Perfect white chocolate chip cookies with chewy centers, crisp edges, and pools of sweet white chocolate chips.
When I was developing my Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe, I tested 36 iterations of it before I finally landed on "the one." That process taught me exactly what makes a cookie work - the right ratios for chewiness, flavor, and texture - and I've carried those lessons into this white chocolate chip version.
These cookies come out with golden edges, soft chewy centers, and big pockets of creamy white chocolate chips. It's a recipe I feel confident putting my name on, because I know it will work for you just as beautifully as it has in my kitchen.
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Why You'll Love This White Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
- Easy cookies that are chewy, gooey, and taste straight out the bakery.
- Tested thoroughly to find the perfect ingredient ratios for the best cookies.
- Freezable cookie dough that can be baked in just 12 minutes for a quick treat.
Ingredients
This white chocolate chip cookie recipe uses the same simple ingredients as my classic chocolate chip cookie recipe.
- Butter - We'll be using melted butter for perfect chewy chocolate chip cookies. Plus, it means you don't need to wait for the butter to come to room temperature! Use unsalted butter.
- White Sugar - Regular granulated sugar helps the cookies to spread and form crispy golden edges.
- Light Brown Sugar - This key ingredient adds a toasty, caramelized flavor and helps create a softer cookie thanks to the high moisture content of brown sugar. The acidity is also what activates the baking soda, so don't skip the brown sugar! Dark brown sugar will also work.
- Eggs - This recipe uses 1 whole egg and 1 extra egg yolk to provide a deep flavor and a gooey texture. Use large eggs.
- Vanilla - A good-quality vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste enhances and balances the overall flavor of the cookies.
- Flour - All-purpose flour will create pillowy, chewy cookies.
- Cornstarch - Cornstarch helps create thicker cookies with a tender, soft texture that melts in your mouth.
- White Chocolate Chips - These add a lovely sweetness and creaminess. You can also use chunks or swap in milk, dark, or semi-sweet chocolate to suit your taste.
See the recipe card for quantities and the full recipe.
Measuring Ingredients:
I always recommend weighing your ingredients with a kitchen scale, rather than using measuring cups. It's very difficult to measure accurately with cups, and this can mess up your bakes.
Recommended Equipment
- Whisk - You can use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment on low speed, but it isn't necessary, as these cookies come together easily by hand.
- Cookie sheet
- Large mixing bowl
- Wooden spoon or rubber spatula
- Small cookie scoop
- Cookie lifter
How To Make White Chocolate Chip Cookies
Follow the step-by-step instructions to make the best white chocolate chip cookies.
Melt the Butter
Put the butter in a microwave-safe medium bowl and heat it in 30-second intervals until fully melted. Transfer the melted butter to a large bowl and allow it to cool for about 5 minutes, until it is warm but no longer hot.
Mix in Sugar
Add the white and brown sugar to the bowl and whisk them into the butter until combined. Avoid incorporating air - whisk slowly, just until the mixture comes together.
Wet Ingredients
Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla to the bowl, then whisk gently until the mixture is smooth. Avoid whisking too vigorously; mix just until everything comes together.
Dry Ingredients
Sift in the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, gently stir until a soft dough forms, being careful not to overmix.
Add White Chocolate
Add the white chocolate chips to the dough and stir until evenly distributed. If you'd like to include any other mix-ins, like cranberries or nuts, fold them in at this stage.
Make Cookies
Shape the dough into balls approximately 2 inches wide using a cookie scoop or spoon. Arrange them on a lined baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (overnight is even better for enhanced flavor and texture).
At this point, the dough balls don't need to be spaced out on the tray.
Bake
Once chilled, preheat the oven to 350°F / 180°C (160°C fan-assisted) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange some of the dough balls on the prepared baking sheet, leaving space for them to spread - do not flatten!
Bake for about 12 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden. The centers may appear soft and pale, but they will finish setting as the cookies cool.
Cool
Leave the freshly baked cookies on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes, then transfer carefully to a wire rack. The cookies might look a bit puffy at first, but they'll settle as they cool.
Cookie Tips
Here are the best tips to make the perfect white chocolate chip cookies:
- Chill Out - The best advice I can give you is to chill your cookie dough! Giving your dough balls at least 1 hour of chill time (the longer the better) will firm up the butter, hydrate the flour, and let the flavors marinate together beautifully. I even like to pop a batch in the freezer and bake them whenever I fancy!
- Bake 'Em Right - Getting the perfect soft and chewy texture depends as much on baking time as it does on the ingredients. Your cookies are ready to come out of the oven just when the edges start to turn golden brown. They will feel rather tender, but don't worry - the cookies will continue to bake as they cool, leaving you with wonderfully gooey and soft-centered cookies. If you wait until they are completely baked before taking them out of the oven, they may end up overbaked - meaning a crunchy cookie!
- Cookie Scoop and Scoot - This is the baking version of a 'bend and snap'! Create perfectly round cookies that look almost identical by firstly using a cookie scoop (or small ice cream scoop) to evenly distribute the cookie dough, making each cookie the same size. Secondly, grab a round cookie cutter that's a tiny bit bigger than your cookies, and use it to shape the cookies as soon as they leave the oven. Simply swirl each cookie around in the cutter for a few seconds, and watch it form into a perfect circle.
- Don't Overmix - A light hand will go a long way with this recipe. Overmixing the dry ingredients or the cookie dough itself will leave you with lumpy, dense cookies that don't have that lovely, tender feel. Mix just enough to bring the ingredients together and no more.
Variations of White Chocolate Cookies
This is such a simple recipe, you can change it up however you like! Here are some ideas for how to customize your white chocolate cookies.
- Different chocolate - Swap out white chocolate chips to make milk chocolate or dark chocolate chip cookies, or go for a mix to make double chocolate chip cookies! You can also use chocolate chunks for bigger pools of chocolate.
- White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies - A classic combination! Replace some of the white chocolate chips with chopped macadamia nuts for a tasty crunch.
- White Chocolate Pistachio Cookies - For extra flavor, try my white chocolate pistachio cookie recipe - pistachio goes so well with white chocolate!
- Brown butter - Brown butter will make any regular chocolate chip cookie recipe taste toasty, caramelized, and deep in flavor. Take a look at my brown butter chocolate chip cookies to see how to use it!
Storage
Store your baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Raw cookie dough can be kept in the fridge for up to 3 days before baking.
Freezing Instructions
It's a great idea to keep some white chocolate cookie dough balls in the freezer for when you're in the mood for a cookie! Freeze the balls first by laying them out on a tray for 30 minutes to firm up, then transfer to an airtight bag. They can be kept in the freezer for 3 months.
When ready to bake, just put them straight on a cookie sheet and bake from frozen - you may need to add an extra minute or two to the bake time, so keep an eye on them.
FAQ
If you have a question about this recipe that isn't answered here, please write it in the comment section, and I will get back to you as soon as I can.
Chilling the cookie dough is probably the most important step in this whole recipe, so be sure to do it! As we are using melted butter, it needs to re-solidify in the fridge. Otherwise, big pools of butter will leak out in the oven and the cookies will collapse. Chilling the cookie dough also allows the flour to hydrate, which creates moist and tender cookies, and it brings all the flavors together nicely. Give your cookies a chilling time of at least 1 hour, or 24 hours for the best results.
Melted butter makes the best chewy white chocolate chip cookies because of the way it is incorporated into the cookie dough. Softened butter is creamed to create air, which makes for a lighter, more cakey cookie - whereas melted butter will create a softer, fudgy texture with a chewy middle.
Yes! You can freeze raw cookie dough balls in the freezer for up to 3 months (see storage section above for more information). I love to keep a batch ready whenever my cookie cravings hit!
More Cookie Recipes
Craving another cookie? Take a look at these tasty recipes:
Recipe
White Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 sticks Unsalted Butter 227g
- 1 cup Light Brown Sugar 220g
- ½ cup Granulated Sugar 100g
- 1 Large Egg
- 1 Large Egg Yolk
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 2½ cups All-purpose flour 300g
- 1 tablespoon Cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1½ cups White Chocolate Chips 255g
Equipment
- 1 Large Mixing Bowl
- 1 Whisk
Instructions
- Melt the butter in the microwave in 30-second bursts until just melted, then pour it into a mixing bowl and let it cool for approximately 5 minutes. It should be warm but not hot.2 sticks (227 g) Unsalted Butter
- Add the white and brown sugars to the bowl with the butter, and whisk gently just until combined.1 cup (220 g) Light Brown Sugar, ½ cup (100 g) Granulated Sugar
- Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla, and whisk just until smooth and combined. Don't try to incorporate any air or mix too vigorously.1 Large Egg, 1 Large Egg Yolk, 1 teaspoon (1 tsp) Vanilla Extract
- Sift the dry ingredients, including flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Switch to a wooden spoon or rubber spatula and mix just until combined into a soft dough. Be careful not to overmix.2½ cups (300 g) All-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon Cornstarch, ½ teaspoon Baking Soda, 1 teaspoon Salt
- Add the white chocolate chips and mix until evenly dispersed throughout the dough.1½ cups (255 g) White Chocolate Chips
- Use a small cookie scoop or spoon to portion out balls of cookie dough, approximately 2 inches in diameter. Place them on a cookie sheet - there is no need to space them out right now as we will move them to another cookie sheet for baking. Cover with plastic wrap, then place them into the fridge to chill for at least an hour. For even better flavor and texture, let them chill overnight.
- When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350℉ / 180℃ (160℃ fan-assisted) and line another baking sheet with parchment paper. Lay some of the cookie dough balls out on the sheet, with enough room to spread.
- Bake for 12 minutes, or until the edges of the cookie turn golden brown and the tops of the cookies are dry.The centers may still look pale and underbaked, but they will continue to bake on the pan as they cool.
- Remove the cookies from the oven, and let them sit on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before using a cookie lifter to transfer them to a wire rack to cool. They may look slightly risen and puffy while coming out of the oven, but they will settle down as they cool and flatten out into that gorgeous "crinkly" look.
Nova Holton
Amazing! I wasn’t a huge fan of white choc til I tried these - my new favourite 🤩 ❤️
Chris
Pre scooping and freezing is a game changer! I have a freezer full of these puppies ready for when the family drops by.
Cath Boyd
Love this recipe! I can never usually get cookies right but this worked perfectly, thank you!