The original and famous Pan-Banging Chocolate Chip Cookies, created by Sarah Kieffer. The easy trick of banging the pan a few times during baking, causing the cookies to "fall," produces rippled edges that shatter in your mouth and a center that is soft and full of chocolate.
Prep time: PT20M
Cook time: PT18M
Total time: PT38M
Rating
4.77 stars (188 reviews)
Keywords
chocolate chip cookies, cookie dough, cookie sheet, pan banging, pure vanilla extract
Ingredients
2 cups (284 g) all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon salt
2 sticks (227 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1½ cups (297 g) granulated sugar
¼ cup (50 g) packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons water
6 ounces (170 g) bittersweet chocolate, chopped into bite-size pieces averaging ½ inch with some smaller and some larger
Categories
cookies
Cuisine
American
Steps
Adjust an oven rack to the middle position. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 3 baking sheets 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 paddle, beat the butter on medium until creamy. Add the granulated and brown sugars 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 3½-ounce (100g) balls (a heaping 1/3 cup each). Place 4 balls an equal distance apart on a prepared pan and transfer to the freezer for 15 minutes before baking. After you put the first baking sheet in the oven, put the second one in the freezer.
Place the chilled baking sheet 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 inches and gently let it drop down against the oven rack, so the edges of the cookies set and the inside falls back down (this will feel wrong, but trust me). 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 sheet to a wire rack; let cool completely before removing the cookies from the pan.
Reviews
Tatiana on 2026-05-10 (5 stars): These are delicious and less complicated than it seems. I have been looking for a thin crispy cookie recipe for ages, the crunchy edges are always my favorite part. I made so many errors during baking and they still turned out perfect. I use king Arthur flour (much higher protein content), I only had chocolate chips so I chopped them roughly with a chefs knife before adding, I kept getting distracted during the baking, left them in the freezer too long, I slammed the cookie tray sometimes too early/too late, for one tray I only slammed them once - they still turned out fantastic. I used a large ice cream scoop to drop them and I weighed the dough balls (they ranged from ~80-105g each), and all sizes still spread out great. I forgot to add salt in the recipe, so I sprinkled them generously with flaky salt when they came out of the oven - It was delicious!! 10/10 I found my cookie recipe finally! They are somehow even better the next day, they keep their crisp and get chewy in the middle - I keep snacking on them.
Jake on 2026-04-29 (5 stars): Hey Sarah - Have you ever tested the recipe with one extra egg yolk and if so, what was the outcome? Really curious if that would give a chewier center while keeping that rippled crunchy edge. (I’ll admit I almost only eat the edges of these cookies and let the spouse have the centers. They’re THAT good so, thank you for your incredibly kind generosity in sharing your recipe and technique!!
madeline on 2026-04-04 (5 stars): these cookies are life changing! so versatile and delicious! thank you for sharing!!
Jennie on 2026-03-16 (2 stars): So do the cookies go in frozen or thawed. Q and A #7 say one thing and the directions on the recipe say another. Could you please correct whichever one is wrong. It's one or the other.
flour on 2026-02-25 (5 stars): Couldn't get ridges, but these still came out great. I fiddled a little with the sugar - 1/2 cup brown, 1 cup refined, took out 2-3 tbsp. Perfect chew and sweetness.
For the ridges: I noticed my cookies didnt puff up anymore after the 2nd bang, so there was nothing to work with. Is this still a flour problem, or could it be something else?
Jp on 2026-02-11 (5 stars): This is my fave chocolate chip..so smart of u, adding water.
Diane on 2026-02-07 (5 stars): These are fabulous cookies! I made them to bring to my sister’s as dessert and everyone Lost. Their. Minds! I was told these were the best chocolate chip cookies any of them had ever had. I was begged to make them again. I found if I tried to do 4, or even 3 balls of dough per sheet, they ran into each other. 2 cookies per sheet made them perfect and kept them round. This makes for slow going but they are so delicious it’s worth it. I do add a few flakes of Malden sea salt on top as soon as they come out of the oven and all but one person liked that addition. Otherwise, I follow the recipe to the letter including using the dull side up foil. We have named these cookies Bang Bangs!
Carrie Smith on 2026-02-02 (5 stars): So yummy! Will be my go to recipe for chocolate chip cookies
Wendy Kaufman on 2025-12-22 (5 stars): Amazing, every single time. My kids swoon.
And they’re sooo pretty!
Carla on 2025-12-15 (5 stars): For the 4th year in a row, I'll be bringing these in to my work's annual cookie day, which is always a request amongst my coworkers. These are always such a treat (and an explanation as to what they are!), and I always make a double batch (so much time baking 4 at a time, but so worth it).
Jenny on 2025-12-11 (5 stars): These are the most delicious cookies!!! I love to make and share as they are always a hit. Thanks so much for sharing.
Lu on 2025-10-25 (5 stars): These cookies were fun to make and very delicious! Even better the next day… I will definitely make again.
Andrea on 2025-10-08 (5 stars): I first saw these cookies on Zoe bakes and then I saw on YouTube Ina Garten baked them as well, so I looked up your web site to verify the recipe and I made them today and I’m a vegan so I substituted the eggs using using Just Eggs liquid and they came out perfect! I only baked six and I will take the rest this weekend. I love the way how they look I try to match them with your picture and my cookies have all those wrinkles and they taste so good thank you for sharing the recipe? when I also used vegan butter.
annabelle on 2025-09-27 (5 stars): Gotta brown the butter then put it in the fridge so it solidifies, then soften it to room temp. A bit involved but works for all cookies that call for room temp butter :)
Kaitlin on 2025-08-16 (2 stars): The cookies came out as said but not my type of cookie. I think too much granulated sugar vs brown sugar.
JayInMaine on 2025-08-05 (5 stars): Hi Sarah - in the recipe you say to lift and gently drop the side of the baking sheet. Is this the long side of the baking sheet or the shorter side? Also, do you lift each side and drop or just one side?
Would there be any reason I’m not getting the ripples are crisp exactly right when I’m following the recipe precisely, write down to measuring ingredients, dull side of aluminum foil up, etc.? If you have any additional detailed tips, much appreciated! And, thank you for these recipes. !
Jennifer Madden on 2025-08-02 (5 stars): Fabulous! Love all of Sarah’s cookie recipes!
Mary Parada on 2025-07-30 (5 stars): Muchas gracias por compartir su receta, no he podido comprar su libro por falta de presupuesto. La felicito por sus excelentes recetas.
