Soft & Chewy Chocolate Chip Biscuits (Café Style Cookies)

Golden edges. Soft centres. Puddles of milk chocolate.

by Samantha Tulett

Published Feb 28, 2026

RECIPE ↓

25 MINS + CHILL

EASY

MAKES 12

About the Recipe

There’s something deeply nostalgic about a proper chocolate chip biscuit. Crisp at the edges, soft through the centre, still just a little warm when you break it open. This is that biscuit. The kind you bake once and immediately add to permanent rotation.

What makes these special is the balance. Brown sugar for chew, an extra yolk for richness, milk chocolate for creamy sweetness, and flaky sea salt to sharpen everything up. They’re simple, classic and completely reliable. Exactly how a chocolate chip biscuit should be.

RECIPE

Soft & Chewy Chocolate Chip Biscuits (Café Style Cookies)

by Samantha Tulett | City Slicker

BAKE TIME

10 MINS

TOTAL TIME

25 MINS + CHILL

INGREDIENTS

170g unsalted butter, softened (¾ cup)

110g brown sugar (½ cup, lightly packed)

100g white sugar (½ cup)

1 large free-range egg

1 large free-range egg yolk

1 tsp vanilla extract

250g plain flour (2 cups)

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp fine sea salt

180g milk chocolate chips (1 cup)

Flaky sea salt, for finishing

METHOD

Beat the butter and sugars together until pale and fluffy. This is where you build that beautiful texture, so give it a proper minute or two.

Add the egg and egg yolk and mix until smooth and slightly aerated, then stir through the vanilla.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. Fold the dry ingredients into the butter mixture until just combined. Don’t overwork it. Stir through the chocolate chips. The dough will be soft and a little sticky.

Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. This helps the biscuits hold their shape and keeps the centres soft.

Preheat your oven to 175°C fan-forced and line your tray with baking paper.

Roll the dough into 12 even balls. If you’re using a square tray like mine, you’ll comfortably fit four biscuits per batch, so bake them in rounds to give them space to spread properly. Place the dough balls well apart and finish each with a light sprinkle of flaky sea salt.

Bake for 10 minutes, until the edges are golden but the centres still look slightly soft. They’ll continue to set as they cool.

Let them rest on the tray for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

Tips

Chilling matters. Even 30 minutes in the fridge makes a difference. It firms the butter, controls spread and gives you thicker, softer-centred biscuits. If your kitchen is warm, extend the chill time slightly.

Don’t overbake. The centres should still look slightly soft when you remove them from the oven. They will continue to set as they cool on the tray. Overbaking is the fastest way to lose that beautiful chew.

Bake in batches if needed. If you’re using a smaller square tray, bake four biscuits at a time. Giving them proper space ensures even spreading and golden edges rather than merged cookie slabs.

For café-style presentation. Press a few extra chocolate chips into the tops of the dough balls just before baking. It gives that polished, generous finish.

Freezer-friendly dough. Roll into balls and freeze on a tray, then transfer to a container. Bake straight from frozen, adding 1 to 2 minutes to the cooking time. Fresh biscuits on demand.