Itsy Bitsy Chocolate Chip Cookies

The perfect bite-sized chocolate chip cookie. Tiny, thin, golden, crisp, a bit nutty with plenty of shaved chocolate.

Itsy Bitsy Chocolate Chip Cookies

I recognize the lead photo for this post makes these chocolate chip cookies look enormous. They are not. In fact, one of these cookies is about the size of a half-dollar, you might be able to fit a dozen of them in the palm of your hand. And while the photo might be a bit misleading, the trade-off is that you can see all the flecks of shaved chocolate, oats, and walnuts that are packed into every tiny cookie. The grains of sugar on top? They give the cookies just the right amount of crunch. These are the perfect bite-sized cookie, and each batch makes nearly twelve dozen of them.

itsy bitsy chocolate chip cookie

Itsy Bitsy Chocolate Chip Cookies: The Concept

I started working on this recipe over the summer (it took a few tries!). I knew I wanted my cookie to be tiny. I wanted it to be thin, and I wanted it to be golden, crisp, nutty, with plenty of chocolate. I started shaving the chocolate early on, instead of using chips or chunks. It ended up being one of the things that makes these cookies unique -and it allows you to press the dough near flat.

chocolate chip cookie on parchment paper

The recipe doubles easily, and I can't resist mentioning that ice-cream sandwiches made with them are tres cute and tasty. The key is resisting the urge to use too much dough when you're shaping them.

itsy bitsy chocolate chip cookie on parchment paper

Variations: 

There have been some great substitutions and variations in the comments. I’ll call out a few that caught my attention.

  • Susie says, “These cookies were AMAZING!! I used date sugar instead of the cane sugar, and they turned out just fine. I gave some to my best friend, and she said, “I’d pay MONEY for these!” “
  • Leigh went the coconut route, “I made these tonight replacing 1/2 cup of the oats with a mixture of toasted coconut and toasted wheat germ.
  • Sassy reports, “I added raisins and Craisins to half the batch. Yum yum!”

chocolate chip cookie dough balls on parchment-lined baking sheets

More Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes

Or browse all the cookie recipes. I especially love the classics like these shortbread cookies, these limoncello macaroons, these ginger cookies, or these special snickerdoodles. Have fun baking!

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Itsy Bitsy Chocolate Chip Cookies

5 from 1 vote

I use whole wheat pastry flour here, but you can substitute unbleached all-purpose flour if you like. You might also add-in some finely chopped crystallized ginger, chopped raisins, currants, or wheat germ. You can do barley flakes or spelt flakes in place of the rolled oats. There are a lot of different ways to take this cookie.

Ingredients
  • 5 ounces good-quality semi-sweet chocolate bar (60-70%)
  • 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
or unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup walnuts, very, very finely chopped (by hand)
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
scant
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • scant 1 tablespoon organic unsulphured molasses (blackstrap)
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup large-grain sugar (for ex: turbinado)
Instructions
  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F / 175°C degrees, racks in top and bottom third. Line a couple baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. Finely chop the chocolate bar into 1/8-inch pieces, more like shavings really. Try to avoid big lumps and chunks, which make flattening out the cookie dough later more difficult.
  3. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, oats, walnuts, and shaved chocolate. Set aside.
  4. Using a mixer (or by hand) beat the butter until fluffy. Beat in the sugar and mix until it is also light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl once or twice. Beat in the molasses, then the egg, mixing until both are well incorporated, scrape down the sides of the bowl once or twice. Beat in the vanilla. Add the flour mix and stir by hand until the ingredients barely come together into a uniform dough.
  5. I like these cookies tiny, barely bite-sized, so scoop out the dough in exact, level teaspoons. Then tear those pieces of dough in two before rolling each 1/2 teaspoon of dough into a ball shape. Place two inches apart on your prepared baking sheets. Gently flatten each dough ball into a thin, round patty with two fingers and then sprinkle the top of each cookie with a pinch of large-grain sugar.
  6. Bake for 7 minutes or until cookies are golden and fragrant. Remove from oven, and cool on a wire rack.
Notes

Makes about 12 dozen tiny, bite-sized cookies.

Serves
144
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
7 mins
Total Time
17 mins
 
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Recipe Rating




Comments

I made these last Friday and brought half to my office and sent half to a vday blogger exchange. I added raisins and craisins to half the batch. Yum yum! Making orange pan-glazed tempeh tonight. Thanks for the great recipes!

Sassy Molassy

I made these for my boyfriend for Valentine's Day and we both LOVED them! They are so cute, and even though they're tiny they have so much yummy flavor. Thanks for the recipe! :)

Julia

Heidi, I just made these cookies for my children as a special Valentine's Day treat. They are exceptional, wonderful, and so tasty. I could not be more pleased with your recipe. By now I have made countless recipes from your website, both sweets and savories, and I have never been disappointed. Each one turns out gorgeous, delicious, and wholesome. Thank you again. HS: I'm so glad you liked them Barb. I wish I had a few right about now ;)

Barb

WOW This site is amazing, yummy. Thank you for putting such a great resource up. My son is Vegan and Í find it hard to know what to cook him sometimes.

Ann

OMG, those are soooo cute!! I cannot wait to try them!! I hope they are good! I think I might bring them to a Girls-Night-Out party with my friends! They'll be perfect! Thanks for the fantastic recipe! -Gracie

Gracie

Now those are just too cute. I love the size and that you get 12 dozen. Can't wait to try these. Thanks Ann

Ann

Heidi, I love tiny cookies! These look delicious and lovely, very delicate.

Patricia Scarpin

Heidi, I made these tonight replacing 1/2 cup of the oats with a mixture of toasted coconut and toasted wheat germ. I toasted the two ingredients together in a skillet before adding to the dry mixture. Also, I only baked them for 6 minutes...I'm thinking the toasted replacements make the cookies inclined to crisp faster. The cookies are delicious and packed with tiny goodies of all kinds--their size makes them perfect/dangerous for a road trip! Thanks for the inspiration, leigh

leigh

These cookies were AMAZING!! I used date sugar instead of the cane sugar, and they turned out just fine. I gave some to my best friend, and she said, "I'd pay MONEY for these!" Yum yum - thank you for these culinary delights!!!!!!! I'm making them for a sister/daughter reunion coming up - we ALL love chocolate...

Susie

Heidi - These are delicious! Made them tonight and my husband could not control himself (eating the cookies!)....great texture and flavor. Thanks for sharing....

Mariangela

i made these for a party this weekend, and they were a huge hit! everyone raved about them!

laura

I am not the best baker and these cookies came out perfect! They flavor is amazing! They were a hit with my whole family. Thanks!

Charli

Wow! These cookies looks great! So crunchy and yummy!

Talita

Hi Heidi, thanks so much for the recipe and your site. I've been reading you for a while but am finally coming out of the closet to tell you that these cookies were absolutely amazing. Love the concept of both your cooking and this cookie. I did sub a few things for this recipe and thought I'd share. I used half AP flour, half WW pastry flour (I like chewier cookies and thought the AP might help in that respect), brown sugar, halved the oats and subbed in unsweetened organic coconut for the rest, doubled the salt, and used Trader Joe's bittersweet chocolate. I didn't have molasses so I also subbed brown rice syrup. Baked the cookies at 350 for exactly 7 minutes and cooled completely on the sheet. While my cookies look like they spread thinner than yours in your beautiful photo, they're perfectly chewy. The chocolate is not overpowering, and you can taste the coconut and the great texture of the oats. These are my new favorite cookie and yes, I find you eat many many more when they're small. Yikes. Thank you so much! HS: Hi Clim, thanks for the nice note and for reporting back - the coconut sounds great. I'd like to do some sort of version of these cookies w/o using a granulated sugar, and I was actually thinking that brown rice syrup might be a nice component - we'll see.

Clim

soooo yummy! i love the subtle flavour of the molasses. and the dough itself was killer, i was having trouble not just eating it all straight from the bowl. thank you!

meg

Heidi, these are a total hit! I made them last night - I got exactly 6 dozen, though, not 12. My initial dough balls might have been larger than 1 t., though - I used my smallest disher. But they're still one-biters, and utterly yum. Plus, the house smelled amazing! Thanks.

Holly

I just found your site via simply breakfast. I can't wait to go thorugh the many recipes listed!! Eveything looks so amazing!!

Sabina

I'd like to use less sweetener. Sugar makes me anxious. Would it be OK to 1/2 the sugar and molasses? Or use agave nectar instead?

tz

i thought these were just perfect!! i love the tiny size! at first i thought 1/2 tsp was so little, but they actually spread out a lot in the oven. i was excited to use whole wheat pastry flour and get to buy some fine chocolate! thanks for sharing this!!

lisa (lost pezhead)

I just made these, and they are RIDICULOUS!! OMG, I don't wanna share... btw, I chopped the chocolate in the food processor. It was very fine after that, and did not melt one bit.

Gretchen

Hi there - can I use golden syrup instead of the molasses? I'd rather not go out and buy and entire tin of molasses for a single measurement! HS: Yes, you should be fine :) -h

Susan

I second Mandy's "may be a stupid question, but..." Measure the nuts before or after chopping? I always wonder this about herbs, too... HS: Hi Beth (and Mandy), in this case I measured after. Sorry for the delay in responding!

Beth

Thanks so much for providing alternatives for oats in this recipe! (I'm allergic to oats.) I appreciate it! :)

Sherri

These look amazing. I love tiny crispy cookies. It's like gourmet cookie crisp. I can't wait to try them, plus chopped up candied ginger,yum

Abby

These cookies look absolutely adorable, and I can't wait to try them ^^ Thanks for another great recipe to try!

Cameron

I made these cookies yesterday. They were fun to make and yummy. I got a little lazy on my last batch and didn't tear the teaspoon sized ball in half. I wish that I had, the tiny version is better. I found that 7 minutes was a little too much-- watch the time so they aren't too crunchy! I also thought molasses taste was a little too strong and so will lessen it the next time I make these.

Sasha

I made a run to whole foods tonight and am ready to bake these! can't wait to try the result!

lisa (lost pezhead)

Just made these and they are tasty. I ended up w/ bigger cookies, that took longer to bake. I tried some w/ sea salt sprinkled on top instead of sugar, but prefer the sugar on top. Would make these again for sure.

KM

I love that this recipe uses whole grains. Those look yummy .... so I can eat ten guilt-free right?

Alisa - Frugal Foodie

these are amazing. I have tray two in the oven right now, but had to comment already. Even the dough was amazing by itself-- I'm surprised any was left for the cookies. The molasses adds the greatest flavor-- thank you for these!

Carly

These little cookies look delicious! I really love the healthier ingredients. Perfect for just a bite of sweetness.

lisa (dandysugar)

How did you know what I need today for my PMS cravings? Love me some good, dark chocolate and some nuts. And they're good for me too - shazam!!!

Amy

Aww, how cute. Guess it's time to play around with flours and see if I can make these work.

Kalinda

12 dozen bite sized babies! That's a lot of cookies. If they're that small and look that good, they won't last.

The Duo Dishes

These look amazing and I just went out to get the ingredients for them I didn't have on hand... now I was wondering if you think they would freeze well?

Hilda

Tons of yummy ingredients packed into that tiny cookie!

Hillary

Your cookies sound delicious. I love what the shaved chocolate does to their look, and I imagine their taste. I bet these would be great with a little spice, or some fleur de sel sprinkled on top.

Hayley

Heidi, The first batch is just out of the oven. Perfect. Wet fingers make all the difference in flattening out the dough (otherwise, so sticky, am too tempted to lick my fingers). Little size is perfect for the toddler little people. Having friends over for dinner tonite, and am ready to impress with the itsy-bitsy ice cream sandwiches. Thank you, again, and again, and again! xx

judy

they look fabulus

Poppy Keating

I made these as soon as I saw the recipe. They are delicious, even though I accidentally added an extra egg and they spread all over the place. They just might be my favorite chocolate chip cookie ...

lilibet

I made these tonight after a long day, cutting the recipe in half. After eating about 7 of them, I thought to myself, "my, these sure are salty, but Heidi has said she really likes salt; wait, these are also bigger than she described them to be. Hmm." And then I realized that when I halved the recipe, I forgot to halve the leavening, salt, and molasses. Yikes! But you know what: they were still delicious! Maybe the extra molasses helped neutralize the extra leavening?

Christina

Oh Heidi, this cookies look so yummy, I really want to give them a try. Thanks for being such an inspiration for all of us. I totally adore your blogs, and most of all, loooove your name ;-) heidi (leon)

heidi leon

Hi ! I am sakura from Tokyo , Japan . I LOVE your blog, everything is looks so yummy ! As a reader of your blog, I must tell you how much I enjoy it. Fantastic!!! You're on my daily list! Thanks for giving me so much inspiration!

Sakura

Those are absolutely adorable and delicious sounding.

ashley (sweet & natural)

Those are absolutely adorable and delicious sounding.

ashley (sweet & natural)

These look super-cute! I'm gonna have to try them ;)

Liz Koppert

What a great cookie! It will satisfy the health nut in me and the chocolate nut in my husband. I made some whole wheat oatmeal cookies with walnuts and molasses last week, and they turned out well, too. These probably have similar flavor, but I bet the chocolate really make them!

Ilana

They are the cutest things ever. I bet they're delicious too.

The Food Hunter

Looks yummy, can't wait to try this tasty recipe!

brian b.

Cute & delish!!

VeggieGirl

I took one 1/2 of a second look and printed this one! I can't wait to try them. Everything mini and teeny in my house is a hit with my little girls. And using only the best chocolate makes them look even yummier. I'll report back when I'm sure they've disappeared in record time.

JoAnne

I wonder if eating Itsy Bitsy cookies will help me fit into my Itsy Bitsy Bikini. Cute idea. My kids will love them...kinda like silver dollar pancakes...they like eating smaller versions of foods. Probably because then they can say "I just ate 14 pancakes."

StuffCooksWant

Ok, these look dangerous! Why is it that the smaller the cookie, the more I eat of them?

Erica

These look tantalizing! I'm wondering if you make them bite-size simply for the aesthetics of teeny, or if that is the way they hold together best. If you made them bigger, would they hold? Fun to serve teeny cookies though. I wonder if I could stop at 2....

Rachelle's Kitchen

I tried the triple ginger cookies last week and I loved them. They went right to the top of my favorite cookie list. My daughter, who has a wheat sensitivity, loved them as well. These chocolate cookies look just as good. Your site has renewed my interest in cooking which has flagged badly now that there are just two of us at home.

Jo

I love putting sugar on tops of cookies, or brown sugar on top of muffins before baking. It just makes it taste so good. I love this recipe because even though the cookies are small, it makes a lot, and I may not eat as many?? (not too sure about that one!)

Jennifer

Yumapotomous - I cannot wait to try these. In particular I appreciate their miniature portion size. Thanks!

Angela Randall

I love small things! So much fun to eat and you can keep portions small but still feel like you've satisfied your sweet tooth... "I just want a bite..." I'm always telling my husband! This looks a lot like my favorite cookie recipe I love chocolate chip cookies that are full of oats nuts and chocolate and not to thin and crispy. I like the picture on the cooling rack!

Emma

can't wait to try these-- such itty bitty cuteness will surely satisfy my nibbly chocolate cravings...

Jess

Crispy, crunchy, tiny, chocolate. Sold. There ARE ways to enjoy a sweet treat and be healthy and happy. I'm on my way to whole foods to shop. I have six gift boxes ready to be filled with "something" for Valentines. This might be it.

Spinach Tiger

I made Nikki's Healthy Cookies once and they immediately became my favorite cookie. I now have to have them on hand, in my freezer, at all times. Then I made the black bean brownies, which were also a hit. I think at this point if you told me to make cookies out of kale and tofu, I would do it. I can't wait to try these.

Kristin

Rose, if you sub agave nectar, you need to reduce the amount by 25% and that goes for other liquids, too. Sucanat is a great alternative to cane sugar - it still contains nutrients and offers that same crunch. Michelle, any recipe that calls for molasses can take blackstrap. I have a great recipe for a pear gingerbread style cake that I'll post soon. You can also use it in oatmeal with walnuts. Heidi - another delicious option for my fave sweet!

cook4seasons

We have a family member who has a gluten sensitivity (though not full blown allergy) and she doesn't eat wheat, in general. However, we discovered that spelt flour doesn't set her off at all. I think I'm going to try this with spelt and see how it goes!

Allyson

Usually I like soft, chewy cookies, but I think I could make an exception for these...

Fit Bottomed Girls

Awwww... These look really great! I'm trying them in my mind. And gonna try to cook them soon.

Val

Because the yield is so large (in terms of number of cookies), it would be a great way to make a thank-you gift for multiple friends or colleagues in one simple recipe. You could wrap them up in something pretty, and then give them as a token of your appreciation. I think they're adorable.

Dallas from Bitchin'Kitchen

Oh em gee! At first, I thought they were fleur de sel on the top of the cookies! MMM :)

Pearl

* * * * * I do not even like chocolate chip cookies. But I do like my oatmeal cookies. Since I feel that way and strongly ... then why was I so obsessed to try these "itsy-bitsy things". Today I received your email touting the wonders of these "Itsy-bitsy things".Yeahhhh. I had to make them today. The first cookie sheet comes out of the oven and is transferred to the cooling rack. I taste one. Then I tasted each one from that sheet. The are very delicious!!! Now I have to explain why I am short on the total count of cookies and why I am not hungry for dinner or own up to my "munchies". Yeah...but it was worth it. I give five stars * * * * * Most excellent. Thank you for sharing and posting your recipe. They are a keeper and will be making them again soon to send to my daughter. John Santa Rosa, CA

John

These look wonderful, they have a whole bunch of great stuff in them and whole grain to boot! They look like those 1-bite cookies in Trader Joe's only better

Nick

I have a party coming up and these will be PERFECT! Thank you!

SK

These are great, little snack-sized cookies. They look just right for chocolate chip!

lisaiscooking

I love the idea of mini cookies...they feel guilt free somehow.

Laura

Those tiny cookies look amazing. I bet they pack a great taste punch!

Lu

Oh these just look delicious. I can't wait to do these soon...yummy

Megan

Very sweet! I'm interested in the blackstrap molasses ingredient--I've taken it sort of like medicine to get iron in my diet, but I've never baked with it! Anyone have any tips about how and when to use it in baking, in general?

Michelle @ What Does Your Body Good?

Oh, I just want to grab it out of the picture! They look so good! I should make these for my cosmetology society! They are all for the chocolate! Gimme, Gimme!

Kelsea

These are adorable. And an ice cream sandwich made with these sounds heavenly!

Chris

Oh. Em. Gee. These are so cute, I can't wait to make them!

Adrienen

These sound great! I like the idea of the sugar on top.

Sara

These look der-licious, and I can't wait to try them. Their teensiness makes you feel so virtuous. I made the triple-ginger cookies last week - a smashing success.

Keri

These look so cute! I wonder if it would work to put the chocolate and walnuts in a food processor and reduce it to rubble? That might work to get the pieces nice and small - although I guess you'd have to make sure everything was fairly cold to avoid the processor motor melting the chocolate. Will have to give it a try (although keeping things cold in London right now = not hard!)

Louise

So, if you can fit a dozen of them in your hand, that means you should be able to fit at least one and a half dozen in your mouth at once, right? Sorry, I have a 12 year old son. Ideas like that one are common around here!

Dana McCauley

Oh my - these look amazing! Will be perfect to make for Valentine's Day next week!

Tabitha (From Single to Married)

Could double sifting regular whole wheat flour work instead of whole wheat pastry flour. These look wonderful and want to make them for a family get-together next weekend.

Rosemary

Holly! Thanks for the tip! hopefully this idea is going somewhere, and not AGAIN into the trash! Happy cooking!

Meg

Oh how very cute!!!! The entire recipe is perfect!

Jennifer

Oh Heidi, your site always makes me want to cook! Luckily, I just cleaned my kitchen, and it's ready for cookies! [As an aside, I made pizzas with your "fave pizza dough recipe" and they came out amazing! As I had forgotten to do them overnight, I just made them at noon, and let them rise in the relatively cool kitchen all day. Fantastic!] It's funny, I'm always hungry for something, but never know what. As soon as I see your site (this happens almost everytime) I realize that that's what I've been wanting. Crazy magic! Tegan

Tegan

Oh my. Those look delicious...although I am sure I could polish off two dozen at once!

Gina

If only I had this recipe last night! I made cookies for a Napa ladies night tonight. I plan on sprinkling sugar with a pinch of Japanese sea salt when I bake them this evening! We are going to make ice cream sandwiches at the party. mmm 3 twins ice cream and warm chocolate cookies!

Ashley

These look great! Unfortunately, my son is allergic to nuts - has anyone tried these without nuts? Do you think wheat germ would be a good substitute?

Famcruisefun

Awesome! I wonder what the photo of the cookies would look like with a half dollar or quarter next to them for comparison...just wondering from the photographer point of view! Thanks!

Sarah

I love everything itsy bitsy! I always bake my cookies teeny, so I'm excited to try these since they are tailor-made to be small! I think I will try your crystalized ginger suggestion. That sounds really good with the chocolate and walnuts.

gastroanthropologist

These look wholesome with the incredible and deep flavours of chocolate.

anushruti

These look very sweet Heidi. I love it that you've tailored the recipe so carefully to make sure that these work well small. I have lots of nutritionist and health conscious friends and tiny cookies tend to go down very well (they still eat three or four of them mind!).

Sophie

Mmmm.... ice cream sandwiches!!!! Now I've got to give them a try -- serving them as ice cream sandwiches in a party is such a fun idea!

Nirvana

these look so amazing. i too, can't wait to try them. thanks! i'm really really excited about these.

Corynne

These are so cute, can't wait to try them. I just made a gluten-free version of your triple chocolate espresso cookies and posted them on my site. Thank you so much for your awesome recipes and inspiration!

Elana

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