These buttery, GIANT Chocolate Chip Cookies, also known as Pan-Banging Chocolate Chip Cookies, boast perfectly soft, chewy centers that ripple out into crinkled, crispy edges. They’re HUGE in size (big-as-your-head!) and their flavor and texture is so crazy good – EVERYONE loves this recipe!
These GIANT Chocolate Chip Cookies are truly larger-than-life. They’re not only huge in size, but also extraordinary with rich, buttery flavor, gooey pools of chocolate, and a fantastic chewy-crispy texture. The recipe also boasts the most unique, fun “pan-banging” method for making them – it has you literally banging the baking pans on the oven racks while they’re baking! Once these are gone, be sure to try my Peanut Butter Blossoms and Monster Cookies!
Why EVERYONE Loves These Giant Chocolate Chip Cookies
I still remember the first time I shared a great big stack of these cookies at a gathering. The giant cookies caused such a delightful ruckus – simply because this recipe is so different, and so crazy fun. For those who couldn’t finish their cookie (I’m not kidding – they’re GIANT!), they wrapped a napkin around the remainder and stuffed it in their pocket. They were not sharing it or leaving it behind. Yes, these cookies are THAT good!
- The “most different” chocolate chip cookie ever. While CCC’s are a classic cookie flavor, this recipe’s pan-banging method and giant spreading cookie are definitely not traditional.
- AMAZING flavor and texture. This buttery, chocolatey cookie recipe gives you an ultra flat cookie with a soft and chewy center, surrounded by crinkly, wrinkly prettiness that is the perfect crispy texture.
- Makes people HAPPY! Every time I bake these cookies, I see smiles from ear to ear, on every single face. I just LOVE that!
For more cookie recipes that always bring smiles, try my Chocolate Peanut Butter Ritz Cookies and Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies!
Enjoy!
What You’ll Need
It’s amazing how this list of common baking ingredients makes such an incredible cookie. It really is all about the unique method! Scroll to the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact ingredient amounts and the full instructions.
- Flour – All-purpose flour provides the base structure for these cookies.
- Baking soda – This reacts with the acidic brown sugar to produce carbon dioxide gas, which causes the cookies to rise just a bit, and to spread. It also offers chewy texture, crispy edges, and lovely browning.
- Salt – I use Morton kosher salt.
- Butter – I use unsalted butter.
- Sugar – Granulated white sugar adds sweetens, plus helps with spreading and crisping up those beautiful ripply edges.
- Brown sugar – Use light brown sugar for this recipe. It offers a deeper flavor to the sweetness, plus some moist texture.
- Egg – This adds rich flavor and texture, and helps to bind the dough together.
- Vanilla extract – Use only pure vanilla extract for the very best flavor.
- Water
- Bittersweet chocolate – This darker chocolate is perfection with the other flavors. I know plenty of people who say they don’t like darker chocolate – but they LOVE this cookie!
Tips & Variation Ideas
Here are a few tips for making these the best giant pan-banging chocolate chip cookies possible!
- Don’t skimp on the dough. I use a kitchen scale to weigh the dough, so I’m sure to get the same GIANT cookies that I love, every single time. If you want smaller cookies, just know that using less dough will not give you as many ripply ridges and the centers will not be quite as chewy.
- Do use the aluminum foil. The recipe’s directions includes lining baking pans with foil dull-side-up. This is key in getting cookies that spread better, with perfectly crispy bottoms. You could also use parchment paper, but you won’t get quite the same results.
- Do freeze the dough balls. The dough will spread too much on the pan, and will not form the outer ripples, if you do not freeze the dough balls first.
- And absolutely DO bang the pans! I get it. It does seem a bit bizarre to lift and drop the baking pans of dough balls in the oven every two minutes while baking. But just trust me – this works brilliantly to spread the dough nice and thin, and create those gorgeous crispy ripples. And it’s really FUN!
- Add more ingredients. You can experiment with adding other ingredients (like nuts, m&ms, other chips, etc.), but know that too many add-ins will keep the dough from spreading as this recipe intends.
- If your baking sheet doesn’t fit in the freezer. We have a small chest freezer, so that works great. If your freezer is too small, just place the dough balls on a plate and place it in the freezer, then transfer the dough balls to a baking sheet when you’re ready to bake.
How to Store These Cookies
- Counter: Place them in an airtight container and store on a cool kitchen counter for up to 4 days.
- Fridge: After the first day, I prefer to store these cookies in the fridge, in an airtight container. I like to eat them cold!
- Freezer: Wrap each cookie in plastic wrap. Transfer to a freezer-safe container or bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge or on the counter for 15 minutes.
More Cookie Recipes to Try
Giant Pan-Banging Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 ups all-purpose flour (284 g)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon Morton kosher salt
- ½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1½ cups granulated sugar (297 g)
- ¼ cup packed light brown sugar (50 g)
- 1 large egg
- 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons water
- 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate bar, chopped into bite-size pieces averaging 1/2" with some smaller and some larger. (170 g)
Instructions
- Adjust an oven rack to the middle position. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line three baking pans with aluminum foil, dull side up.
- In a small bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a beater blade, beat the butter on medium until creamy, about 2 minutes.
- Add the granulated sugar and brown sugar, and beat on medium until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the egg, vanilla, and water and mix on low to combine.
- Add the flour mixture and mix on low until combined. Add the chocolate and mix on low into the batter.
- Form the dough into balls weighing 3½ ounces (100 g) each. This is approximately a heaping ⅓ cup each. Place four balls an equal distance apart on prepared pan and transfer to the freezer for 15 minutes before baking. Do not skip freezing the dough, as it's essential in keeping the dough from spreading too much, and aids in the creation of the crinkly outer layer. After putting the first baking pan in the oven, put the second one in the freezer.
- Place the chilled baking pan in the oven and bake 10 minutes, until the cookies are puffed slightly in the center. Lift the side of the baking sheet up about 4" from the oven rack and let it drop down against the rack, so the edges of the cookies set and the inside falls back down. After the cookies puff up again in 2 minutes, repeat lifting and dropping the pan. Repeat a few more times to create ridges around the edge of the cookie. Bake 16 to 18 minutes total, until the cookies have spread out and the edges are golden brown but the centers are much lighter and not fully cooked.
- Transfer the baking pans to a wire rack; let cool completely before removing the cookies from the pan.
Notes
Nutrition Information:
I received a complimentary copy of The Vanilla Bean Baking Book for my use and review. This post was originally published in 2017, then updated in 2025.
Do you spray the foil or does the butter provide enough that it does not stick?
Hi Lisa – do not spray the foil. Enjoy!
Hi Brenda!
Does ‘2 T water’ mean 2 Tablespoons!
Thanks!
Yes! T = tablespoon
These were delicious! Thanks so much for the recipe. Baked as directed and added sea salt when they came out of the oven. The only problem I had was with them running together a bit. Advice? Also what’s is the best way to store them to keep them both crispy and chewy?
It’s a large amount of dough per cookie, so they’re apt to run together a bit here and there. To keep the recipe intact, the only thing would be to put less cookie dough balls per pan – will take longer to bake them all. I usually make these when I know we’ll have a group of people (so I don’t eat so many – and they’re just so fun to give people!), so I rarely have any to actually store, or to store for more than a day. But when I do, I just place them in an airtight container on the counter.
I LOVE this recipe. Every other choc chip cookie has become obsolete. My family now requests these cookies before cakes, pies or tarts for their birthdays. I sprinkle coarse sea salt on mine while they’re still hot out of the oven, before transferring to racks.
I definitely know why these cookies are the requested treat. SO GOOD. Thanks for coming back to let me know!
I am wondering if there is a video to show what you mean by lifting the pan. I tried to do it, but it didn’t push the centers down.
Holey Moley are these good. Like, I never post comments but today I am because they are that good. I followed the recipe exactly and it was perfect. So much of the talk about pan slamming focuses on the wrinkles but the true amazingness of the method is the way it makes the melty chocolate chips spread out rather than stay chunked. The result is a cookie that almost has laminated layers of cookie and chocolate. I used Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate chips and left them whole. Would definitely recommend. Did I mention that these cookies are good?
Thank you so much for coming back to leave a comment – I love that you love these cookies too!!!
This was a very tasty cookie with crispy edges and a slightly chewy center. Lots of flavor and the bittersweet Ghirardelli chips that I used were just the perfect amount of sweetness. I would recommend to begin dropping the pan once the dough starts to flatten out instead of waiting the full 10 minutes. I dropped the pan according to the recipe and didn’t get many wrinkles. I used the foil and the edges browned a bit darker than I’d like–I wonder what effects a silicone mat would provide? I’ll try that next.
Thank you for coming back to comment, Stephanie. This recipe is a favorite around here. I’m sorry to hear you didn’t get the wrinkles – I follow the recipe exactly, works great every time. Are you leaving plenty of height in your oven, to give a good amount of drop?
I think they may be the best choc chip cookie I have ever made!! Dark choc, semisweert and a little milk chocolate- Yummy Thanks!
Aren’t they wonderful?! Thanks for coming back to leave a comment. :)