Tate's Bake Shop Chocolate Chip Cookies are thin and crispy, and absolutely delicious. Even if you prefer soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies, you'll find it hard to resist these buttery cookies filled with yummy chocolate chips and toasted pecans.
Watch How to Make These Delicious Cookies
Jump to:
- Watch How to Make These Delicious Cookies
- The Search for the Perfect Recipe
- Ingredients: Here's What You'll Need
- Deviations from the Tate's Bake Shop Recipe
- Steps: Making the Dough for Half the Recipe
- Finishing the Tate's Bake Shop Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Other Delicious Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes
- Recipe
The Search for the Perfect Recipe
I had never heard of Tate's Chocolate Chip Cookies until recently. I happened to see them at the local Walmart, so bought a package. One bite and I knew that the hype surrounding the cookies was correct - they were really good!
I decided that I had to try my hand at making these delicious cookies. Therefore, I started by searching the Internet for recipes. I found two recipes that looked promising: (1) the Tate's Bake Shop recipe; and (2) a Tate's-Style Thin and Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe.
I initially tried the Tate's Bake Shop recipe but must have done something wrong. The cookies were good, but they weren't thin and crispy.
Then, I tried the Tate's Style recipe. Again, I must have done something wrong. The cookies were thin and crispy but were incredibly greasy.
Not to be deterred, I tried the Tate's Bake Shop recipe again - this time using half the recipe. As I'll explain in a bit, I ultimately ended up with amazingly thin and crispy chocolate chip cookies.
I asked the Master Taste Tester to do a side-by-side comparison of the store-bought cookies and mine. His conclusion was that they basically tasted the same, except that mine had more chocolate chips! Therefore, a success story! Read on to see what I did.
Ingredients: Here's What You'll Need
The ingredients used in this recipe are pretty standard for a chocolate chip cookie.
- Butter: Generally, I use unsalted butter in my recipes. However, with the above success, I decided to use salted butter that was included in the Tate's Bake Shop recipe.
- Sugars: I used both granulated sugar and dark brown sugar in this recipe.
- Flour Plus: I used all-purpose flour with table salt and baking soda added.
- Egg: I included an egg which helped to bind the ingredients together.
- The Flavorings: To add flavor and texture to the cookies, I used vanilla extract, semi-sweet chocolate chips, and toasted pecans.
Deviations from the Tate's Bake Shop Recipe
I actually deviated from the original recipe in three respects.
First, the original recipe called for a teaspoon of water and a teaspoon of vanilla extract. I omitted the water and instead added two teaspoons of vanilla extract.
Second, the original recipe did not call for any nuts. However, I can't imagine chocolate chip cookies without toasted pecans. Therefore, I added the pecans.
Finally, the original recipe called for stirring together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Sometime back, I started adding salt and baking soda to the "wet" ingredients right before adding the flour. My rationale was that the salt and baking soda would be better combined by beating them into the "wet" ingredients. This has consistently worked for me!
I used Gold Medal flour bleached all-purpose flour (blue). The reason was that I had read that the lower protein content of the Gold Medal flour produced lighter and crispier cookies. I've also used White Lily bleached all-purpose flour.
I generally use unsalted butter for all of my baking. However, I made a special trip to the store to buy some salted butter which was called for in the recipe. Subsequently, I used unsalted butter and increased the amount of salt by ¼ teaspoon.
Steps: Making the Dough for Half the Recipe
- First, I creamed together the butter, granulated sugar, and dark brown sugar on medium speed.
I only beat the mixture for a minute until it came together. Beating incorporates air into the dough, which in turn produces a puffy cookie. Since I didn't want puffy cookies, I minimized the beating.
- Next, I added the egg and vanilla extract. I beat the mixture on medium speed for about 30 seconds, just until the egg and vanilla were incorporated. Again, I didn't want to introduce too much air.
- After that, I added the salt and baking soda. I beat the mixture on medium speed just until the salt and baking soda were incorporated, about 30 seconds.
- Then, I added the flour. I beat the mixture on low speed just until most of the flour was incorporated into the dough. This took about 30 seconds.
- Finally, I folded in chocolate chips and toasted pecans. I was careful not to over-mix the dough.
Finishing the Tate's Bake Shop Chocolate Chip Cookies
I used my smallest cookie scoop to drop the cookies onto a silicone-lined baking sheet. This cookie scoop measured 1-¼ inches in diameter.
I baked the first sheet of cookies in a preheated 350°F oven for 12 minutes and was dismayed to see that they looked more like regular chocolate chip cookies than thin and crispy cookies.
Therefore, for the second cookie sheet, I wet my hands and pressed the cookie dough to about ⅜-inch thick. This way, the cookies had a head start in spreading.
I baked this sheet of cookies at 350°F for 12 minutes. Perfection!
The picture below shows the difference between the cookies when the dough was not flattened (cookies on the right) versus the cookies when the dough was flattened (cookies on the left).
Therefore, one of the secrets to achieving thin and crispy cookies appears to be giving the cookies a head start in spreading by flattening them before placing them in the oven.
The picture below shows a comparison of the store-bought Tate's Bake Shop Chocolate Chip cookies on the left and my cookies on the right. The store-bought cookies were about 2-½ inches in diameter. My cookies were between 2-½ and 2 ¾ inches in diameter!
As I previously indicated, I made half a recipe. I ended up with three dozen amazing thin and crispy chocolate chip cookies studded with toasted pecans.
The full recipe, shown below, would have produced six dozen cookies! All I can say is that these cookies are awesome! Yum!
Frequently Asked Questions
For thin and crispy cookies, make sure to use softened (not melted) butter, and press the dough balls slightly before baking.
The store-bought Tate's Bake Shop Chocolate Chip Cookies do not contain pecans, so omitting them from this recipe is fine.
Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. They should stay fresh for up to 1 week.
You can freeze the cookie dough in an airtight container or plastic wrap for up to 3 months. If frozen, let the dough thaw in the refrigerator overnight or for a few hours at room temperature. Then, shape and bake as usual.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- As I previously indicated, both salted and unsalted butter will work in this recipe. If using unsalted butter, increase the amount of salt by ¼ teaspoon to a total of 1 ¼ teaspoons.
- I used Gold Medal bleached all-purpose flour because of its low protein content. The low protein content minimizes gluten formation and results in a lighter and crispier cookie. I've also used White Lily bleached flour.
- I always toast pecans before adding them to other ingredients in my recipes. To toast the pecans, spread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 8 or 9 minutes until lightly toasted. Watch carefully to ensure that they do not burn.
- My smallest ice cream scoop is about 1 ¼ inches in diameter. If you don't have an ice cream scoop, then you can use a tablespoon to drop the cookies. To ensure round cookies, wet your hands and roll the dropped dough into a ball. Then, flatten the dough with a wet hand to about ⅜ of an inch.
- The recipe in the recipe box is for a full recipe that makes 6 dozen cookies. For half the recipe to make 3 dozen cookies, use the following measurements:
½ cup salted butter (1 stick)
⅜ cup (2.63 ounces) granulated sugar
⅜ cup (2.82 ounces) dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (5 ounces) all-purpose flour
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
½ cup toasted pecans
Other Delicious Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes
If you like chocolate chip cookies, you should also try the following cookies:
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Recipe
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Tate’s Bake Shop Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter, softened (See Tip 1)
- ¾ cup (5.25 ounces) granulated sugar
- ¾ cup (5.63 ounces) firmly packed dark brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon table salt (See Tip 2)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 cups (10 ounces) all-purpose flour (See Tip 3)
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup toasted pecan pieces (See Tip 4)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line cookie sheets with silicone or parchment paper; set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars on medium speed until they come together, about 1 minute. Add the egg and vanilla. Beat on medium speed just until the mixture is combined, about 30 seconds. Add the salt and baking soda; beat on medium just until combined, about 30 seconds.
- Add the flour; beat on low just until combined, about 30 seconds. Fold in the chocolate chips and toasted pecans. Do not over mix the dough.
- Drop the cookies 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets using a small ice cream scoop. Flatten cookie dough to about ⅜-inch thick with a wet hand. (See Tip 5)
- Bake in preheated 350° F oven for 12 minutes or until the edges and centers are brown. Allow to cool for 5 minutes on cookie sheet. Remove the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Store in an air-tight container.
- Yield: 6 dozen cookies. (See Tip 6)
Video
Tips/Notes
- You can also use unsalted butter in this recipe.
- If using unsalted butter, increase the amount of salt by ¼ teaspoon to a total of 1 ¼ teaspoons.
- I used Gold Medal bleached all-purpose flour because of its low protein content. The low protein content minimizes gluten formation and results in a lighter and crispier cookie. I've also used White Lily bleached flour
- To toast the pecans, spread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 350° F oven for 8 or 9 minutes until lightly toasted. Watch carefully.
- My smallest ice cream scoop is about 1 ¼ inches in diameter. If you don't have an ice cream scoop, then you can use a tablespoon to drop the cookies. To ensure round cookies, wet your hands and roll the dropped dough into a ball. Then, flatten the dough with a wet hand to about ⅜ of an inch.
- To make half a recipe, use the following:
⅜ cup (2.63 ounces) granulated sugar
⅜ cup (2.82 ounces) dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (5 ounces) all-purpose flour
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
½ cup toasted pecans
Manon says
These are so delicious! Ive tried so many copy cat recipes and this is the only one that turned out fantastic. I used walnuts and almonds instead of pecans, I'm hook marking this for the holidays 🙂
Chula King says
So glad the recipe worked for you Manon. Happy Holidays!
Chula
Clove says
Hi! Going to make cookies today! I was wondering if there was a butter substitute?
Thanks!
Chula King says
Clove,
I've only used butter in making these cookies. Unfortunately, I don't know if a butter substitute would work.
Sorry,
Chula
Lulu says
Hello! I made these (full recipe) and they turned out pretty well. I followed all the directions to a T -besides the nuts, which I left out. They were a bit oily though. They were crispy on the edges but chewy near the center. As I had multiple trays, I tried cooking them 1 & 2 min longer but that resulted in them being crispy, but overdone. They still tasted good but was hoping for a crispy cookie.
Is there anything I can do differently to make them less greasy and also more crispy? Thanks so much!
Chula King says
Hi Lulu,
On one of my attempts at making these cookies, I ended up with somewhat greasy cookies. The only thing I can think of that would produce greasy cookies is using melted butter instead of room-temperature butter. However, I used room-temperature butter, so I don't know what caused the greasiness. I like thin and crisp cookies and found that by flattening the dough somewhat before baking the cookie helped achieve a cookie that was crisp throughout. I included that in the recipe, so I'm unsure why your cookies were not crispy. The only other thing that I can think of is the importance, at least for me, of weighing the ingredients, especially the flour and the sugars. Through the years, I've found that the quantity of flour and sugar that is added to a recipe can vary greatly based on the way that they are measured. Otherwise, I'm at a loss as to why the cookies didn't turn out as you had hoped.
I'm sorry!
Chula
greg says
Great replication of Tate's cookies...even better! Follow the recipe to a tee and you'll be delighted.
Chula King says
So glad the recipe worked for you Greg!
Chula
Austin Williams says
So I am Making these cookies in literally about 15 minutes letting my cold butter soften a bit. I put 5 star because I love this beautiful and yummy food blog. Also should try the ricotta cheese recipe you guys it’s Devine. I’m 22 years old now and I was scrolling through the comments and saw a rather rude comment from 2020. I wanted to address it respectfully. The writer was Kathleen C. And it made me sad that adults older than mean can Clarke a sweet post and be cruel about it. The comment read you certainly couldn’t have had tates cookies it’s only been around 15 years… well Mrs Kathleen C. In 2020 when you wrote the rude comment tates had been around 20 years not 15 sense it started in the year 2000, and Kathleen king has been making her world famous cookies for sale sense the age of 21 and the year would have been 1980. Then you stated unless you were a college professor in High School……..Maybe he or she was there are some very exceptional high schoolers on the planet called Earth. I just felt that your message Kathleen C. Was very rude, stuck up and obnoxious and borderline bullying. Please before you ever post anything. Try to think how your rudeness can affect the lives of others before posting it.
And for all the people out there. You don’t have to live in a mansion on Long Island, or a penthouse in Manhattan to be happy. Nor do you have to be invited to every gala or ball in the blue book (NY knows what I mean) You can be happy by just having love in your home and good food on your table to bring back the sweet aromas of family gatherings gone with the wind. I hope one day I can be a multimillionaire, but until then I’m more than blessed to have a One bedroom apartment in Hendersonville TN barely getting by. I have so much love, and that’s worth more than all the money in the world. Be kind even when others aren’t❤️ Have a Blessed Day
LMSCSM says
Very very close to tasting like Tate's! After carefully reading the reviews, I baked them in my convection oven, that was the onlly think I changed from the recipe. They came out beautifully crisp. I used walnuts but left the pieces too large compared to Tate's. These cookies have the delicious, caramel after taste just like Tate's. Good job Pudge Factor and thank you!
DEEV says
Hey Chula,
Kathleen Kings Tates cookies get upwards of 6 months shelf life after they are baked and packaged and sent out to the stores, will these cookies be the same if they are packaged in a protected atmosphere? (modified atmosphere packaging)?
Chula King says
DEEV,
I'm afraid that I don't have any experience in using modified atmosphere packaging.
Sorry.
Chula
Marianne says
High Altitude Feedback. Huge Tate's fan and this recipe delivers the same crispy delightful flavor. Appreciated the guidance for mixing and the basis for not overdoing it! Reduced the chocolate chips by half. After testing several batches, baking for 11 minutes at 350 in the Mile High City rendered perfection!! Thanks for sharing:)
Chula King says
Thanks so much for the "High Altitude Feedback" Marianne!
Chula
B A Rotini says
I haven't tried this recipe yet, but wasn't the whole point of the Tate's recipe for people who needed a gluten-free cookie?
Had you tried making them with the rice flour? I would be interested to know if that works also; I would definitely make them then!
Chula King says
I haven't tried making these cookies gluten-free, so don't know whether rice flour or another type of gluten-free flour would work for this recipe.
Sorry.
Chula
Madelyn says
Hi! Just made these cookies. I love tates and was very excited to make these! However, my cookies spread out like crazy and became just a cookie sheet. Any idea why this is? They still taste great, but sad they spread out so much.
Chula King says
Madelyn,
I'm so sorry that the cookies spread. My guess is that you didn't use enough flour. It's really important with my recipes that you weigh the flour as opposed to measuring it as you normally would. The reason is that there is a lot of variability in the quantity of flour depending on how it's measured. Weighing eliminates that variability!
Chula
Laura says
Can these be frozen after completely cooled. I made them for Christmas and there’s still 2 weeks to go and I know they won’t be here if I just store without freezing
Chula King says
Laura,
I've not frozen these particular cookies. However, I have frozen other cookies with good luck, so I would guess that freezing would work well for these.
Let me know how it works!
Chula
Laura says
These are delicious! I love Tate’s chocolate chip cookie with walnuts. I did have a huge bag of pecans on hand so I made them. OMG!! These are amazing! I didn’t have the patience to wait until they were completely cooled to taste them. So crispy & the chocolate chips were gooey and yum! I did try another after they cooled and the chips were still gooey and the cookie perfectly crisp! This will be my go to recipe from now on!!
Chula King says
Thanks Laura!
Chula
Carmine says
Just did not read all the comments however if you use the double layer baking sheet you get a softer inside. The old type one layer cookie sheet sometimes “burns” cookie bottoms but the center is fully ctisp
Sharon says
I’ll confess I couldn’t believe I didn’t have an egg in the house and had to use egg replacement. These are better than Tates. Ijs Maybe it’s the chips I used. All I know is this is fantastic! Thank you! Oooh the second batch is ready. Gotta run!
Chula King says
Thanks so much Sharon. I'm so glad that the egg replacement worked!
Chula
Hilary says
Hi. Cbula,
All
Set the make these cookies. Tates are my son’s favorite. As a college freshman, I wanted to make a bunch for him and his friends. How should I store them? I read about putting rice in the container. Would rather not do that. Also how would these cookies be as ice cream sandwiches?
Thank you
Chula King says
Hi Hilary,
I store the cookies in an airtight container (no rice). They stay crispy for 3 to 4 days. If you want the cookies to stay fresh for a longer time, you might try freezing them - place in a single layer in the freezer. Once frozen, store in an airtight container in the freezer. Let come to room temperature before serving. Another idea would be to portion the cookie batter and freeze the uncooked cookie batter. Then bake the cookies right before you need them.
These cookies are thin and crispy and would tend to break if used for ice cream sandwiches. Also, the regular sized chocolate chips would be like little bricks when frozen. I find that thick and chewy cookies with mini chocolate chips work best for ice cream sandwiches.
Chula
Marcie Allen says
Just made this recipe & it’s a keeper! Wow! I’m from Long Island NY & would treat myself to Tate’s cookies before they went nationwide & I have to say, your recipe is just like the original Tate’s I used to love! I will be making these often. The hubby loves them too! Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Chula King says
So glad you liked the recipe Marcie!
Chula