These crispy chocolate chip cookies have the most satisfying crunch! The edges are so buttery and crisp and the center is thin and chewy. They’re also SO easy to make as they’re mixed by hand all in one bowl and baked right away. By using chopped dark chocolate and flaky sea salt, these cookies aren’t too sweet and bake with the most incredible flavor.
What makes these the BEST crispy chocolate chip cookies?
To be quite honest, crispy chocolate chip cookies just aren’t my thing…but this recipe converted me. I love a good soft and chewy cookie but these?? I never thought I could love a crunchy cookie so much!
This is mainly because these cookies are crispy…but they’re also so much more. The edges are so buttery and wrinkly which provides LAYERS of crunch with so much flavor.
Then, as you work your way towards the center of the cookie, the entire bottom remains crispy but the very center is thin and chewy. So these may be crispy chocolate chip cookies, but they also contain layers of textures and flavors.
Especially since these cookies are made with quality cultured butter and good dark chocolate. Instead of chocolate chips, these cookies are swimming in finely chopped 85% dark chocolate. This high percentage of cocoa means the chocolate melts as it bakes, thus furthering the spread and providing little pockets of melty chocolate throughout.
To round out these cookies, they’re topped with flaky sea salt when they’re fresh from the oven. This extra bit of salt helps round out the flavors. It balances the sweetness while also allowing the chocolate and butter to stand out a bit more. It also takes these cookies from homemade to gourmet.
Tips for baking thin and crispy chocolate chip cookies
While this cookie recipe is easy to make, it’s also easy to create a dough that bakes a bit too thick! Here are my top tips to achieving super thin and crispy cookies:
- Flour – I say this in every post, and for good reason. It’s the number one reason why most recipes fail, especially for cookies. If there’s too much flour, the cookies will not spread as much as they should. If possible, measure the flour with a food scale. Otherwise, to ensure the exact amount, gently spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it off with a flat edge. If you scoop directly into the flour container, the flour becomes packed down into the cup which could leave you with 1/4 cup or more of added flour.
- Butter – For the best flavor, I suggest using cultured butter (also known as European-style butter). I like to think of this type of butter as a fine aged wine. Cultures are added to allow the cream to ferment. This fermentation period is what creates a super creamy consistency with a more pronounced butter flavor. And since these cookies contain more butter than most, it’s worth the splurge!
- Chocolate – Use a chocolate bar instead of chocolate chips. This is because chocolate chips are meant to hold their shape under high heat, but chocolate bars are not. So as these cookies bake, the chopped chocolate melts along with the cookie to create a seamless thin and crispy cookie. Plus, high quality chocolate has much more flavor!
- Consistency – After the dough is mixed, it should appear thinner than most but it should still hold its shape when scooped. If the dough appears TOO thin, let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking.
- Size – For the most texture variation, use a large 3-tablespoon cookie scoop. As larger cookies bake, the edges melt and crisp up while the center remains slightly under baked. This is the key to super crispy edges and a chewy center. If you prefer a crispy cookie throughout, a smaller scoop can be used.
How to tell when crispy cookies are done baking
Crispy cookies are actually much easier to bake than most chocolate chip cookies because even if they’re over baked, they’ll just be extra crispy!
But to achieve the perfect crispy and wrinkly edges with a chewy center, pull the cookies when the edges look well done but the center looks just a shade lighter and slightly puffed. As the cookies cool, the center will flatten out and darken.
Right when they’re pulled from the oven, top with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt. When they’re warm, the surface is extra buttery which will allow the salt to stick.
How to store crispy chewy chocolate chip cookies
Another great thing about crispy cookies is that they’re so easy to store! After they’ve cooled completely, store in an air tight container at room temperature where they’ll keep for about 5 days.
Just know that the cookies are the crispiest when they’re fresh!
For more chocolate chip cookie recipes, check out my:
- BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Bakery-Style Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Brown Butter Miso Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Make sure to tag me @butternutbakery on Instagram if you make these crispy chocolate chip cookies. I love seeing my recipes come to life in YOUR kitchen! To pin this recipe and save it for later, you can use the button on the recipe card, the buttons above or below this post, or on any of the photos above. Happy baking!
Watch how to make these thin and crispy chocolate chip cookies:
Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 10 cookies
Description
These thin and crispy chocolate chip cookies have super buttery and crisp edges with a thin and chewy center. They’re SO easy to make, mixed by hand, and baked right away! Made with rich dark chocolate and a sprinkle of sea salt, these cookies are so flavorful and taste gourmet.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (130g) all purpose flour, spooned and leveled*
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 cup (110g) unsalted butter**, melted and cooled
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 tbsp milk
- 3.5oz 85% cocoa dark chocolate bar, chopped***
- Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. *I recommend weighing the flour with a kitchen scale if possible. If you’re more comfortable with cups, spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it off. Don’t scoop directly into the flour as this will pack it into the cup (adding way too much to the dough) and prevent the cookies from spreading thin and crispy.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the butter, sugar, and maple syrup, followed by the milk, egg yolk, and vanilla.
- Pour in the dry ingredients and use a rubber spatula to fold the dough together.
- Add the chopped chocolate and fold to combine.
- Using a large 3-tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop the cookie dough out onto the baking sheet and space them well apart. I suggest baking only 3-4 cookies at a time as they spread quite a bit.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and the center looks a bit lighter than the outside.
- Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. They’re turn super crisp and chewy once cooled. Enjoy!
Notes
**BUTTER – For the best flavor, use cultured (AKA European-style) butter. Since these cookies have a high amount of butter to flour, using really good quality butter will yield a super rich cookie.
***CHOCOLATE – Chop into tiny bite-sized pieces to get an even spread of chocolate throughout the cookie. Also stick with a dark chocolate bar as this will help the cookie spread even more. Chocolate chips hold their shape when baked which will prevent the cookie from spreading as thin as possible.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: crispy chocolate chip cookies, crispy chewy chocolate chip cookies, thin chocolate chip cookies, thin and crispy chocolate chip cookies
Jenna says
I have an obsession and it’s these cookies. They’re exceptional! My new go to cookie 🙂
★★★★★
Jenna says
Yay! Thanks for sharing!!
Alessandra says
My husband randomly told me he had a craving for crispy chocolate chip cookies…3 hours after I saw a post about these on Instagram. I figured that was a sign. These were great- I’m always on the lookout for new chocolate chip cookie recipes, but haven’t found one better than my usual (which I’ve been using since I was about 12)…but I’d say these are going to be my new go to! I did use milk chocolate, because none of us like dark, and I felt that made them a bit more bland, so next time I’ll use 60%, but that’s my deviation from the recipe, so no stars lost! These are so rich and the perfect texture- and no chill time means the little ones don’t get upset when they don’t get to bake the dough right away. Highly recommend!
★★★★★
Jenna says
Yay so glad you liked it! You can also try half and half milk and dark chocolate next time 🙂 that should help!
Francine says
Can regular syrup be used if you don’t have pure?
Jenna says
I don’t recommend it as it’s mostly corn syrup so it could take away from the crispiness of these cookies!
Alison says
I have just made theses cookies and all I can say Wow incredibly delicious !!! I normally make the thick chocolate chip cookies which are delicious as well. But for a change these thin chocolate chip cookie are a game changer and so easy to make. I use a combination of dark chocolate and milk chocolate, the chocolate I used was very high quality chocolate, I will certainly be making these again! I just hope I don’t eat them all before the cook out tomorrow 😀
★★★★★
Mia says
BEST RECIPE EVER. Made it today and they were so so goood. Thank you for this !!!
Jenna says
Yay! Thank you so much!
marisa says
there is milk listed in the ingredients but not in the instructions?
Jenna says
Ah you’re right! I accidentally put vanilla twice. Thanks for letting me know!
Meg says
If I want to double the recipe, can I use 1 whole egg instead of 2 egg yolks? Or will it change the texture?
Jenna says
Use two egg yolks 🙂
Sarah says
What can I use as a substitute for maple syrup?
Jenna says
Honey will also work!
Angeline says
loved making these cookies! we’re super crispy after letting them set, and were sooo rich after using dark chocolate.
★★★★★
Sarah Neuschwander says
theses cookies are incredible ! There are crispy, a bit salty and so good. Thanks for the recipe that I will keep for a while
★★★★★
Jenna says
Yay! Thank you for sharing!
Rebecca says
Wow! These are really terrific! Easy to make and so delicious. I even cut the sugar down a bit and used vegan butter and they still came out great.
★★★★★
maria rivera says
bless you and your cookies. these are absolutely amazing
★★★★★
Vivi says
Beyond delicious! I’m thrilled to have all my cravings satisfied. Crispiest edges, melty chocolate, gooey cookie! Thanks!
★★★★★
Gemma says
These are the best cookies I’ve ever tasted. I used NZ Whittakers creamy milk chocolate and nestles dark choc chips as my chocolate sources And boy I’m in love. I’ve gone through tens to what feels like hundreds of cookie recipes and this is by far the best yet <3
★★★★★
Jenna says
That sounds delicious! Thank you!
ryley says
made this recipe with a few deviations and halved it (keeping the one egg yolk) and was pleasantly surprised by the outcome! didn’t have vanilla as well as maple syrup/honey so i omitted both and used milk chocolate instead of dark but it still came out great 😀
the timing of 15 minutes was perfect and after cooling down the cookies were so crispy! thanks so much for the awesome recipe 🙂
may i know if you have the calories and other nutritional information for the cookies? no problem if not! these cookies will still be a staple food for me and i’ll definitely make them again!
★★★★★
Jenna says
Milk chocolate sounds great! Unfortunately I don’t share nutrition info 🙂
Marilyn says
Does the type of milk matter?
Jenna says
Nope any milk works!
Jen says
I am not a baker and I made these and they were amazing! I only had Trader Joe’s butter and I scooped the flour out with a cup (and I mixed all the wet ingredients at once by accident…. )….oh yeah, and I only had mini chocolate chips…They were still amazing! This must be an awesome recipe if I can be a bit of a sketchy baker and they still turn out SO GOOD! I also like that it’s a small batch!
★★★★★
Elisha says
For the past three months, I’ve searched for the yummiest chocolate chip cookie recipe. I’ve made everything from Korean cake cookies to the standard chocolate chip fare and these are by far the tastiest. I used Lindt’s dark chocolate with a hint of sea salt for that extra savory contrast and oh my…a winner! Ty for the recipe.
★★★★★
Cory says
Possibly the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever tasted. They are crispy and delicate and amazing. I don’t like vanilla so I left that out and put orange zest instead (and added an extra tsp milk to replace the liquid of the vanilla just in case that made a difference). Also, all I had was salted butter and regular (not kosher) salt, so I just used 1/4 tsp salt. Turned out perfect. I think the maple syrup really gives this recipe the edge, much more depth of flavor over brown sugar which most recipes use. Also I’m now a believer in melted butter for crispy cookies. Really great stuff.
★★★★★
Jenna says
That all sounds so good!
Nellie says
I was desperately searching for the perfect crispy chocolate chip cookie and finally found it! These were so much fun to make, a bit messy but nothing beats the end results of absolutely PERFECT crispy chocolate chip cookies! I tried a different recipe a week ago and not only were they excessively salty but no where near “crispy.” That recipe is in the garbage and this one is in protective plastic as this is my new go-to cookie recipe – thank YOU!!!
★★★★★
Jenna says
Yay! Thank you!!