These bite-sized cookie croutons are soft, chewy and loaded with mini chocolate chips. Bake the dough in a square pan, cut it into 1-inch squares, and pile them onto ice cream, cakes, cupcakes, brownies and more!
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These cookie croutons have been living in the back of my mind for YEARS.
I first dreamt them up as a fun way to top ice cream and layer into cakes: tiny cubes of soft, chewy chocolate chip cookie that you could sprinkle, stack and pile onto just about any dessert. And somehow, despite the number of cookies that have come out of my kitchen since then, I never actually turned the idea into a recipe.
Until now!
I’ve already transformed cookie dough into sprinkle sugar cookie sticks and chewy chocolate chip cookie sticks, so it was officially time to complete the cookie geometry lesson.
Unlike my homemade croutons, these aren’t hard or crunchy. They’re soft and chewy. Think of them as the interior of the best chocolate chip cookie you’ve ever eaten, cut into the world’s most snackable shape.
And the best part? There’s no scooping individual cookies. The dough gets pressed into a square pan, baked as one giant cookie and then cut into perfect little 1-inch squares.
If you’ve made my chewy chocolate chip cookies, this ingredient lineup will look very familiar. We’re using all the usual cookie dough suspects, but the ratio of brown to white sugar and mini chocolate chips are key to this recipe.
- Butter: Make sure your butter is softened to room temperature so it creams easily with the sugars. Short on time? Here’s my trick for softening butter quickly.
- White and brown sugars: We’re using both, but more brown sugar than white sugar for extra moisture and chewiness. It’s the same ratio I use in my soft-baked M&M cookies.
- Egg: One large egg binds the dough together.
- Vanilla extract: Pure vanilla extract adds flavor.
- All-purpose flour: The base of our cookie dough. For the most accurate measurement, spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level it off rather than scooping directly from the bag.
- Baking soda and baking powder: A little of both gives these cookie croutons just the right amount of lift while keeping them soft and chewy.
- Mini chocolate chips: Minis are key here! Since we’re cutting the cookie slab into tiny 1-inch squares, mini chips give you plenty of chocolate in every crouton without overwhelming them. Save the regular chocolate chips for a batch of my classic Toll House cookies.
This dough comes together just like most chocolate chip cookie doughs. My best tip here is to scrape down the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl before adding the mini chocolate chips to make sure there aren’t any pockets of flour hiding underneath. You want a cohesive dough so every cookie crouton bakes up with the same soft, chewy texture.
Once the dough is mixed, press it into a parchment-lined 9-inch square pan that’s been spritzed with cooking spray. I use an offset spatula to press it all the way into the corners and smooth the surface (damp hands work well here, too). Aim for an even thickness from edge to edge so the cookie bakes evenly.
Why a 9-inch square pan? I originally tested this recipe on a half-sheet pan and ended up with almost 300 cookie croutons. So I scaled the recipe down to fit a 9-inch square pan, which yields a much more manageable 81 bite-sized croutons.
Bake just until pale golden. This is not the time to wait for deeply browned edges! My #1 tip for keeping these chocolate chip cookie croutons soft and chewy is to slightly underbake them. It’s the same trick I use for my salted chocolate chip cookie bars and my ever-popular monster cookies.
While the cookie is still warm, I like to score it into 1-inch squares with a sharp knife or the edge of a spatula. You can also wait until it’s completely cool to cut it. I’ve tried it both ways and the results are virtually identical, so do whichever is easiest.
Put ‘Em on Everything
Eating them straight from the pan is highly encouraged, but I originally dreamed up cookie croutons as a fun way to add a soft, chewy bite to all sorts of desserts. The ultimate dessert accessory, if you will. Here are just some of my favorite ideas:
- Pile them atop ice cream. Bonus points if you add a thick drizzle of homemade butterscotch sauce.
- Use them as a cake or cupcake topping. Think vanilla cupcakes, a swirl of vanilla buttercream frosting and a handful of cookie croutons. Or use them as an easy cake decoration by piling them on top of a frosted layer cake.
- Turn them into a cake filling. Make my favorite chocolate layer cake, slather on chocolate buttercream frosting, then sprinkle a layer of cookie croutons between each cake layer for a little soft and chewy surprise in every slice.
- Top brownies. Make my fudgy brownies, top them with whipped cream and add a cookie crouton for an easy but impressive dessert. (And if brookies have taught us anything, it’s that chocolate chip cookies and brownies are better together.)
- Make my cookie cocktail cakes.
Or just grab a handful and call it a snack, preferably with a cold glass of milk.
Ingredients
- Cooking spray
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 3/4 cups light brown sugar
- 1 large egg, cold
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2/3 cup mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper then grease the parchment.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, white sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Beat in the egg and vanilla extract.
- Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt, and beat just until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Beat in the chocolate chips.
- Spread the cookie dough into an even layer in the prepared baking pan.
- Bake until pale golden, 17 to 20 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and, while the cookie is still warm, use a sharp knife or the edge of a spatula to score it into 1-inch squares. Let cool completely in the pan, then cut along the scored lines to separate the cookie croutons.
Kelly’s Notes
- Storage: Store completely cooled cookie croutons in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
- Freezing: Freeze cookie croutons in an airtight container or sealable plastic bag for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
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