Single Serve Chocolate Chip Cookie

These single serve chocolate chip cookies are perfect when you’re craving a homemade chocolate chip cookie but don’t want a whole batch sitting around. This small batch recipe makes just two large, soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies with golden edges, gooey centers, and plenty of chocolate chips. All made in one bowl!

 

I love a good chocolate chip cookie like my Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies, Chik-Fil-A Cookies Recipe or Thin Chocolate Chip Cookies, but sometimes I really don’t need two or three dozen of them! I wanted to create a recipe that gives you all the goodness of a classic homemade chocolate chip cookie, but makes just enough for one or two people.

I tested this recipe with melted butter because it makes these cookies incredibly easy to mix together by hand — no mixer needed. It also helps create that wonderfully chewy texture. Since we’re working with such a small amount of dough, I use just an egg yolk instead of a whole egg. It gives the cookies richness and helps keep them soft without adding too much moisture.

And although it can be tempting to bake these right away, I recommend giving the dough a quick 15-minute chill. The dough is very soft after mixing, and this short chill helps keep your cookies from spreading too much in the oven.

Ingredients

• Unsalted butter: Melt the butter first, then let it cool slightly before mixing. If it’s too hot, your cookie dough may be overly soft.
• Light brown sugar – If you run out read How To Make Brown Sugar
• Granulated sugar
• Pure vanilla extract
• Egg yolk: Make sure it’s at room temperature so it mixes easily into the butter and sugars. I like to place my eggs in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes before using. Read How To Get Room Temperature Eggs Fast. Read How To Separate Eggs.
• All-purpose flour: For best results, weigh your flour with a kitchen scale. With such a small batch, even a little extra flour can make a noticeable difference in the texture.
• Baking soda: Be sure you’re using baking soda, not baking powder.
• Salt
• Semi-sweet chocolate chips: You can substitute milk chocolate or dark chocolate chips if you prefer. Or chopped chocolate
• Flaky sea salt: This is optional, but I love sprinkling a little over the warm cookies.

How to Make Single Serve Chocolate Chip Cookies

Combine the butter and sugars. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the melted and slightly cooled butter, light brown sugar, granulated sugar until evenly combined. Letting the butter cool slightly first is important. You want it melted, but not piping hot when you add the other ingredients.

Add the egg yolk and vanilla. Whisk in the room-temperature egg yolk and vanilla until completely combined. Since this recipe makes only two cookies, a whole egg would add too much liquid. Using only the yolk gives us the richness and structure we need while keeping the cookies soft and chewy.

Add the dry ingredients. Switch to a spatula or wooden spoon and stir in the flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix just until the flour is incorporated. Avoid continuing to mix once the dough comes together because overmixing can make your cookies tougher.

Fold in the chocolate chips. Stir in the semi-sweet chocolate chips until evenly distributed. At this point, your dough should be soft and thick.

Chill the cookie dough. Cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate the dough for 15 minutes. Don’t skip this short chill! Because we’re using melted butter, the dough starts out quite soft. Chilling gives the butter a chance to firm back up so the cookies don’t spread too thin in the oven.

While the dough chills, preheat your oven to 325°F (160°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

Portion the cookies. Divide the chilled dough into two large portions, about 3 heaping tablespoons or 90 grams each. A #20 cookie scoop works well here. Place them on the prepared baking sheet with plenty of room between them.

Bake the cookies. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the edges are set and very lightly golden. Don’t wait for the centers to look completely baked. They should still look soft and puffy when you take the cookies out of the oven. The residual heat from the baking sheet will continue cooking the centers as they cool.

If your cookies have spread unevenly, use the back of a spoon to gently push the edges back toward the center while they’re still warm. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt before serving, if desired.

Recipe Tips

• Measure your flour carefully. This is especially important with a two-cookie recipe. A tablespoon or two of extra flour can make a much bigger difference in a tiny batch than it would in a full batch. For the most accurate results, weigh your flour with a kitchen scale.
• Let the melted butter cool slightly. You don’t want the butter to solidify again, but it shouldn’t be piping hot when you start mixing. Very hot butter can make the dough too warm and encourage the cookies to spread.
• Don’t skip the 15-minute chill. The cookie dough will be quite soft after mixing. A quick trip to the refrigerator helps firm it up so you get thick, chewy cookies instead of thin ones.
• Do not overbake the cookies. Take them out when the edges are set and lightly golden but the centers still look soft and slightly underdone. They’ll continue to bake and firm up on the hot baking sheet.
• Shape them while they’re warm. If you want perfectly round cookies, use a spoon to gently press any uneven edges back toward the center immediately after they come out of the oven.

Storage and Freezing

Room temperature: Store the baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. For the best soft and chewy texture, I recommend enjoying them within the first few days.

Freezing baked cookies: Once completely cooled, place the cookies in an airtight container or freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw them overnight in the refrigerator or at room temperature.

Freezing cookie dough: You can also freeze the unbaked cookie dough. Portion the dough into two cookie dough balls and freeze until firm, then transfer them to a freezer bag or airtight container for up to 3 months. Label the container with the recipe name, oven temperature, baking time, and date so you don’t have to look up the instructions later.

Baking from frozen: There’s no need to thaw the frozen cookie dough first. Bake the cookies straight from frozen at 350°F (180°C), adding about 2 to 3 additional minutes to the baking time. Keep an eye on the edges rather than relying only on the clock — they’re ready when the edges are set and lightly golden while the centers still look soft.

One correction I made from the supplied instructions: the ingredient list says baking soda, while step 4 said baking powder. I used baking soda throughout so the post matches your actual ingredient list.