Original Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies

These Original Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies are the kind of classic that never really goes out of style. The edges bake up lightly crisp and golden, while the centers stay soft, buttery, and pleasantly chewy. Every bite has plenty of semisweet chocolate, a little caramel-like richness from brown sugar, and a warm vanilla aroma that makes the whole kitchen smell like a proper cookie day.

I’ve always considered a dependable chocolate chip cookie recipe worth keeping close, especially when you need something familiar for an after-school treat, holiday cookie tray, or weekend baking project with the kids. The chopped nuts add crunch and balance the sweetness, but the cookies are just as inviting without them. A cold glass of milk alongside one that’s still slightly warm is hard to beat.

They also store beautifully, which makes a big batch surprisingly practical. Keep cooled cookies refrigerated for up to one week, or freeze them for up to eight weeks for an easy homemade treat later.

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Ingredients

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

¾ cup granulated sugar

¾ cup packed brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 large eggs

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup chopped nuts

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven. Heat the oven to 190°C / 375°F. Have ungreased baking sheets ready.
2. Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl until evenly combined.
3. Cream the butter and sugars. In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla until creamy and well blended.
4. Add the eggs. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition.
5. Finish the dough. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the butter mixture. Stop mixing once no obvious streaks of flour remain. Fold in the chocolate chips and chopped nuts.
6. Portion the cookies. Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto the baking sheets, leaving enough room between cookies for spreading.
7. Bake. Bake at 190°C / 375°F for 9 to 11 minutes, rotating or switching the baking sheets halfway through if using multiple oven racks. Remove the cookies when the edges are golden and the centers still look slightly soft.
8. Cool. Leave the cookies on the baking sheets for about 2 minutes so they can firm up, then transfer them to wire racks to cool completely.

Cooking Notes

Avoid packing the flour into the measuring cup. Too much flour is one of the easiest ways to turn a chewy chocolate chip cookie into a dry, cakey one.

The butter should be softened but not melted. Overly warm butter can cause excessive spreading.

For softer cookies, pull them from the oven when the centers still appear slightly underdone. Residual heat continues cooking them as they rest on the baking sheet.

Walnuts or pecans work particularly well for the chopped nuts. You can also omit the nuts without changing the basic baking method.

For more evenly sized cookies, portion the dough with a tablespoon-size cookie scoop.

Nutrition

Yields: 60 cookies

Recommended Serving Size: 1 cookie

The finished yield is approximately 60 tablespoon-size cookies. Because moisture evaporates during baking, the final cooked weight will be lower than the raw dough weight, but the calorie-containing ingredients largely remain in the cookies.

Estimated Nutrition per Serving

• Calories: 108 kcal
• Fat: 6.0 g
• Carb: 13.0 g
• Protein: 1.0 g

Actual values will vary somewhat according to the chocolate chips, butter, nuts, and exact size of each cookie.

Recipe Science

Chocolate chip cookies rely on a balance of flour, fat, sugar, eggs, and leavening. Flour establishes structure, while butter provides richness and encourages spreading. Granulated sugar contributes sweetness and crispness; brown sugar supplies additional moisture and molasses flavor, helping create the characteristic chewy texture. Eggs bind the dough, and baking soda supports browning and spread.

Creaming softened butter with the sugars incorporates small pockets of air, while the flour provides enough structure for the cookies to hold together as the butter melts. Baking at 190°C / 375°F sets the outside relatively quickly, producing golden edges while allowing the center to remain softer. A short rest on the hot baking sheet continues setting the center without requiring additional oven time.

These cookies are well suited to batch baking and freezing. Once completely cooled, store them in an airtight container. The nuts can be omitted, changed, or replaced with additional chocolate chips without substantially altering the basic technique.

Dietary Notes & Health Alerts: At one cookie per serving, the provided nutrition indicates approximately 3 g saturated fat and 85 mg sodium. That represents about 15% of the FDA Daily Value for saturated fat and roughly 4% of the Daily Value for sodium, so neither reaches the 20% threshold considered high. The supplied nutrition lists 9 g total sugar but does not distinguish added sugar, so an accurate percentage of the 50 g FDA Daily Value for added sugars cannot be established from the source information alone.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Classic Cookie Texture: Crisp, golden edges contrast with a softer, chewy center.
• Chocolate in Every Bite: Two full cups of semisweet chocolate chips make these unmistakably chocolate-forward.
• Beginner-Friendly: Straightforward mixing, portioning, and baking make this a dependable first cookie recipe.
• Freezer-Friendly: Make the full batch and freeze extras for homemade cookies whenever a craving hits.
• Easy to Customize: Keep the traditional nuts, leave them out, or substitute your favorite chopped pecans or walnuts.

FAQ

• Can I leave out the nuts? Yes. Simply omit them; no other major adjustment is necessary.
• Why did my cookies spread too much? Butter that is overly soft or melted can encourage spreading. Make sure it is softened but still holds its shape before creaming.
• How do I keep the cookies chewy? Avoid overbaking. Take them out when the edges are golden but the centers still look a little soft, then let them finish setting on the baking sheet.
• Can I make the dough ahead of time? Yes. Cover the dough tightly and refrigerate it before baking. Chilled dough may need a little extra time in the oven.
• Can baked cookies be frozen? Yes. Once completely cool, pack them in an airtight freezer-safe container. The supplied recipe recommends freezing for up to eight weeks.

Conclusion

There’s something wonderfully comforting about pulling a tray of warm, chocolate-packed cookies from the oven, especially when the recipe is this familiar and dependable. Cooking and baking are always a little personal, so keep the nuts, skip them, add your favorite chocolate, and make this classic fit your kitchen.

Do you like your chocolate chip cookies soft and chewy or crisp around the edges? I’d love to know. Happy baking, friends!