Small-Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies
Inspired by Laura Numeroff’s classic picture book If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, these small-batch chocolate chip cookies are quick and easy to make the next time a hungry mouse shows up on your doorstep. Just make sure you have a glass of milk (and a straw!) at the ready! Many thanks to my friend Ellen for sharing her signature recipe, which I riffed on.
Good To Know
- This recipe requires no mixer, just a couple of bowls and a little arm strength! To make it easier to mix into the sugars, make sure your butter is very soft. You can set it out to soften on the counter at the beginning of the recipe, and if it’s not quite soft enough when you get to that step, pop it in the microwave and heat it at 50% power for 10 seconds at a time until it’s very soft (but not fully melted). That will make creaming together the butter and sugars much easier!
- Following my friend Ellen's strict instructions, I call for salted butter here, but you can use unsalted butter if that's what you've got on hand; just increase the salt in the recipe to 1 teaspoon.
- You can use either light or dark brown sugar in this recipe. Dark brown sugar will give the cookies a slightly darker color and more molasses-y flavor.
Equipment You'll Need
- Rimmed baking sheet
- Parchment paper (or silicone baking mat)
- 2 Bowls (1 large, 1 medium)
- Rubber spatula
- Whisk
- #20 (3-tablespoon) portion scoop (or 1-tablespoon measuring spoon)
- Oven mitts
- Cooling rack
Measure Your Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (6 ½ ounces)
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 8 tablespoons salted butter, cut into 8 pieces and well softened
- ½ cup packed brown sugar (3 ½ ounces)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar (1 ¾ ounces)
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Let's Cook!
- Set your oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon table salt, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon baking powderIn a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.
- 8 tablespoons salted butter, cut into 8 pieces and well softened, ½ cup packed brown sugar, ¼ cup granulated sugar, 1 large egg, ½ teaspoon vanilla extractIn a large bowl, combine the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Use a rubber spatula to vigorously stir and mash until well combined and the mixture is creamy. Add the egg and vanilla and whisk until combined and smooth.
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chipsAdd the flour mixture to the bowl with the butter mixture and stir with the rubber spatula until no dry flour remains and a soft dough forms (make sure to scrape along the bottom and sides of the bowl to get all of the dry flour). Stir in the chocolate chips until evenly distributed.
- Use a #20 (3 tablespoon) size portion scoop or a 1-tablespoon measuring spoon to divide the cookie dough into twelve 3-tablespoon portions and place them on the parchment-lined baking sheet, evenly spaced.
- Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven. Bake until the edges of cookies are browned and the centers are puffy, 10 to 14 minutes.
- Use oven mitts to remove the baking sheet from the oven and place it on the stovetop or a cooling rack. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for at least 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. (Leftover cookies–if there are any!–can be kept in an airtight container for up to 3 days.)