High-Altitude Chocolate Chip Cookies

There’s a lot of ways to make chocolate chip cookies, and there’s a lot of types of chocolate chip cookies you can make. This version is a thinner, chewy, wrinkled-around-the-edges version that I find pretty delightful, plus I’m actually going triple chocolate for this version.

This is a pretty simple cookie to pull together and while we’re not browning butter here, we are going to give the dough a little bit of chill time, which I like to warn folks about. It’s worth a little bit of chill time to get the perfect texture here. Let’s get to it!

How to Make High-Altitude Chocolate Chip Cookies

We’re using super simple ingredients in this recipe- a couple of notable add-ins are cornstarch and milk- both of these contribute to the texture of the cookies.

I’m using a mix of chocolate chunks for this version- milk, dark, and white chocolate. I like to chop up chocolate bars for this recipe because it helps give you a big variance of chocolate chunks running throughout the mixture. That said, I find it a little hard to find white chocolate bars where I’m at, so go with what you can here.

We’re starting out by mixing together the butter, brown sugar, and sugar. I always prefer to use dark brown sugar in my recipes, and this is no exception. Mix until everything is well combined, and then we’re adding in the eggs, vanilla extract, and milk. The mixture may look slightly lumpy once this has been worked in.

Then it’s time to work in the dry mixture which includes flour, salt, baking soda, and cornstarch. The cornstarch helps keep the cookies chewy and it helps keep the cookies delicious after they’ve cooled off.

Finally we’re adding in the three types of chocolate. Again, I think chopping up bars of chocolate is well worth it here, but use what you have. No matter what, be sure to reserve a bit of each kind of chocolate to press into the tops of the cookies before baking to make ’em real pretty.

I like to top these cookies with a generous sprinkle of flakey salt before baking, plus a few chunks of chocolate on top of each cookie. Once the dough is scooped and topped, give them at least one hour in the fridge before baking- this really helps the cookies firm up and spread correctly while they bake.

Then it’s off to the oven. You want to bake these cookies until they are slightly golden brown around the edges- they may look slightly under-baked in the middle, but they’ll continue cooking as they cool on the cookie sheet.

The salt really makes these cookies addicting, and I love the combo of three types of chocolate here. Combine all that with a super chewy, thin cookie, and you’ve got something pretty lovely. Enjoy!

Tips and Tricks for High-Altitude Chocolate Chip Cookies

Here are my tips to help you on the way to the perfect thin and chewy chocolate chippers:

• Do I have to use three kinds of chocolate? No, you can always go for a standard medium dark chocolate for all the chocolate in these cookies and you’ll have something truly awesome!
• Do I have to use chopped chocolate bars or can I use chocolate chips? Chocolate chips will create a slightly differently texture in your cookies because they hold their shape a bit more. I think it’s well worth using chopped chocolate bars here! I know white chocolate bars can be tough to find though, so you can also use a mix of chopped bars and chips if needed.
• Don’t skip the chill time. It helps firm up the cookie dough and control the spread of these cookies as they bake.
• Why do these cookies have cornstarch? The cornstarch gives the cookies a great chewy texture, and it helps keep them soft for longer.
• Why do these cookies include milk? The milk helps the cookies spread properly while still maintaining enough structure to avoid being too thin as they bake. Essentially it helps us reach the right texture here!
• Do I have to use the flakey salt? I really recommend using salt on these cookies (and all cookies). It honestly makes the cookies feel super addicting to me, and we’re working with a lot of chocolate here so it helps gives these cookies more balance!
• I’m at about 5,000 ft. above sea level, and I find that most people who live between 3,000-7,000 ft. above sea level do not need to make any adjustments to my recipes.

Enjoy!

Print

High-Altitude Chocolate Chip Cookies

Servings 26 cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup softened butter
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbs. milk
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 3/4 cups flour
• 2 tbs. cornstarch
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 6 oz. dark chocolate
• 6 oz. milk chocolate
• 6 oz. white chocolate
• 3 tbs. flakey salt

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, beat together the softened butter, dark brown sugar, and granulated sugar until well combined, about 1 minute with an electric mixer. Add in the eggs, milk, and vanilla extract and mix until well combined- the mixture may look slightly split at this point but that’s ok!
2. Add in the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda, and beat together until a soft dough forms and there are no dry pockets of flour remaining.

3. Using a spatula, stir in the chopped chocolate, being sure to reserve about 2-3 tbs. of each type of chocolate. Scoop the dough into even cookie dough balls about 2-tablespoonfuls onto a lined baking sheet that will fit into your fridge.

4. Gently press a couple of chunks of the reserved chocolate into the top of each cookie dough ball, and sprinkle all the cookie dough generously with flakey salt. Cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap and chill for at least an hour, and up to 12 hours before baking.
5. When you’re ready to bake, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Place your chilled dough straight from the fridge onto your baking sheet with space for the cookies to spread- about 6 cookies per half-sheet pan. Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden brown. The centers may look a little under baked, but they will cook through while they cool on the baking sheet. Cool the cookies completely on the baking sheet and enjoy the cookies warm. Enjoy!

Dough-Eyed

Hello and welcome! My name is Nicole, and Dough-eyed is a food blog for people who want to bake for their family and friends in high-altitude areas. Think of me as a friendly voice there with you in the kitchen, here to give you confidence when you’re baking, and to help you with the struggles of baking at high-altitude. Come back every week for new recipes, tips, and advice on high-altitude baking!