The perfect cookie made with white chocolate chips should be crisp on the edges and chewy in the centers. This white chocolate chip cookies recipe produces just that! This small batch cookie recipe makes just 1 dozen cookies, but you can double it to make even more cookies.
My only aim in life this year has been to be the mom in the neighborhood that makes the best cookies. I want to have the best snack box by the pool, and I want to have a plate of the best after school snacks. The way to win all of these silly mom contests is to make the best cookies, right?
Back to talking about white chocolate chip cookies, shall we? To me, the best cookie is crisp on the edges and chewy in the center. The crisp edges on the cookies happen when the dough melts at just the right pace on the baking sheet. I have a few tips for that below.
Ingredients
Truthfully, these cookies are identical to my regular small batch chocolate chip cookies with the substitution of white chocolate chips instead of semisweet or milk chocolate chips.
- Butter. Unsalted butter is best here, because w're adding salt to our cookie dough. It needs to be softened by sitting out at room temperature for 30-60 minutes. If you press on softened butter, you can make a fingerprint easily, but your finger won't push all the way through the stick and it's not overly melty.
- Brown Sugar. For maximum chew, I recommend dark brown sugar, but light brown sugar is just as good, too. You might like my Brown Sugar Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe, if you love molasses as much as we do!
- Granulated Sugar. A small amount of white granulated sugar is to balance out the brown sugar.
- Egg Yolk. We really only need the egg yolk here; do not add the whole egg. If you double the recipe, use two egg yolks, never the whole egg.
- Vanilla Extract. High quality pure vanilla extract is best here.
- Flour. All-purpose flour that has been fluffed, scooped and leveled with a knife to measure.
- Baking Soda.
- Baking Powder.
- White Chocolate Chips. I highly recommend real white chocolate here, not the white baking chips that are more common. Real white chocolate is made from cocoa butter with sugar.
How to Make White Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 375-degrees Fahrenheit, and reach for a light-colored metal baking sheet for baking. Line it with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- First, beat the softened butter in a bowl for a few seconds to break it up, and then add the sugar and continue to beat until light and fluffy.
- Next, add the egg yolk and vanilla and beat just to combine.
- Separately, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Then, add this to the bowl with the butter-sugar mixture. Beat just to combine.
- Finally, stir in the white chocolate chips by hand. Divide the dough into 12 equal-sized balls and space them evenly on the baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until the edges are starting to turn golden brown.
- Let the freshly baked cookies rest on the baking sheet for 1 minute to set before moving them to a wire rack to cool completley.
Storage
Freshly baked cookies last for up to 3 days on the counter at room temperature in an air-tight container. If you want to freeze the dough balls before baking, you may, and then add a few minutes to the baking time. Bake them straight from frozen. I don't recommend freezing already-baked cookies, because they tend to crumble and become overly soft as they thaw.
Equipment:
- Baking Sheet - I recommend a light-colored silver metal baking sheet for cookies. This is the one I love. It works for all of my small batch cookie recipes.
- Non-Stick Mat - Line the baking sheet with a silicone mat. A silicone mat helps with even heat distribution, and helps the cookies melt and cook evenly. If you're not wanting to invest in one (they last forever), I recommend parchment paper.
Best White Chocolate Chip Cookies Tips:
- Ensure the wire rack in the oven is in the center position. Bake one sheet of cookies at a time. Evenly space the cookies on the baking sheet, and don't over crowd them.
- Sometimes I pile the dough upwards into a cone shape if I'm worried about a cookie spreading too much.
- Follow the recipe when it comes to cooling time: if it states to let the cookies rest on the baking sheet after baking for a few minutes, let them rest--they are continuing their cooking process. If it states to move them immediately to a cooling rack, it's because the cookies shouldn't cook any further when the oven time is up.
Look at this perfect white chocolate chip cookie specimen! The edges are crispy, the centers are soft, and the white chocolate is melty and gooey, just as it should be. All we need is a tall glass of cold milk and a place to enjoy our cookie!
More Favorites from Dessert for Two
White Chocolate Chip Cookies
Small batch white chocolate chip cookies with crisp edges and gooey centers!
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- ¼ cup dark brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 large egg yolk (egg white reserved for another use)
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ⅛ teaspoon fine salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅓ cup white chocolate chips
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 375. Line a light-colored baking sheet with a silicone mat.
2. In a medium bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy, about 20 seconds.
3. Add the sugars, and beat for about 30 seconds. The mixture will turn a pale color and be fluffy.
4. Next, add the egg yolk and vanilla and beat until just combined.
5. Whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder in a separate bowl.
6. Sprinkle the flour on top of the butter mixture, and beat just until combined.
7. Stir in the chocolate chips.
8. Scoop the dough into 12 dough balls, and space them evenly on the baking sheet.
9. Bake for 8-10 minutes, removing the cookies from the oven when the edges just start to turn golden brown.
10. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 1 minute before moving them to a wire rack to cool.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 118Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 47mgSodium: 70mgCarbohydrates: 11gFiber: 0gSugar: 10gProtein: 1g
Inevitably, whenever I post a recipe that uses white chocolate (like my raspberry white chocolate cheesecake or my cranberry white chocolate chip cookies which are similar to my small batch white chocolate macadamia nut cookies), people always say 'but white chocolate isn't real!'
So let's discuss what white chocolate is and what it is not. White chocolate is made of cocoa butter (from the same plant and bean that chocolate is made from), but it lacks cocoa solids. The other ingredients are usually milk products, sugar and vanilla.
In my opinion, white chocolate is just another amazing thing we can make from the delicious cocoa bean. The cocoa solids not used in the manufacturing of white chocolate can be used for cocoa powder! And just because white chocolate doesn't contain the whole cocoa bean and cocoa solids doesn't mean it's not 'real.' And also, it tastes delicious, so let's not discount something because it doesn't use the whole bean.
Real white chocolate is made from cocoa butter and sugar while white baking chips are made from hydrogenated oil in place of the cocoa butter. These are fake white chocolate products, but that doesn't mean they don't have a place in our kitchen. Though these products aren't going to win any nutrition competition, I love white chocolate bark. This is partly because I grew up on it. Around the holidays, we make Oreo Balls, Red Velvet Truffles, and Chocolate Bark with it. It's an occasional indulgence that I don't feel guilty about.
The reason these 'fake white chocolate' products are used is because real white chocolate is notoriously hard to melt without burning. I've burned and ruined my fair share of it! At this point, I just save the real white chocolate chips for cookies!
If you're wondering if you can essentially swap in your favorite white chocolate chips into any recipe, the answer is yes.
Janabelle says
I've probably told you this before but, I use your small batch chocolate chip recipe for all kinds of cookies. Reese's pieces with mini-choc chips, m&ms, chocolate toffee aka Heath bar, mix mini-choc chips with chocolate chunks, peanut butter chips....Sometimes I just use all white sugar and make sugar cookies. The "sugar cookie" version is where I usually add the white chips and sometimes almond extract instead of vanilla. And I especially love the eggless version that uses cream cheese. They're so tender and gooey. And eggs or not, they come together so quick and easy! Girl, your small batch chocolate chip recipe lit my whole world of cookie baking on fire. lol
Bianca says
These were too good! Like scary good! I know these are small batch but I went ahead and doubled... maybe tripled this recipe.
I've noticed and almost sandy texture and that they were extremely fragile, storage bag or not... they'd fall apart.
Any tips ? I'd love to gift these but I hate giving broken cookies , lol...
ps. I love your blog and everything you do!
Rochelle says
I just made these cookies for the first time and.. holy white chocolate! These are delicious! Crispy on the edges, soft inside and buttery all around. Will DEFINITELY make these again! Thank you!!
Serge says
Not until I tried your recipe did I make some white chocolate chip cookies that I was happy with. Thanks - recipe is clear and simple and the results were outstanding!
Mahek says
Can we use normal Butter instead of unsalted butter?
Christina Lane says
Yes, you can use salted butter.
MsGreen says
Do I need to leave out the salt if I am using salted butter or double salt?
Christina Lane says
With salted butter, omit the salt :) Great question!
Lisa says
Definitely more cake-y thank cookie in texture but very tasty all the same. I would make these again for sure.
Claire says
This is the first recipe I’ve ever left a comment on. I didn’t realize I needed a small batch recipe until recently when I found this recipe. Simply cutting recipes in half just hasn’t worked for me in the past! And this recipe is so forgiving, I feel like I can just throw it together and not worry if I’m slightly off on any of the ingredients. I’ve used this to make all different kinds of cookies multiple times. And I prefer this type too that are chewy and buttery. I’ll always be going back to this recipe!!
Christina Lane says
Welcome, Claire :) I'm glad you're here!
Joni says
I added 40g of macademia nuts. They turned out great. (This is the 2nd time I m trying a recipe of yours, and it is easy cos I only have to follow your instructions! Unlike some others' recipes which I have to tweak in terms of temperature, baking duration). Then I realised you actually have a separate recipe for white chocolate macademia nut cookies! 😅What is the difference between the cookies from that recipe and this, in terms of texture, sweetness, etc, may I ask? Hopefully less sweet? I m trying to cut down on sugar
Christina Lane says
Hi Joni :) Thanks for the kind words :) Not much is different between the recipes, I just wanted everyone to be able to find both recipes so I named them separately :)
Victoria says
Will using light brown sugar instead of dark brown sugar affect the recipe?
Christina Lane says
No, go ahead :)
Musanka Liab says
I quadrupled the recipe and got 16 ice cream scoops worth, just saying if you want 12 cookies from this then they will have to be pretty small
Christina Lane says
It sounds like you have a very large ice cream scoop :) I use the small or medium cookie scoop from OXO.