Chocolate Chip Cookies are basics for bakers, right? That’s what I used to think. But then I would make a batch and about 6 out of 10 times, they would flat out fail. Either the cookies would be too flat or they would be too crispy and not chewy enough- or they just looked flat out lame. It was weird. I could never figure out what went wrong! I could make cakes or macaroons or bars or pies- and they were consistently wonderful and delicious. Thinking the cookies must have been a fluke, I would try whipping up a set of cookies again and SPLAT– a whole batch of unappetizing cookies. Time after time I couldn’t figure out a recipe or trick that would make a delicious (and gorgeous) chocolate chip cookie every time. Honestly, with how many failed attempts I had, it probably would have made sense for me to stick to store bought cookie dough (which I definitely don’t judge because, damn, Tollhouse has the secret pretty much down).

However I’m glad to say that (only about a gajillion failed attempts later) I finally figured it out. I was able to tweak my recipes and fine tune them into one consistent recipe. Although that was just half the battle. The second half was trying to figure out tricks and tips that would help assure the perfect ooey-gooey cookie every single time (and thank god for that because honestly, the worst is dedicating time in the kitchen with no sweet dessert to reward your work!) I finally came across a few simple tips that would assure my cookies came out thick and bakery-style gorgeous every single time:

**1. The butter absolutely needs to be softened.**

I’m sure you’ve heard this before (and maybe, like me, you ignored it) but it’s true. My number one essential tip to the perfect recipe. The softened quality helps blend all the ingredients together and maintain that exact smooth texture needed for a bakery style cookie. Try to plan a few hours earlier so you can take the butter out of the fridge before your cookie cravings hit! And whatever you do- do not heat up the butter last minute in the microwave. Melted butter is a sure-fire way to get a flat batch of cookies, as I elaborate in #2.

2. The dough should be chilled before baking.

This was something I was definitely guilty of. How did I not realize that temperature was so important?! I would either use super cold ingredients that would refuse to mix together or melt everything down to force them to blend in. What a mistake! The final dough needs to hold up in the hot oven, so make sure you aren’t overmixing or using hot ingredients. And (I cannot stress this one enough) always pop the dough in the fridge, or even freezer, while the oven preheats. The cookies keep together much better! There won’t be any flat cookies or crispy concerns here! The edges get to brown slightly while the middle keeps chewy and gooey! It’s a total win-win!

3. It always goes down to chocolate, am I right?

So the real question- how do bakery cookies always look so damn perfect? Well it’s no secret (even though it definitely feels like I discovered a hidden trick)– but they never hesitate on the chocolate! Each cookie dough ball should be LOADED with chocolate chips, that we can all agree on, right? But that’s not the trick. We all do that. But how do bakeries make the top of the cookies ooze with chocolate though? Yes yes, some people choose to stack some chips on top of the cookie dough balls before they pop them in the oven. That will help…but that’s not the trick either. The trick is that when these cookies are fresh out of the oven, all warm and gooey– that’s when you take a few chocolate chips and lightly bury them in the surface. The heat melts them quickly and the tops of your cookies become chocolate pools of temptation. You’re welcome.