✔ Updated · fixed baking powder step + freezer cookie-box tips
These McDonald's chocolate chip cookies are a copycat-style take on the soft, thick drive-thru cookie, with chewy centers and lightly golden, crisp edges. Chocolate-chip cookies are our family favorite, and these vanish fast.
At a glance
The one tip that matters: Bake at 325°F (165°C), no hotter, and pull the cookies when the edges are just golden and the centers still look slightly underdone.
The method rests on a few simple choices: butter straight from the fridge, an extra egg yolk, flour weighed rather than scooped, a short chill and a low 325°F (165°C) oven. Pull them while the middles still look a little underdone and they firm up as they cool. The dough also freezes well, so warm cookies or a holiday cookie box are never far away. For an oversized bakery-style version, try my copycat Crumbl chocolate chip cookie.
Why You'll Love These Cookies
- Thick and soft, with chewy centers from an extra yolk and crisp golden edges.
- Everyday ingredients: flour, cold butter, two sugars, eggs and chocolate chips.
- Freezer-friendly dough for warm cookies on demand or a holiday cookie box.
What Makes McDonald's-Style Chocolate Chip Cookies Different?
The drive-thru cookie is known for being soft-baked and chewy rather than crisp, with lots of chocolate chips and a slightly thick, bakery-style shape. This copycat-style recipe gets there with more brown sugar than white, an extra egg yolk for richness, a little baking powder for lift and a gentle 325°F oven.
Because the cookies come out while the centers still look a little underdone, they set soft and stay that way for days in an airtight container. For more drive-thru favorites, browse our McDonald's copycat recipes. Craving giant bakery-style cookies instead? My Crumbl copycat cookie recipes cover 27 flavors.
The 3 Secrets From Our Video
Our step-by-step video shows exactly how to make this chocolate chip cookies. Watch it in the recipe card below; these are the three tips that make the biggest difference.
- Use butter straight from the fridge. Cold butter is what stops the cookies spreading flat and greasy.
- Weigh the flour and add an extra yolk. Accurate flour plus one extra yolk gives that thick, soft, chewy center.
- Bake low and pull them early. 165°C (about 325°F), and take them out while the middles still look a little underdone.
Step-by-Step Photos
Here's how it comes together. Exact amounts, times and temperatures are in the recipe card below.
Tips for Success
- Use butter straight from the fridge. Cube it and beat it with the sugars into a stiff paste. Cold butter keeps the cookies thick instead of spreading flat and greasy.
- Weigh the flour. 250 grams is the target. Scooping with a cup packs in extra flour, which is the main reason cookies turn out dry or hard.
- Whisk the leaveners into the flour. Mix the baking soda and baking powder into the dry ingredients first, never into the finished dough, so every cookie rises evenly with no bitter pockets.
- Chill the dough. Even 30 minutes in the fridge firms the butter and helps the cookies hold their shape; up to an hour is better. Lucy and Max spend that time hovering by the fridge door.
- Bake low and pull early. 325°F (165°C), one sheet at a time, until the edges are just golden. An oven thermometer helps, because many ovens run hot. Mine certainly does!
McDonald’s Chocolate Chip Cookies (Copycat)
16
cookies15
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minutes265
kcal1
hour15
minutesCopycat-style McDonald’s chocolate chip cookies: thick and soft with chewy centers and lightly golden edges, made with cold butter, brown sugar and an extra egg yolk, then baked low at 325°F and pulled while the middles still look underdone.
Ingredients
- Dry Ingredients
250 g all-purpose flour (2 cups, spooned and leveled)
3 g baking soda (1/2 teaspoon)
2 g baking powder (1/2 teaspoon)
3 g fine salt (1/2 teaspoon)
- Wet Ingredients
170 g unsalted butter, cold from the fridge, cut into cubes (3/4 cup / 1 1/2 sticks)
200 g light brown sugar, packed (1 cup)
100 g granulated sugar (1/2 cup)
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Mix-In
170 g semisweet chocolate chips (1 cup)
Directions
- Make the Dough
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt so the leaveners are evenly mixed through.
- In a large bowl, beat the cold cubed butter with the brown sugar and granulated sugar using a hand or stand mixer on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes, until it forms a smooth, stiff paste. It shouldn’t look light and fluffy.
- Beat in the egg, the extra yolk and the vanilla until just combined.
- Add the flour mixture in 2 or 3 additions on low speed, mixing only until no dry streaks remain. Fold in the chocolate chips with a spatula.
- Cover the bowl and chill the dough for 30 minutes to 1 hour, so the cookies hold their shape in the oven.
- Bake
- Heat the oven to 325°F (165°C), no hotter. Scoop the dough into 16 balls of about 3 tablespoons (60 g) each and place 8 on each sheet, about 2 1/2 inches apart.
- Bake one sheet at a time for 13 to 16 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden and the centers still look slightly underdone.
- Cool the cookies on the sheet for 5 minutes, then move them to a wire rack. The centers firm up as they cool.
Recipe Video
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Holiday Cookie Boxes, Make-Ahead Dough and Freezing
These cookies are sturdy enough to travel and stay soft for days, which makes them a good base for a holiday cookie box. The dough is the real time-saver: make it once, freeze it in balls and bake a tray whenever you need one.
- Make the dough ahead: wrap it tightly and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Let very firm dough sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before scooping.
- Freeze dough balls: scoop, freeze on a parchment-lined tray until solid, then bag them for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen at 325°F, adding 2 to 3 minutes.
- Freeze baked cookies: cool them completely, then freeze in an airtight container with parchment between the layers for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
- Pack a cookie box: cool the cookies completely first, put the sturdiest ones at the bottom and separate layers with parchment. Keep soft cookies and crisp ones in separate boxes so the crisp ones don't go soft.
- Mix it up: pair them with our easy sugar cookies, snickerdoodles and white chocolate macadamia nut cookies for a colorful holiday box.
- Shipping or gifting: bake as close to the day as you can, and keep the box airtight. A cookie baked a day ahead tastes better on arrival than one baked a week ahead.
Variations
- Chocolate swaps: use dark, milk or white chocolate chips, or a mix of all three.
- Holiday colors: swap half the chips for red and green candy-coated chocolates.
- Add-ins: fold in 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, or raisins.
- Out of brown sugar? Try our chocolate chip cookies without brown sugar.
- Vegan: use a flax egg in place of the whole egg, skip the extra yolk, and use vegan butter and dairy-free chips. Expect a slightly flatter cookie.
See Also: Wash these down with McDonald’s eggnog shake
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes McDonald's-style chocolate chip cookies so soft?
In this copycat-style recipe, the softness comes from a high ratio of brown sugar, an extra egg yolk, cold butter that keeps the dough thick, and a low 325°F oven. Taking the cookies out while the centers still look underdone keeps them chewy once they cool.
Why use both baking soda and baking powder?
Baking soda reacts with the brown sugar to help the cookies spread a little and brown at the edges, while a small amount of baking powder gives extra lift for a thicker, softer cookie. Whisk both into the flour first so they are evenly distributed.
Why did my cookies spread flat?
Usually the butter was too soft, the dough wasn't chilled, or the oven ran hot. Use butter straight from the fridge, chill the dough for at least 30 minutes, bake at 325°F and check the oven with a thermometer. Warm baking sheets also cause spreading, so let them cool between batches.
Can I freeze this cookie dough?
Yes. Scoop the dough into balls, freeze them on a tray until firm, then store them in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen at 325°F, adding 2 to 3 minutes to the baking time. You can also refrigerate the dough, well wrapped, for up to 3 days.
Why did my cookies turn out hard?
Too much flour or overbaking is almost always the cause. Weigh the flour at 250 grams rather than scooping it, and pull the cookies when the edges are just golden and the centers still look soft. Store them in an airtight container so they stay soft.
🎄 Christmas baking? Browse our Christmas cookies and holiday desserts, plus edible gifts and a baking schedule.
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