(The Best After-School Treat)
Jump to RecipeI’ve made a lot of chocolate chip cookies over the years, but this one is the recipe I keep coming back to — thin, chewy in the center, crispy at the edges, with that signature crinkled, rippled top that makes people stop scrolling. If you’ve seen the viral crinkle-top cookies going around, this is my version, built to be simple enough for a weekday and good enough that nobody will know it took 20 minutes of hands-on effort. The perfect little cookie to bake up for an after-school treat.
Ingredients
- Unsalted butter
- Brown sugar, packed
- Granulated sugar
- Large egg
- Egg yolk
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Kosher salt
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Flaky sea salt, for topping
Instructions
Start by browning the butter in a light-colored saucepan over medium heat, swirling often, until it foams and then turns golden brown with a nutty aroma. Pour it into a large heatproof bowl and let it cool for about 10 minutes.
Whisk the brown sugar and granulated sugar into the browned butter until smooth and glossy, then whisk in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla until the mixture lightens slightly.
Add the flour, baking soda, and salt, folding just until combined, then fold in the chocolate chips.
Let the dough rest at room temperature for 20–30 minutes. This step matters more than it seems — it helps the sugar dissolve slightly, which sets up that crinkled top later.
Preheat the oven to 350°F and scoop the dough into balls, spacing them a few inches apart since they spread. Bake for 10–12 minutes, until the edges are deeply golden and the centers still look slightly underdone. As soon as they come out of the oven, firmly tap the baking sheet on the counter a couple of times — this deflates the centers and creates the rippled, crinkled texture. Finish with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt while warm.
Main Ingredient Breakdown
Browned butter is the backbone of this recipe. Browning it (rather than just melting it) adds a nutty, toffee-like depth you can’t get from regular melted butter, and it’s a big part of why these taste more complex than a standard chocolate chip cookie.
The extra egg yolk is what keeps the center chewy even though these bake thin. Yolks add fat and richness without adding the extra structure a whole egg would, so the middle stays soft instead of cakey.
Brown sugar over granulated in a higher ratio helps the cookies spread thin and stay moist, since brown sugar holds more moisture than white sugar alone.
FAQ
Why didn’t my cookies crinkle?
This is almost always one of two things: the dough wasn’t rested long enough before baking, or the pan wasn’t tapped firmly enough right out of the oven. Both steps work together to create the ripple.
Can I chill the dough overnight instead of resting it at room temperature?
You can, but let it sit out for 15–20 minutes before scooping — cold dough straight from the fridge won’t spread the same way and may not crinkle as dramatically.
Can I freeze the dough?
Yes. Scoop into balls, freeze on a tray until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag. Bake from frozen, adding 1–2 extra minutes.
Tips
- Use a light-colored pan to brown the butter so you can actually see the color change — a dark pan makes it easy to burn.
- Don’t skip the resting step, even though it’s tempting to bake right away.
- Tap the pan immediately after baking, while the cookies are still soft enough to deflate.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or freeze the baked cookies for up to 2 months.
Ingredients
Method
- Melt 3/4 cup unsalted butter in a light-colored saucepan over medium heat, swirling often, until it foams, then turns golden brown and smells nutty, about 5-6 minutes. Pour into a large heatproof bowl and let cool 10 minutes.
- Whisk 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed and 1/2 cup granulated sugar into the browned butter until smooth and glossy.
- Whisk in 1 large egg, 1 egg yolk, and 2 tsp vanilla extract until the mixture lightens slightly and looks well combined.
- Add 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, 3/4 tsp baking soda, and 1/2 tsp kosher salt and fold with a spatula until just combined. Fold in 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips.
- Let the dough rest at room temperature for 20-30 minutes — this helps the sugar dissolve slightly, which is key to the crinkled top.
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line baking sheets with parchment. Scoop dough into 1.5 tbsp balls, spaced 3 inches apart (they spread).
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, until edges are deeply golden and the centers still look slightly underdone and puffed. Firmly tap the baking sheet on the counter 2-3 times right when it comes out of the oven — this deflates the centers and creates the crinkled ripple texture.
- Sprinkle immediately with 1/2 tsp flaky sea salt, for topping. Let cool on the pan for 10 minutes — they’re very soft and thin right out of the oven — before transferring to a rack.
