Chocolate chip cookies
Browned edges and chocolate pieces make a useful first cookie recipe.

Have readyBowls, spoon, 2 trays, parchment, cooling rack
Plan your timePrep 20 min; chill 30 min; bake 24–30 min in batches; cool 10 min; total about 90 min
AllergensWheat, milk, egg; possible soy. Check labels and substitutions.
Ingredients
Makes 12 large cookies
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Let’s make it.
0 / 4 stepsMeasure the ingredients and read every step before starting.
Beat butter and sugars until evenly combined and lighter, 2–3 minutes by hand. Beat in egg and vanilla.
Mix flour, soda, and salt separately, then fold into the butter mixture. Stir in chocolate and chill 30 minutes.
Heat oven to 180°C / 350°F. Divide dough into 12 balls, about 43 g / 1.5 oz each. Put six on each lined tray with 10 cm / 4 inches between centres, then flatten lightly.
Bake one tray at a time for 12–15 minutes until edges are golden and centres are set. Cool on the tray 5 minutes, then on a rack.
A little help along the way
Keep the second tray chilled while the first bakes. Never taste raw cookie dough.
A little history
Ruth Wakefield added chopped chocolate to cookie dough at the Toll House Inn in Massachusetts in the 1930s. This is a contemporary small batch version of that style.
Keeping it for later
Cool fully before covering. Plain unfilled bakes keep in an airtight box for about 3 days for best quality. Refrigerate any perishable cream or custard additions.