
Maryellen says
Made these cookies a bit bigger than the recipe called for, about 80g and baked them slightly under. They made the best ice cream sandwiches this way!! Another great recipe from Erin ☺️
J tang says
The first time i made these cookies my husband said they were the BEST cookies I’d ever made and constantly requested them. Fast forward two years and we have a son who has an egg allergy - any recommendations for what I could do to sub out the egg? I tried a flax egg yesterday and the batter was soooo runny that I had to add quite a bit of extra flour before it was cookie dough like - that resulted in decent cookies but they just weren’t the same.
Erin Clarkson says
Hi! I don't have too much experience with egg free sorry! I have a vegan chocolate chip cookie coming up soonish which should work though!
Bridget says
Browning the butter nearly had me! But that's down to a bad stovetop and in the end it was definitely worth it! My partner gave them a 10/10 so I'm glad I doubled the batch and froze some
Cindy Lopez says
Can I add peanut butter to this recipe?
Erin Clarkson says
I haven't tried sorry but it might work?
Cindy Lopez says
I'll give it a try. If it works, I'll post the results. Thanks Erin.
Mary says
Recipe sounds awsome but could u post it with cup and tsp and tlbs measurements please all those grams I would have to google and convert.
Erin Clarkson says
Yes, you will need to google if you want the cup measurements as I do not test my recipes in cups.
Siri says
Made these on a sunday evening, when I was craving something sweet and chocolaty. I luckily had all the ingredients in the pantry.
These Cookies are absolutely delicious and satisfied all my cravings.
I only baked of 3 of them and froze the rest for later.
This recipe is honestly fool proof (provided you read all of the tips and tricks). It's also fast, straight forwar, doesn't use any hard to get ingredients and the freezability makes these cookies just perfect.
Thank you for putting this on the internet for free 🙂
Laura B says
Just made these---working from home and needed an afternoon pick-me up. They are quick to make (thanks in part to the recipe in grams, so much easier!) and VERY good (like all of CK's recipes). Will be my go-to from now on for a classic chocolate chunk cookie.
Baked on fan so lowered temp to 175C, cookies were about 1cm thick and perfect after 11mins (crunchy edges, fudgey centers) with a tap and turn at 8mins. Used 160g of 70% Whittaker's (the best!)
Thank you Erin for saving me from my afternoon slump.