How to Make Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies That Are Crunchy on the Outside But Soft and Chewy on the Inside

Question: Is there anything more delicious than an ooey gooey chocolate chip cookie? Answer: No.

The classic cookie is the perfect dessert to enjoy after dinner, as a mid-day pick-me-up, or at 8 a.m. while you make your morning coffee (we don’t judge). It’s basically the perfect treat, no matter any time of day.

The key to the perfect chocolate chip cookie is getting the consistency just right. You want it to be crunchy on the outside, but have a soft, moist inside…one where the dough crumbles just right, the chocolate melts delectably in your mouth, and the sweetness clings to every crevice of your mouth.

We’re drooling just thinking about it. And we’re also drooling watching chef Dzung Lewis whip up some of her famous work contest-winning chocolate chip cookies. Lewis is of Honeysuckle, a food and lifestyle channel for busy bees—aka filled with easy recipes that you can whip up in a pinch.

One of her secrets to these cookies? Browning the butter first. “What that does is toast up the milk solids, and it gives our cookie that depth of flavor,” she explains. “You’ll notice it very subtly in the cookies.”

Tip: The type of butter matters for the browning process—you’ll want to make sure you have some pure Irish butter. The higher quality the ingredients, the more delicious the cookie!

Once you brown the butter, you’ll want to add both white and brown sugar. “The white sugar will give our cookie that delicate crisp, while the brown sugar with the molasses in it will provide that extra chew.”

Next, add in the classic ingredients of vanilla, salt and baking soda, followed by the flour and chocolate chips. For the chocolate chips, the bigger the better!

Lewis’ tips for the perfect chocolate chip cookie continue into even the placement of the cookies on the baking sheet. It’s important to clean up the edges a bit and space them about two inches apart, since they will flatten and spread quite a bit.

Don’t forget to sprinkle some seat salt on top before they hit the oven, which complements the chocolate in the cookie wonderfully.

The cookies take just 12 minutes to bake and come out looking like you work in a bakery. It’ll be hard but you have to let them sit for a bit to let them cool. Trust us, the end result is worth it!

To watch Lewis whip these up—plus loads of tips on making the perfect chocolate chip cookies—check out the video below.

How amazing do these cookies look? Do you think you’ll be making these any time soon?