Toaster Oven Chocolate Chip Cookies

With crisp golden brown edges and chewy middles, these Toaster Oven Chocolate Chip Cookies are perfect for satisfying your next cookie craving. The simple small batch recipe is easy to throw together and makes 5 hard-to-resist cookies. We dare you to eat just one!

Chocolate chip cookies on a white plate with a light blue napkin.

Over the years I’ve been working to perfect this little Toaster Oven Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe.

Trying different amounts of sugar and butter, experimenting with the egg, and figuring out the best way to bake them in our toaster oven (if you’ve got a convection fan, use it!).

The result: 5 seriously yummy chocolate chip cookies. They’re crispy on the outside, stuffed with gooey melted chocolate, and have a delightfully chewy texture.

Bookmark this recipe because you’re going to want to make it a lot!

Cookie dough ingredients arranged on a table with text labels.

Ingredient Notes

1 Tablespoon Beaten Egg: Don’t add the whole egg, it’s too much for a recipe this small. If you’re looking for ideas to use up any leftover egg try these Cake Mix Mini Cakes, Triple Ginger Cookies, or Chocolate Chip Pecan Oatmeal Cookies.

We’ve also made this recipe using an egg yolk instead of the beaten egg.

I find the cookies a little heavy but Tim thinks they’re delicious. So if you’ve got an egg yolk that needs to be used up, give it a try and see what you prefer.

How to Make Chocolate Chip Cookies In A Toaster Oven

1. Cream the Butter and Sugars

Start by creaming the softened butter and sugars together until smooth. Then add the tablespoon of beaten egg and vanilla, and mix until combined.

A glass bowl with butter and brown sugar beaten egg and vanilla.

2. Mix The Dough

Sprinkle the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt over the egg mixture. Stir just until the dough starts to come together.

When a few streaks of flour remain, set aside a few chocolate chips for topping later and toss the rest into the bowl.

This is a good time to stir in anything else you’d like to add like chopped nuts, sprinkles, or dried fruits. Mix just until everything is incorporated into the cookie dough.

Glass bowl with cookie dough and chocolate chips.

3. Chill For Better Flavor

Next, chill the dough for at least 30 minutes. Chilling the dough makes the cookies chewier, and more flavorful, and keeps them from spreading too much.

That said, they can be baked without chilling. Just be mindful that the cookies may spread more and bake faster. So you’ll need to check on them early.

Countertop oven with door open showing red hot heating elements.

4. Preheat The Toaster Oven

Once you’re ready to bake the cookies, start by adjusting the rack in your toaster oven. Our oven has 3 rack placements.

I find the middle rack is the best for baking cookies. If you only have two placements, use the lower one.

For a standard toaster oven preheat to 350°F. If you’re using a convection toaster oven, reduce the temperature to 325°F.

A quarter sheet pan with six cookie dough balls.

5. Grab A Pan

The cookies can be baked on either an ungreased sheet pan or a pan lined with a silicone baking mat.

Cookies baked on the ungreased pan may spread more. You might want to bake them in 2 batches so they don’t smush into each other.

6. Get Scooping

Scoop or roll the dough into 1½ Tablespoons-sized balls and place on your pan. Try to give at least 1 ½ to 2 inches of space between the balls.

5 chocolate chip cookies on a silpat lined quarter sheet pan.

7. Bake Until Golden

Bake the cookies for about 6 to 10 minutes. We like our cookies to have chewy middles but nice and crispy edges.

So I wait until the edges are lightly browned and the middles are puffed and just a tiny bit underbaked.

Once the cookies are baked to your liking, remove them from the oven. Then, quickly press any reserved chocolate chips into the tops.

Sometimes I’ll also sprinkle them with coarse sea salt.

8. Let Them Cool…At Least a Little Bit

Let the cookies cool on the pan for 5 minutes (or 10 minutes if you’re using a flax egg). Then use a spatula to transfer them to a rack to cool them completely.

Now, grab a cold glass of milk and dig in!

Overhead view of a plate of cookies with a cold glass of milk.

Is There A Way to Make Them Without The Egg?

Yes! You can substitute a small flax egg.

  • Mix together 1 teaspoon of flax meal and 1 tablespoon water.
  • Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes to thicken.
  • Give the mixture a stir and add it to the recipe where the beaten egg is called for.

The baked cookies will be a little flatter and crispier on the edges. They’re also very delicate straight out of the oven.

To keep them from falling apart, let the cookies cool for longer on the pan (about 10 minutes) before moving them to a rack to cool completely.

Two cookies on a piece of parchment labeled 'beaten egg' and 'flax egg'

Toaster Oven Baking Tips

Baking Times: The chilled cookie dough usually takes 7 minutes in our larger countertop oven but takes more like 9 to 10 minutes in our tiny 4-slice toaster oven.

Over the years I’ve learned that every oven (or toaster oven) bakes differently. My favorite way to figure out the best baking time for any recipe is to bake a test cookie, you can find step-by-step directions in this Cookie Baking Tips post.

Convection: If you’re using a convection toaster oven, reduce the temperature to 325°F and start checking on your cookies after 5 or 6 minutes.

Cookies baked at different time and temperature on a sheet pan.
Store-bought Cookie Dough Convection Tests

Cookies are my favorite thing to bake with the convection option on our countertop oven. They come out with nice crispy edges and soft under-baked middles.

Avoid Dark Pans: Most toaster ovens come with a dark roasting pan that’s not great for baking cookies with.

That’s because the darker metal can burn the bottoms of the cookies. Instead, we like to use a light-colored pan like one of these toaster oven sheet pans.

Lining The Pan: Since parchment paper is one of those things you shouldn’t put in your toaster oven, we like to use a small silicone baking mat.

These cookies can also be baked on an ungreased sheet pan. If you go this route, you may need to bake them in a few batches to give the cookies enough space.

Five chocolate chip cookies on a white plate with a blue napkin.

More Toaster Oven Dessert Recipes

Plate of five golden brown cookies with melty chocolate chips.

Toaster Oven Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yield: 5 cookies
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 7 minutes
Chill Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 47 minutes

A small batch of decadent cookies with crispy edges and delightfully chewy middles. The basic dough is easy to customize, add sprinkles and mini chips or try dried cranberries and white chocolate chips, the options are endless. If you’re using a convection toaster oven take note of the recommended temperature and time adjustments. 

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons (28 grams) Unsalted Butter, at room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons (25 grams) Packed Brown Sugar
  • 1 tablespoon (12 grams) Granulated Sugar
  • 1 tablespoon (15 grams) Well-Beaten Egg, do not add the whole egg
  • 1/4 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • 1/3 cup (40 grams) Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
  • 1/8 teaspoon Baking Soda
  • 1/8 teaspoon Baking Powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon Fine Sea Salt
  • 3 tablespoons (40 to 45 grams) Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips, or more as desired

Instructions

  1. In a medium bowl, add the butter and sugars. Using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, cream together until combined.
  2. Mix in the tablespoon of beaten egg and vanilla.
  3. Sprinkle the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt over the mixture and stir until combined.
  4. Reserve a few chocolate chips for topping the cookies after baking, then stir in the rest.
  5. Refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes.
  6. When ready to bake, adjust your toaster oven cooking rack to the middle position and preheat to 350°F using the BAKE setting. If using a convection toaster oven, reduce the temperature to 325°F.
  7. Line a quarter sheet pan with a silicone baking mat or leave it ungreased.
  8. Roll or scoop the dough into 1½ tablespoons sized balls and place on the prepared pan, arranging them at least 2-inches apart.
  9. Bake until the middles of the cookies are puffed and the edges are just starting to turn brown, about 6 to 10 minutes depending on your oven. Remove from the oven and quickly top with the reserved chocolate chips.
  10. Let the cookies sit on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a rack to cool completely.

Notes

Beaten Egg - To measure the beaten egg, crack an egg into a bowl and beat with a fork until the white and yolk are combined. Measure out 1 tablespoon. Refrigerate leftover egg and use it within 24 hours.

Egg Yolk - A large egg yolk can be substituted for the beaten egg.

Flax Egg Option - Combine 1 teaspoon of flax meal with 1 tablespoon of water. Allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes. Add to the recipe when the beaten egg is called for. The cookies will be more delicate when warm, let them cool on the pan for at least 10 minutes.

Flour - We’ve had success substituting an equal amount of white whole wheat flour and bread flour for the all-purpose flour. The bread flour results in a thicker and chewier cookie. The cookies made with white whole wheat flour were also thicker with a light nutty flavor.

Chocolate - You can use chips, chunks, or add some of your favorite bar of chocolate roughly chopped. We like semi-sweet chocolate but feel free to substitute milk chocolate or dark chocolate if you want. Coated chocolate candies are a great option too!

Storage - You can store any leftover cookies in a covered container on the counter for 2 days. Or freeze for up to 1 month for the best flavor.

Rewarming Cookies in the Microwave - Place on a microwave-safe plate and heat for 15 to 20 seconds.

Rewarming Cooking in the Toaster Oven - If frozen, let cookies thaw on the counter for 15 to 20 minutes. Then set your toaster oven to 300°F on the BAKE setting. Place cookies on an ungreased sheet pan and add to the toaster oven. Press start (no need to preheat). The cookies should be warmed with melty chocolate in about 2 to 4 minutes.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 5 Serving Size: 1 Cookie
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 140Total Fat: 6.8gSaturated Fat: 3.6gCholesterol: 12mgSodium: 146mgCarbohydrates: 18.8gFiber: 0.5gSugar: 10.7gProtein: 1.4g

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

11 Comments

  1. My chocolate chips aren’t melting, any idea why that might be? It’s happens to me 90% of the time. When I check halfway and poke, they’re melted. It almost seems like the chocolate is being over-cooked compared to the rest of the cookie when they’re done.

    The chocolate will be hot, but not melted. I’ve tried with chocolate chips and chocolate bars with the same result. My last attempt will be to make frozen Nutella chips in hopes that they will give me the melty result.

    Lastly, my toaster oven doesn’t have the convection feature. Thanks!

    1. Hi David,

      If the rest of the cookie is baking up to your liking, it might be the chocolate. This article from mashed (https://www.mashed.com/811451/the-real-reason-chocolate-chips-dont-melt-in-the-oven/) says that the chips are designed to not melt much and to keep their shape. Though I am a little stumped by the bars not working.

      For a meltier experience, the mashed article suggests using a chocolate with more cocoa butter.

      Either way, I hope your Nutella experiment works out – it sounds divine!

  2. I made these cookies 5 times already! The last batch I had no egg. So I use a tablespoon of whole milk instead and they still came out great! Thanks again Brie and Tim!

    1. That’s awesome, Robert! Thanks for sharing your milk swap, I can’t wait to use it with our next batch. I’m sure a lot of people will appreciate it 🙂

  3. These were great. I used the flax egg and it worked fine. Next time I think I would up the temp on my toaster oven. I used 325 with the fan option and I would try 350. Perfect amount of cookies! And I didn’t heat up the house with the oven.

    1. I’m so glad you enjoyed them, Christina!

      Thanks for trying the recipe and taking the time to leave a comment about your experience/results – I know it’s really helpful for other toaster oven cooks.

      Happy Baking! 🙂

    1. Hi Skylar,

      There are a couple of reasons I can think of for why the cookies are not spreading/flattening.

      The most common is too much flour. When using cups to measure it’s easy to accidentally compact the flour and end up with more than the recipe calls for. This will make the dough less hydrated and keep them from spreading.

      If you have access to a scale that’s the best way to measure flour. If you only have cups, you can use the scoop and level method of gently scooping the flour into the measuring cup until it is overflowing and then leveling the top off with the back of a knife.

      Another culprit could be the toaster oven’s temperature. Sometimes it’s not as consistent and can be cooler than the number on the temperature dial. This post has some temperature troubleshooting tips that you might find helpful: https://toasterovenlove.com/toaster-oven-temperature-and-heating-tests/

      I don’t know if you made any changes to the recipe, but if the butter was reduced at all that would keep them from spreading out too.

      Lastly, if you want, you can try patting the dough balls down a little before baking to give them a head start in spreading out. It won’t hurt them.

      Hope some of those suggestions help but if you’d like to compare ingredients and ovens to troubleshoot more just shoot me an email 🙂

      ~Brie

  4. Fantastic. I’d not made chocolate chip cookies since a kid with my grandma. You nailed just the right proportions in this recipe. Will make weekly!