The Ultimate Big Batch Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe: Soft, Thick, & Freezer-Friendly

There’s nothing quite like the comforting aroma of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies filling your home. But what’s better than a single batch? A *big batch*! This ultimate big batch chocolate chip cookie recipe delivers classic, delightfully soft, and wonderfully thick chocolate chip cookies, absolutely loaded with melty chocolate chips. We’re talking about a generous yield of 8 dozen (96 cookies!) at a time, ensuring you have enough for every occasion, or just for an extended supply of pure joy!

Why You Need This Big Batch Cookie Recipe in Your Life

This big batch recipe is an absolute game-changer for anyone who frequently finds themselves needing a large quantity of delicious, homemade chocolate chip cookies. Whether you’re preparing for a school bake sale, hosting a lively party, planning a family reunion, or simply want to stock your freezer with ready-to-bake treats, this recipe is your perfect solution. Imagine the delight of having 96 classic chocolate chip cookies ready to share (or devour yourself!). There are truly endless reasons why you might want or need such an abundance of these delightful treats!

Beyond its impressive yield, this recipe shines for its fantastic make-ahead and freezer-friendly qualities. The ability to prepare the dough in advance and freeze it means you can have warm, fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies whenever the craving strikes, with minimal effort. I often bake half the batch immediately and freeze the other half for later, a convenient method I’ve captured in the photos to guide you through the process. This way, you’re never more than a few minutes away from a perfectly chewy, chocolatey delight.

Essential Baking Tips for the Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

Achieving the perfect chocolate chip cookie – soft, chewy, and bursting with flavor – involves a few key techniques. Here are my tried-and-true tips to elevate your big batch of cookies:

• The Secret Weapon: A Mixture of Butter and Butter-Flavored Shortening. While I adore the rich flavor that real butter brings to cookies, often resulting in a lovely crisp edge, my ultimate preference is for a soft, thick, and wonderfully chewy cookie. Through years of baking experimentation, I’ve discovered that a combination of real butter with butter-flavored shortening offers the best of both worlds. You get that authentic, delicious butter flavor, but the shortening works its magic to keep the cookies consistently soft and thick, preventing excessive spreading without requiring you to chill the dough before baking. It’s a win-win situation for texture and convenience.
• Embrace the Cookie Scoop for Uniformity. Using a cookie scoop is not just about speed; it’s crucial for consistency. It ensures that all your cookies are uniform in size and shape, which is essential for even baking. No more burnt edges on some while others are still raw! Furthermore, a good cookie scoop really packs the dough, creating tall, rounded mounds. This dense packing helps to reduce spreading during baking, contributing to that desirable thick, chewy cookie texture. For this recipe, I find that a 2.75-inch cookie scoop works perfectly for substantial cookies.
• Always Use Parchment Paper or a Silicone Baking Mat. This is non-negotiable for hassle-free cookie baking. Not only do they make clean-up incredibly easy, but they also prevent your precious cookies from sticking to the pan. More importantly, these surfaces promote more even heat distribution, which results in more consistently baked cookies with perfectly golden bottoms. I honestly never bake cookies without my silicone baking mat anymore – it’s a complete game-changer and an eco-friendly alternative to disposable parchment.
• The Art of Underbaking: Your Key to Softness. The ultimate secret to achieving perfect soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies is to remove them from the oven *before* they look fully baked. You want to see just the slightest hint of golden brown around the edges, with the centers still looking a little pale and slightly underdone. Don’t worry, they’re not raw! Cookies continue to bake from the residual heat of the baking sheet once removed from the oven. Leave them on the hot pan for a few minutes (3-5 minutes) to set before carefully transferring them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. This crucial step ensures a wonderfully soft and tender crumb.
• Bake One Pan at a Time (If Time Allows). For truly optimal results, especially when aiming for perfection, bake only one pan of cookies at a time on the center rack of your oven. I understand this can be a bit finicky and time-consuming, especially when making a big batch, and it might not always be practical. However, if you have the extra time, this method allows for the most even heat circulation around each cookie, leading to consistently perfect results without hot spots or uneven baking. It genuinely makes a noticeable difference in the final product.

How to Freeze Your Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough for Later Baking

Freezing cookie dough is a fantastic way to enjoy homemade cookies on demand, without the full baking process each time. Here’s how to prepare and store your big batch chocolate chip cookie dough for optimal freshness:

1. Prepare Your Baking Sheet: Line a cookie sheet with a silicone baking mat, parchment paper, or waxed paper. This prevents sticking and makes it easy to remove the frozen dough balls.
2. Scoop the Dough: Using a 1.5 Tablespoon cookie scoop, portion the cookie dough into uniform balls. Place these dough balls on the prepared cookie sheet, ensuring they are as close together as possible without touching each other. You want them to freeze individually without fusing.
3. Flash Freeze: Place the entire cookie sheet into the freezer for at least one to two hours. This “flash freezing” step is crucial as it allows the dough balls to harden individually, preventing them from sticking together when transferred to a storage container.
4. Transfer to Storage: Once the cookie dough balls are solid, transfer them from the cookie sheet into freezer-safe bags or an airtight freezer container. Removing as much air as possible from the bags will help prevent freezer burn.
5. Label for Success: Don’t forget to label your freezer bags or containers with the date, oven temperature, and recommended bake time (plus the additional 2 minutes for frozen dough). This ensures you have all the necessary information at your fingertips when you’re ready to bake.

This properly frozen cookie dough will stay good in the freezer for up to 3 months, offering incredible flexibility for fresh-baked treats. When you’re ready to bake, simply place the frozen cookie dough balls directly onto a baking sheet (no need to thaw!) and bake as directed in the recipe, adding about 2 minutes to the total bake time. It’s that easy to enjoy warm, gooey cookies anytime!

Pin this recipe or click the ❤️ to save it for later!

Big Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe yields about 8 dozen classic, thick and soft chocolate chip cookies. Freezing instructions are included so you can have fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies any time you like.

4.62 from 52 votes

Print
Rate
SaveSaved!

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Additional Time: 5 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 dozen

Calories: 119kcal

Author: Amy D

Ingredients

• 1 cup salted butter (softened to room temp)
• 1 cup butter flavored shortening
• 1 ½ cup brown sugar (packed)
• 1 ½ cup white sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
• 5 cups all purpose flour
• 1 Tablespoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 24 ounce bag chocolate chips

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and prepare your cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
• In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, cream together the softened butter and butter-flavored shortening with both the brown and white sugars until the mixture is light, fluffy, and well combined. This usually takes about 2-3 minutes.
• Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract until fully incorporated.
• In a separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add these dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing on low speed until just combined. Be careful not to overmix the dough.
• Gently fold in the entire bag of chocolate chips until they are evenly distributed throughout the dough.
• Using a 1.5 Tablespoon cookie scoop, drop rounded mounds of cookie dough onto the prepared cookie sheets, ensuring there are at least 2 inches of space between each cookie to allow for spreading.
• Bake for 9-11 minutes, or just until the edges of the cookies begin to turn a very light golden brown and the centers still look soft and slightly underbaked. Remember, underbaking is key for a chewy texture!
• Remove the baking sheets from the oven and let the cookies rest on the hot sheets for another 3-5 minutes. This allows them to continue baking gently from residual heat and firm up. Afterward, transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
• Once fully cooled, store your delicious big batch chocolate chip cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5-7 days, or freeze for longer storage (see freezing instructions below).

Notes

This recipe does not require chilling the cookie dough before baking, saving you precious time!

Freezing Instructions for Big Batch Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough:

1. Line a cookie sheet with a silicone baking mat, parchment paper or waxed paper.
2. Using a 1.5 Tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop the cookie dough into balls and place the cookie dough as closely together as you can on the cookie sheet without the dough touching.
3. Put the cookie sheet in the freezer for at least an hour or two until the dough balls are solid.
4. Transfer the frozen cookie dough into freezer bags or a sturdy freezer-safe container.
5. Make sure you label your cookie dough clearly with the date and baking instructions, including the oven temperature and standard cook time.
6. This cookie dough will maintain its quality in the freezer for up to 3 months.
7. When it’s time to bake, simply place the frozen cookie dough on a baking sheet and bake as directed in the main instructions, adding approximately 2 minutes to the bake time. No thawing required!

Recommended Products

Nordic Ware Baker’s Half Sheet

OXO Good Grips Medium Cookie Scoop

Silicone Baking Mat – Set of 2 Half Sheet

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 119kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 18mg | Sodium: 96mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 10g

Did You Make this Recipe?Please leave a review or a photo! I’d love to hear your feedback!

Frequently Asked Questions About Big Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies

Can I make this recipe with only butter, or only shortening?

While you can, the combination of butter and butter-flavored shortening is specifically designed to give these cookies their signature soft, thick, and chewy texture with a rich flavor. Using only butter might result in a slightly crispier, flatter cookie, and using only shortening might reduce some of the butter flavor. For the best results, stick to the recommended blend!

Do I need to chill the dough?

Nope! One of the fantastic aspects of this recipe is that it’s designed to be baked immediately without chilling. The butter-shortening blend helps prevent excessive spreading, allowing you to get those thick, soft cookies straight from mixing to baking.

How long do these cookies stay fresh?

When stored in an airtight container at room temperature, these cookies will remain wonderfully soft and delicious for up to 5-7 days. For longer storage, freezing the baked cookies (or dough) is your best bet!

Can I add other mix-ins to this big batch recipe?

Absolutely! This versatile dough is perfect for customization. Feel free to experiment with different types of chocolate chips (milk, dark, white, or a mix), chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans), toffee bits, M&Ms, or even a sprinkle of sea salt on top before baking for an extra gourmet touch.

What’s the best way to ensure uniform cookies?

A cookie scoop is your best friend here! It not only speeds up the process but also ensures each cookie is the same size, which leads to even baking. Using parchment paper or a silicone baking mat also contributes to consistent results.

You might also enjoy these delicious cookie recipes!

If you loved this big batch chocolate chip cookie recipe, be sure to explore some of our other fantastic cookie creations. Each one offers a unique flavor and texture profile that’s sure to delight:

• Chewy French Toast Cookies – A breakfast-inspired treat for any time of day.
• Lemon Cowboy Cookies – A zesty twist on a hearty classic.
• Chunky Peanut Butter Cookies with M&M’s – A colorful and satisfying peanut butter dream.
• Mint Middle Fudge Cookies – A refreshing and decadent combination.