Mama Kelce's Chocolate Chip Cookies
Donna Kelce had been bringing these to her sons' football games for years before anyone outside Ohio knew her name. Then came Super Bowl 57, a jersey split down the middle — half Eagles, half Chiefs — and a plastic container she handed to Travis and Jason on live television. The photo spread everywhere. People immediately wanted to know what was in those cookies. She shared the recipe on the Today Show. Turns out: two kinds of chocolate, cake flour, cinnamon, and butter that goes in melted rather than creamed. Small differences that add up.
Ingredients
- 340 gbutter
- 300 gbrown sugar
- 200 ggranulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 15 mlvanilla extract
- 5 gbaking soda
- 30 mlhot water
- 250 gall-purpose flour
- 120 gcake flour
- 4 gbaking powder
- 3 gcinnamon
- 6 gsalt
- 170 gwhite chocolate chips
- 170 gmilk chocolate chips
- 110 gpecans
Method
- Melt the butter and let it cool for 15 minutes — it should be liquid but not hot. Meanwhile, dissolve the baking soda in the hot water and stir until clear. These two steps are in the recipe for a reason: hot butter scrambles eggs, and undissolved baking soda leaves bitter white spots.
- Beat the cooled melted butter with both sugars for 4 minutes on medium speed. This is longer than most cookie recipes call for and it matters — you are building structure that makes up for the fact that the butter isn't cold.
- Add the whole egg and the extra yolk, then beat just until combined. Add the vanilla extract and the dissolved baking soda and mix briefly. The extra yolk adds richness without making the cookies cakey.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix until just combined — stop as soon as you no longer see streaks of flour.
- Fold in the white chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, and pecans with a spatula. Scoop the dough into balls (about 2 tablespoons each) and place them on a parchment-lined tray. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, overnight if possible. This step is not optional — it's what keeps the cookies from spreading into flat discs.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F). Arrange the cold dough balls on a baking sheet with 5 cm (2 inches) between them. Bake for 11–13 minutes, until the edges are set and golden but the centers still look underdone. They will firm up on the pan.
- Leave the cookies on the baking sheet for at least 10 minutes before moving them. They are too soft to lift straight from the oven and will hold their shape better once they cool slightly.
FAQ
The most common cause is skipping or shortening the dough chill time. Because the recipe uses melted butter, the dough is soft at room temperature and spreads quickly in the oven. You need at least 3 hours in the refrigerator — overnight gives more reliable results. A second cause: oven temperature. If your oven runs hot, cookies spread before they set. Try reducing by 10°C and using the middle rack. A third factor: scooping too loosely. Pack the dough into the scoop and roll each ball lightly before chilling, so they hold their shape from the start.
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Comments (1)
Ingredient temperature matters enormously for mama kelce's chocolate chip cookies. Unless the recipe says otherwise, everything should be at room temperature. Cold butter doesn't cream properly, and the texture suffers throughout.