If you like your chocolate chip cookies crunchy, here's an excellent recipe adapted from The King Arthur Cookie Companion. For best results, weigh your ingredients. As easy as they are to make, even the smallest ratio changes can affect the texture of chocolate chip cookies.
Update: If you like miniature or smaller size crisp chocolate chip cookies, check out the variation in the Notes section. Also, check the comments. I am happy to know that I'm not the only one who aspires to make a cookie as light and crisp as the little ones from Trader Joe's. These aren't quite that, but they're close!
Recipe
Crunchy Chocolate Chip Cookies -- Small Batch
Classic Crunchy Chocolate Chip Cookies (adapted from KA)
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter unsalted, room temp (56 grams)
- 4 tablespoons shortening butter flavored or regular are okay (48 grams)
- ½ cup brown sugar very firmly packed -- mixture of light and dark (110 grams)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar (48 grams)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅜ teaspoon salt
- ½ tablespoon apple cider or white vinegar
- 1 ½ tablespoons lightly beaten egg (18 grams)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup King Arthur all-purpose flour* 128 grams
- 1 ½ cups semi-sweet chips
- Some toasted pecans handful, optional**
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Have ready an ungreased cookie sheet.
- With an electric mixer, beat the butter, shortening and both sugars until light and fluffy; Beat in vanilla, salt and vinegar, scrape sides of bowl and beat in egg. When egg is well mixed, add baking soda and beat so that it is well distributed; Stir in the flour, being careful not to over-beat. Stir in the chocolate chips and nuts (if using)
- Drop by tablespoonfuls onto the cookie sheets. Bake for 10-14 minutes. Let cool on cookie sheet for a couple of minutes then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
Notes
To add even more flavor, toast the nuts as usual (about 6 to 8 minutes) and toss the hot nuts with about a teaspoon or so of butter. Sprinkle with a little sea salt. Let cool. Chop and add to the cookies.
You can use any brand of flour, but King Arthur's works especially well for crunchy cookies.
Using just the right amount of egg is important. To use 1 ½ tablespoons of egg, crack and egg into a little cup, mix it with a fork and measure out 1 ½ tablespoons. If you have a scale you can weigh out about 18 grams.
VARIATION: For miniature size cookies, divide the dough into 22 pieces (by spooning tablespoons), then divide each of those pieces into 3 sections and roll into little marble size balls. Bake the cookies at 300 for 15 to 18 minutes. Baking at 300 will help them dry out and crisp up before the edges burn. You can also try 325 for slightly more caramelization and browning. Ovens vary, so you may need to test to get just the right low and slow bake time.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Anna says
Sugardoll, thanks for the review and for sharing your home baking adventure trying to dupe those little Trader Joe's crispy, crunchy chocolate chip cookies. They're the benchmark for good, light, crispy cookies, and I think the credit goes to the ammonium bicarbonate or baker's ammonia. If you and your son liked that texture, you may want to order some baker's ammonia and try some old recipes that call for it such as Swedish Dream Cookies. Personally, I haven't yet nailed that perfect baker's ammonia texture in a chocolate chip cookie recipe. This is the closest I've come without it. Thanks for the 325 tip! I'll add that to the notes.
Sugardoll says
My son requested a dupe of Trader Joe’s crispy crunchy chocolate chip cookies, the ones with coconut that come in a tub. I looked at many crispy ccc recipes before I ended up here, and your recipe intrigued me enough to try it. I used Nutiva brand shortening, apple cider vinegar, mini chocolate chips (reduced to 1 cup) and ¼ cup toasted unsweetened finely shredded coconut. The cookies are great! Light and crispy (not hard and crunchy like some other recipes I’ve tried). I did discover that I like them better baked at 325 degrees - they brown up and are crispy all the way through. The ones baked at 300 degrees were lighter in color and not as flavorful, so I ended up putting them back in the oven to brown up more. The TJ cookies seem to have more coconut, so I’m going to have to add a little more next time I make them. All in all, the cookies were excellent and I’m so happy to have found a good recipe on my first try. Thank you so much!
Anna says
I'm so glad you liked the cookies!
Jess says
Thank you Anna!! Been looking for recipe that makes the perfect cookies. It’s absolutely crunch and melt in your mouth. My family cant get enough!
Anna says
Hello Natasha,
If you use the shortening you'll be closer to Chips Ahoy. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to get the same kind of crunchiness as commercial cookies with just butter. So use the shortening and try to weigh your ingredients (its especially important not to use too much egg) and you should come close. You might have to play around with the bake time to get that perfectly even texture. For instance, if you find your cookies are crispy on the outside but still too soft in the middle, try reducing the heat by 25 degrees and baking for longer. Good luck!!
Natasha says
Hi Anna! Would you say these cookies are similar to chips ahoy in crunchiness? Will the regular size here have the same crunchiness as your miniature ones?
Anna says
Glad to hear this one worked for you! I like the mini versions too :).
betty b says
I have been on a search for a Famous Amos type cookie....but the ones from way back in the 70's.....the original ones. In the last 4 days, I have experimented with 5 recipes. Ugh, disappointment. Then I stumbled across your recipe. I was skeptical at first because of the vinegar. but then I remembered that there is vinegar in my favorite cake! soooooo, I tried the miniature versions of your cookies. OMG, so close to what I am looking for. my search is over. This is the cookie. Thank you! They are delicious.
R says
Hi Anna,
First of all i just wanted to thank you for uploading this delicious recipe. However i seem to have some problem making the cookie crunchy. I tried baking it for longer periods of time and with half-tablespoons instead, but after about 30 min of cooling on the wire rack it just softens. Am i doing anything wrong? The soft cookies are still delicious but i would really love to perfect this recipe. Thank you =D
R
Michelle Too says
The Best cruchy chocolate chip cookie recipe going! Even when over cooked. The butter and sugar starts to carmelize and the cookie falls flat but it is still delicious. Gonna make more right now.....thanks for the recipe!
Anna says
Hi M,
Thanks for sharing that story and thanks for all the service you've provided as a nurse :).
Now about the cookies, these really are cruncny and I think you will like them. If yours don't turn out crunchy or you have an issue with them, let me know.
Maryann says
THANK YOU for this recipe!!! I have searched high and low and in between for years for this. I too absolutely love Famous Amos choc.chip pecan cookies. I haven't eaten them in a very long time, but when I was a single mom and an RN, working a ton, they were my stress buster... I would get them and open them in the car and ooohhh the relief would set in as I popped them in and sipped my coffee to and fro from one job to another... I am now remarried to a wonderful retired fire captain who is fulfilling his life long dream of nursing school at this time and he loves choc. chip cookies and a little treat will be nice now and then for his needed stress buster. I can't wait to make these tomorrow. I made the Levain choc chip recipe and they were great, but this sounds just like what I have been looking for. I also found a recipe that is suppose to taste like the crunchy chips ahoy so I thought we would make those for all the now grown up kids when they come to visit for ice cream sandwiches BUT THIS RECIPE IS JUST FOR US.... THANKS!!!
Vivian says
Hi Anna
Hehe maybe you should 😀 and I bet before long it will be top 100! Do keep up the good work!
Anna says
Hooray! I liked this recipe a lot too. Maybe I should turn the Top 5 list into a Top 10 so I can add this one and the David Lebovitz chewy recipe as well?
Vivian says
Hi Anna
YES! This is really the best of Chocolate Chip Cookies (Crunchy version) that I have tasted in my life! It turned out not only crunchy but it was pack with that crunch that you can break the cookies in half with a satisfying crisps sound. Best of all, it melts in your mouth!
Thank you for this perfect recipe! Finally my hunt for the Best Crunchy and Crispy Chocolate Chip cookies stops here 😀
Anna says
Hi Vivian,
If it doesn't say insulated, it's probably just a regular non-insulated cookie sheet. The insulated sheets that I use say "Air-Bake". I'm not sure about the De Longhi, but it's probably not insulated either.
Vivian says
Hi Anna
Thank you for all the wonderful recipes.
Could you help me with these questions?
1) I just bought a cookie sheet that just says "Non-stick" Cookie Sheet. It did not mention Insulated or Non Insulated. How can I find out which type is it?
2) I also have an oven from DeLonghi and the oven comes with a cookie sheet that is Black in colour. Is this cookie sheet insulated or non insulated?
Thank you again for your time
🙂
JE says
I'm really interested in the "over mixing butter" idea. I've heard if the cookie sheet is hot when the dough is placed on it, they will be flatter. My cookies are always flat - Any other hints on avoiding "cow paddies"? Thanks
Sue says
Thanks for that clarification Heidi! If I ever see the pecan FA in my neck of the woods, I'll try them, and think kind thoughts about you and Anna.
Judy says
I bought a bag of KA white whole wheat when it was on sale a couple of weeks ago. The 5-lb bag has a recipe for bread on the back, but the 2-lb bag has the recipe for these cookies. The 2-lb bag was not on sale, so I copied the recipe with pen & paper that I had on me
and I've been saving it. It sounded interesting and I plan on making these also soon....they're in a queue with about 50 other recipes that are waiting for me. Your photo makes them look so enticing.
Heidi says
I will say that the regular Famous Amos are not that good, it's the pecan ones that are. I am not even a fan of chocolate chip cookies, but those... tiny little 3-bite pieces of heaven!
Sue says
Oh my! I'm sure these are much, much better than the Famous Amos cookies I've had. I hear they used to be excellent, but by the time I had my first one I think they changed the recipe so they could be mass produced and live on the shelf for nearly forever.
Anna says
Rina, I love the insulated cookie sheets because cookies seem to rise higher and I never get burnt bottoms. However, I don't recommend the sheets for crisp and crunchy cookies.
Heidi, I haven't had a Famous Amos cookie in years, but from what I can remember, these are similar.
Heidi says
These look like my all-time favorite store bought cookies - Famous Amos with pecans. Does anybody know what I'm talking about? Anyway, if they are similar, please let me know. 😉
Michelle W. in Calif. says
Anna, thanks....it is a thankless shift, but he's well-compensated for it! And he actually loves it, so it's all good!
But you're right, I WILL have to make enough for his colleagues too, or they will be cranky. If it's been awhile since I've sent goodies to work, his coworkers will say "So.....is your wife planning on doing any BAKING soon????" 🙂
Rina says
Hi Anna!
Glad you were successful with the crunchy chocolate chip cookies. I can probably google it, but was wondering what differences you have noted in using an insulated vs. non-insulated cookie sheet? Thanks!
Amy says
I usually try not to over-cream the butter and sugar because according to what I’ve read, it can cause cookies to rise up and fall flat.
Fascinating! I wonder if this is my mom's problem. She was always trying different chocolate chip cookie recipes, trying butter vs. shortening, whatever she could think of, but her cookies are always flat and she could never figure out why. Now I'm going to have to do some experimenting.
Anna says
Michelle, tell your husband thanks for working the graveyard shift. I always wondered how those night nurses could do it! I would go insane(er). So yes, make him some cookies. These are great and you can't really taste the vinegar. You may want to make the full batch, though. We couldn't want any of the other nurses to miss out.
VG, yes. I think my difficulty with crunchy cookies is all tied in with my insulated cookie sheets. These are very good.
VeggieGirl says
looks like you succeeded with this batch, in making crunchy cookies - yum!
Michelle W. in Calif. says
Vinegar???? That's a new one on me! These look and sound good. I need some cookies to send to work with my husband! He just returned from being out of town for 3 days, and now has to work 5 shifts in a row!! (he's an R.N., works 12 hour graveyard shifts...) He'll need cookies to boost his strength, LOL! But first I have to find my Kitchen Aid's flat beater---it's missing!!!! My life will lose all meaning without it... 😉