Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies (Quarter-Sized & Perfect for Gifting!)
On the homestead, we lean heavy into homemade baked goods for friends, family, and neighbors. Especially through the holidays. This mini chocolate chip cookie recipe is one of my new favorite ways to share a thoughtful homemade treat. These tiny cookies (the size of a half dollar) are the cutest cookies to bake up in a big batch.
They're bite-sized, easy to package, and make wonderful mini desserts for parties, lunch boxes, or simply to curb a sweet tooth.
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Bonus Points
These freeze like a dream!
Make a big batch and tuck a few bags away, you'll have mini cookies ready for quick snacks or last-minute gifts all month long.
Why You'll Like This Recipe
- Perfect size: These mini cookies are the size of quarters, making them much fun to eat by the handful or dip in milk, caramel sauce (I've got the perfect recipe) or even chocolate syrup. (Of course I have a recipe for that too!)
- Chewy cookies every time: Crisp edges and a soft, chewy center mean they taste like the perfect chocolate chip cookie, just miniaturized.
- Simple ingredients: Butter, white sugar, dark brown sugar, purpose flour, and mini chocolate chips come together to make the best cookies. (My second favorite cookies are these mini pumpkin pie cookies)
- Great for gifting: Pack them into mason jars, freezer bags, or cute little bags tied with twine. They're ideal for holiday baskets, baby showers, or thank-you gifts.
- Easy to bake: Using a cookie scoop and bench scraper makes it simple to portion the dough evenly. Roll each piece into tiny cookie dough balls, and they'll bake up soft, golden, and perfectly uniform in just 5-7 minutes.
How I Got the Perfect Mini Cookie Shape
At first, I thought piping the dough through a frosting bag would be the easiest way to make these tiny cookies uniform. But as it turns out, cookie dough isn't frosting, it didn't want to drop cleanly from the bag, and the sizes came out all over the place.
After a few tries (and a good laugh), I switched to using a tablespoon cookie scoop, then divided each scoop into four equal pieces with a bench scraper. Rolling each one by hand gave me perfect little dough balls that baked up evenly and looked so much cuter on the cooling rack.
Bake Time Tips!
These mini chocolate chip cookies bake quickly: around 7 minutes at 350°F in my oven.
Because every oven runs a little differently, it's a good idea to do a test batch the first time you make them. Bake a small tray and note how long it takes for the edges to just begin browning, that's your perfect baking time.
The tops should still look slightly soft when you pull them out; they'll finish setting as they cool on the cookie sheet for a minute or two before transferring to a wire rack. This short bake time keeps them chewy in the center with those crisp edges we all love.
FAQ
Bake for 5-7 minutes. They cook much faster than a regular-sized cookie, so keep an eye on the edges for that golden finish.
Yes! Scoop dough onto a tray and freeze until solid. Store in a freezer bag and bake straight from frozen, adding 1-2 minutes to the baking time.
Mini chips give the best chocolate-to-cookie ratio. But, you can mix in regular chips for variety or if it's all you have.
Mini cookies fit perfectly into mason jars, small tins, or cellophane bags tied with ribbon. They make adorable edible gifts during the holidays.
Use a cookie scoop and bench scraper to portion evenly, then roll each piece into a small dough ball. This gives you perfect, uniform mini cookies that bake up evenly and look beautiful in photos or videos.
Notes
- Chilling Cookies Optional: Chilling the dough for 30 minutes before baking can help make a thicker, chewier cookie and reduce spreading.
- Big batch baking: This makes a lot of little cookies, perfect if you want a cookie craving fix or need a new favorite way to stock up on leftover cookies for the freezer.
- Storage: Keep cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Or, freeze baked cookies in a freezer bag for up to 3 months.
- Next time: Try swapping in chopped chocolate, adding sea salt to the top, or turning them into ice cream sandwich cookies for the best mini cookies twist.
Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter room temperature (227 g)
- ¾ cup brown sugar 150 g
- ½ cup white sugar 100 g
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract 10 ml
- 1 room temperature egg 50 g
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour 280 g
- ½ teaspoon salt 3 g
- 1 teaspoon baking soda 6 g
- 1 bag mini chocolate chips about 2 ½ cups / 425 g
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- Cream the butter and sugars: Place the room temperature butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or use a hand mixer). Mix the butter until creamy. Slowly add the brown sugar and white sugar, beating 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Add wet ingredients: Mix in the egg and pure vanilla extract until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
- Combine dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking soda. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing until just combined and a soft dough forms.
- Fold in mini chips: Use a rubber spatula to fold in the mini chocolate chips.
- Shape the cookies: Using a tablespoon-sized cookie scoop, scoop out portions of dough. With a bench scraper, cut each scoop in half, and then cut each half in half again, creating four small pieces. Roll each piece between your hands to form tiny, smooth dough balls, and place them evenly on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake: Bake for 5-7 minutes, until the tops are just set and the edges are lightly golden.
- Cool: Allow the cookies to rest on the baking sheet for 1-2 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
When cookies are this small, the oven time makes a big difference. One extra minute can turn them from chewy to crisp. Keep a timer close and watch the first batch carefully so you learn your oven's sweet spot. 2. Cool smart:
Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for a minute before moving them. This short pause helps them finish cooking from the inside out and keeps them from falling apart. 3. Chill for control:
If your dough feels sticky or too soft, pop it into the fridge for about 20 minutes. Slightly chilled dough is easier to roll and helps the cookies keep their perfect little shape. 4. Keep the chips tiny:
Mini chocolate chips give each bite a balanced taste. Big chips can overpower small cookies, so if you only have regular ones, chop them up before mixing in. 5. Fresh-baked taste later:
Freeze the dough in small balls and bake just what you need. You’ll always have warm, fresh cookies without having to make a full batch. 6. Gift tip:
Stack cookies in a short glass jar, then add a square of parchment between each layer. It keeps them from sticking and makes the gift look extra tidy. 7. Crunchy or chewy:
If you like a crunchier cookie, leave them in the oven an extra 30 seconds and let them cool fully on the pan. For chewy cookies, pull them out as soon as the edges turn golden. 8. Double fun:
Sandwich two cookies with a little frosting or ice cream for a mini treat that feels fancy but takes only minutes.
Nutrition
Final Thoughts from the Homestead
These mini chocolate chip cookies remind me that the only thing better than a perfect chocolate chip cookie is a tray full of tiny cookies you can share. From gifting to dunking in milk at bedtime, these might just become one of your favorite recipes. Bake a big batch, fill a jar, and watch them disappear by the handful.
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Meet Eryn
Eryn Whalen is a homestead blogger and recipe developer with decades of hands-on experience in gardening, home canning, animal husbandry, and traditional kitchen skills. On her family's 100-acre Tennessee farmstead, she shares the daily beauty of homestead life: from milking cows at sunrise to filling the pantry with homegrown food and baking from scratch in her farmhouse kitchen. Read more about Eryn here
These mini chocolate chip cookies are such a fun twist on a classic! They bake up soft in the middle with lightly crisp edges and the perfect amount of chocolate in every bite. I love that they’re small enough to share by the handful or package up for gifts. My tip: bake one test batch first since every oven runs a little different—mine were perfect at 7 minutes. This recipe is definitely a keeper!