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If you’ve ever bitten into a chocolate chip cookie that was perfectly chewy in the center and slightly crisp around the edges, you know how magical that texture can be. But what if I told you the secret to keeping that heavenly chewiness for days lies in an unexpected ingredient—sour cream? That’s right! Chewy Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Cookies take everything you love about the classic treat and give it a soft, tangy twist that makes each bite even more irresistible.
Sour cream might not be the first thing that comes to mind when baking cookies, but it’s a game-changer. Its creamy texture and subtle tang add depth to the dough while helping retain moisture. That means no more dry cookies after the first day! The slight acidity in sour cream also tenderizes the gluten, leading to a softer, more delicate crumb that stays that way even after cooling.
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When combined with brown sugar, which naturally adds moisture and caramel-like flavor, sour cream creates a cookie that’s both rich and pillowy. It’s the perfect balance—sweet, slightly tangy, and bursting with pools of melted chocolate.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Chewy Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Cookies are perfect for anyone who loves their cookies soft and full of flavor. Whether you’re baking for a party, a gift box, or just a cozy afternoon at home, these cookies are guaranteed to impress. They’re easy to make, store beautifully, and taste even better the next day—if they last that long!
Baking Tips for Perfect Chewy Cookies
- Don’t overmix the dough. Overworking it can make your cookies tough instead of chewy. This happens due to gluten production. High gluten production is good for breads but cookies don’t need that much structure.
- Chill before baking. A quick rest in the fridge (at least 30 minutes) keeps the cookies from spreading too much. This allows the dough melt a lot slower which allows the dough to set quicker as the cookies bake.
- Underbake slightly. Pull them from the oven when the edges are golden but the centers look soft—they’ll firm up as they cool.
- Store properly. Keep cookies in an airtight container with a slice of bread to maintain that fresh-from-the-oven texture for days.
How Do They Taste?
These cookies are a delightful blend of familiar comfort and a subtle surprise. The sour cream doesn’t make them taste super tangy—it simply enhances the sweetness and gives them a melt-in-your-mouth texture with a slight tang. Each bite bursts with gooey chocolate, a hint of caramel from the brown sugar, and that signature bakery-style chewiness.
Pair them with a cold glass of milk, a cup of coffee, or even a scoop of vanilla ice cream for an indulgent treat that hits all the right notes.
Ingredients and Tips
Sour Cream- Sour Cream is the surprise ingredient to this recipe. It adds a slightly tangy flavor to the cookies. It also helps them maintain a soft chewy texture.
Vegetable shortening- I chose to use shortening for these cookies because shortening helps maintain the soft chewy texture the longest. You most certainly can substitute this for actual butter at a 1 to 1 ratio.
Butter Extract- Since I used shortening for this recipe, it was important to add the buttery flavor back. To do this I use a bit of butter extract. Just like with any extract, the quality is very important to the overall taste of the cookies.
Milk Chocolate- Since these cookies have a slight tangy flavor from the sour cream, it was important for me to pair this with something a bit sweeter, so milk chocolate won over semi-sweet chocolate. Feel free to experiment with this further, of course, but milk chocolate taste the best with these cookies in my humble opinion.
How to make Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Cookies
I have written out the most important parts of this recipe in a step-by-step sequence of images along with the instructions for the Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Cookies. You can find the full sequence of instruction in the recipe card below.
1. In a large bowl with a hand mixer, blind together crisco, brown sugar, granulated sugar, egg, sour cream, honey, and extracts.
2. To a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.
3. Add dry mixture to wet mixture. Blend until just combined. Do not over beat.
4. Fold in chocolate chips and nuts. Scoop batter on to a parchment lined cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.
5. Bake on 375°F for 11 mins.
6. Let cool on rack about 5 mins.
7. Enjoy!!
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Chewy Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Cookies
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Ingredients
- 1 stick of Crisco Vegetable Shortening or 1 cup of shortening
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp butter extract
- 2 ½ cups flour
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cups milk chocolate chips
- Walnuts or nuts of choice optional
Instructions
- Preheat over to 375 F. Line large cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large bowl with a hand mixer, blind together crisco, brown sugar, granulated sugar, egg, sour cream, honey, and extracts.
- To a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Add dry mixture to wet mixture. Blend until just combined. Do note over beat.
- Fold in chocolate chips and nuts. Scoop batter on to a parchment lined cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.
- Bake on 375°F for 11 mins.
- Let cool on rack about 5 mins.
- Enjoy!!
