High Altitude Chocolate Chip Cookies

RecipesHigh Altitude Baking

Apr 20

Written By Jennifer Minyard

You’ve pulled a tray of chocolate chip cookies from the oven and find that they’ve spread into thin, greasy puddles. Worse, they baked up dry and crumbly instead of chewy and soft.

At high altitude, moisture evaporates more quickly, and can make cookies that lack chew and depth of flavor. Combined with lower air pressure, cookies can spread faster before the structure can set.

Below is a chocolate chip cookie recipe that is thick, lightly crisp on the edges with a chewy center. Packed with chocolate chips, there are no pancake cookies here!

The High-Altitude Science

To get bakery-style results in thin mountain air, we made four key adjustments:

Reduce Baking Soda: Too much at altitude causes cookies to puff quickly and then deflate.
Structure: More flour helps the cookies hold their shape without becoming overly cakey.
Moisture Control: Reducing sugar and adding an extra egg yolk, balances the dry mountain air to prevent crumbly cookies.
Chilling Time: Chilled dough slows the cookie spread and allows fats to set before the cookies hit the oven heat.

High Altitude Chocolate Chip Cookies

PREP TIME: 10 mins (+1 hr chill) COOK TIME: 9-11 minutes SERVINGS: 6 dozen

Baking Soda: 1/2 tsp to prevent over-spreading.
Flour: For added structure, increase to 2 3/4 cups.
Eggs: Use 2 eggs for added moisture and chew.
Chilling: Chill for 1 hour to control spreading at altitude.

Ingredients

1 cup salted butter at room temp

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 T vanilla extract

2 T milk

2 3/4 cups flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cornstarch

2 cups chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups walnuts

Directions

1. Mix Sugars & Butter: In a large bowl, whisk together softened butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar until smooth and glossy.

2. Add Eggs & Vanilla: Whisk in the eggs, milk and vanilla extract.

3. Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and cornstarch. (If using usalted butter, add in 1/2 tsp salt)

4. Bring the Dough Together: Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and stir just until combined. Do not overmix. Fold in the chocolate chips. The dough should be soft but not sticky.

5. The Chill: Cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate for 1 hour.

6. Prep: Preheat oven to 375°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

7. Scoop: Scoop dough evenly and place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.

8. Bake: Bake for 9–11 minutes, until the edges are set and lightly golden brown.

9. Set & Cool: Let cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5–7 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack. They will firm up as they cool while staying chewy inside.

Simply Altitude Pro-Tips

Brown Sugar: Brown sugar adds moisture and chew at high elevation. Replace 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar with brown sugar if your cookies feel dry,
Don’t Overbake: Mountain ovens tend to dry out cookies. Pull them from the oven when they look not quite done—carryover heat finishes the baking.
Kitchen Humidity: On dry winter days, add 1 teaspoon of milk if the dough feels crumbly. During humid summer days, you may need to add an extra tablespoon of flour.

Explore More High-Altitude Baking

If you enjoyed this recipe, head over to our High Altitude Baking Made Simple page. It’s our combined resource for mastering the science of elevated baking, featuring helpful adjustment charts and troubleshooting tips for different altitudes.