I love a classic chocolate chip cookie – who doesn’t? The warm, chewy center. The globs of melted chocolate. The brown sugary richness in every bite. But sometimes, we want something a little more special in a cookie. For this, I’ve compiled a list of my favorite variations to a chocolate chip cookie – all made from one simple brown sugar cookie dough base.
This recipe will make you 12 large cookies, and it’s also a fabulously easy recipe to freeze for baking on a rainy day!
Brown sugar cookie dough base
- 8 tbsp. melted unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- Pinch of salt
- Mix-ins for cookie dough variation
- Preheat oven to 350F degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix the melted butter, brown sugar, vanilla extract, and egg until well-incorporated and no traces of egg remain.
- Sift in the flour and baking soda, and stir to just combine.
- Add the salt and filling variations and stir until incorporated.
- Use an ice cream scoop (2 oz.)to make even cookie dough balls, and place them 2 – 3 inches apart on the lined tray.
- Refrigerate cookies for at least 30 minutes – if refrigerating for more than 2 hours, be sure to let them sit out for at least 15 minutes before baking. NOTE: You may also freeze the cookie dough balls at this step by placing them in a tightly sealed plastic bag. Store for 1 month.
- Bake for 8 – 12 minutes until the edges are golden brown and the centers are just set – we want them to not be completely set in the center, as they will keep cooking after being removed from the oven.
- Allow the cookies to cool for 10 minutes on the tray before moving them to a wire rack or plate.
Cookie dough variations
- Classic chocolate chunk/chip
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks/chips
- 1/2 cup milk chocolate chunks/chips
- Mix in the chocolate chunks/chips at step 4
- Note: Chocolate chunks differ from chocolate chips because they are cut from a chocolate bar (think irregular cuts, not uniform like chips) and they do a far better job melting than the chips do. Chocolate chips have a special additive that allow them to keep their shape while baking – I prefer chunks because of how delightfully the melt!
- Dark Chocolate Sea Salt
- 1 cup dark chocolate chunks
- 1 tbsp. Flaky sea salt
- Mix in the chocolate chunks at step 4 and sprinkle the cookie dough balls with flaky sea salt before baking.
- Funfetti Chip Cookies
- 3/4 cup white chocolate chips
- 3/4 cup milk chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup sprinkles
- Mix in all chocolate chips and sprinkles at step 4.
- M&M™️ Chocolate Chip
- 1 cup mini M&Ms™️
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips
- Mix in M&Ms and chocolate chips at step 4.
- Espresso Chocolate Chunk
- 1 cup espresso chips
- 1 tsp. instant coffee mixed with 1 tbsp. boiling water
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks
- Omit vanilla extract
- Mix in the instant coffee at step 3 instead of the vanilla extract. Add the espresso chips chocolate chunks at step 4.
And A Chocolate Drizzle 