Desserts
Classic Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
The classic Toll House chocolate chip cookie recipe with walnuts: golden edges, soft centers and a dough ready in 20 minutes. Makes about 60 cookies.
- Total time
- 53 min
- Servings
- 60
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Cuisine
- American
Ingredients
Dry ingredients
For the dough
Mix-ins
Method
Preheat and line the pan
Preheat the oven to 375 °F (190 °C). Line one or two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Whisk the dry ingredients
In a bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda and salt, then set aside.
Cream the butter and sugars
In a large bowl, beat the softened butter with the granulated and brown sugar for 2 to 3 minutes, until creamy.
Add the eggs and vanilla
Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each, then add the vanilla.
Mix in the flour
Gradually add the flour mixture and stir with a spatula just until no dry flour remains.
Add the chocolate and walnuts
Add the chocolate chips and walnuts and fold them evenly through the dough.
Shape the cookies
Scoop rounded tablespoons of dough (about 15 g) onto the sheet, spacing them 2 inches (5 cm) apart.
Bake and cool
Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, until the edges are golden. Let rest 2 minutes on the sheet, then move to a wire rack.
The step photos are illustrative.
Notes
Tips
- Pull the cookies when the centers still look soft: they finish setting as they cool.
- Use softened, not melted, butter; melted butter makes the cookies spread too much.
- If the dough is very soft, chill it for 30 minutes before scooping.
- Bake one sheet at a time on the middle rack for even browning.
- Do not eat the raw dough: it contains uncooked egg and flour.
Substitutions
- Walnuts: pecans or almonds, or simply more chocolate.
- Chocolate: milk or white chocolate chips, or chopped chocolate.
- Salted butter: leave out the teaspoon of salt.
- Bigger cookies: 40 g portions baked for 12 to 14 minutes.
Storage
Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Raw dough keeps in the fridge for up to 3 days or frozen in balls for up to 3 months; bake straight from frozen, adding 1 to 2 minutes.
Nutrition facts
1 cookie (1/60 of the recipe)
- Protein
- 1.3 g
- Carbohydrates
- 12.7 g
- Fat
- 6.2 g
- Saturated fat
- 3.1 g
- Fiber
- 0.6 g
- Sugars
- 8.3 g
- Sodium
- 64 mg
Estimate per cookie, calculated with flour, butter, granulated and brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, baking soda, salt, semisweet chocolate and walnuts.
Reference source: USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy April 2018
For general information only; it does not replace advice from a qualified health or nutrition professional.
About this recipe
Toll House cookies are the original American chocolate chip cookies, created in the 1930s at an inn in Massachusetts and since then the most copied homemade cookie recipe in the world. The formula is simple: butter creamed with white and brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, flour, baking soda, salt, semisweet chocolate chips and walnuts. Brown sugar adds moisture and a hint of caramel; white sugar gives crisp edges. They bake at 375 °F (190 °C) for just 9 to 11 minutes, until the edges are golden and the centers still look a little soft, so they cool crisp outside and tender inside.
Frequently asked questions
Why did my cookies come out flat?
Usually the butter was too soft or melted, or the baking sheet was still hot. Chill the dough for 30 minutes and use a cool sheet.
How do I get chewier cookies?
Take them out when the edges are golden and the centers still look underdone. Using a little more brown sugar than white also helps.
Can I freeze cookie dough?
Yes. Scoop the balls, freeze them on a tray and store in a bag for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen, adding 1 to 2 minutes.
Can I make them without nuts?
Yes. Leave them out or replace them with the same amount of extra chocolate chips.
How many cookies does this make?
With portions of about 15 g, about 60 medium cookies.
