These Thin Chocolate Chip Cookies have a delicious caramel flavor and the perfect amount of crunch. They’re easy to mix up, quick to bake, and so good to eat!
Not all thin cookies are equal. Some are too thin and around the edges. Some are too chewy and don’t have the crunch you’re looking for. These thin chocolate chip cookies are just right.
They bake evenly, hold their shape well, and have a nice crunch without being dry. Plus they taste delicious on their own or dipped in milk or hot chocolate.
Thin chocolate chip cookies are the perfect giftable treat. Their flat tops and uniform shape make them easy to stack on top of each other. Stack them up in a bag and add a ribbon and tag – a sweet and pretty gift for friends and neighbors!
For other variations on the classic chocolate chip cookie, you’ll love Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars, Eggless Chocolate Chip Cookies, Edible Cookie Dough, and Disappearing Marshmallow Cookies.
Why You’ll Love Thin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Crunchy
- Full of Caramelized Flavor
- Giftable (they stack beautifully)
Secrets for Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Corn Syrup
- Allow them to Partially Cool on Cookie Sheet
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Butter, unsalted – Butter adds delicious flavor to our cookies. I like to use unsalted in my baking, but you can use salted if that’s the kind you have.
- All-purpose Flour – Thin cookies like these don’t take as much flour as other recipes, but they still need it for structure. If you want them even thinner, reduce the amount of flour to 1 1/4 cups.
- Baking Soda – Baking soda is the perfect leavening agent. It keeps our cookies thin, just how we want them.
- Salt – Salt brings out the other flavors in the recipe.
- White Granulated Sugar – White sugar is sweet and light. This recipe needs white sugar for our cookies to have a bit of crunch.
- Light Brown Sugar, packed – Brown sugar gives our cookies their delicious, caramel flavor.
- Light Corn Syrup – A small amount of corn syrup adds sweetness and moisture to our cookies, plus helps the ingredients stick together.
- Large Egg – One egg binds the ingredients together so the cookies don’t fall apart.
- Vanilla Extract – A little vanilla enhances the flavor of the chocolate. I like to use pure vanilla, but you can use what you have on hand.
- Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips – Chocolate chips give these thin cookies a little weight. I love semi-sweet in this recipe, but you can also use dark or milk chocolate, or even chocolate chunks.
Variations
- For thinner cookies, reduce to 1 ¼ cups of flour, use miniature or crushed chocolate chips.
- Add thick flakes of sea salt just before baking to take them over the top.
- Use dark brown sugar if you prefer a strong molasses flavor.
How to Make Thin and Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Prep – Preheat oven and line large cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Brown Butter – The secret to making these cookies better than the rest! Brown until it achieves a nutty aroma.
- Make Dough – Mix ingredients until just combined.
- Bake – Bake, rotate and allow to cool for crisp, amazing cookies.
Shortcuts
- Make sure all of your ingredients and supplies are on hand and ready to go. Use a stand mixer to make it even easier.
- You can make dough ahead of time and freeze it for later, then bake whenever you’re ready.
Tips
- To avoid swirling, allow butter to cool completely before making dough.
- Using a cookie scoop creates a consistent size and allows them to bake evenly.
- Rotating the cookies helps the cookies bake evenly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Usually thin cookies are the result of too soft or melted butter or too little flour. If you want a soft and chewy cookie, use room temperature butter and cream it with your sugar, and choose a recipe with more flour.
If you have the right recipe and your cookies are still thin, try adding 1-2 tablespoons of flour.
If you’re following the recipe and you’re still getting too much spread, try changing your cookie sheets. Try a silicone mat or using parchment paper over your regular sheets.
Also, remember that you don’t usually need to use nonstick spray or butter on your pan before baking, because cookies usually have enough butter in them to keep them from sticking.
Letting cookies rest on the baking sheet for a few minutes gives them time to firm up after baking. They’re more likely to hold their shape when you transfer them to a wire cooling rack.
More Cookie Love
More Delicious Cookie Recipes
Thin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 1⅓ cup all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup white granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium skillet over medium heat. Melt butter and swirl (don’t stir) as needed. When it becomes brown in color and has a nutty aroma, remove from heat.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk flour, baking soda and salt.
- Add butter, sugars and corn syrup. Beat until combined.
- Blend in egg and vanilla until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Fold in chocolate chips.
- Using a medium cookie dough scoop or 2 tablespoons of dough, roll into a ball between your palms and place on cookie sheet. Cookies will spread so allow at least 2” from the edge and other dough balls, 4 per large sheet.
- Bake 5 minutes and rotate cookie sheets. Bake 6 minutes.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool 3-5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack.
Video
Notes
- Cookies will rise, but fall when removed from the oven.
- Make cookies gluten free using King Arthur Measure for Measure Flour.
- To avoid swirling, allow butter to cool completely before making dough.
- Using a cookie scoop creates a consistent size and allows them to bake evenly.
- Rotating the cookies helps the cookies bake evenly.
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