The popular chocolate chip cookie was invented by Ruth Wakefield, in the 1930s called the Toll House Chocolate Crunch Cookie, the cookie was named after a restaurant she and her husband ran in Massachusetts.
This super easy cookie recipe was modified back in the 1950s when mom made them for our beehive-style cookie jar which by the way was always filled with the classics like Oatmeal, Peanut Butter, and my favorite Snickerdoodles.
These cookies never made it to a holiday tray since we ate them warm out of the oven and mom had to make a double batch and hide them if she wanted them for Christmas.
We love all kinds of cookies and although these are a family favorite we also have several other cookies for you to try in our Holiday Collection that also were vintage recipes and childhood memories of mom.
The additions and changes are pretty much endless when you get creative so don't miss my optional suggestions below.
Back in the 1950s money was tight, and sometimes there were no nuts and fewer chips in ours the cookie dough is so delicious we didn't miss overloading the ingredients.
Scroll down to my printable recipe card for this melt-in-your-mouth simple bakery-style cookie recipe.
Simple Classic Chocolate Chip Cookie Steps
- cream the butter with sugars
- add the egg, vanilla beat again
- stir in the flour, and baking soda and combine
- fold in the chocolate chips
- bake for around 12 to 12 minutes
Other Additions:
- chopped caramels
- mini chocolate chips
- toffee chips
- orange, mint, maple, or other flavored extract substitutes
- coconut shredded
- white chocolate chips, peanut butter chips or mint chips
- pistachios, macadamia nuts, pecan, walnuts, or for nut allergies pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds
- chopped maraschino cherries
- zest from lemon or oranges
- chopped dried fruits
- cranberries or raisins with cinnamon added to the batter
Ingredients You Will Need (scroll down for exact measurements)
- flour
- vanilla
- butter
- salt
- brown sugar
- white sugar
- egg
- chocolate chips
- Optional:
- other flavored extracts
- nuts or seeds
- coconut
Tools
- measuring spoons
- measuring cups
- mixing bowl
- fork or spatula
- nut chopper if using
- baking cookie sheet
- parchment paper
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More Recipes To Try:
Banana Chocolate Chip Biscotti
Chocolate Spice Cookies
Old Fashioned Buttermilk Cookies
Chocolate Chip Traditional Cookies
These cookies aren't labeled unique or "best", they are a vintage cookie jar cookie, not claiming to be anything more, just a delicious classic tried and true simple cookie.
They're soft or crunchy depending on how long you bake them and you would have to be the judge of what you remember baked your favorite way as a child or make a new traditional family favorite.
If you have a chocolate chip lover, I am pretty sure these won't disappoint them, but of course, I am not going to convince anyone these are the best, after all, mom made them so they have to be good.
Chocolate Chip Cookies Bakery Style

Yield: 24
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 12 MinTotal time: 22 Min
1950s-style basic recipe for chocolate chip cookies just like mom use to make with simple ingredients.
Ingredients
- 1 - cup butter softened
- 1- light brown sugar
- 1 - cup white sugar
- 2 - 1/2 cups AP flour
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 1/2 cups chocolate chips any kind of milk, dark, semi-sweet, white, or a combination of all 3
- Optional: 1/2 cup chopped pecans, macadamia, pistachio, or other nuts you prefer
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Line your baking sheets with parchment paper or use a silicone baking mat
- Cream the butter and sugars together with an electric mixer for 3 to 4 minutes then add the vanilla and eggs.
- Stir in the flour, baking soda
- Note: For thick cookies, the dough must be chilled so the cookie won't spread and is thicker plus an additional 1/4 cup of flour must be added to the flour step. Do not flatten after using the cookie scoop. This additional ingredient and method of chilling will produce a thicker higher cookie.
- Using a cookie scoop, place the cookies 2 inches apart (I like to flatten mine and I do not refrigerate these will be thin and crisp edges) I also add a few chips on top and nuts if using.
- Bake for 12 to 14 minutes or just until the edges start to brown.
- Cool for 5 minutes before removing it from the cookie sheet.
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Other Recipes We Love
25 Holiday Cookies
One Stop Cookie Shop
Banana Cake Mix Cake
Harvey Wallbanger Cake
Carrot Cake Made with a Cake Mix
Blueberry Cake Mix Cake
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Disclosure: This recipe was originally shared in 2009. It was edited and re-published in 2021.
mmmh. I love lots of vanilla in my chocolate chip cookies
ReplyDeleteThat's so cool that you figured out a childhood favorite! It's amazing how smells and tastes can literally transport you to another place.
ReplyDelete@miranda oh I love vanilla do and make my own love it!
ReplyDelete@tastytrix yeah miss going home and not being able to actually go there anymore, but everything changes so this was the next best thing....thanks
I love trying out small changes in recipes and the figuring out what I like best. Now if I can only remember to write what I do, which I often do not remember to do, then I could recreate things as you've done.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing.
I love how you bundled them up with a ribbon -- Great idea for a giveaway gift for my party in 2 weeks
ReplyDeleteGreat cookies. My son likes chewy choc chip cookies, so I try not to bake them too long.
ReplyDeleteDelicious! I've seen a million cookie recipes but for some reason this one reminded me of home....
ReplyDeleteI just had to smile when I read your email title on FB, A cookie I grew up with. It's amazing what is burned into our hearts as children and how it ends up on the table years later! [still smiling]
ReplyDelete@the chocolate priestess I know what you mean :)
ReplyDelete@dining with batali thanks glad it gave you the idea...I love ribbon
@no frills recipe hope he likes lots of chocolate chunks!
@bianca thanks
@redkathy its amazing the taste is does linger for ever....
Mmm, two kinds of brown sugar. These look really good!
ReplyDeleteYum! I feel the need to bake another batch of chocolate chip cookies now!
ReplyDeleteI'm a flat chewy cookie fan, like shown in your pics. I bet these make your kitchen smell wonderful!
ReplyDeleteI was trying to reach for one! Yummy!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely gorgeous! I love anything with chocolates.
ReplyDeleteSince I was a child I have been baking and looking for the most perfect chocolate chip cookies. I am thrilled about your recipe and am very excited to try it. Sidebar-when I was very young child, my single-mother was a waitress after her secretary job at night. She would bring me and my brothers home monster-sized chocolate chip cookies and I can still taste them to this day. What a yummy memory.
ReplyDelete@ the pizza cutta I absolutely love you can relate to this story....its amazing to me how you can go through your whole life trying to find that one taste you remember, it may be grandma, aunt, or any other food you had along the way that you can't seem to duplicate, thanks for sharing your wonderful story :)
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean about cooking time. They look really gooey though, with chewy edges. Perfect!
ReplyDeleteDo you like black and whites too? Loved those in NYC!
I'd love to bake up a batch of these lovelies, but your recipe is lacking the amounts of baking soda and salt to use.. could you please post them?
ReplyDeleteI can always go for a great chocolate chip cookie. I have never seen cornstarch in a cookie recipe! So now I have to try this.
ReplyDeletecornstarch is a homemade mixed with flour Cake flour instead of buying it, at least thats what mom told us :) I probably should have mentioned that
DeleteMmmm yummy!!! This looks so easy and quick to make, and if only you can smell pictures... I'm sure these smells heavenly! Gonna give it a whirl this weekend.
ReplyDeleteI love lots of chocolate chunks and pecans in my cookies. These look so GOOD!
ReplyDeleteBakery style cookies are the absolute best! I can't wait to try these delicious looking cookies!
ReplyDeleteThese cookies are fantastic and so delicious! My hubby was all over these when then came out of the oven. They are so delicious and perfect for our sweet tooth!
ReplyDeleteMy advice is make sure there are others at home when you make these otherwise you might be tempted to eat them all yourself, haha! They're so good!
ReplyDeleteThese really did remind me of some of my favorite bakery's cookies!! They were chewy and soft and delicious!
ReplyDeleteOh my do these look perfectly delicious! I also agree that the older recipes are the best.
ReplyDeleteI am a huge fan of the nuts that you added. Don't know why I haven't thought of that before.
ReplyDeleteWow! This is the best chocolate chip cookie recipe I ever tried! SO simple and delicious!
ReplyDeleteThere is so little flour in this recipe that I am going to try it gluten free!
ReplyDeletethanks for catching that, I must have incorrectly typed the flour its fixed now!
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