Easy Sheet Pan Chocolate Chip Cookies are soft and chewy, loaded with chocolate chips, and bake in minutes!

Easy Sheet Pan Chocolate Chip Cookies

How to make chocolate chip cookies to feed a crowd

Sheet pan cookies are the perfect way to feed a crowd! One pan and no scooping dough required. Just mix, spread dough on a pan, and bake. This recipe makes 24 generously-sized cookies but can also be cut into smaller “bites” as well.

Ingredients for Sheet pan Chocolate Chip Cookies:

  • Butter: We use unsalted because the amount of salt varies so much in salted butter. In this recipe, we melt the butter, so it can be taken straight out of the fridge and melted; no need to bring to room temperature.
  • Brown Sugar: Light or dark brown sugar may be used. We see a slightly more chewy texture when using dark brown sugar due to the molasses in dark brown sugar. Also, the flavor and color is a bit more rich when using dark brown vs light brown sugar.
  • Granulated sugar: In the US, we use C&H brand; in the Philippines, Si buys granulated sugar from a grocery store chain, “Robinsons,” because the sugar is slightly more fine in grain than typically found in the Philippines. The refined sugar granules at grocery stores in the Philippines (in general) are larger than in the US. The finer granules help the sugar dissolve better in this cookie dough.
  • Eggs: We use large eggs in this recipe. The eggs bind the dough together and provide a puffier cookie. The eggs also contribute to the cookie being chewy in texture.
  • Vanilla: Not completely necessary, but vanilla adds a wonderful scent and contributes a bit to the overall flavor of the cookies. We add 1 tablespoon.
  • Baking soda/Baking powder/Salt: Si adds all three in this cookie to provide just the right balance to the dough and keep it from being too heavy in the center of the large baking pan. The use of both leavenings gives the cookie dough a bit of lift and helps the dough cook more evenly, without turning out too dry. Salt: We either use sea salt from Costco or Maldon Sea Salt Flakes.
  • Flour: We use all-purpose flour. When at home, Si loves Lehi Roller Mills flour. In the Philippines, Gold Medal flour is the best quality available.
  • Chocolate Chips: In the Philippines, Si buys Hershey’s Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips. At home, her favorite brand is Guittard Super Cookie Chips. For a recipe like this, we recommend Nestlé or Trader Joe’s chocolate chips.
Chocolate Chip Bar Cookies ingredients

Si developed this recipe for the missionaries in the Philippines, Urdaneta Mission and has been making dozens of cookies each week since she and Grant arrived…

Easy Sheet Pan Chocolate Chip Cookies

“We have about 200 missionaries serving with us in the Philippines, Urdaneta Mission. It was too time consuming to make traditional scoop-and-bake chocolate chip cookies for our gatherings, so I developed a sheet pan cookie recipe that I could mix up in minutes, then bake and freeze (if needed) for make-ahead. Our missionaries love these soft, chewy pan cookies. For many, it was the first time they had eaten a chocolate chip cookie!”

4 pans cookies
Cookies baked and ready for Urdaneta missionaries!

Make ahead sheet pan cookies

Easy Sheet Pan Chocolate Chip Cookies can be wrapped and frozen for up to 3 months. It’s always great to have a treat tucked in the freezer – for guests who drop by or for a gathering when you’ve promised to bring a dessert. 

This recipe works well to make and cut (when cooled), then place in individual bags for an easy grab-and-go treat. Our sheet pan cookies can also be frozen flat in gallon-size ziplock bags after baking. Si makes the cookies, lets them cool, and then packs each into a ziplock bag for an easy handout treat after zone conference meetings!

cookies for gift giving

Try more of our favorite chocolate chip recipes:

Easy Sheet Pan Chocolate Chip Cookies

5 from 3 votes
Print Pin
Author: Si Foster
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 18 minutes
Total Time: 28 minutes
Servings: 24 large cookies
Easy Sheet Pan Chocolate Chip Cookies! Just mix, spread into a sheet pan, and bake. No scooping dough. One pan – one bowl.

Ingredients 

  • 1 cup unsalted butter (229 grams)
  • 1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla
  • 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder (*see note)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 packages chocolate chips, or about 18 ounces (3 cups)
  • 1 cup M&M’s (optional – if using, reduce chocolate chips by 1 cup. Can also press additional M&M's on top of the cookies after baking.)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees regular bake or convection bake. Place rack in the center of the oven.
  • Lightly grease a baking sheet (1/2 sheet pan) or use parchment paper.
  • Melt butter in a medium bowl. Add sugars and mix until blended.
  • Whisk in eggs and vanilla.
  • Add all dry ingredients to bowl and mix just until flour disappears.
  • Spread evenly into the prepared pan.
  • Bake for about 18-20 minutes (15-18 minutes convection), until top is golden and no longer looks shiny. Do not overbake!
  • Let cool before cutting into squares.

Notes

  • If you like your bar cookies to be a bit thicker, add 1 teaspoon of baking powder instead of 1/2 teaspoon. 
  • The M&M’s are optional. If using, replace 1 cup of chocolate chips with M&M’s. For the best look, press additional M&M’s on top of the cookies as soon as they come out of the oven. If placing on top before baking, the candy will crack and the color will be altered. We love seasonal M&M’s for holidays!
  • Cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months.
  • Cookies can be placed in a single layer in gallon-size ziplock bags (9-12 cookies per bag) to freeze, or can be individually frozen in sandwich-size bags. 

Did you make this recipe?

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