McDonald’s Cookies Recipe

This copycat McDonald’s cookies recipe produces soft and chewy cookies filled with pockets of melty chocolate. They are easy to make, ready in 30 minutes, and there’s no chill time. Meaning you can have fresh chocolate chip cookies in no time!

McDonald’s chocolate chip cookies recipe

It’s tough to beat warm, gooey chocolate chip cookies, but leave it to McDonald’s to find a way.

If you never tried their cookies, let me tell you they are actually amazing!

And with my easy copycat recipe, you can make McDonald’s chocolate chip cookies yourself.

The time it takes you to go to the drive-thru, you can whip up a batch at home.

The cookies are sweet, buttery, and studded with melty chocolate chips.

They have a chewy, soft-baked texture and each bite melts in your mouth.

My McDonald’s cookie recipe requires only a handful of pantry basics. Make sure you have these ingredients ready before you set out to bake the cookies. Please scroll down to the recipe card for exact measurements.

• Dark brown sugar: McDonald’s adds a touch of caramel to their cookies. I found that dark brown sugar is the best way to emulate the classic McDonald’s taste.
• Granulated sugar: We also need a little white sugar to help the cookies spread.
• Salted butter: McDonald’s makes their cookies with margarine and butter flavoring because it’s cheaper. However, cookies with real butter always reign supreme in my book. I recommend salted butter to balance the sweetness, but unsalted butter + a pinch of salt is fine too.
• Egg + egg yolk: You need 1 egg and an extra egg yolk to make the cookies chewy and moist.
• Flour: Regular all-purpose flour is all you’ll need here. For accurate results, be sure to measure it using a kitchen scale or use the spoon-and-level technique.
• Cornstarch gives the cookies a tender, chewy texture and helps to retain moisture without spreading.
• Baking powder: Just a little to help the cookies rise. You could use baking soda, but the texture will be different.
• Vanilla extract: All good choc chip cookies have a splash of vanilla!
• Semisweet chocolate chips: I like to follow MacDonald’s version and use semisweet chocolate chips, but milk or dark chocolate chips taste delicious too. You can also use chocolate chunks or chop up a chocolate bar.

• Light brown sugar: You can use light brown sugar, raw cane sugar, or coconut sugar.
• Unsalted Butter: You can use unsalted butter and add a little extra salt to the dry ingredients.
• Triple chocolate cookie: Replace 2 tablespoons flour with 2 tablespoons cocoa powder and use a mix of white and dark chocolate chips.
• Dairy-Free: Feel free to substitute margarine or dairy-free vegan butter.
• Gluten-Free: If you want to make these McDonald’s cookies gluten-free, use 1:1 gluten-free baking flour.

My McDonald’s cookie recipe is very easy to make. Here are step-by-step instructions with pictures for visual reference – let’s walk through the process together!

• Properly measure the flour: Over-measuring the flour will lead to puffy, dry cookies that don’t spread. I recommend weighing it with a kitchen scale or using the scoop and level method for accurate results.
• Bring cold eggs to room temperature: This allows the dough to mix more evenly, resulting in a soft, chewy, delicious cookie.
• Cool the butter: The butter is melted for the best chewy texture. But to avoid spreading, let the butter cool until it has a consistency similar to melted ice cream. If you prefer to use melted butter without cooling it, chill the cookie dough in the fridge for 1 hour before baking.
• Avoid overmixing the dough: Overmixing the dough activates too much gluten and affects the texture of the cookies. Use the lowest speed on your mixer and mix just until the dough forms, then stop, and stir in the chocolate chips by hand.
• Reserve ¼ cup of semisweet chocolate chips and press them into the top of the cookies right after pulling them out of the oven.
• Underbake the cookies: For cookies that remain soft for days, the key is to take them out of the oven when the edges look set, but the middle seems slightly under-done. They will continue to bake as the rest on the hot cookie sheets.

Store McDonald’s cookies

• Leftover cookie dough: Wrap the dough tightly with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to one week or freeze for up to 2 months.
• Baked cookies: Mac Donald’s cookies can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
• Serving tip: The best way to give your day-old cookies that “fresh out of the oven” taste is to zap them in the microwave for 15 to 20 seconds and eat them right away.

Freeze McDonald’s cookies

• Freeze cookie dough: Arrange the cookie dough balls on a parchment-lined cookie sheet, pop into the freezer and freeze until solid (about 1 hour). Then transfer the frozen cookie dough balls into a ziplock bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
• Bake frozen cookie dough: Place your desired number of frozen dough balls onto a lined baking sheet. You can bake them straight from frozen, adding 2 to 3 minutes to the baking time. You can also thaw them overnight in the fridge and then bake.

Make ahead

Although McDonald’s chocolate chip cookies come together quickly, you can easily make them ahead of time. To do this, prepare the cookie dough following the recipe instructions and refrigerate or freeze it.

Can we all agree that homemade chocolate chip cookies are the best treat? They come in every flavor imaginable, and luckily, we have lots more recipes that you can try. They are easy, and your family will love them!

• Chocolate Chip Cookies without Brown Sugar
• Condensed Milk Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Microwave Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Frosted Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Bisquick Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Ruby Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Pumpkin White Chocolate Cookies
• Lemon White Chocolate Cookies
• Matcha Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Chocolate Chip Snickerdoodles
• Sweet Potato Chocolate Chip Cookies