No Chill Chocolate Chip Cookies

No Chill Chocolate Chip Cookies are the perfect balance of crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside, and they bake up beautifully without going flat. Save time and skip the chill!

Two of my best local photography buddies rent my photo studio from time to time. A few years ago, I started a tradition of baking chocolate chip cookies for them and their clients when they’re in my studio. I get asked for the recipe every time.

To Paul and Blair: “Here’s the recipe!”

Solving the Spreading Cookie Mystery

Have you ever asked the question:

How do I prevent chocolate chip cookies from spreading?

A lot of folks will suggest chilling your cookie dough to help ensure the butter maintains its structure when the cookies are baking. Other popular suggestions include:

• Use slightly softened butter so that it can be creamed, but not so soft that your dough doesn’t hold when it bakes
• Cream the butter and sugar for exactly 3 minutes so that it’s fluffy and light in color but not over-worked
• Increase the amount of flour
• Test your leavening agents to make sure they’re not expired
• Verify the oven temperature isn’t too high, because if it’s too hot the butter fats will melt before the cookie takes shape

Don’t get me wrong, all of these things help your cookies keep their shape. But, the ratio of another ingredient can be the culprit, causing super flat cookies.

Finding the Perfect Ingredients Ratio

I learned from Tessa at Handle The Heat that the proper ratio of sugar in a recipe can have a big impact on the final results.

Too much sugar can cause things to go flat!

So with that in mind, I took my family’s favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe which usually requires chilling, and slightly decreased the amount of granulated and brown sugar.

I baked them straight away without chilling and ‘voila!’ They turned out perfect!

Of course, I also tested a batch where I chilled the dough, and they performed consistently regardless of chilling.

Not having to chill cookies means I can whip these up last minute and have them ready to share right away.

After the first experiment, I continued to tinker with the recipe to find the perfect ratio of sugar. I wanted enough sugar that allows for the cookies to spread a bit, as cookies should. But they still hold their shape. Just a little thick.

Too, most importantly, they taste great, with just the right amount of sweetness.

Measuring in Grams

I know a lot of folks feel that measuring in grams is fussy. I do have the cups measurements listed in the recipe below. However, I highly recommend measuring in grams for two reasons.

First, obviously, you’re ensuring accurate measurements. Especially when it comes to flour (depending on the flour you’re using, how you store your flour, how you put the flour into the cup) the amount can so wildly vary in cups measurements.

And if there’s one thing we’ve learned in the journey to the perfect no-chill chocolate chip cookie, precise measurements matter.

I cannot guarantee that your cookies will turn out if you don’t measure in grams.

The second reason I love measuring in grams is that I don’t have to clean all the measuring cups!

For example, when I measure out the butter and sugar. I just put the bowl of my stand mixer on my favorite kitchen scale (which I’ve had for 8+ years and it’s still rocking), add my butter which conveniently already has a label with grams on it.

Then I make sure to set the tare so that the weight shows ‘0g’ on the scale and then I start pouring in the granulated sugar until I hit the proper weight of sugar in grams.

I keep adding ingredients, zeroing out the weight between each addition. Instead of having a bunch of cups to clean afterward, I just have one bowl.

Less dishes. More accurate. No chill. No problem!

Like to See the Process?

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