A high altitude tested recipe for big, bakery style chocolate chip cookies with crisp, caramelized, deeply golden brown edges, and slightly underdone centers that set up soft and chewy. These cookies have a rich brown buttery flavor, lots of chocolate, extra vanilla, and a hint of cardamom.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Bakery Style. When I imagine a bakery style chocolate chip cookie, I think of a big, thick cookie, one that I’m willing to pay a few dollars for to enjoy with an afternoon cup of coffee. The edges should be sort of wrinkly/crinkly, crisp, caramelized, and perfectly golden brown, with a soft chewy center. It shouldn’t be tooth-achingly sweet, but with a nice saltiness to balance the sugar. And the flavor should be exceptional, with vanilla, butter, salt, and chocolate lingering on my tongue with each bite. This cookie checks all the boxes. Although the edges are crisp, this cookie isn’t nearly as crunchy overall as my thin and crispy chocolate chip cookies, and not nearly as soft as my original high altitude chocolate chip cookies. They’re the perfect in-between.
A Little Savage. I love the way Nigella describes food, as well as the way she’s not afraid to show how much she enjoys eating food. Last week, on the first episode of season 14 of The Great British Bake Off, Nigella commented on the “savage” flavor of the cardamom in a cake she was tasting. I use cardamom frequently in my baking, and I’ve never considered it as savage, but I love the thought! The ground cardamom adds a subtle hint of spice and an earthiness that’s just so good with the flavor of these cookies.
High Altitude Tested. I develop all the recipes on my site for Denver’s altitude of 5,280 feet. If you’re at a lower or higher elevation, please see my FAQs for guidance on adjusting recipes for your altitude.
More High Altitude Chocolate Chip Cookies
I have so many other chocolate chip cookies on my website, and I’ve written on the evolution of my chocolate chip cookie recipes in detail on this recipe post. I hope you check it out! Although, I have to admit, today’s bakery chocolate chip cookies might have stolen first place as my favorite chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever eaten. These are, in my option, THE BEST chocolate chip cookies ever.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.
Ingredients
- Butter. You’ll be browning some of the butter, which adds a rich depth of flavor to the cookie dough. By only browning half the butter, you can cool it down quickly by adding cold butter, and then whipping it with sugar until pale and fluffy.
- Granulated Sugar + Light Brown Sugar.
- Eggs. You’ll need a whole egg, plus an extra yolk, to add a touch more moisture and strength.
- Vanilla Extract.
- All Purpose Flour.
- Corn Starch. Helps to keep the cookies soft and chewy in the middles.
- Baking Powder.
- Salt.
- Ground Cardamom.
- Chocolate Chip. I use mostly semi-sweet chocolate chips, as well as a small amount of finely chopped super dark chocolate. The chopped chocolate adds a few extra specks of chocolate throughout that looks so pretty.
Instructions
Browned Butter
- In a saucepan, melt 1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter over medium heat (this is only half the butter that the recipe calls for). Continue to cook the butter, swirling the pan occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until a layer of foam forms on top of the butter and underneath the foam, nutty golden brown solids have formed on the bottom of the pan.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat, and immediately pour the browned butter (scraping up all the browned solids, too), into the bowl of your stand mixer.
Cookie Dough
- Cut the remaining 1/2 cup of cold butter into chunks, and drop it into the hot browned butter. Add the granulated sugar and brown sugar. Let sit for 5 minutes to cool slightly.
- With the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar mixture on medium speed for 10 minutes, until very pale and fluffy.
- Scrape down the bowl, add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla, and mix on low to combine.
- Separately, combine the flour, corn starch, baking powder, salt, and cardamom. Add the flour mixture, chocolate chips, and chopped chocolate to the dough, mixing on low to combine.
Chilling and Shaping the Dough
- Cover the dough and refrigerate for one hour, until firm enough to scoop into balls.
- Scoop the chilled dough into 12 balls. If you like, you can weigh the dough, then weigh each ball, or just estimate their size. I used a large cookie scoop/cupcake scoop with a release lever (3 tbsp capacity), and filled this heaping full to scoop 12 portions. Roll each portion into a ball, and refrigerate the dough balls for 1 hour.
Baking the Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place 6 of the chilled dough balls on the baking sheet, giving them plenty of room to spread. Keep the remainder of the dough balls refrigerated until needed.
- Bake the cookies for about 14-16 minutes. The cookies are done when the edges are golden brown and set, but the centers are still slightly under-baked.
- Let the cookies cool and set on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common baking questions, so that you can be successful in your own baking!
Frequently Asked Questions
Store leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days, or in the freezer for up to 3-6 months.
You really need a mixer – and I highly recommend using a stand mixer, not a hand-held mixer – to properly whip the butter and sugar for a full 10 minutes.
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Please check out my Amazon Shop for a curated collection of some of my favorite cake pans from trusted brands, baking tools, ingredients, pretty things and fashion finds. I recommend products that I buy and use every day!
Did you love today’s recipe? Please rate the recipe and let me know in the comments what you thought! Also, be sure to follow Curly Girl Kitchen on Instagram, and tag me when you try one of my recipes so I can see all your delicious creations!
High Altitude Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
- Large Cookie Scoop with Release Lever
- Stand Mixer with Paddle Attachment
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, divided
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk (save the white for another use)
- 2 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, fluffed, spooned, and leveled
- 1 tbsp corn starch
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 ½ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- ¼ tsp ground cardamom
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ¼ cup finely chopped dark chocolate (about 1 ounce)
Instructions
Browned Butter
- In a saucepan, melt 1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter over medium heat (this is only half the butter that the recipe calls for). Continue to cook the butter, swirling the pan occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until a layer of foam forms on top of the butter and underneath the foam, nutty golden brown solids have formed on the bottom of the pan.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat, and immediately pour the browned butter (scraping up all the browned solids, too), into the bowl of your stand mixer.
Cookie Dough
- Cut the remaining 1/2 cup of cold butter into chunks, and drop it into the hot browned butter. Add the granulated sugar and brown sugar. Let sit for 5 minutes to cool slightly.
- With the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar mixture on medium speed for 10 minutes, until very pale and fluffy.
- Scrape down the bowl, add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla, and mix on low to combine.
- Separately, combine the flour, corn starch, baking powder, salt, and cardamom. Add the flour mixture, chocolate chips, and chopped chocolate to the dough, mixing on low to combine.
Chilling and Shaping the Dough
- Cover the dough and refrigerate for one hour, until firm enough to scoop into balls.
- Scoop the chilled dough into 12 balls. If you like, you can weigh the dough, then weigh each ball, or just estimate their size. I used a large cookie scoop/cupcake scoop with a release lever (3 tbsp capacity), and filled this heaping full to scoop 12 portions. Roll each portion into a ball, and refrigerate the dough balls for 1 hour.
Baking the Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place 6 of the chilled dough balls on the baking sheet, giving them plenty of room to spread. Keep the remainder of the dough balls refrigerated until needed.
- Bake the cookies for about 14-16 minutes. The cookies are done when the edges are golden brown and set, but the centers are still slightly under-baked.
- Let the cookies cool and set on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Notes
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