These big, bold, chewy chocolate chip cookies are the best way to bring a real chocolate lover around to your way of thinking during any difference of opinion.
It's not even a fair fight with all of that chocolate ganache on top!
Save this recipe by clicking on the ❤️ heart on the right-hand side of the screen or in the recipe card.
Table of Contents
🗝️ Key takeaways
- These are so chewy in the centers with crispy edges, buttery cookie, and gooey chocolate chips in every bite.
- If you need a cookie that will make the room go quiet while everyone chews, or something to take to a potluck these are the ones.
- Putting these on a chilled cookie sheet and putting the dough back in the freezer for a few minutes is one of the secrets to keeping these chewy and delicious.
If you are looking for giant, chewy chocolate chip cookies - the kind that stay thick and get crispy edges while the inside is buttery-chewy-perfection you have landed in the right spot. Because, y'all... these.
The cookies are made extra big, thick, and chewy and then, when they are cooled you cover them in a thick layer of creamy ganache and sprinkle on more pecans.
🧾 Ingredients
This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.
📖 Variations
- Use walnuts or macadamia nuts instead of pecans
- Mix two or three kinds of chocolate chips rather than using just one
- Try using vanilla butter nut flavoring in place of the vanilla
🍴 Equipment
- cookie sheet
- parchment paper
- spatula
- mixing bowl
- electric hand or stand mixer
🥫 How to store leftovers
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the pantry. Put parchment or waxed paper between layers of cookies. They'll be find for 4 or 5 days. If it's hot in your house you might prefer to store in the refrigerator so that the chocolate doesn't get melty.
These freeze well for up to 3 months. Flash freeze on a cookie sheet and then put into freezer bags or freezer containers.
Do these cookies ship well?
I am not sure these will be great cookies for shipping - but I will let you know because I am sending a batch to Okinawa. I asked Matt if he thought they'd be too gooey and messy by the time they got there and he said: It'll get messy but it will be fine they look delicious!
So... off they go for an 11 day trip across the world. Update: They arrived perfectly!
Marye's Notes
It's really important to use room temperature butter and eggs in this recipe! It helps the finished cookie to have a good texture.
💭 Things to know
- Toast the chopped pecans to bring out more flavor
- Use a heavy, high quality cookie sheet
- Chill the cookie sheet
- Scoop the cookies onto the sheet with a cookie scoop so all the cookies are the same size
- Put the cookie sheet back in the freezer for about 5 minutes
How to keep chocolate chip cookies chewy
- Keeping the moisture content high is what makes your cookies chewy - that's why brown sugar is SO great in chocolate chip cookies it keeps them moist!
- Other things that contribute to high moisture content are oven temperature, how well the ingredients are blended without being over mixed, and how much flour is used.
- Overbaking them will make them crispy. Take the cookie out of the oven when it's just slightly underdone and leave it on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes then remove to cool completely.
- You can try adding 1 extra egg yolk to the recipe.
- Try adding an tablespoon of cream to the recipe
👩🍳 FAQs
Moisture! The brown sugar in these cookies keeps them moist and chewy. If you like a crisp cookie use all white sugar.
Chilling the dough helps the fats in the cookies to melt more slowly so they tend to stay thicker rather than flatten out and spread all over the pan. It's not totally necessary but it's almost always a good idea.
📚 Related recipes
Honestly, if you love chocolate chips, and who doesn't, you'll also want to try these one bowl Oreo chocolate chip cookies.
📞 The last word
These big, yummy, addictive, chewy chocolate chip cookies aren't the kind of cookies you send to school in a lunchbox (unless you are in heavy competition with another kid's mom). They are the kind you make for serious comfort, celebration, or chocolate craving.
In fact, my son Nick once told me he liked them best without the ganache because it was almost too much chocolate.
Silly boy.
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need.
If you love this recipe please comment below and give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 Recipe
Giant Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Print Save Recipe Rate RecipeIngredients
- 1 cup butter, , softened
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons hot water
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups chocolate chips
- 1 ½ cup chopped, , toasted pecans, divided use
Ganache
- ½ cup chocolate chips
- ½ cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
- Cream together the butter and both sugars until smooth.
- Beat in the eggs and yolk, one at a time incorporating them well after each addition - about 3 minutes.
- Add the vanilla.
- Dissolve baking soda and salt in hot water.
- Add the baking soda mixture to the batter.
- Stir in flour.
- Fold in the chocolate chips, and 1 cup of the nuts.
- Drop by mounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased pans - 3 inches apart.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are golden but the center is still slightly underdone.
- Allow to cool completely.
- Dip in the melted ganache.
- Sprinkle with ½ cup reserved pecans.
Ganache
- Microwave the cream until it begins to bubble.
- Remove from microwave and stir in the chocolate until it is melted and smooth.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
First published March 2014, last updated April 2, 2024 for editorial improvements.
✍🏻 A note from Marye...
I know y'all don't always like the stories bloggers tell so when I have one I try to put it at the very bottom so you can read or skip as you like.
(2014) You know, I am generally not a big fan of technology. I really do miss the days of three channels and having to get up to change them. I miss talking to real people in customer service. I miss being away from home and unavailable.
One thing I have to say is that technology has made the world very small, and with three kids in the military that makes me happy.
When I was in the military I called home, on a pay phone, once a week and it cost $10.00 or so. My parents didn't know what was going on in my life on a day to day basis (and that was probably a good thing), and I didn't know what was going on with them.
I got letters from them once in awhile and I sent them letters thick with polaroid images of where I was.
On Christmas Day we skyped with one of our kids who is away from home. We set the iPad on the counter while we ate and talked with him, laughed, and shared our meal just as if he was home -- except of course he was eating food from the mess hall. It went on for an hour and it didn't cost anything.
We did the same thing on New Years with the son that is in Okinawa. I can chat with any of our kids every day if I want. I can read their Facebook pages, I can text them. They send me pictures and videos.
It's wonderful.
There is also the thing that I actually only have a career because of the Internet...
So, while I really do miss so many things about our slower, simpler life in the 60s and 70s I love many things about life in the fast lane of 2015. It's just sometimes I focus on the things I don't like about it rather than the things I do.
But... big, chewy chocolate chip cookies? They're forever.
Don't lose this recipe!
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Patricia @ Grab a Plate says
I love Facetime! That's how I keep in touch with my family, too! Your cookies looks so good! I don't think -- ever in my life -- have I ever thought something had too much chocolate 😉
This is a great cookie post/recipe!
Marye Audet says
Thank you!!
Dee Dee (My Midlife Kitchen) says
OK, you talked me into it. LOL These look scrumptious!!! Yum!
Marye Audet says
LOL! Well that was easy...
Gina says
These are the exact kind of cookie I want when I'm craving chocolate chip. Love that they're covered in chocolate too!
Marye Audet says
The more chocolate the better?
Florian @ContentednessCooking says
There's always room for chocolate, yum!
Marye Audet says
Oh yes there is!
heather @french press says
I really do miss when things were simpler - NO cell phones buzzing at all hours, email drives me nuts but the whole having a job thing is kind of cool. I can work in my jammies all day, and that is SO nice 🙂 to work at home and eat cookies this good almost make the technology OK
Marye Audet says
Yep. It's a trade off for sure. 🙂
Kacey @ The Cookie Writer says
Almost too much chocolate he says! Haha, I love a good ole chocolate chip cookie, and what better than a giant one?!
Marye Audet says
Agreed! The more chocolate the better!
Citra Kale @Citra's Home Diary says
ow..wow...this must be my kid's new fav .... thx for sharing your recipe...bookmarked it
Marye Audet says
🙂 Thank you!
Alice says
we do the same thing, being a military family, to keep in touch with our family in the States but I do remember waiting for snail mail from my dad when he was deployed which was almost all the time back then!
These cookies look great, btw!
Kirsten/ComfortablyDomestic says
God Bless the internet for making it so convenient to keep in touch around the world. And hey, if the cookies fall apart in shipping, your boy can always dump them into a bowl and pour in some milk to eat them like cereal.
Marcia Hendrie says
Could I form these in small heart shaped pan or would you suggest using a different recipe? Thanks Mary either way I will be making these.
Marye Audet says
Yes I think they are easily stiff enough to do that. 🙂
Marcia Hendrie says
I made two in mini heart shaped pan, they turned out cute and taste delicious. Thanks for yet another great recipe. 9 degrees here today good to have the oven on.
Laura Tabacca says
Ha I was still giggling over your competing with some other mom comment and then Susan's comment got me giggling again. And I know your son will love these. They look over the top awesome in the very best way possible. Too much chocolate! Ha!
Marye Audet says
🙂 I am serious about the competition thing. I swear to you it seems like there are a handful of women in my life (past and present) who have tried to one up me.... silly women.
Susan@LunaCafe says
ZOW! These should definitely be illegal. Or immoral. Or something. 🙂