These chocolate chip cookies are soft and chewy. They look and taste just like Subway chocolate chip cookies!
You might also like our copycat Chick-fil-A cookies, our 2-ingredient Thin Mint cookies, or the famous New York Times Jacques Torres chocolate chip cookies!
Watch our step by step video!
Perfectly chewy and golden chocolate chip cookies that rival any sold at your local Subway store. Make your own copycat version with this recipe! These cookies soften as they sit and are even better on day 2!
Copycat Subway Chocolate Chip Cookies
I've been on a chocolate chip cookie kick for the past couple of years. Making my own versions of popular recipes (Chick-fil-A and Levain) or making the recipes that popular companies have graciously shared with the masses (Double Tree, Disney, etc.). You can find the entire list of copycat cookie recipes here.
I recently asked on Facebook if there were any cookies that people would like to see recreated and Subway was by and large the most requested---and for good reason! Subway chocolate chip cookies are perfectly chewy and soft with great flavor. So I got to work!
I went to my local Subway store and bought two chocolate chip cookies to use as a reference. Most restaurant chains that sell cookies on the side get them from a larger manufacturer like Otis Spunkmeyer. They are shipped in frozen cookie dough balls and baked on-site for a fresh-baked taste. Unfortunately, they don't share their exact recipe, but I looked at the ingredient list and, through quite a bit of trial and error (4 batches to be exact), came up with a version that I think is "chef's kiss".
I have copycat versions of Subway's double chocolate chip cookies, and their white chocolate macadamia nut cookies, and today I'm sharing a recipe for their classic chocolate chip cookies!
Chewiest Chocolate Chip Cookies
I know that I am going to get comments on using corn syrup, but if you want a super chewy cookie, corn syrup will give that to you. This recipe calls for ¼ cup (⅓ teaspoon per cookie---so hardly any). I didn't use it for my first two batches and my 18-year-old son, who was my designated taste-tester, said that the cookies tasted good but were not as sweet or as chewy as the Subway cookie that he had in front of him. I knew that a small amount of corn syrup would do the trick because I've used it before to make chewy cookies. Another technique that I use to create a chewy cookie is to slam the baking sheet against the counter during and after baking. This causes the cookies to deflate, slightly, creating a soft center.
The cookies will start out with crisp bottoms, but as they sit they'll soften up considerably ---even more so on day 2.
Copycat Subway Cookie Ingredients
- Butter: I always bake with salted butter, but you can use unsalted butter if you'd like.
- Oil: I used vegetable oil, but canola can be used as well.
- Sugar: I used a combination of light brown sugar and white granulated sugar.
- Eggs: for richness and texture.
- Vanilla extract: Have you tried making your own vanilla extract? It's easy to do and delicious to add to baked goods.
- Molasses: Just a little for a boost of flavor.
- Corn Syrup: Creates a chewier cookie.
- Salt and Baking Soda: For leavening.
- Flour: I used all-purpose flour. You can also use bread flour if you'd like.
- Chocolate Chips: The Subway cookie nutritional info says that they use semisweet chocolate chips so that is what I used. You can use milk chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips if you'd like.
How To Make Subway Chocolate Chip Cookies
(scroll down for printable version)
- Cream butter and sugars together using a stand mixer or with an electric hand mixer. Add oil and mix thoroughly.
- Beat in eggs, vanilla extract, molasses, and corn syrup.
- Add salt and baking soda. Mix in flour until dough forms.
- Mix in chocolate chips.
- Cover the bowl of cookie dough with plastic and chill in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Scoop dough using a medium (2 Tablespoon size) cookie scoop or roll into balls, 6-8 cookies per sheet.
- Bake cookies for 6 minutes then remove them from the oven (cookies will look raw) and bang the baking sheet against the counter 3 times. Bake for an additional 5-6 minutes, until the tops are golden.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and bang the baking sheet against the counter 1 more time. Note: cookies will bake for a total of 11 minutes (6 minutes then an additional 5 minutes).
- Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack. Cookies will soften as they cool, even more so on day two.
Tips and Tricks
- Leave the un-scooped cookie dough in the refrigerator while the other cookies bake. Pull the bowl out of the refrigerator when ready to bake up another baking sheet of cookies so the cookie dough doesn't warm up again.
- Cookies will start out crispy around the edges, but soften significantly as they sit.
- Bake on light-colored baking sheets for best results. If you use dark metal sheets you'll need to watch closely to make sure that the cookies don't brown too quickly.
- Allow the cookies to cool completely then wrap them in plastic or store them in an airtight container to keep them soft.
- Cookies will stay soft and chewy for days, but if you'd like to warm them up you can do that for a few seconds in the microwave.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I omit the corn syrup in this cookie recipe? You can leave out the corn syrup if you'd like, but it may affect the sweetness and texture of this specific cookie recipe. After making many batches and perfecting the recipe I found ¼ of corn syrup to be the key in achieving the exact look and texture of Subway cookies.
- Do I need to chill the dough? You do not need to chill the dough for an extended period of time (4+ hours). However, the dough is sticky and wet and is much easier to handle after chilling for 1-2 hours. I highly recommend chilling for at least an hour. It'll go by fast! It's also a good idea to keep the unbaked cookie dough in the refrigerator to keep it cold while the other cookies bake.
- What ingredients are in Subway chocolate chip cookies? I went to their website and found this information. They use a combination of palm oil and butter, semisweet chocolate, sugar, molasses, flour, baking soda, salt, eggs, and a couple of ingredients that I didn't recognize. I used this as a guide when creating this recipe. My recipe IS NOT the exact recipe that Subway uses, it is a copycat version---my best guess.
- What does molasses do in cookie recipes? Molasses adds a depth of flavor to any recipe that it is added to as well as color.
- What kind of butter and oil to use for chocolate chip cookies? Subway uses a combination of palm oil and butter. I used a combination of salted butter and vegetable oil. If I were to bake these cookies using only butter I'd use 1 cup, but I didn't want to do a 50/50 split of butter and oil so I used slightly less oil; ½ butter and ⅓ cup of oil, using this article as a guide.
- How do you store chewy chocolate chip cookies? I store these cookies the way that I store all of my cookies. In an airtight container or wrapped individually in plastic for single-size portions.
Copycat Subway Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
Copycat Subway Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter room temperature
- ⅓ cup oil canola oil or vegetable oil
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ½ cup white sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon molasses optional
- ¼ cup corn syrup
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips 12 ounce bag
Instructions
- Cream butter and sugars together until mixed. Add oil and mix thoroughly.
- Beat in eggs, vanilla extract, molasses, and corn syrup.
- Add salt and baking soda.
- Mix in flour until dough forms.
- Mix in chocolate chips.
- Cover bowl and chill for 1-2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.Scoop dough using a medium (2 Tablespoon size) cookie scoop or roll into balls, 6-8 cookies per sheet.
- Bake cookies for 6 minutes then remove them from the oven (cookies will look raw) and bang the baking sheet against the counter 2 times. Bake for an additional 4-5 minutes, until the tops are golden.Remove the cookies from the oven and bang the baking sheet against the counter 1 more time.
- Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack. Cookies will soften as they cool, even more so on day two.
Notes
- Leave the un-scooped cookie dough in the refrigerator while the other cookies bake. Pull the bowl out of the refrigerator when ready to bake up another baking sheet of cookies so the cookie dough doesn't warm up again.
- Cookies will start out crispy around the edges, but soften significantly as they sit (even more so on day 2).
- If you don't bang the cookie sheets the cookies will be puffier and not flatten as much.
- Molasses is optional but adds a great depth of flavor. 1-2 teaspoons is plenty since a little goes a long way.
- Corn syrup is what gives the cookie a soft and fudgy texture similar to Subway and other restaurant cookies. You can omit it, but it will change the consistency to that of a regular chocolate chip cookie.
- Store cookies in an airtight container or wrap them individually in plastic. Cookies will stay soft and fresh 3-5 days.
Doris says
Hi there, can you form these into balls an freeze unbaked for another time?
Doris says
Just wondering if these could be rolled into balls and put in freezer unbaked?
Brandy says
Hi! You can, you’d just need to bake them a minute or two longer. They might not flatten as much when you bang the baking sheet, but they’ll still taste the same!
Doris says
Thanks! Going to be stocking the freezer this weekend! Have to say the first time making these I was a bit skeptical about molasses, but these are so good...thanks for sharing your recipe 🙂
Brandy says
Doris, I'm so glad to hear that you liked them!
Ali says
I love this recipe! But just to clarify, when you say brown sugar, do you mean light or dark brown sugar? I've been using dark brown.
Brandy says
I use light, but I don’t think it matters! Especially since you had great results with dark. Glad you liked them! 🙂
Antonis says
The flavor is absolutely great, but I am not having great results with texture. Followed the recipe exactly and I ended up with cookies that are about 1mm thin with the chocolate chips sticking out, and there gummy the second day. Did the second ready without the pan banging but no change.
Brandy says
I have no idea! Could be a variance in flour and how it’s measured. I’d add an extra 1/4 cup - 1/2 cup and hopefully that helps.