Copycat Crumbl chocolate chip cookies are thick, gooey, and caramelized on the edges in a way that regular chocolate chip cookies simply cannot match, and making them at home means your whole kitchen smells like the inside of that little pink shop. This is the recipe I reach for when I want a truly over-the-top cookie experience, and it might have edged out my classic chocolate chip cookie recipe as my personal favorite. Five simple ingredients you already have, one bowl, and 30 minutes of chilling is all it takes.
Quick Glance: Copycat Chocolate Chip Crumbl Cookies
- Recipe Name: Copycat Chocolate Chip Crumbl Cookies
- Why You'll Love It: These giant, gooey cookies have a craggly caramelized exterior, a soft and buttery center, and taste almost identical to the real thing straight from the pink box.
- Time and Difficulty: 10 minutes prep + 30 minutes chill + 10 to 12 minutes bake | Easy
- Main Ingredients: All-purpose flour, butter, brown sugar, white sugar, egg, vanilla, milk chocolate chips
- Method: Cream butter and sugar, add egg and flour, chill dough, bake at high heat
- Texture and Flavor: Thick and cakey with a gooey, buttery center and crispy caramelized edges. Rich milk chocolate flavor throughout.
- Quick Tip: Do not overbake. The cookies should still look slightly raw in the center when you pull them out. They continue cooking on the hot pan.
Jump to:
- Quick Glance: Copycat Chocolate Chip Crumbl Cookies
- Why This Recipe Works
- Chocolate Chip Copycat Crumbl Cookie Ingredients
- Common Mistakes To Avoid
- How To Make Chocolate Chip Copycat Crumbl Cookies Step-By-Step
- Chocolate Chip Copycat Crumbl Cookies FAQs
- More Cookie Recipes To Try
- Leave Me A Review⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Recipe
Why This Recipe Works
The signature Crumbl cookie texture comes from three deliberate choices: the size, the chill, and the bake temperature.
At 5 ounces per cookie (roughly the size of a tennis ball), these are significantly larger than a standard cookie. The mass means the outside can develop a caramelized, slightly crispy edge while the center stays completely gooey and underbaked. A smaller cookie would cook through entirely at the same oven temperature. The size is not optional if you want that signature texture. My sea salt chocolate chip cookies use a much smaller format and bake through completely by comparison.
Chilling the dough for at least 30 minutes before baking is what prevents the cookies from spreading out flat. Cold butter takes longer to melt in the oven, which gives the flour more time to set before the fat liquefies. It also gives the flour time to fully hydrate, which deepens the flavor and produces a more cohesive dough that holds its thick shape. Overnight chilling produces an even better result if you have the time. I use the same overnight chill technique in my double chocolate chip cookies for the same reason.
The combination of brown sugar and white sugar is intentional. White sugar encourages spread and crispness at the edges. Brown sugar adds hygroscopic moisture that keeps the center soft and chewy for days. Together, they give you the best of both, crispy caramelized edges and a center that stays soft even after the cookie cools.
Baking at 375 degrees rather than a lower temperature is what creates that caramelized edge so quickly. The higher heat drives the Maillard reaction at the surface before the center has time to fully cook through. This is exactly what gives Crumbl cookies their distinctive craggly, golden exterior.
The egg temperature also matters. A cold egg straight from the fridge produces a thicker cookie with less spread. A room-temperature egg produces slightly more spreading. For the most authentic Crumbl look, use a cold egg.
Chocolate Chip Copycat Crumbl Cookie Ingredients
The ingredients to make chocolate chip copycat crumbl cookies are totally normal things you can find in your pantry.
Unsalted butter must be softened to room temperature before mixing. It should be soft enough to leave an indent when you press it but still holding its shape, not greasy or melted. I use this same standard for butter temperature across all my baking recipes including my easy buttercream frosting and American buttercream. Room temperature butter creams properly with the sugar and gives you that light, fluffy base that creates the craggly top.
Brown sugar adds moisture, a light molasses flavor, and a subtle chewiness that keeps the center soft. Do not substitute all white sugar as the cookies will be crispier throughout and lose that gooey center.
White sugar contributes sweetness and helps the edges caramelize and crisp up in the oven. The combination of both sugars is what gives you the contrast between the crispy edge and the soft center.
All-purpose flour provides the structure. Measure by weight for the most consistent results. Too much flour and the dough will be crumbly. Too little and the cookies will spread flat. I talk about proper flour measurement in more detail in my vanilla cake recipe.
Baking soda and baking powder work together to give these cookies their lift and that signature domed, cakey thickness. Both are needed for the right texture.
Salt balances the sweetness and deepens the chocolate flavor. Do not skip it.
Egg at cold temperature produces a thicker cookie with less spread, which is what you want for the authentic Crumbl look. If your dough is too dry and crumbly and will not form into balls, add a small amount of extra egg rather than liquid. Not all eggs weigh the same and a typical large egg in the US weighs about 1.6 ounces.
Vanilla extract rounds out the flavor. Use pure vanilla extract for the best result.
Milk chocolate chips are what Crumbl uses and they give the cookies that sweeter, creamier chocolate flavor compared to semi-sweet. Use large chips or Hershey's milk chocolate kisses for the most authentic look. Save a few to press into the tops of the cookies before baking. If you love chocolate cookies, my double chocolate chip cookies use a similar method with a chocolate dough base.
Common Mistakes To Avoid
Using melted or cold butter. The butter must be softened to room temperature before creaming. Cold butter will not cream properly and produces a dense, flat cookie. Melted butter causes too much spread. It should be soft enough to leave a finger indent but still holding its shape. I cover butter temperature in depth in my American buttercream recipe since it is the same principle.
Skipping the chill. Chilling is not optional for this recipe. Unchilled dough spreads out flat and you lose the thick, cakey center that makes these cookies special. Thirty minutes is the minimum and overnight produces an even better result.
Overbaking. These cookies should come out of the oven looking underdone. The center should still appear slightly raw and glossy. They firm up significantly as they cool on the hot pan. If they look fully baked in the oven they will be dry and hard once cool.
Crowding the pan. Only 4 cookies per tray. These are large cookies and need space for airflow. Too many on one pan causes uneven baking and encourages spreading.
Using the wrong chocolate chips. Crumbl uses large milk chocolate chips, not semi-sweet. The sweeter, creamier flavor of milk chocolate is part of what makes these taste like the original.
Not scraping the bowl. Butter and sugar hide at the bottom and sides of the bowl during creaming. Always scrape down thoroughly before adding the flour so everything is evenly incorporated. I mention this in almost every recipe because it is one of the most commonly skipped steps in baking.
That gives you links in the opening, Why This Recipe Works, Ingredients, and Common Mistakes sections. What notes would you like in the recipe card?
How To Make Chocolate Chip Copycat Crumbl Cookies Step-By-Step
- Prepare your pans. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Make sure you have enough refrigerator space for both trays.
- Mix the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Whisk together and set aside. Always measure your flour by weight for the most accurate results.
- Cream the butter and sugar. In the bowl of your stand mixer with the paddle attachment, add the butter and mix until smooth. Add both sugars and cream together on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Do not forget to scrape the bowl between additions.
- Add the egg and vanilla. Add the egg and mix on medium until fully incorporated. Add the vanilla and mix briefly.
- Add the flour. Gradually add the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Do not overmix. If the batter is too thick and crumbly and will not form into balls, add a small amount of extra egg.
- Add the chocolate chips. Add the chocolate chips and mix until evenly distributed. Save a few to press into the tops of the cookies before baking.
- Scoop the dough. Scoop and measure the dough into 5-ounce balls, roughly the size of a tennis ball. Place 4 dough balls on each cookie sheet, evenly spaced. Gently press each ball down slightly. This recipe makes 8 cookies total across 2 trays.
- Add chips to tops. Press a few extra chocolate chips onto the tops of each cookie.
- Chill. Refrigerate the trays for at least 30 minutes or overnight. Do not skip this step. Chilling is what prevents spreading and gives you that thick, cakey texture.
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees while the dough is chilling.
- Bake. Bake on the middle rack for 10 to 12 minutes. Do not overbake. The cookies will still look slightly raw in the center and the edges will be lightly browned. They continue cooking on the hot pan as they cool.
- Cool. Let the cookies cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
PRO TIP: These cookies are best served warm. Microwave for 10 to 15 seconds before eating for that gooey, melted chocolate experience.
Chocolate Chip Copycat Crumbl Cookies FAQs
Yes but the texture will be different. The thick, gooey center is a result of the large size. Smaller cookies will bake through more quickly and lose that signature underdone center. If you make smaller cookies, reduce the bake time and watch them closely.
Yes. Chilling the dough before baking is what prevents the cookies from spreading flat and gives you that thick, domed shape. The minimum is 30 minutes but overnight chilling produces an even better result because it gives the flour more time to fully hydrate.
The craggly top comes from room temperature butter that is creamed properly with the sugar and from pressing the dough balls down slightly before chilling. Do not skip the creaming step and make sure your butter is at room temperature, not cold.
You can, but the flavor will be noticeably different. Crumbl uses milk chocolate chips specifically for their sweeter, creamier flavor. Semi-sweet chips produce a more intense chocolate flavor that does not taste as much like the original.
Stored in an airtight container at room temperature, these cookies stay fresh for up to 1 week. Warm them in the microwave for 10 to 15 seconds before eating to bring back the gooey center.
Yes. Portion the dough into 5-ounce balls, place on a tray, freeze until solid, then transfer to a zip-lock bag. Bake from frozen at 375 degrees adding 2 to 3 extra minutes to the bake time.
More Cookie Recipes To Try
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Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 ounces butter softened, but not melted (½ cup)
- 5.25 ounces brown sugar (¾ cup)
- 5.25 ounces white sugar (¾ cup)
- 11.25 ounces all purpose flour (2 ¼ cups)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg cold (room temperature egg if you want your cookies to spread more)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups milk chocolate chips extra large! (I actually used mini Hershey's kisses)
Instructions
Making the dough
- Prepare a cookie sheet with a piece of parchment paper.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer with the paddle attachment, add butter and mix until smooth. I'm using my Bosch Universal Plus mixer, but you can use a KitchenAid, or hand mixer as well.
- Add both sugars and cream together on medium speed until pale and fluffy. About 3-5 minutes.
- Add the egg and mix until fully incorporated. Add the vanilla.
- Gradually add the flour mixture and mix until just combined.
- Add the chocolate chips and mix until evenly distributed. (Save a few to use on the tops of your cookies.)
Forming and baking the cookies
- Scoop and measure the dough into 5 ounce balls. (Or about the size of a tennis ball.)
- Place 4 dough balls onto a cookie sheet, evenly spaced. Gently press them down slightly. This batch will make 8, 5 oz cookies so divide them onto 2 separate trays.
- (optional) Add a few chocolate chips on top to get pinterest-worthy cookies.
- Preheat your oven to 375°F
- Chill the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or overnight.
- Bake in a 375°F oven on the middle rack for 10-12 minutes. Do not overbake these! They will still look slightly raw in the center and be lightly browned on the edges.
- Cool the cookies for 5 minutes on the pan, then transfer them to a cooling rack. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
- Pro-Tip: I like to warm these cookies up in the microwave and eat them warm for that gooey-chocolate experience!
Jessi says
“Mom, these are addictive” -
All 4 of my teenagers
Tori says
Wow! These are quick, easy, and delicious. I followed the recipe to a T and ended up adding about half of an egg as my dough was very crumbly. It came together beautifully, and they took about 12 minutes to bake in my oven. I will be making these again and again. Thank you!
Marisol Drack says
Thank you for the recipe! The cookies turned out great!