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.





What flour is used? X
All-purpose flour
This was the perfect quick, end of day dessert to whip up! I baked mine for 16 minutes and it was prefect! Good flavor, soft, chewy texture. I topped it with mini semi sweet chips. Wonderful and so fun! We’ll definitely make this one again and again!
Hi Mel, I love all of your recipes. This cookie was a little bland for me, is it safe to assume that any chocolate chip cookie recipe could be made into a giant cookie?
I honestly think it depends on the recipe – maybe not all will work as a giant cookie but you can definitely experiment!
Yummy and Fun!
Also, when I was growing up, my Mom made “Rocky Road Pizza”, which was basically a large sugar cookie crust with marshmallows, peanuts and chocolate chips melted on top. I want to do that, but use this for the crust.
This recipe was perfect to make with my almost 4 year old! We used a scale (thanks for providing grams!), she could stir everything together, we had fun patting it into a circle (her little sister joined in too!) and baked it for 13 min. This was delicious and an awesome combo of fully cooked cookie around the edges with a slightly gooey center. Thanks Mel!
I made this for a work friend’s birthday. I got a pizza box from a local shop and served it to him in the pizza box. It was a big hit! I’ve made the cookie multiple times since then and everyone always loves it!!
Cute idea!!
Want to know the calories in a giant 5.2 oz.chocolate chip cookie. Polk
This came out amazing!! The perfect soft cookie. If you’re debating on making this…do it!
This is my favorite dessert recipe to make when last minute company is coming! It’s really easy and quick, and it looks fun and impressive. Unsalted butter works for me.
This is an excellent recipe! Came out fantastic!
Mel, this is a great recipe! We’ve made it three days in a row already.
I made the first one following your method, but have since made it a lazy, one bowl way melding together your method and that of Alice Medrich in her chocolate chip cookie recipe. Instead of mixing the dry ingredients separately, I melt the butter in a large glass bowl, allow it to cool slightly, and add the egg and vanilla and mix. Then we mix in the sugars and sprinkle on the salt and baking soda before stirring them in. We follow your method for everything else.
it only took me like 20 minues
OMG SO GOOD I MADE THIS YESTERDAY AND IT WAS GONE WITHIN A BLINK OF EYE. and it only took like 20 minutes! IF YOU HAVEN’T TRIED THIS. WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR
Perfectly simple. Very hard to mess up. I made 2. They both Came out great! I used unsalted butter. I Spread the second one out more so it was flatter and bigger. It was HUGE
Highly recommend.
And Thank you Mel’s for sharing this great recipe!
This cookie is easy to make and everyone liked it
Wow!!!!
Cookie turned out gr
I love these things! Best recipe ever Mel! (except for those crispy chicken bacon ranch wraps ) I have made so many bake sales and people LOVE these! So tasty, cut with a pizza cutter and serve with vanilla ice cream! Thank you, Mel! 😀
i’m going to make this recipe tonight thank you Mel for the recipe i hope my family likes it.
i really like this recipe i’m going to make it tonight for the first time i really enjoy all these great baking recipes thank you so much mel.
I’ve commented on this post before, but. I had to again. I make this all the time! I have given it as gifts, and taken it to neighbors with dinner. It’s so good and easy, and it’s the perfect amount of cookie if you only have two or three people in your family.
Hi Mel,
I love this recipe. It’s so fun and easy!
I wanted to print this recipe and give it to my mom (she doesn’t use computers :)). For some reason the print button does not work for this recipe—but I have no issues printing other recipes. It says the URL no longer exists. Can you help?
Hi Emily, try clearing your browser history/cache and that should take care of it!
Thank you for another awesome recipe.
A pizza stone or pan lined with parchment would work for this don’t you think? Being round would help 🙂
Love these cookies!! As a twist on them – I decrease the flour to 1 & 1/4 cup and add 2 packets of hot chocolate mix! It’s extra chocolate-y, easy, and yummy!!
We make this recipe way too often. Both of my kids requested it for their birthday “cake” and its super easy to make the shape of a number instead of the circle. We just made the shape of a Christmas tree decorated with m&m ornaments. These may replace the plate of cookies we normally pass out.
What flour do you use?
I use all-purpose flour.
This is so good it worked really well. I was expecting it to fall apart but it did not
Hi! I tried to make this cookie but maybe i got the measurement wrong? I put in 1-1/2 cup of flour but it also said 7.5 ounce but 1 cup is already 8oz..so did i put in too much flour? I had to bake it twice as long so it took about 30 mins to make this 12 inch cookie..where did i go wrong?
The 7.5 ounces is referring to the weight of the flour, not the volume measurement of 1 cup. Does that make sense? If you added 1 1/2 cups flour, that’s the right amount.
Oh ok! Yes! I did use 1-1/2 cups flour….i’ll try to make this giant cookie again.
SO good! I followed the recipe exactly, but I rubbed butter on the parchment paper instead of using spray, baked for 14 minutes, turned oven off and let sit for another 4 minutes… it’s perfectly chewy inside, with delicious, crispy edges. My 7 year old twins had fun making it and were so excited about a GIANT cookie. Thank you so much for the fun recipe! We’ll make it again for sure.
This cookie is dangerous! Comes together so quickly, and the finished product looks and tastes amazing. I’ve tweaked the recipe a bit, bumped the choc chips to 2/3 cup, added 1/2 tsp of cinnamon, and 1/3 cup of chopped walnuts — tastes like a giant blondie! I bake mine just about 25 minutes — soft through the middle with a crispy edge. So good!
So perfect! The kids loved eating this big cookie (and we did too of course!). Hubby topped his with some leftover mocha frosting that I had. Thanks for a great quick easy recipe!
It was an amazing cookie, just took a while to bake.
it only took me like 20 minues
SO SO good!! And so easy to make!!
This was so quick & easy. It seemed undercooked the 1st day, but the next day was perfectly soft, chewy & so good! This is a keeper. Thank you!
I’m curious? Do you usually use semi sweet or milk chocolate chips?
I always use semisweet
This is a standard for us too. Thank you!
Yes, this will freeze great!
So easy that my 8 year old could make it. Thanks for the easy recipe!
I want to make this, but I’m nervous: does a cookie so big break easily? Or is it pretty sturdy? I’m thinking of making this for my friends birthday, I’m just worried it will snap while I’m delivering! Anyone know?
I don’t think it will snap because it is soft and chewy, but if it isn’t stored flat, it may crack a bit.
A recipe that only uses half a cup of chocolate chips? Are they left over from being pillaged in the first place? Or is this a recipe that leaves an open bag ripe for pillaging? lol! I’ve made this recipe multiple times and we love it.
The first time I made it, it was for breakfast. I had to make another in the afternoon…do I need to add anything more???!!!!
This comment made my day! Haha. Soul sisters.
No. No you do not
🙂
I made this and the mixture completely crumbles. What did I do wrong?
It sounds like maybe too much flour is getting packed into the measuring cup – try using a bit less flour and that should help.
I had the same issue, and I didn’t pack the flour at all.
Have made this three times in three days!! Seriously the PERFECT neighbor gift!! Delicious as always Mel!
This is such a dangerous recipe. It whips up in no time and is so delicious! The good thing, at least, is there’s some portion control with 8 in the family. I have been on a quest to find a match to Chick-fil-a’s cookies (so good!) and this is actually the closest match yet. I add a splash of vanilla which I’m sure is more than a teaspoon and only 1 1/4 cup of flour and then add 1/2 cup of quick oats plus some pecans with the chocolate chips. So, so good.
My grandsons LOVED it.I have now ordered cardboard 12 inch circles..for all the others I will make.TY!
You are such an awesome grandma for making these for your grandson’s! I’m glad they loved them.
I made this last weekend and it was absolutely devoured! Super easy, delicious, and looked amazing. I was thinking of making two and creating a massive ice cream sandwich. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
My 12 year old son made these all by himself and he was so proud. It turned out beautifully! We have made them several times since.
Way to go!
This really is very good and versatile–I may just do as a square for bars next time.. And so easy to whip up. Thanks, Mel!
I measure my flour with a measuring cup while leveling off the extra flour with a butter knife. I know it’s not the preferred method, but it usually works well enough for me.