Oversize bakery cookies are satisfying when you’re looking for a chewy cookie that can stand in for a meal, but there are times when you want something smaller to snack on. These Tiny Crispy Crunchy Chocolate Chip Cookies are mini-sized – just about an inch in diameter when they are baked – and they’re so good that you’re going to want to eat them by the handful. And thanks to their small size, you’ll be able to!
This recipe is inspired by the Crispy Crunchy Chocolate Chip Cookies from Trader Joe’s, which are a favorite of mine. They come in a tub and are perfectly snackable. The cookie dough is a very straightforward one, made with white sugar and plenty of vanilla extract. White sugar helps to ensure that the cookies are nice and crisp after baking. The dough is relatively soft, which allows the cookies to spread nicely as they bake. I used mini chocolate chips and highly recommend that you do the same. Mini chocolate chips are so small that they will be very evenly distributed in the finished cookies. If you only have full size chocolate chips (or chocolate chunks), I recommend chopping them into smaller pieces before folding them in.
The most time consuming part of making these cookies is shaping them. The recipe makes about 200 cookies and each cookie starts with a level half teaspoon of cookie dough. The cookies only spread to be 1-inch in diameter, so you can pack a lot of them onto your baking sheets. They will brown quickly as they near the end of the baking time, so be sure to keep an eye on them and rotate the pans if your oven has any hot spots so that the cookies all bake evenly.
While 200 cookies may sound like a lot – because it is – it is absolutely worth the time to bake these. They are perfectly crispy and so delicious. I eat them a few at a time and they keep very well when stored in an airtight container. I recommend putting them into several smaller containers for easier snacking.
Tiny Crispy Crunchy Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
12-oz mini chocolate chips (approx 2 cups)
Preheat oven to 375F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, whisk together flour, salt and baking soda.
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla extract. Blend in flour mixture then stir in chocolate chips until evenly distributed.
Using a 1/2 teaspoon measure, scoop a spoonful of the dough and level it (each cookie dough ball is a level 1/2 tsp), then scoop it out of the spoon with a knife, forming a small ball. Place balls of dough on prepared baking sheet, leaving room for each cookie to spread to be about 1-inch in diameter.
Bake for 8-9 minutes, until the cookies are golden on the edges. Allow cookies to cool for 3-4 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Makes about 200 cookies
What do you think?