Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies from Scratch - Dessert for Two (2024)

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. One of the first things I wanted to share here in this space is a small-batch chocolate chip cookies recipe.

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. Small batch desserts fit into our lives so easily!

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!

It seems I cannot be trusted around a batch of cookies that make more than one dozen cookies. I'm hoping you're the same way as me! I'm guessing since you landed on this site, you might be. If that's the case, welcome!

What you'll need for a Small Batch of Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 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.
• 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.
• Granulated Sugar.
• Egg Yolk. We just need the egg yolk, not the egg white. Reserve the egg whites for another use.
• Vanilla Extract.
• Flour. Plain, all-purpose flour that you fluff, scoop to measure and level off with a knife.
• Baking Soda.
• Baking Powder.
• Salt.
• Chocolate Chips. I like to use dark chocolate chips or semisweet chips. Milk chocolate chips can be a bit too sweet.

What makes cookies better: butter or shortening?

You guys loved my original recipe for small-batch chocolate chip cookies. I'm so glad that you guys think it's so amazing to have a small recipe for cookies that you could bake whenever a cookie craving hits. And, you love that the recipe only makes 10-12 cookies, not the typical 4 dozen cookies of standard recipes.

I love that neither of us trusts ourselves around leftover cookies. We're the same, you and I.

However, my original recipe for a small batch of chocolate chip cookies contained shortening. I grew up in the South, and shortening is a common ingredient to me when used in moderation. But, I've learned that most of you guys avoid shortening at all costs.

After many emails poured in asking if the recipe could be made with all butter, I finally decided to try it myself! I'm so glad I took your advice.

As it turns out, chocolate chip cookies made without shortening are amazing, and it's possible to still have the chewy, melty, gooey cookies of our dreams. Butter is where it's at, friends!

You're going to love these cookies because they containallbutter and dark brown sugar. If you have my first cookbook, Dessert for Two, you can use this new formula to adapt the recipe.

If you want to keep making the original recipe with shortening, that's perfectly fine, too friends! I'm just here to make sure you get enough cookies in your life. The original ratio is 4 tablespoons of butter to 2 tablespoons of shortening.

It would be super fun to make both recipes side by side and host a taste-test party!

Shortening makes cookies fluffy while still giving them a crisp edge. It's magical stuff, but I understand if you don't want to bake with it.

How to make Chocolate Chip Cookies From Scratch

1. Preheat the oven to 375. Line a light-colored baking sheet with a silicone mat.
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. Whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder in a separate bowl.
6. Sprinkle the flour on top of the butter mixture, and beat just until combined.
7. Stir in the chocolate chips.
8. Scoop the dough into 12 dough balls, and space them evenly on the baking sheet.
9. Bake for 8-10 minutes, removing the cookies from the oven when the edges just start to turn golden brown.
10. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 1 minute before moving them to a wire rack to cool.

Chocolate Chip Cookies Small Batch Recipe baking tips

-Use softened butter. That means butter that sits out at room temperature for about 20 minutes. You can press a finger into the butter to make an indent, but your finger will not go all the way through easily. Softened butter is not room temperature butter.

-Use dark brown sugar. The only difference between light brown sugar and dark brown sugar is the molasses content. And when it comes to cookies, the more molasses, the better. Molasses makes cookies a lovely shade of golden brown, and it's key for chewy cookies.

-This recipe uses just an egg yolk (because it's small-batch). I have a collection of recipes that use leftover egg whitesif you're interested.

-Use ⅓ cup of chocolate chips for the dough, but feel free to push a few more chocolate chips on the top right when they come out of the oven. That's a pro tip ;)

I want to mention that if you have egg allergies, try this recipe for a small batch of chocolate chip cookies without eggs. I hope you make it at least a few times a month just like I do!

Another fun variation is to add orange zest to your cookies. I also want to mention that you can use any type of chocolate chips and add nuts if you prefer your cookies that way. I have a small batch cranberry white chocolate chip cookie recipe that is a variation of this recipe.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe Small Batch 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

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