These Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies are the best! Made in just one bowl, this easy recipe gives you five warm, gooey cookies with crisp edges and soft centers—ready in no time.
Why This Recipe is the Best
These small-batch chocolate chip cookies are soft, gooey, and come together in minutes—no chilling, no fancy steps, and no separating eggs. We love this recipe for busy weeknights when the cookie craving hits, but we don’t want a full batch sitting on the counter. It uses a whole egg, bakes quickly, and makes the perfect amount for date night, small families, or a cozy treat for one or two.
Want to level them up? Try making them with brown butter for extra depth and richness—it adds a warm, nutty flavor that takes them over the top. You can also make them even faster in the air fryer or try our Cookie in a Mug for a single-serve option that’s ready in under 5 minutes.
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Key Ingredients
With just a few pantry staples and no fancy equipment, you’ll have warm cookies in under 30 minutes.
- Egg – We use one whole egg for this recipe! Warm it quickly by placing it in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes.
- Flour – Spoon, fluff, and level your flour to avoid over-measuring, which can make the cookies too dense.
- Chocolate Chips – Use ¼ cup for a lighter chocolate cookie, ½ cup for balanced, or ⅔ to ¾ cup for a fully loaded cookie. We love Aldi’s dark chocolate morsels—they stay melty for hours!
- Butter- Your butter should be very soft. Microwave in 5-7 increments until soft and smooshy, it's okay if it's slightly melted in some spots. You can even use brown butter instead.
How to make Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies
No mixer, no chilling, and only one bowl? Let’s go!
- Start by creaming together the butter, sugars, vanilla, and egg.
- Stir in the flour, baking soda and salt and right before it's completly combined, add the chocolate chips.
- Divide dough into 5 equal-sized balls and place on a baking sheet.
- Bake in a hot oven at 375°F for 8–10 minutes. The hotter oven makes crisp edges while keeping the centers soft and gooey.
Hint: For more cookies, but smaller, make small balls of dough and bake for a shorter amount of time. Be sure to keep an eye on the time so you don't burn them!
Common Mistakes
The most common mistake is over-measuring flour. Be sure to fluff and spoon flour into your measuring cup instead of scooping. Another issue is overbaking—these cookies are meant to be slightly underdone in the center. They’ll continue baking on the sheet as they cool, so pull them out when the edges are set but the middle looks a little soft.
Top tip
For picture-perfect cookies, press a few chocolate chips into the tops of each dough ball before baking. It gives that bakery-style look and guarantees extra chocolate in every bite.
Need more cookies? Simply double the ingredients to make about a dozen cookies.
Recipe
Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons butter salted, very soft
- 3 Tablespoons brown sugar packed
- 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 large egg yolk at room temperature, see note 1
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- scant ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup +1 Tablespoon flour
- ¼-1/2 cup chocolate chips I like semi-sweet, see note 2
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 365°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Your butter should be very soft. Microwave in 5-7 increments until soft and smooshy, it's okay if it's slightly melted in some spots. In a mixing bowl, combine butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar on medium high until well combined (these can also be mixed by hand!). Add the egg yolk and vanilla and mix again until well combined. Stir in the flour, baking soda and salt (see note 3 for a tip) until about 90% combined (there should still be flour streaks remaining) and stir in the chocolate chips.
- Place dough balls (I get 5-6) on the parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 9-10 minutes, until the tops are matte and puffed up a bit and the edges have set. Remove from the oven and allow to finish baking on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Enjoy!
Notes
- To quickly warm the egg, place in a bowl of warm/hot water for a few minutes.
- For a medium-low amount of chocolate chips, use ¼ cup. For a medium-high amount, use ½ cup. For fully loaded use ⅔-3/4 cup.
- When I'm making cookies I like to measure the flour onto the wet dough, then top with the salt and baking soda. I then fluff the salt and baking soda lightly into the flour. This disperses it a bit; a quick way to make sure there are no lumps of salt or baking soda.
- Baking the cookies in a hotter oven makes the edges slightly crispy and keeps the cookies soft and gooey on the inside.
- My absolute favorite chocolate chips are the dark chocolate morsels at Aldi. They are big and stay melty and wonderful for hours after coming out of the oven.
- For "beautiful" cookies, after forming dough balls, stick a few extra chocolate chips on the top for a more aesthetically pleasing cookie.
Substitutions and Variations
- Mix-Ins – Try white chocolate chips, chopped nuts, or M&Ms for variety.
- Air Fryer – These bake great in the air fryer! Scoop smaller dough balls and reduce baking time by a minute or two.
Storage
These cookies are best enjoyed warm and fresh! If you have leftovers (unlikely!), store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. To reheat, pop in the microwave for 5–10 seconds to bring back that gooey center.
Andrea says
Great cookies when you just need a small dessert.