Kroll’s Kookies: Giant Chocolate Chip Cookies with Gooey Centers

Kroll’s Kookies

Giant, thick, soft, and chewy, with a gooey center that stays gooey long after the cookies come out of the oven. That is the whole promise of Kroll’s Kookies, and it is a promise this recipe keeps.

This recipe comes from Tawnie Graham at Kroll’s Korner, and it is her answer to the giant bakery cookie. The inspiration is easy to spot.

It follows the idea behind Levain Bakery in New York, specifically the Two Chip cookie, which packs in more chocolate chips and skips the walnuts.

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It also nods to Crave Cookies in Fresno, California, a bakery that hands over warm giant cookies and makes you wonder why every cookie is not served that way.

If you love that style of cookie, you can also browse Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookies for another take on the same idea.

What sets this version apart from the many copycat recipes out there? Two simple things. It uses 2 cups of chocolate chips, not three, because 2 cups is plenty for most people. And there are no walnuts anywhere in the dough.

One batch makes 6 large cookies, and the process takes about 35 minutes: 10 minutes of prep, 10 minutes in a 400°F oven, and 15 minutes of cooling. That cooling time is not optional, so plan for it.

If you only want one cookie instead of six, the blog also has a single serve chocolate chip cookie recipe with a similar flavor.

You can read the original recipe at Kroll’s Kookies from Kroll’s Korner.

Giant Chocolate Chip Cookie Ingredients

Every ingredient here has a job. Change one and you change the cookie, so it helps to know what each one is doing.

• All purpose flour and cake flour. Spoon the all purpose flour into the measuring cup and level it with a knife. Scooping straight from the bag can add up to 50 percent more flour than the recipe wants, and that is how cookies turn out dry. Cake flour is finer and softer than all purpose flour, and it is usually on the top shelf at the grocery store. Together the two flours build that cake like center.
• Cornstarch. One teaspoon keeps the centers soft and helps the cookies stay thick and giant instead of spreading into puddles.
• Baking powder and baking soda. Both are leaveners. Baking soda is about four times as strong as baking powder, so the small amounts here matter.
• Salt. It does not make the cookies salty. It makes the sweetness taste sweeter.
• Butter. Cold, unsalted, and straight from the refrigerator, cut into cubes. Not melted, not frozen, and not room temperature. Cold butter is what keeps these cookies tall.
• Brown sugar and white sugar. There is more brown sugar than white sugar here for a reason. Brown sugar brings moisture and chew. White sugar helps the cookies spread so they do not end up shaped like baseballs. Light brown is the recommendation, and dark brown works too.
• Egg plus egg yolk. One whole room temperature egg and one extra yolk add richness, tenderness, and binding. That extra yolk is a big part of the chewy texture.
• Vanilla, optional. The recipe leaves it out because Levain Bakery is rumored not to use it. If you want it anyway, 1 teaspoon has been tested and works.
• Chocolate chips. Milk chocolate is the favorite. Dark or semi sweet chips work, and you can use less than 2 cups if you like. Half chips and half walnuts is another option, though the cookie then becomes a different thing entirely.

How to make Giant Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is a simple dough. The method matters far more than the mixing time.

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Whisk the all purpose flour, cake flour, baking soda, baking powder, cornstarch, and salt together in a large bowl, then set it aside.
2. Put the cubed cold butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and turn it on medium low. Cream the butter for 30 seconds, add the brown sugar and mix for 30 seconds, then add the white sugar and mix for another 30 seconds. Cream until light and fluffy, then add the egg, the egg yolk, and the vanilla if you are using it, and blend until combined. If butter sticks to the paddle, knock it off with a rubber spatula.
3. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture a little at a time until it is incorporated. Add the chocolate chips and mix just until they are evenly distributed, then turn the machine off.
4. Measure out about 6 cookies at roughly 5.7 ounces each. A food scale makes this easy, but eyeballing works too. Keep each mound tall and do not flatten it. Place the cookies on a cookie sheet lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
5. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the tops are golden brown. The secret is to pull them out before you think they are done.
6. Let the cookies rest on the cookie sheet for at least 15 to 30 minutes, then move them to a cooling rack to cool completely. Serve with a big tall glass of milk.

If your cookies come out very gooey, that is a timing question, not a failure. The tips below explain exactly what to do.

Tips to making the best ever giant chocolate chip cookies

These are the details that separate a good giant cookie from a great one.

• Use the flour blend. All purpose flour alone gives a denser cookie, still delicious but heavier. The mix of all purpose and cake flour is what creates that cakier center.
• Try double panning. This step is optional. Flip one cookie sheet upside down, set a second sheet on top so their bottoms touch, and bake the cookies on the top sheet. The extra layer slows the heat reaching the bottoms, which helps the centers stay soft.
• Pull them out early. Bake 10 to 12 minutes in most ovens, and take them out before they look finished. They keep cooking as they cool on the sheet.
• Give gooey cookies more time. If the centers are softer than you want, leave them on the sheet longer, at least 15 minutes, then cool completely on a rack. These cookies are even better the next day.
• Do not chill the dough. This recipe does not need it. Mix, portion, and bake.
• Use one egg plus one yolk. No extra white, which would add water and change the texture. The yolk is there for chew.
• Keep them giant. Each cookie is about 6 ounces, pinched tall at the top rather than flattened or scooped with a cookie scoop. You can make smaller cookies, just adjust the baking time.
• No cake flour in the pantry? Make your own. Combine 14 tablespoons of all purpose flour with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch, then sift the mixture twice. That makes about 1 cup, and this recipe uses 3/4 cup of it.
• Plan ahead if you like. The dough can be made in advance and refrigerated for 2 to 3 days. Bring it to room temperature before baking. Unbaked dough balls freeze well for up to 3 months and should also come to room temperature before they go in the oven.
• Cookies spreading too much? Add a few extra tablespoons of flour. Flat cookies usually mean the dough is a little too soft.

For another spin on a soft, chewy center, these chewy chocolate chip cookies are a great reference point.

For reference, the source nutrition for 1 large cookie is 609 calories, 84g carbohydrates, 6g protein, 29g fat, 17g saturated fat, 1g fiber, 49g sugar, 350mg sodium, and 115mg cholesterol.

Can I freeze these cookies?

Yes, and they hold up beautifully. Freeze them only after they have cooled completely, in a Ziplock bag, a Stasher bag, or a freezer safe container. They keep for up to 3 months.

To thaw, leave them on the counter for 30 to 60 minutes, or microwave one for about 30 seconds when you cannot wait. Unbaked dough balls also freeze for up to 3 months. Bring them to room temperature before baking.

Can I make these cookies gluten free?

Yes, and this version has been tested. Replace both the all purpose flour and the cake flour with Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour. The cookies come out very similar in taste and appearance to the original, which is a strong result for a gluten free swap.

Can I double the recipe to make 12 large cookies?

Yes. Follow the measurements exactly and make sure your stand mixer is large enough to hold the full batch of dough. If you would rather not double anything, use the original amounts and shape smaller cookies instead.

Can I make these if I don’t have a stand mixer?

Absolutely. Use a hand mixer on low speed and the dough comes together the same way.

Then all that is left is a batch of soft chocolate chip cookies and a very happy kitchen. Happy baking.

5 Best Kept Cookie Secrets

If you remember nothing else from this page, remember these five habits. They are the reason these cookies turn out thick, soft, and gooey every single time.

1. Cold butter, always. Straight from the fridge, cubed, never melted and never softened on the counter.
2. No chilling. This dough goes from mixer to oven without a rest in the refrigerator.
3. Pull them out early. Ten to twelve minutes, before they look done, then let the carryover heat finish the job.
4. Rest on the sheet. At least 15 minutes before they touch a cooling rack. That is when the gooey center sets just enough.
5. Keep them tall. Portion, pinch the tops up, and never press the dough flat.

the goods

The tools that make this recipe easier: cake flour for the flour blend, a whisk you actually enjoy using, and a set of measuring cups and spoons so the spoon and level method stays simple.

That is the whole list. A stand mixer helps and a food scale helps, but neither one is a dealbreaker.

FAQs

Kroll’s Kookies

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• Total Time: 35 min
• Yield: 6 large cookies 1x

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Description

Kroll’s Kookies Giant, thick, soft, and chewy, with a gooey center that stays gooey long after the cookies come out of the oven. That is the whole promise of Kroll’s Kookies, and it is a promise this recipe keeps.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients
1 1/4 cup All-Purpose Flour
3/4 cup Cake flour
1 tsp. corn starch
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup cold, unsalted butter, cubed
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup white granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups milk chocolate chips

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Instructions

Instructions
1-Preheat oven to 400°F: Preheat oven to 400°F. Whisk together All-purpose flour, cake flour, baking soda, baking powder, cornstarch and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.
2-Place cubed butter into the bowl of: Place cubed butter into the bowl of a stand mixer and secure the paddle attachment. Turn the mixer on a medium-low setting. Let the mixer cream the butter for 30 seconds, and then add in the brown sugar and mix 30 seconds, followed by the white sugar for 30 seconds. Cream until light and fluffy, then add in the egg and the egg yolk (and vanilla if using) and blend until mixed. If any of the butter gets stuck on the paddle attachment use a rubber spatula to knock it off.
3-With the mixer on low speed, gradually: With the mixer on low speed, gradually add in the flour mixture. Add it in a little at a time until ingredients are incorporated. Then add in the chocolate chips and mix just until the chocolate chips are incorporated. Turn off the machine.
4-Measure out ~6, 5: Measure out ~6, 5.7 oz. cookies. I like to use a food scale for this but if you don’t have one, simply eye-ball it. Cookies will be a little smaller than a fist, huge I know! Keep the cookies nice and tall and don’t flatten them. Place cookies on a cookie sheet. You can use a silicone baking mat or parchment paper if you prefer.
5-Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes or until: Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes or until the tops are golden brown. The secret is to pull them out before you think they are done. (See recipe notes if your cookies are gooey)
6-Let them rest on the cookie sheet: Let them rest on the cookie sheet for at least 15-30 minutes. It’s hard to wait. Trust me, I’ve been there. Place the cookies on a cooling rack to finish cooling completely. Enjoy with a big tall glass of milk!

Notes

Additional time: follow the resting and cooling steps (15 min).

• Prep Time: 10 min
• Cook Time: 10 min
• Method: bake

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 large cookie
• Calories: 609
• Sugar: 49g
• Sodium: 350mg
• Fat: 29g
• Saturated Fat: 17g
• Carbohydrates: 84g
• Fiber: 1g
• Protein: 6g
• Cholesterol: 115mg

Keywords: Kroll’S Kookies, Kroll’s Kookies, Giant Chocolate Chip Cookies