Thick Bakery-Style Chocolate Chip Cookies: Gooey Four-Ounce Giants Step-by-step instructions

Before you start

Before starting, make sure all your ingredients are measured and ready. The butter and eggs should be cold, straight from the refrigerator. Cut the butter into small cubes to help it incorporate evenly. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and have a cookie scoop or kitchen scale ready for portioning.

The dough will need to freeze for at least 2 hours, so plan ahead. You can also make the dough a day in advance and let it chill overnight in the fridge or freezer. Preheat the oven only when you're ready to bake, as the dough must stay frozen until it goes in.

Instructions

Mix and Chill

1. 1Mix the Wet Ingredients
   In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the cold cubed butter, dark brown sugar, and white sugar. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the cold egg, cold egg yolk, and vanilla bean paste. Continue beating until fully incorporated and smooth, scraping down the sides as needed.
   Look for The mixture looks creamy and slightly aerated, with no visible butter chunks.
   Tip Using cold butter creates a thicker, more structured cookie. Do not overbeat after adding the eggs.
2. 2Whisk the Dry Ingredients
   In a separate large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, espresso powder, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt until evenly combined. The espresso powder enhances the chocolate flavor without adding a coffee taste.
   Look for The dry mixture is uniform in color with no lumps of leavener.
   Tip Whisking thoroughly ensures the baking powder and soda are distributed evenly.
3. 3Combine and Fold in Chocolate
   With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Mix until just a few streaks of flour remain. Use a rubber spatula to fold in the semi-sweet and milk chocolate chunks until evenly distributed. Do not overmix.
   Look for The dough is thick and holds together, studded with chocolate chunks.
   Tip Overmixing develops gluten, making cookies tough. Stop as soon as the flour disappears.

After completing this phase, you should have a thick, cohesive dough studded with chocolate chunks. The dough should be slightly sticky but hold its shape when scooped. The dough balls are now in the freezer, firm to the touch. The butter and sugar mixture should have been light and fluffy, and the dry ingredients fully incorporated without overmixing. The dough balls are ready for the oven as soon as they are frozen solid, which takes at least 2 hours. This is the stage where you can pause and refrigerate or freeze the dough for later.

Bake to Golden

4. 4Scoop the Dough Balls
   Use a 4-ounce cookie scoop or a kitchen scale to portion the dough into 8 equal balls. Each ball should weigh about 4 ounces. Place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing them at least 2 inches apart.
   Look for The dough balls are tall and round, about 2 inches in diameter.
   Tip Chilling the dough is essential for thick, gooey centers. Do not skip the freezer step.
5. 5Freeze the Dough
   Place the baking sheet with the dough balls in the freezer. Freeze for at least 2 hours, or until the dough is completely firm. This step prevents spreading and ensures the centers stay gooey while the edges set.
   Look for The dough balls are solid to the touch and hold their shape.
   Tip For best results, freeze overnight. The colder the dough, the thicker the cookie.

The cookies are baking, and the kitchen smells like a bakery. After 17 minutes, the edges are set and golden, while the centers are pale and puffy. The cookies have spread just slightly, keeping a tall, rounded shape. When you gently press the edge, it feels firm, but the center is soft and gives under pressure.

The chocolate chunks are melting, creating small pools on the surface. The cookies are ready to come out of the oven, even though they don't look completely done. They will continue to set as they cool on the hot baking sheet.

Cool and Serve

6. 6Bake the Cookies
   Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the frozen dough balls on the prepared sheet, spacing them at least 3 inches apart. Bake for 17 minutes, until the edges are set and lightly golden, while the centers still look slightly soft and underdone.
   Look for The edges are firm and browned, but the centers are pale and puffy.
   Safe temperature 160°F (71°C) internal temperature (egg dishes)
   Tip Bake one sheet at a time for even heat. Rotate the pan halfway through if needed.
7. 7Cool Slightly and Serve
   Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the cookies cool on the hot pan for 5 minutes. The residual heat continues to set the structure while keeping the center gooey. Transfer to a wire rack and serve warm, pulling one apart to reveal the molten chocolate.
   Look for The cookies are golden at the edges and soft in the middle, with melted chocolate pools.
   Tip For the best texture, enjoy within 30 minutes of baking. Reheat leftovers in a 300°F oven for 5 minutes.

The cookies have cooled for 5 minutes on the baking sheet and are now firm enough to handle. The edges are crisp, and the centers are soft and gooey. When you pull one apart, you see long, melty chocolate strands and a moist, tender interior. The cookies are warm, and the chocolate is still molten. They are ready to serve. If you wait too long, the centers will set and lose some of their gooeyness, so enjoy them while they're warm for the full effect.

Common mistakes

One common mistake is overmixing the dough, which develops too much gluten and makes the cookies tough. Mix only until the flour is just incorporated. Another is skipping the freezing step; without it, the cookies will spread too much and lose their thickness.

Also, be careful not to overbake. The centers should look underdone when you take them out of the oven—they'll finish cooking on the hot pan. Finally, use a cookie scoop or scale to ensure all the dough balls are the same size. This guarantees even baking and consistent results.

How to tell it’s done

The cookies are done when the edges are set and lightly golden, but the centers still look slightly soft and underdone. This usually takes about 17 minutes at 350°F (175°C). The top should be puffy and just beginning to crack. To check, gently press the edge of a cookie—it should feel firm, while the center gives slightly.

An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of a cookie should read at least 160°F (71°C) to ensure the eggs are fully cooked. Remember that the cookies will continue to set as they cool on the hot baking sheet, so it's better to pull them out a minute early than to overbake them.

• Egg dishes: 160°F (71°C) in the thickest part