The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies have a very unique recipe which creates the perfect moist and chewy texture combined with a sweet and (slightly) salty kick. Once you try these you will not go back to any other chocolate chip cookie recipe!

I have tried a lot of different chocolate chip cookie recipes in my day. When I was a little girl and first found my love for baking my go-to was always the chocolate chip cookie. I tried traditional recipes, recipes with different combos of shortening and butter, or brown sugar and granulated sugar, etc. But it wasn’t until I tried one of my mother-in-law’s famous birthday “cookie-cakes” that I officially settled on a chocolate chip cookie recipe.

This recipe has a few unique qualities that make it stand out from the crowd:

• All shortening, no butter. Shortening has a higher melting point than butter, which makes these cookies thicker and chewier (cookies with a portion of butter or all butter will turn out flatter and crispier)
• All brown sugar, no granulated sugar. Brown sugar is regular sugar with the addition of molasses. It causes cookies to be chewier and more moist
• Add milk! Not only does it add a little extra flavor, but the proteins help the cookie get an extra rise. The sugar and fat in the milk help to moisten the cookie as well
• A little extra salt. Sweet & salty! My fave.

Extra cookie baking tips:

• Check the expiration date on your baking soda! What? Baking soda and baking powder expire? The answer is YES. Once they have reached their shelf life, their potency is drastically reduced which can result in flat cookies. Click here to see the steps to check if your baking powder or baking soda is still potent enough to use in your baked goods.
• Use parchment paper or a silicone baking mat: this helps the bottom of the cookies (especially the chocolate) from getting over baked/burning
  • Parchment paper tip: grease the pan before adding the parchment paper. This helps the paper stick to the pan!
• Use a cookie dough scoop for faster and more even cookie balling. Also, try greasing the scoop beforehand to keep the dough from sticking.
• When making cookies, I rarely bake them all at once unless I have a specific event for which I am baking. Most of the time I will bake a pan or two of cookies, then roll the excess dough into tube shapes (or the already balled dough) and freeze them. When you are ready to bake them, just use a large knife to cut them into 1-inch slices and pop them in the oven! 

Layered Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

All the deliciousness from soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies in a giant cookie form, this chocolate chip cookie layer cake is the ultimate cookie cake. This chocolate chip cookie cake recipe is paired with a delicious chocolate buttercream frosting recipe. It's like a thick and fluffy chocolate ganache.

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 8 servings

Equipment

• Stand mixer with paddle attachment or hand mixer
• Silicon spatula
• Mixing bowls
• Wooden spoon
• 6 or 9-inch cake pan (2 or 3)
• 9×9 or 9×13-inch pan for cookie bars
• Piping bag or plastic bag
• Parchment paper (optional)
• Wire rack for cooling (optional)

Ingredients

  

Cookie cake/bars

• ¾ cup butter-flavored shortening
• 1 ¼ cup light brown sugar packed
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¾ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Chocolate Buttercream (for cookie cakes)

• 1 ½ cups unsalted butter 3 sticks, softened
• ¾ cup cocoa powder
• 4-5 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream milk can be substituted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Instructions

 

For the cookie cake

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a hand mixer, cream the shortening and brown sugar on high for 1-2 minutes. Scrape down the bowl once complete.
• Add in milk, eggs and vanilla extract. Mix until combined. Scrape down the bowl once complete.
• In separate bowl, whisk dry ingredients together (flour, baking soda, salt).
• Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients in 4 portions. Mix until combined
• Using a wooden spoon, mix in the chocolate chips.
• Thoroughly grease a pan and evenly spread the cookie dough throughout the pan. *See notes for pan sizing*
• Bake for 10-25 minutes, or until the edges have browned and the middle is light in color but not jiggly. *Total time depends on the cake size.
• Let the bars cool completely before cutting & serving.

To make the chocolate buttercream

• Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter until fluffy.
• Add cocoa powder, heavy cream, vanilla and salt. Mix until combined.
• Add powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition, until you have reached desired frosting consistency (usually 4-5 cups total).

Assembly

• To assemble the cookie cake, place the bottom later on your serving plate or cake plate.
• Add the chocolate frosting to a piping bag with a star tip. Pipe out frosting rosettes around the edge of the bottom and center cookie. Then fill in the rest with frosting in an even layer. Gently stack the cookie cake layers on top of each other.
• Option to top with sprinkles, more chocolate chips, or candles for a birthday party!

Notes

Pan sizes:

• 2 6-inch round layers – thicker cookies with some leftover dough
• 3 6-inch round layers – thinner cookies, no leftover dough
• 2 9-inch round layers – thinner cookies, no leftover dough
• 9×9 or 9×13-inch pan for cookie bars

 

How to store leftovers – Store this cake or cookie bars in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days. 

How to freeze – Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. You can defrost in the refrigerator the night before you want to eat it. 

Keyword chocolate chip cookies, cookie bars, cookie cake