While chocolate chip cookies clearly stand up on their own, we sometimes like to toss in a few extra fancy add-ins to make the everyday cookie something much more extraordinary. Here are over a dozen suggestions to take your cookies up a notch, and some of our favourite flavour combinations.
Use this post to jazz up sourdough chocolate chip cookies or your favourite chocolate chunk cookies.
16 Add-ins for Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chopped chocolate bars: think Twix or Snickers, or a handful of M&Ms.
- Chopped nuts: pistachios, pecans, walnuts, cashews, and hazelnuts are all excellent.
- Toasted coconut: use shredded for a more subtle addition, or flake coconut for something more textural.
- Crystallized ginger: this adds a spicy twist. You could add candied peel, too.
- Pretzels: the mini version, not the big yeast pretzels, chopped up.
- Granola: a handful of granola or trail mix will add some texture to the cookies.
- Dried fruit: dried cherries, blueberries, apricots, cranberries, banana chips, and dates are all excellent.
- Citrus zest: orange zest, lemon zest, or even other fruit like bergamot or grapefruit are all tasty. Mix with the butter.
- Caramels: use chopped hard caramels, like Werther's.
- Herbs: finely chopped fresh rosemary is a nice addition to make a slightly herbal cookie. A tiny pinch of lavender is nice too.
- Flakey salt: add a pinch to the top of each cookie for a salty twist.
- Spices: add cayenne pepper for a Mexican chocolate version, cardamom, or nutmeg.
- Popcorn: plain or caramel popcorn is delicious in cookies.
- Marshmallows: dried marshmallows or vegan marshmallows can be baked into chocolate chip cookies without melting too much.
- Rainbow sprinkles: for a pretty and colourful cookie, and a handful of sprinkles with the chocolate chips.
- Candy canes: crushed candy canes, added with the chips, add a nice holiday element.
Favourite Flavour Combinations
- S'more: add marshmallows, chocolate chips, and chopped graham crackers.
- Valentine: use white chocolate and dried cherries.
- Sundae: mix in chopped caramels, dark chocolate chips, and salted peanuts.
- Birthday cake: white chocolate chips and rainbow sprinkles.
- Winter spice: chocolate, orange zest, dates, and cinnamon.
- Fancy: finely chopped rosemary, dark chocolate, and a flakey salt sprinkle.
- Kitchen sink: popcorn, caramels, chopped nuts, and chocolate chips.
Top Tips
- Use small pieces: try to chop up any additions to be about chocolate chip-sized so that you get a nice bite with a little of everything.
- Think about pairings: maybe rosemary, rainbow sprinkles, and peanuts isn't the best choice. Combine flavours that go well together.
- Don't overdo it: choose up to three add-ins, but don't mix in too many – that's too much of a good thing!
If you use these Chocolate Chip Cookie Add-ins or any cookie recipes on the Baked Collective, please take a moment to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It’s such a help to others who want to try the recipe. For more baking, follow along on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.