These Old Fashioned Chocolate Chip Cookies truly are a family recipe, one I’ve been making since I was a kid – and a recipe my son makes regularly too. It’s an adaptation of a recipe from one of the very first cookbooks I owned and dates back to the 1930’s, hence the ‘Old Fashioned’ in the title. I hasten to point out that I myself do not date back to the 1930’s. However the recipe, adapted from a very worn copy of The Betty Crocker Cookie Book, was first shared in 1939 at the height of the Toll House Cookie craze.
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I also make an easy Slice and Bake Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe, great for making ahead and keeping on hand for last minute cookie emergencies, but this Old- Fashioned Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe is my signature cookie recipe. In fact, my son’s girlfriend, whom he has known since nursery school, actually remembers me making them way back when.
A Fun Recipe To Make With Your Kids
My Old-Fashioned Chocolate Chip Cookies are great to make with your kids. I have such fond memories of baking and cooking with my son as he was growing up, and this was one of our favourite recipes. As a result, my son is now really confident in his own kitchen so he’s able to whip up just about anything and even invents recipes of his own.
This was one of the recipes I shared at a recent Vintage Cookie Masterclass, where our youngest participant was two. He was baking with his mum and his cookies looked every bit as good as mine when they came out of the oven!
Old-Fashioned Chocolate Chip Cookies – A Very Versatile Recipe
You can make these cookies with semi-sweet chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, chocolate peanut butter chips or any combination of these. You can even use Smarties or M&Ms instead of chocolate chips.
My son likes to make these Old-Fashioned Chocolate Chip Cookies with a combination of milk and white chocolate chips. As a purist I like the idea of traditional semi-sweet or even dark chocolate chips, but there’s something about the milk/white chocolate combination I find quite irresistible. They do look very appealing!
Hints and Tips For Successful Cookie Baking
Measure carefully for best results. It may be tempting to add more chocolate chips, but this will ruin the chocolate chips to cookie ratio!
Use good baking trays/cookie sheets to bake your cookies for best results. Old or worn cookie sheets may cause the cookies to stick. You can line old cookie sheets with greaseproof paper, but it’s easier to use un-greased cookie sheets in really good condition.
Keep your eyes on the cookies after you put them in the oven. They only take 8 to 10 minutes to bake, so if you get distracted they can burn before you know it. Set the timer for the least amount of time and check the cookies regularly.
Leave the cookies on the baking sheets for about 5 minutes before removing them to wire cooling racks to cool completely. Don’t leave them on the baking trays longer than that though or they may end up sticking.
How Long Will Old-Fashioned Chocolate Chip Cookies Keep?
Honestly, these cookies never last long in our house. Most of them go while they are still warm! However, once cookies are completely cool, you can pop them in an airtight container and they will keep at room temperature for up to 5 days. You can also freeze these cookies for up to one month.
Old-Fashioned Chocolate Chip Cookies – Printable Recipe
Old-Fashioned Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup granulated or caster sugar
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 generous teaspoon vanilla
- 1½ cups + 2 tablespoons all purpose flour all purpose flour is also known as plain flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup chocolate chips my son used a combination of white and milk chocolate chips this time
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). I set my fan oven at 165°C.
- Cream together the butter and the sugars in an electric mixer.
- Add the egg and vanilla and beat together.
- Sift together the flour, soda and salt.
- Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, a bit at a time, blending after each addition until no more flour is visible.
- Remove the bowl from the electric mixer and stir in the chocolate chips gently but thoroughly with a wooden spoon.
- Drop rounded teaspoonfuls of dough about 2 inches apart on baking sheets.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until just beginning to turn golden. (Cookies will still be soft.)
- Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before carefully removing with an egg lifter.
- Cool completely on a wire rack before storing in an airtight container.
Equipment
- 1 set of measuring cups or a kitchen scale
- 1 electric mixer or you can use a bowl and wooden spoon
did you make this recipe?
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Comments & Reviews
So cool to see your son baking and to find an old recipe connecting you to an old memory!
Thank you, Peter 🙂
These look absolutely perfect! Nothing beats an old fashioned CCC!
Thank you so much, Megan 🙂
When a cookie recipe or recipe book dates back to the 30’s…… you know it’s just plain good! These look amazing!
You really do 🙂 Thank you!
I’m always looking for good cookie recipes. I think I will try yours and see how it comes out.
I hope you enjoy it as much as we do, Aish 🙂
Nothing beats a classic chocolate chip cookie recipe! I love the idea of mixing milk and white chips, will definitely give it a try!
It is fun to mix up the flavours, Amanda. The possibilities are endless 🙂
I don’t bake much but my Mom still makes them just like this. Thanks for sharing at Let’s Get Real Friday.
It’s so lovely how these recipes stand the test of time, Karen 🙂
Yvonne Lawson……Old Fashioned Cookies are delicious and idiot proof, i.e I can make them and they taste delicious!
Thank you so much, Yvonne 🙂 You are a great cook though!!
These cookies look GREAT! Personally I always prefer old-fashion recipes. I can’t explain it but they always have something special…. a taste of home 🙂
Thank you so much, Winnie! And you are so right, they really do taste of home 🙂
The cookies look so good, April. It is great to see your son baking your recipes. I guess it brings him back fond memories! The cookies look so good, April. Pinning and tweeting to try later. 🙂
Thank you so much, Hadia. Your comment really made me smile 🙂 Thank you for pinning and tweeting too!
haha I love that you felt the need to ensure us you weren’t around in the 30s 😉 How wonderful though that your son was making these. It’s wonderful to have family recipes that you pass down to your kids. These look like just the sort of chocolate chip cookies I love.
Thank you, Amanda 🙂 They really are delicious!
What a great experience and recipe! Our daughter always makes these cookies as birthday gifts in our family – a coveted treat to be sure. Thanks!
Homemade cookies are the perfect gift! It’s lovely that your daughter enjoys baking, Judy.
For some reason, I’ve never really tried making cookies!! But I really should– it’s on my to-do list. These sound delish!
You definitely should, Sarah – it’s so easy and the rewards are great 🙂 Thank you!
Nothing better than a super simple = delicious CCC! YUM!
I agree, Megan, and thank you 🙂
I LOVE a classic recipe – LOVE! Thanks for sharing this! I dont make these enough with my kids!
Thank you, Amanda! And definitely do make them with your kids 🙂 I wish I’d made them more often with my son when he was little – but at least he remembers the recipe 😉 I was thrilled when he made this batch!
I’m always game to try out a new chocolate chip cookie recipe! These look terrific!!
P.S. My 23 y/o son is the most likely one of my children to bake cookies 🙂 All 3 like to eat desserts, but I think they like me to do the baking.
Thank you, Liz. That’s interesting that your 23 y/o likes baking too, but your recipes are so lovely, no wonder your kids like it when you do the baking 🙂
Absolutely delicious, thank you for adding it to all your other amazing recipes.
I’m so glad you like them, Jeanette, and thank you so much!
OMG so easy and sooo many, I didn’t realise how many they made until I checked afterwards 😂 so good to eat too definately better with white and dark choc chips too
I’m so glad you liked them, Kath! Thank you for letting me know. I love mixing things up with the white and dark chocolate chips 🙂