Ina Garten’s Giant Crinkled Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe: Perfect Every Time

These giant crinkled chocolate chip cookies represent pure baking magic from a culinary legend.

Her signature oversized treat transforms classic dessert expectations with unexpected textural brilliance.

Massive cookies promise intense chocolate satisfaction through carefully balanced ingredients and precise technique.

Professional bakers recognize the subtle art behind creating perfectly crisp edges and soft, tender centers.

Each handcrafted cookie delivers rich, complex flavors that elevate the humble chocolate chip treat.

Sweet butter and premium chocolate merge into an irresistible canvas of indulgence.

Sophisticated yet approachable, these cookies blur the line between comfort food and gourmet delight: prepare to be amazed.

What Goes Into These Oversized Treats

• Butter: Rich, high-quality butter creates creamy texture and deep flavor, preferably unsalted for better control of saltiness.

• Granulated Sugar, Light Brown Sugar: Provide sweetness and help create crisp, golden cookie edges with caramelized notes.

• Extra-Large Egg, Vanilla Extract, Warm Water: Bind ingredients together, add rich flavor, and help create soft cookie interior.

• All-Purpose Flour: Provides structure and basic cookie framework, standard wheat flour works perfectly.
• Baking Soda: Helps cookies rise and spread with gentle, even leavening.
• Kosher Salt: Enhances overall flavor and balances sweetness.

• Bittersweet Chocolate: High-quality chocolate with deep, complex flavor that melts beautifully, creating rich chocolate pools in cookies.

• Fleur de Sel or Sea Salt: Adds elegant, sophisticated salty contrast to sweet chocolate, enhancing overall cookie complexity.

How to Bake Giant Chocolate Chip Cookies

Step 1: Prepare the Oven

Warmup your oven to 350°F (180°C). Position three oven racks evenly across the middle of the oven.

Step 2: Create Butter Cream Base

Use an electric mixer with paddle attachment to whip butter until smooth and creamy.

• Butter
• Granulated sugar
• Light brown sugar

Beat ingredients until fluffy and light, about 3-5 minutes. Scrape down bowl sides occasionally.

Step 3: Introduce Moisture Elements

• Extra-large egg
• Vanilla extract
• Warm water

Mix on low speed until ingredients are just combined.

Step 4: Combine Dry Ingredients

• All-purpose flour
• Baking soda
• Kosher salt

Step 5: Merge Wet and Dry Mixtures

Slowly incorporate flour mixture into butter blend. Fold in chopped bittersweet chocolate, including fine chocolate particles.

Step 6: Shape Cookie Dough

Scoop dough using a 2¼-inch ice cream scoop or ⅓ cup measure. Create 12 rounded dough balls. Freeze exactly 15 minutes.

Step 7: Initial Baking Phase

Place 4 dough balls on each parchment-lined baking tray. Bake for 10 minutes until centers slightly puff up.

Step 8: Deflate and Reshape Cookies

Remove trays and dramatically bang them on stovetop to flatten cookie centers. Return to oven.

Repeat banging process every 3 minutes for total 18-20 minutes. Aim for golden brown edges with soft pale centers.

Step 9: Final Flourish

Rotate baking trays during cooking for even browning. Once complete, sprinkle tops with fleur de sel or sea salt. Allow cookies to cool completely on baking trays.

Secrets for Getting That Signature Crinkle

• Embrace Room Temperature Magic: Letting butter and eggs sit out before mixing creates a smoother, more harmonious dough that blends effortlessly.
• Master Chocolate Chopping Technique: Slice chocolate into varying sizes, from tiny fragments to small chunks, ensuring melty pockets of goodness in every bite.
• Unlock Freezer Power: Chilling the dough for 15 minutes isn't optional – it's the secret weapon for achieving those signature crinkly edges and perfect cookie shape.
• Baking Pan Percussion: Gently banging the baking sheet midway through cooking helps create those dramatic, delightful crinkles and ensures a perfectly chewy texture.
• Rotate for Even Perfection: Spinning your baking pans halfway through cooking guarantees each cookie gets equal heat, preventing any sad, undercooked or burnt spots.

Keep Cookies Fresh and Fabulous

• Seal in Mason Jars: Transfer completely cooled cookies into large glass mason jars with tight-fitting lids. These transparent containers maintain cookie crispness while allowing you to admire your delectable treats. Mason jars prevent moisture buildup and protect cookies from getting stale or losing their signature crinkled texture.
• Layer with Parchment Paper: Create protective barriers between cookie layers using sheets of parchment paper. Carefully stack cookies vertically, ensuring delicate edges don't crack or stick together. This method preserves individual cookie integrity and prevents potential breakage during storage.
• Flash Freeze Before Long-Term Storage: Spread freshly baked cookies on a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Place in the freezer for 15-20 minutes until completely firm. Transfer flash-frozen cookies into labeled freezer bags, removing excess air to prevent freezer burn.

Crinkled Cookie Variations Worth Trying

• Nutty Chocolate Chip Delight: Fold in 100g of chopped toasted pecans or walnuts to add a rich, crunchy texture to the classic chocolate chip cookie.
• Salted Caramel Edition: Drizzle homemade caramel sauce over the cookies after cooling and sprinkle with extra flaky sea salt for a decadent flavor combination.
• Espresso Chocolate Crunch: Mix 1-2 tablespoons of finely ground espresso powder into the dry ingredients to create a sophisticated coffee-chocolate flavor profile.
• Coconut Chocolate Fusion: Incorporate 50g of shredded unsweetened coconut into the dough for a tropical-inspired chocolate chip cookie with added texture and depth.

Cookie Close-Out You’ll Crave

Chocolate chip cookie enthusiasts will discover Ina Garten’s recipe transforms classic treats into culinary masterpieces.

Crisp edges and gooey centers create irresistible texture contrasts that elevate simple ingredients.

Professional baking techniques guarantee consistent deliciousness with each batch.

Salt-sprinkled surfaces add sophisticated flavor complexity beyond traditional expectations.

Homemade cookies become gourmet experiences through meticulous preparation and expert techniques.

Craving chocolate perfection?

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Why Giant Crinkled Cookies Are a Showstopper

• Craft Extraordinary Texture: These giant cookies deliver an incredible crispy-yet-chewy experience with perfectly crinkled edges that provide delightful crunch and soft, gooey centers.
• Elevate Chocolate Indulgence: Packed with rich bittersweet chocolate chunks and fine chocolate dust, each bite promises intense, deep chocolate flavor that melts luxuriously on your tongue.
• Master Professional Baking Technique
• Customize with Gourmet Finishing: Sprinkling fleur de sel or sea salt on top adds a sophisticated flavor contrast, transforming these cookies from basic sweet treats to elegant gourmet desserts that surprise and delight taste buds.

Ina Garten Giant Crinkled Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

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4.7 from 19 reviews

• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: 12 1x

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Description

Ina Garten’s Giant Crinkled Chocolate Chip Cookies deliver bakery-worthy indulgence with oversized, crispy-edged perfection. Studded with rich chocolate and featuring a signature crackled surface, these cookies offer a luxurious twist on classic comfort that draws cookie enthusiasts closer with each irresistible bite.

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Ingredients

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Main Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1½ cups granulated sugar
• 1 extra-large egg
• 8 ounces (226 grams) bittersweet chocolate, chopped, such as Lindt
• ½ pound (2 sticks or 227 grams) unsalted butter

Sweeteners:

• ¼ cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Leavening and Salt:

• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• Fleur de sel or sea salt, for sprinkling

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Instructions

1. Prepare the oven environment by positioning three racks evenly and heating to 180°C (350°F), ensuring optimal temperature for cookie baking.
2. In an electric mixer with paddle attachment, transform butter into a creamy consistency by beating for 3 minutes. Gradually incorporate granulated sugar and light brown sugar, continuing to whip until the mixture becomes airy and voluminous.
3. Introduce moisture by blending 1 extra-large egg, 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract, and warm water at low speed, mixing until just harmonized.
4. Separately, create a dry ingredient blend by whisking all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking soda, and kosher salt until uniformly combined.
5. Gently integrate the flour mixture into the butter base using low-speed mixing. Carefully fold chopped bittersweet chocolate, including fine chocolate particles, using a spatula.
6. Utilize a 2¼-inch (5.5 cm) ice cream scoop to form 12 perfectly rounded dough portions. Strategically place these on a sheet pan and chill in the freezer for precisely 15 minutes.
7. Arrange 4 dough balls on each parchment-lined baking tray, ensuring substantial spacing. Bake for 10 minutes until centers become slightly elevated.
8. Remove trays and dramatically tap them against the stovetop, causing cookie centers to deflate. Return to oven, repeating the tapping process every 3 minutes for a total of 18-20 minutes, aiming for golden-brown edges while maintaining soft, pale centers.
9. During baking, rotate trays to guarantee uniform browning. Once completed, delicately sprinkle fleur de sel or sea salt across cookie surfaces and allow complete cooling directly on baking trays.

Notes

• Pause before baking to chill the dough in the freezer, preventing cookie spread and creating delightful crinkly edges.
• Tap baking sheets firmly against the counter after removing from the oven to create beautiful, textured surfaces on your cookies.
• Rotate cookie sheets midway through baking to ensure even browning and perfectly consistent results across all treats.
• Slice chocolate into super fine pieces so it melts smoothly and distributes evenly throughout each delectable bite.
• Bring butter and eggs to room temperature for seamless mixing and a silky, luxurious cookie dough texture.

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Category: Desserts, Snacks
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: American

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 cookie (out of 12 servings)
• Calories: 320
• Sugar: 26g
• Sodium: 180mg
• Fat: 17g
• Saturated Fat: 10g
• Carbohydrates: 42g
• Fiber: 2g
• Protein: 3g
• Cholesterol: 45mg