Giant Chocolate Chip Cookie {12-inch!}
This giant chocolate chip cookie is 12-inches in diameter, easily baked on a half sheet pan, and is soft, chewy, and perfect for bake sales or gift-giving!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Knowing this exists is bad!! I made this last night for my family and not only was it so incredibly easy, it is so incredibly delicious! Ummm LIFECHANGING. Not even exaggerating. -Rikki
Why I Think You’ll Love This Popular Recipe
This giant chocolate chip cookie has over 500 5-star reviews, which tells you it is a tried-and-true favorite. Here are just a few reasons it so loved:
- It is a one-bowl recipe that is easy and fast to make.
- The ingredients are very basic. In fact, you probably have all of them on hand already!
- Melted butter
- Brown sugar + granulated sugar
- Flour + baking soda + salt
- Egg
- Chocolate chips
- You can fill your chocolate chip cookie craving in less than 30 minutes without having to scoop and bake dozens of cookies!
- The giant cookie is super soft, chewy, and absolutely delicious.
How to Make and Shape the Cookie Dough
The cookie dough is stirred together by hand (no electric mixer needed!). You don’t even need to soften butter, since the recipe calls for melted butter.
- Form the cookie dough into a thick ball with your hands.
- Place it in the center of the prepared pan and press into an evenly thick 9-inch circle. When it bakes, it spreads to about 11-12 inches.
- If desired, top the cookie with additional chocolate chips or M&Ms.
- Bake for 14 to 16 minutes until the cookie is set around the edges. Don’t over bake if you want the cookie soft and chewy in the center.
Remember: the cookie will spread a few more inches while baking, so when you press it into a circle, don’t press it all the way to the edge of the baking pan.
How to Serve and Tips for Gift-Giving
This giant cookie is delicious served warm (with ice cream!), at room temperature, or even chilled. The texture is buttery, softy and chewy, and it is wildly delicious.
Here are a few additional tips for serving or for gift-giving:
- Slice the cookie into triangle pieces to serve.
- The baked and cooled cookie will fit nicely on a 12-inch cardboard cake circle (found at craft stores in the cake decorating aisle or here online).
- Decorate the top of the cookie with frosting (pipe around the edges and/or add lettering in the center to celebrate everything from birthdays to anniversaries to graduations!).
This giant cookie recipe is one of the first recipes my kids learn to make on their own. And it is one of our most oft-made desserts on Sunday nights!
Not only is the cookie unique and fun and cute…but it is one of the tastiest cookies ever. Read through the comments below to get even more ideas on how others have decorated and served this giant chocolate chip cookie! ⬇️⬇️

Giant Chocolate Chip Cookie {12-Inch!}
Ingredients
- ½ cup (113 g) salted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- ½ cup (106 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (106 g) packed light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups (213 g) flour (add an extra 1/4 cup for a thicker cookie)
- ½ cup (85 g) chocolate chips, plus more to sprinkle on top, if desired
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper and lightly grease with cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the melted butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking soda and salt.
- Add egg and vanilla and mix until well-combined.
- Add the flour and chocolate chips and mix until no dry streaks remain.
- Form the cookie dough into a thick ball with your hands. Place it in the center of the prepared pan and press into an evenly thick 9-inch circle. When it bakes, it spreads to about 11-12 inches.
- If desired, top the cookie with additional chocolate chips or M&Ms.
- Bake for 14 to 16 minutes until the cookie is set around the edges. Don't over bake if you want the cookie soft and chewy in the center.
- Let the cookie cool completely on the baking pan; this helps the cookie set up so it can be easily lifted off the pan. Once it has fully cooled, gently use the parchment paper to lift the cookie off the pan and slide a thin spatula underneath to transfer it to a serving plate, if desired.
- Cut into slices and serve warm, room temperature or chilled.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted from Aunt Marilyn’s friend, Elnora
Recipe originally posted May 2010; updated with new photos, recipe notes, commentary – updated again December 2025.





Made this giant cookie for my husband and we loved it! I baked mine on a 15×20-inch insulated baking sheet lined with parchment paper and it came out beautifully. As expected, I did have to bake it about 20-22 minutes in my gas oven with the insulated sheet. Additionally, I used 1 cup of chocolate chips in the dough and pressed it out into a 10-inch circle because of the extra chips making it thicker and it spread perfectly to 12-inches to place on the 12-inch cake round. The cookie had a nice flavor and I will definitely be making it again for gifts and trying different combinations of chips and nuts next time around. Thanks for sharing the recipe, Mel. You haven’t let me down yet!
I read on another recipe to put “tent” foil 3 in. Around edges so they don’t char or burn. Does this cookie need that at all? Or is it just placed on foil as-is?
Dana – I never tent the edges with foil for this cookie. I just made 7 of them on Saturday for gifts and they baked up perfectly.
OH my goodness, I made this cookie and had no idea I was making the best Chocolate Cookie I ever ate. I flattened near to the edge of a 12″ pizza pan I had oiled well before hand. I went the 16 minutes in my convection ovenand it came it perfectly!
oh my my my . . . Stupendously Heavenly. Thanks for sharing Mel . . .
Hi Betsy – yes, it means baking soda. Good luck with Thanksgiving – you’ll do awesome!
Hi Mel! When this recipe says soda, does that mean baking soda? I just want to be sure. I can’t wait to make this for our babysitter as a holiday gift!
Also, I am gearing up to host my first Thanksgiving this week. I am making your stuffing, garlic/parm mashed potatoes, and home made rolls. I am not quite sure how I lived before without this recipe blog in my life 🙂 you are the best!
I want to make this on Pampered Chef pizza stone. Any suggestions? Thanks, it looks and sounds delish!
Delish! I used peanut butter chips and semisweet and some white. Turned out perfect. It really wows the kids! They ate every bit of dinner looking at that thing!
Thanks for being so wonderful Mel!
Hi Maddy – it calls for baking soda.
Is this using Baking soda or bi-carb soda?? Please reply im going to make it today for a friends birthday! 🙂
Has anyone tried freezing these? I think they would be great for a bake sale, but I am wondering if any work could be done ahead of time.
Nancy – I usually place the large baked cookie on a cardboard round (found in the cake decorating aisle of places like Hobby Lobby or Michaels) and then cover with plastic wrap (several sheets). Once I tie a bow around it, you don’t really notice the plastic wrap layers.
What is the best way to wrap this for giving? I don’t want to use foil because it hides the cookie, and plastic wrap is not wide enough. I have to put two or three pieces of Saran across the cookie which makes for a messy presentation! It looks like you just use a bow.
Just made one of these for my daughter to bring to a friend’s birthday party and it looked just like the photo–and I can vouch that the batter was delicious! Thanks!
Made this today for my daughter’s 3rd birthday and it came out perfectly! I am a TERRIBLE baker too, but it was so easy and yummy! Thanks so much!
I made this in a heart shaped pan for Valentine’s Day and today am making with butterscotch chips in the heart shaped pan for Father’s Day. Thanks for the great recipe!
Paris amour – soda refers to baking soda.
Is *1/2 tsp soda* baking soda or carbonated water ???
I’ve come across two recipes of yours but still don’t know.
Please answer!!
Thanks. Turned out perfect and so easy- way less time consuming than batches of cookies. I’m planning on making this often. I love how reliable your recipes are!
This was so easy to make which made it a great recipe to make with my 3 and 5 year old. We left out the chocolate chips and instead topped it with mnms and it turned out great! I left it in 15 minutes but may pull it out right at 13 next time since it continued to cook a bit as it cooled.
Thanks for sharing this great recipe!
So we baked this delicious cookie yesterday and decided to make it a touch more indulgent. I made some of your ‘magic frosting’, added a bit of food coloring and the kids decorated the cookie into a bright yummy treat. So fun and soooooooo good!
i agree w you on this being the “best giant cookie.” made this so many times now and it never fails
We loved this cookie recipe. Next time I will bake the cookie a little longer, but the taste was amazing! Smiles all around…. thank you for posting the recipe.
I made two of these for my son to take into school for his birthday and decorated them with the big blue guy from Megamind. If you could have seen his face, you would have died, such delight 🙂 Anyway, my husband declared this better than a bakery cookie and has eaten all the leftovers. So, all that to say, this is a great recipe!
Melanie, I just picked up a heart shaped pan at Walmart with this giant cookie recipe in mind for Valentine’s! My boys will love it!!
I made this 3 times this week to thank all my neighbors for shoveling our snow! It is a fantastic recipe and it does fit perfectly onto the Wilton Scalloped cardboard trays… with a coupon, I was able to get 10 of them for $5. So yummy and so appreciated! Thank you!
When you first posted this recipe it was perfect timing. My son wanted an ice cream pizza for his birthday (he got the idea from Team Umizoomi) and the giant cookie was exactly what I needed. It worked perfectly except that I overcooked it a little. Since that first time we have had ice cream pizza (the cookie smothered with ice cream and topped with various candies) numerous times. Every time the cookie has been perfect. I just made it again yesterday for another ice cream pizza and my son requested the mint/dark chocolate chips with mint ice cream. It was so yummy even with his candy choice of twizzler nibs and gummy worms. 🙂 Thanks for a fail-proof recipe that has gotten a lot of use at my house.
I love giant cookies to
Ali – yes, you could definitely use a pizza pan.
I really want to bake this for my fiance for his birthday. He loves Reese’s Peanut Butter chips so I plan to use those, but my question is could I use a pizza pan with parchment paper and still get the same results? Not sure I have a 11X17 pan in my collection. (Wedding registry perhaps??) 😉
So Good ! A must make for anyone u love or anyone you want to love you.
Perfection
I made two of these today and will be making another one Saturday to take to the tailgate. I had to cook mine a few minutes longer, but they turned out great. I even frosted the edge and and wrote Happy Birthday for my sister on it in frosting. The only thing I did different was mixed the chocolate chips in the cookie dough, patted it down on the cookie sheet, then dropped m&m’s on the top in her favorite football team colors. When I mixed the m&m’s in the dough you really couldn’t see the color, not that my kids minded eating the first one. Thanks for another great recipe!
This turned out to be a beautiful looking cookie! My kids enjoyed it, and were shocked at its size. I’m a crispier/thinner kind of cookie lover, but my kids certainly aren’t complaining! 🙂
Hi Mel, I’m making this right now in the oven as I type. 😉 It looked great going in the oven. I hope it looks and tastes great when I take it out. I’m surprising my two kiddos with it after school today. They’re going to love it! I used mini chocolate chips since that’s what I had on hand. I didn’t add the full 1/2 cup since they were smaller, and it just seemed like sooo many chocolate chips! I know, I know…some of you are thinking…and that’s a problem because…?!??!?! Can’t wait to taste it later. Do you recommend eating this entire cookie the day it’s made? How long will it stay fresh for? I am NOT a baker so I’m pretty clueless when it comes to baked goods. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Susannah – I hope your kids love the cookie! We’ve eaten this 2nd day and it still tastes great. By the 3rd day it’s a bit crumbly but not terrible. I’d recommend eating within the first couple days, though.
I baked this last night and was happy with how it came out–quite good, nice flavor and texture. I used an insulated baking sheet and also had to bake it longer–almost 30 minutes. I kept checking it every five minutes or so as I didn’t want the edges to burn! Do you recommend baking this in the center of the oven?
Hi Peggy – yes, I’d recommend baking in the middle of the oven.
Okay. Thanks for the help anyways.
Hi. For my birthday, I wanted to make a sort of cookie cake with four flavours of giant cookie, and judging by the reviews, this is a pretty good recipe. The last flavour is going to be triple choc (by that I mean chocolate cookie with dark and white choc chips), and I was going to look up another recipe for that, but then I thought I want the same texture and sweetness in all of the giant cookies, so I was wondering how to turn this recipe into one with a chocolate base without changing the texture too much. I’m only eleven and I bake about every fortnight from recipes I find on the internet, but I still have a long way to go, so if you can advise me on this, I’d appreciate it a lot.
Thank you.
Uswa – to be honest, it is quite tricky to change a regular chocolate chip cookie to a chocolate base without changing the texture. I don’t even know where to start with this recipe since I’ve only ever made it as the recipe states. Your best bet would be to google search another chocolate cookie recipe. If you really want to try, you can sub in some cocoa powder for flour but you’ll have to play around with the amounts to get it just right. Good luck!
WOW!! We are eating this RIGHT NOW & I couldn’t wait to tell you WOW!!
I just found this recipe and am really excited to try these! The only problem is that I’ll need to make the cookies about 24 hours before they’ll be eaten…do you have any suggestions for the best way to store them during that time?
Meghan – I would wrap the cookies really well in plastic wrap and store them in the refrigerator. Good luck!
A Giant cookie is a beautiful idea. A cookie the size of a pizza will be great for a Birthday party for kids (and for me).
This recipe was great….I had to make something for a “Everything is bigger in Vegas” themed party this weeked and these worked out perfect! I cant wait to make them again for another event they were such a big hit! Thank you for sharing!
Mel,
Thanks for this recipe!! I too tried to make giant cookies as a child and ended up with the half cooked almost burnt mess. I just made four of these for my kids’ teachers and the office staff! They turned out perfect!! (like every single recipe I’ve ever tried from you!) 🙂
I think I’m going to make some of these for my older son’s OLD teachers (last year’s teachers). They’ve been of great support and friendship with all of the issues we’ve had this year (middle school sucks!) and this would be a really cute way to thank them.
what a cute idea, so glad I happened to click through to this from today’s (May 23rd) post (Red Velvet cake roll, I must try!)
That’s one pretty and a pretty big cookie :).
I love this! We’ve made it three times in as many weeks. I increased the chocolate chips to 1 cup. The last time I made it was to teach a French friend of mine. She always wants to know how to make chocolate chip cookies, but they are so finicky to make that I hesitated. When I saw how easy and delicious this recipe was, I decided I would teach her. And she’s converted! She can’t wait to make it for her family.
LOVED THIS!! I made it with my preschool kiddos on a day we talked about all things giant in nature and they couldn’t believe we were making a giant cookie! They were so excited watching it in the oven. Tasted amazing to boot! I love the idea of giving this as a birthday treat for a friend or neighbor, so easy but has a fun wow factor. I kind of want to try it with nuts next time because my husband is a firm believer that anything is better with nuts. Trying the butter chicken and naan for Sunday dinner. Can’t wait. Thanks for all your great recipes.
What is “soda” is it like club soda or baking soda or something else? Would love to make this for my husband’s birthday coming up, he’s not a big sweet eater but LOVES giant cookies. Please clarify for me! I’m not much of a baker or cook, so sorry if the answer is pretty obvious!
Hi Meghan – the soda refers to baking soda.
in the microwave for say about 30 seconds?
Monique – I melt my butter in the microwave and let it cool for about 15 minutes.
What do you mean when it says melt and cool the butter? How would you go about melting it/cooling?
is the brown sugar 1/2 cup loose or 1/2 cup packed?
I’m sorry if you answered that already and i missed it!
Casey – 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar. I’ll edit the recipe so it is more clear!