Make Your Own Crumbl Chocolate Chip Cookies at Home

If you’re yearning for a true Crumbl cookie experience, this copycat chocolate chip cookie recipe delivers. You’ll get big, dense, and chewy cookies with that signature craggly appearance on top. Place them in a pink box, and you’ll almost be fooled—it’s the Crumbl experience at home.

• Cuisine: American
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 12 minutes
• Total Time: 27 minutes
• Servings: 12 cookies

Here’s a great video that shows the process of making homemade Crumbl Cookies.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• This isn’t just another chocolate chip cookie recipe; it’s a meticulously crafted guide to recreating the iconic Crumbl cookie experience in your own kitchen.
• You’ll love this recipe because it delivers bakery-quality results without the bakery price tag. Imagine pulling giant, thick, and perfectly chewy cookies from your oven, with irresistibly gooey centers and those signature craggy tops.
• The process is straightforward enough for beginners, yet the results are impressive enough for any occasion. Plus, nothing beats the aroma of freshly baked cookies filling your home.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (113g or 4 ounces) Unsalted Butter: The butter should be softened but still cool to the touch. This is crucial; melted butter will cause the cookies to spread too much and become flat. Using unsalted butter allows you to control the salt content precisely.

• 3/4 cup (150g or 5.25 ounces) Packed Brown Sugar: Brown sugar is essential for a moist, chewy cookie due to its molasses content. Light or dark brown sugar will work.

• 3/4 cup (150g or 5.25 ounces) Granulated White Sugar: This contributes to the cookie’s sweetness and helps create deliciously crisp edges that contrast perfectly with the soft center.

• 2 1/4 cups (270g or 11.25 ounces) All-Purpose Flour: Flour provides the main structure. Be sure to measure it correctly by spooning it into your measuring cup and leveling it off, rather than scooping directly from the bag, which can compact the flour and lead to dry cookies.

• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda: This leavening agent reacts with the brown sugar to help the cookies spread and become chewy.

• 1 teaspoon Baking Powder: This provides lift, contributing to a lighter, thicker texture. The combination of both leaveners is key to the Crumbl-style cookie.

• 1/2 teaspoon Salt: Salt is a vital flavor enhancer that balances the sweetness of the sugars and chocolate.

• 1 Large Egg, Cold: Using a cold egg straight from the refrigerator helps prevent the dough from spreading too quickly in the oven, ensuring a thicker cookie.

• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract: Use pure vanilla extract for a warm, rich flavor that complements the chocolate and butter.

• 2 cups (340g) Milk Chocolate Chips: To truly replicate the Crumbl experience, use high-quality, large milk chocolate chips. Ghirardelli is a great option. Mini Hershey’s Kisses also work wonderfully for pockets of melted chocolate.

How to Make It

Step 1: Cream Butter and Sugars
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, cream the softened butter, brown sugar, and white sugar on medium speed. Mix for 2-3 minutes until the mixture is light in color and has a fluffy, paste-like consistency. Avoid over-creaming, as this can incorporate too much air and cause the cookies to deflate after baking.

Step 2: Combine Dry Ingredients
In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Whisking ensures the leavening agents are evenly distributed, which is essential for a consistent rise and texture in every cookie.

Step 3: Add Egg and Vanilla
Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the cold egg and vanilla extract to the butter mixture. Mix until just combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed to ensure everything is incorporated.

Step 4: Incorporate Dry Ingredients
With the mixer on its lowest speed, gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients in 3-4 additions. Mix only until the last streaks of flour have disappeared. Do not overmix. Overmixing develops gluten, which will result in tough, dense cookies rather than soft and chewy ones.

Step 5: Add Chocolate Chips
Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in the milk chocolate chips using a spatula. Reserve a handful to press onto the tops of the cookies before baking for a picture-perfect look.

Step 6: Portion and Shape the Dough
This is the secret to a true Crumbl-sized cookie. Use a kitchen scale to portion the dough into 4.5 to 5-ounce balls (about the size of a tennis ball). For that signature craggy top, roll the dough into a ball, then gently break it in half and press the two halves back together with the jagged, broken edges facing up. This creates more surface area for a deliciously textured top.

Step 7: Bake to Perfection
Place 4-5 dough balls on each prepared baking sheet, ensuring they are spaced at least 3 inches apart to allow for spreading. Bake for 10-12 minutes. The edges should be set and lightly golden brown, but the centers should still look slightly soft and underdone. This is the key to a gooey center.

Step 8: Cool and Set
Remove the baking sheets from the oven and let the cookies cool on the pan for at least 10 minutes. This is a crucial step, as the cookies will continue to bake from the residual heat of the pan, allowing the center to set up perfectly. After 10 minutes, carefully transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe FAQs

How do I store these cookies?
Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. To keep them extra soft, you can add a slice of bread to the container; the cookies will absorb moisture from the bread. They will stay fresh for up to 5 days.

Can I make the dough ahead of time?
Yes. You can refrigerate the dough for up to 72 hours, which will also enhance the flavor. You can also freeze the portioned dough balls. Place them on a parchment-lined sheet, “flash freeze” until solid, then transfer them to a freezer-safe zip-top bag. They can be frozen for up to 3 months. When ready to bake, you may need to add 1-2 minutes to the baking time.

My cookies spread too much and were flat. What did I do wrong?
This is a common issue! The most likely culprits are butter that was too soft or melted, or baking the dough on a warm cookie sheet. Using a cold egg and even chilling the portioned dough balls for 30 minutes before baking can help control the spread and result in thicker cookies.

Why are my cookies dry or tough?
A dry cookie is often the result of using too much flour, which happens when you scoop the measuring cup directly into the flour bag. A tough cookie is usually caused by overmixing the dough after the flour has been added. Mix only until the ingredients are just combined.

Can I use different chocolate chips?
Absolutely. While milk chocolate is classic for the Crumbl copycat, semi-sweet, dark, or even white chocolate chips would also be delicious.