Loaded with white chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, nuts, and a hint of cinnamon, Mama Kelce’s chocolate chip cookies are amazing! Crispy on the outside and chewy in the center. You’ll love them!
You might also like the famous Jacques Torres chocolate chip cookies, copycat Subway cookies, or copycat Gideon’s Bakehouse chocolate chip cookies.
Watch our step by step video!
Many of you know that I’ve been on a quest for the past two years to make all of the most famous chocolate chip recipes. Someone had to do it, ha! If the company shares the recipe, I make it and post about it (Jacques Torres, $250 cookies, Grand Floridian, Double Tree, etc.). If the company hasn’t shared a recipe I get busy and create a copycat version (Gideon’s Bakehouse, Levain, Chick-fil-A, etc.) Once I’m finished I’ll compile all of the recipes into one post—your one-stop for chocolate chip cookie recipes.
Today I’m sharing, quite possibly, one of the BEST flavored chocolate chip cookies that I’ve ever had, and I don’t say that lightly. These are the most unique chocolate chip cookie recipe and the extra steps are totally worth it. I’m going to share the exact recipe and then share what I’d change if I made them again.
Mama Kelce’s Cookies
Right before Super Bowl 57, on opening night, Donna Kelce met her sons Travis and Jason on stage and presented them with a container of her famous cookies. Mama Kelce has been known to share them with TV hosts and even donated her recipe to be made and sold for fundraisers. About sharing her recipe Donna said, “In this season of giving, it means so much to raise money for two great charities through an old-fashioned bake sale. My chocolate chip cookies have been a staple in our house for a long time, so it’s very special to share the recipe that my sons love with fans during the holidays.”
When the recipe was shared in People magazine, I bookmarked it and knew that I had to try it! I’m not typically a big fan of white chocolate chips, but the combination of milk chocolate, white chocolate, nuts, and a hint of cinnamon might just be my new favorite now.
What Makes This Recipe a Keeper
- Uses Melted Butter: this recipe calls for melted butter that has been cooled to room temperature. When combined with brown sugar it creates a caramel flavor throughout the cookie (see my notes at the end).
- Cinnamon Flavor: Double Tree uses a small amount of cinnamon to set their cookies apart. Mama Kelce’s cookies call for a teaspoon and it gives such a unique touch to the cookies.
- Chills 3-24 Hours: I typically shy away from chilling dough unless absolutely necessary. Because of the melted butter, it is necessary to chill the dough and it’s worth the effort! Not only does it allow the dough to set up, it intensifies the flavor. It is recommended to chill the dough for 3-24 hours.
- Milk Chocolate and White Chocolate: most recipes call for semisweet chips, but the milk chocolate and white chocolate play really well together in these cookies.
- Crispy and Chewy: I was worried that the cookies would be too crispy because they bake up thin, but they were perfect! Crispy on the outside and soft in the center—even on day 2.
Mama Kelce’s Chocolate Chip Cookie Ingredients
Butter: I always use salted butter, but you can use unsalted
Light brown sugar and white sugar: this recipe calls for a combination of both.
Eggs: 1 egg and 1 egg yolk for richness.
Vanilla extract: have you tried making your own vanilla extract before?
Baking Soda and Hot Water: you mix these together and add it to the cookie dough mixture.
All Purpose Flour AND Cake (Pastry) Flour: a combination of both for great texture.
Baking Powder and Salt: for flavor and leavening.
Ground cinnamon: for amazing flavor.
Milk Chocolate Chips AND White Chocolate Chips: the combination really sets the cookies apart.
Chopped Pecans (optional): I used walnuts.
How To Make Donna Kelce’s Chocolate Chip Cookies
Melt butter in the microwave in 20-second increments until melted.
Pour into a mixing bowl or stand mixer. Let cool for 15 to 20 minutes.
Add brown and white sugar to the butter mixture and beat with a mixer for a few minutes.
Add egg and egg yolk and mix.
Add vanilla and mix for 30 seconds.
In a small bowl mix hot water and baking soda together. Add this to the cookie dough and mix.
In a separate bowl, add all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Mix to combine. Slowly add this mixture to the wet ingredients and mix.
Stir in all chocolate chips and nuts with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon.
Chill for 3-24 hours (I chilled mine for 3 hours).
Preheat oven to 350°.
Allow cookie dough to come to room temperature. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and scoop cookie dough (or drop with a spoon) onto baking sheets. These cookies spread considerably so bake 4-6 cookies at a time.
For regular cookies (about 2 Tablespoons of cookie dough), bake for 10 minutes, or until lightly golden around the edges. For larger cookies (3 Tablespoons), bake for 13 to 15 minutes.
Note: these cookies bake up flatter than many of my recipes. Some came out perfectly round and others looked a little wonky in shape (which, according to images others have shared is normal). To fix this I re-shaped the hot cookies with a spatula. It’s easy to do and creates perfectly round cookies. You can see how I did that in my video. The result is perfectly round cookies with great thickness and texture.
Allow cookies to cool on a baking sheet for 3-5 minutes then transfer to a wire cooling rack.
Store cooled cookies in an airtight container.
Brandy’s notes: If I were to make these again I’d probably reduce the amount of butter to 2 sticks or increase the flour. I don’t think it needs 3 sticks and reducing the butter would yield cookies that aren’t quite as flat and don’t need to be re-shaped after baking. I feel like the flavor would be very similar. Still, I absolutely loved these cookies and will be making them again—-with those adjustments. They stayed soft for 3 days!
Mama Kelce’s Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
(measurements are the same, I adapted the wording for the directions. Original recipe credit.)
Mama Kelce's Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1½ cups sweet cream butter 3 sticks
- 1½ cups packed light brown sugar
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk
- 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
- 1 tsp. baking soda dissolved in 2 Tbsp. of hot water to activate; microwave water first then stir in baking soda to dissolve
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup cake or pastry flour
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1½ tsp. salt
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- 1 cup milk chocolate
- 1 cup chopped pecans optional
Instructions
- Melt butter in the microwave in 20-second increments until melted.Pour into a mixing bowl or stand mixer. Let cool for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Add brown and white sugar to the butter mixture and beat with a mixer for a few minutes.Add egg and egg yolk and mix.Add vanilla and mix for 30 seconds.
- In a small bowl mix 2 Tablespoons of hot water and baking soda together. Add this to the cookie dough and mix.In a separate bowl, add all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Mix to combine. Slowly add this mixture to the wet ingredients and mix.Stir in all chocolate chips and nuts with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon.
- Cover the bowl with plastic and chill for 3-24 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350°.Allow cookie dough to come to room temperature. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and drop cookie dough onto baking sheets. These cookies spread considerably so bake 4-6 cookies at a time.
- For regular cookies (about 2 Tablespoons of cookie dough), bake for 10 minutes, or until lightly golden around the edges. For larger cookies (3 Tablespoons), bake for 13 to 15 minutes.Brandy's Note: these cookies bake up flatter than many of my recipes. Some came out perfectly round, and others looked a little wonky in shape (which, according to images others have shared is normal). To fix this I re-shaped the hot cookies with a spatula. It's easy to do and creates perfectly round cookies. You can see how I did that in my video. The result is perfectly round cookies with great thickness and texture.
- Allow cookies to cool on a baking sheet for 3-5 minutes then transfer to a wire cooling rack.
Notes
Nutrition
Welcome! I'm Brandy, mother to 5 darling kiddos and a cute black lab named Toby. My husband is in the Coast Guard so we've lived all over the place, turning each house into a home. I love baking, sewing, making cute things with my kids, and sharing what I've learned with all of you!
Mine came out thin oily and gross, I added a little more flour to the second batch the same. Not sure what I did wrong. Waste of ingredients won’t try again.
I baked a batch last weekend and I did use just a cup of salted butter and reduced the amount of salt to 1 tsp. I also added toasted pecan chips (I’ve always toasted any nuts or coconut flakes/shredded to bring out the flavors). I chilled it overnight and I proportioned the cookie doughs already as always and so much easier. All in all this is a very good recipe. I brought it to work today for my co-workers to enjoy🐸🤗
Love this recipe and have made the adjustments of less butter. I also incorporate corn startch too to prevent over spreading. I always get rave reviews about these cookies.