Doubletree Cookies
Published on March 22, 2023
Quick Summary
This is THE famous DoubleTree chocolate chip cookie recipe! The cookies are huge, loaded with chocolate chips and there are even a couple of secret ingredients! You have to try these legendary chocolate chip cookies!
If you’ve ever stayed at a Hilton DoubleTree hotel, you probably remember the special way they welcome their guests: with a big, warm chocolate chip cookie. That’s my kind of hello!
For years the recipe has been a secret, but they released so all of us at home could bake something special. It’s a little piece of vacation while we are at home.
This is an insanely popular (even iconic!) cookie recipe. DoubleTree bakes over 30 MILLION of these cookies every year to give to guests when they check into their hotels. It’s been a tradition for the more than 50 years and is intended to give travelers an at-home, comfortable feeling. Their vice-president said, “A warm chocolate chip cookie can’t solve everything, but it can bring a moment of comfort and happiness.”
I’ll bake to that! Cookies make everything better! I was so excited to bake the famous DoubleTree Cookies at home. Our family loved them and I think you will too!
Table of Contents
Cookie Ingredients
So what is so special about these cookies? Let’s find out!
Most of the ingredients for these cookies will look like your classic chocolate chip cookie recipe:
- Butter
- Granulated sugar
- Brown sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Chocolate chips (these cookies are loaded with chocolate chips)
- Walnuts (I didn’t add them, but you certainly can)
However, there are a couple of secret ingredients that make these cookies special.
- Fresh lemon juice – I think this is the ingredient that most surprised people! Lemon is super acidic, so it helps the cookies rise and adds a subtle but unexpected flavor.
- Cinnamon – this makes perfect sense since cinnamon always smells so homey and nostalgic! Perfect for a cookie that reminds people of home.
- Oats – I love the texture the oats add to this recipe. It’s only ½ cup, but it gives them a more substantial feel.
How to Make DoubleTree Cookies
The famous cookie recipe is pretty straight forward, you can whip up a batch in no time. And guess what? You don’t have to chill the dough!
- These cookies bake at 300 degrees F, a lower temperature than most cookies. Preheat the oven and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat baking mats.
- Cream the butter and sugars together for a full two minutes. I set the timer to make sure I was true to the recipe.
- Add eggs, vanilla, and lemon juice. Mix on low for 30 seconds, then turn the mixer up to medium speed and beat for two minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed! Again, I set the timer to make sure I was beating for the full two minutes. The mixture should be REALLY light and fluffy.
- Add the dry ingredients: flour, oats, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Mix on low, being careful to not over mix.
- Finish the dough by folding in the chocolate chips and walnuts, if using. You can do this part by hand so you do as little mixing as possible!
- Each cookie should be about 3 tablespoons of dough, they are big cookies. Set the cookie dough balls 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Bake the cookies for 20-23 minutes. Look for lightly browned, set edges with a middle that still looks a bit soft.
- Remove from the oven and sprinkle with flaky sea salt, if using. DoubleTree doesn’t use flaky sea salt but I HAD to add it. I LOVE a salty kick:)
- Leave them on the baking sheet after pulling them from the oven! DoubleTree suggests letting the cookies cool for 1 hour on the sheet. It’s ok if you sneak one before the hour is up, I certainly did:)
How to Store
Store the cookies in an airtight container on the countertop for up to 5 days. Pro tip-put a slice of bread in the container to keep the cookies extra fresh. The cookies will stay soft, but the bread will get hard. It’s magic:)
You can also freeze the cookie dough before baking! Roll the cookie dough into balls and freeze the balls in a freezer container or freezer bag. No need to thaw, just add a minute or two to the baking time and look for those set edges and soft middles.
And of course you can freeze baked cookies too. Let the cookies cool completely and then place in a freezer container or freezer bag and freeze. Eat frozen or defrost before enjoying. They are good either way!
More Cookie Recipes
If you are looking for more cookie recipes, you are in luck because I am the ultimate cookie monster. I LOVE cookies! Here are a few of my favorite cookie recipes!
- Monster Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Snickerdoodles
- Classic No Bake Cookies
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Oatmeal Cookies
- Peanut Butter Blossoms
- Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
Find ALL of my cookie recipes HERE! Happy cookie baking!
DoubleTree Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Pinch of ground cinnamon
- 2 2/3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 3/4 cups chopped walnuts, optional
- Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling on cookies, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
- Using a stand mixer, cream butter, sugar and brown sugar together on medium speed for two minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, as necessary.
- Add eggs, vanilla, and lemon juice, blending with mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Increase the mixer to medium speed and beat for about 2 minutes, or until light and fluffy, scraping down bowl.
- Turn off the mixer and add the flour, oats, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Mix on low for about 45 seconds or until just combined. Don’t overmix.
- Remove bowl from mixer and stir in chocolate chips and walnuts, if using.
- Portion dough with a cookie scoop or spoon, about 3 tablespoons of dough per cookie, onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a Silpat baking mat, about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 20 to 23 minutes, or until edges are golden brown and center is still soft.
- Remove from oven and sprinkle with sea salt, if desired. DoubleTree doesn’t do this, but I do. Cool on baking sheet for about 1 hour.
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?
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5 stars! I love these cookies and I love that Hilton released the recipe
Me too! I loved trying the recipe. We will definitely make them again!
I’ve made a lot of chocolate chip cookies, but these were one of the best ever!
Hi!
I’ve been making Doubletree’s recipe for a couple of years. The recipe I have mentions placing the old fashion oats in a food processor and grinding to a powder like consistency. Other than that, I think the recipe is pretty much the same. It seems like the ground oats help hold the cookie shape.
I like a readers comment about rolling the cookie in the oats.
– Patty
Made the cookies yesterday and we love them. Will definitely be in the cookie rotation! The addition of flaky sea salt was brilliant- thanks Maria!
Sorry forgot to put the five star rating!
Delicious they were devoured instantaneously. Is there a vegan version?
Love these !!! I have made them at least 5 times if not more and they always turn out amazing!!
These were the best chocolate chip cookies I have ever made. Upon first bite, the recipe instantly made it into the family recipe book. Thanks!
Loved them. Watch Nailed It! on Netflix and used Chef Jacques Torres idea of dipping them in port wine. Delicious. Froze half for Mother’s Day side gift for grandma.
Yay!
Wow! Sooo good and I’ve made A LOT of chocolate chip cookies. My oven cooks faster so I will decrease the cooking time next time.
Glad you loved the cookies!
Love these cookies! My husband is not a big chocolate chip cookie fan and he cannot stop raving about these. Making again tomorrow!
Glad you loved the cookies!
Tried doubletree cookie for the first time. And just because of you it came out to be perfect. Thanks for sharing it with us
Glad you loved the cookies!
Turned out great!!!! Thank you!!
I made these several months ago. I refrigerate the dough then weigh out equal size dough balls and freeze (Foodsaver) most of them and just bake a few at a time. The first batch the cookies spread much thinner than they should have (somewhere later on I read that if you’ don’t add the nuts, then add a couple extra tbsp of flour). So my next batch I baked from the frozen dough, I rolled each dough ball in rolled oats and then baked them…turned out so good. The addition of the oats kept them from spreading too thin and created the perfect slightly crispy, slightly chewy “crust”.
I just finished making a new batch of these and I coated them in the oatmeal…the crackled oat crust is both chewy and crunchy and adds the perfect texture and flavor.
The only other slight change was altering the sugar amounts…one cup dark brown sugar and 1/2 cup white sugar.
Mmmm!
This is the first chocolate chip cookie recipe that actually worked out the way it was supposed to! These are perfect and we loved how they turned out. We will be using this recipe again in the future.
OH MY GOODNESS…. usually I don’t like making chocolate chip cookies because they always seem to have a weird aftertaste (like too much baking soda or something) but these were AMAZING!!!!! I did use dark brown sugar because I was out of light and for the chocolate… I used half semi sweet chocolate chips and half crushed up m&ms, then used pecans instead of walnuts (person preference) THANK YOU SO MUCH for blessing my life with this recipe ❤️
Can’t wait to make this recipe. Just a question…if I want to make mini cookies… how much time should be in the oven? (I want to put them in jar as a present. And how much dough should be). Thank you!
I am not sure how small you want to make them, but if you are making them super small I would check at 6 minutes to see if they are done.
Has this recipe for the double tree cookie been adjusted for altitude or is this the original?
Thanks
Great chocolate chip cookie recipe!
I’d love to try these. But I’m leaning a tip about the bread in the cookie container. I grew up learning to do this from my mother. However there’s a very important step: the bread cannot actually touch any of the cookies. You should sit slice of bread in the airtight container on top of a Ziploc baggie so that there is shield between any of the cookies and the bread. The whole point of the bread is that the moisture in the bread will keep the cookies soft and fresh. If you put the bread directly on a cookie that cookie will turn to mush…it will be too moist and wet. Get it?! Also I have replaced the slice of bread once it gets hard with another piece and my cookies stay for sometimes 10 days nice and soft in the container on the counter.
This is my go to chocolate chip cookie recipe. I’ve tried the Neiman Marcus cookie recipe & it never turns out. I like making the dough up and then freezing cookies so you’ll have some at the ready when you have company!
So glad you love the cookies. My freezer is always stocked:)
This is my favorite recipe for chocolate chip cookies. It is the best ever ! Thank you for sharing it ! A must try .
OMG! Just cooled down enough for me to try (tried 2! LOL). They are my new favorite cookie recipe. To be honest, I was a little worried about the lemon juice but I shouldn’t have been, they are fabulous! I didn’t add nuts only because I’m bringing them to a gathering tomorrow and not sure if anyone is allergic. I will add the next time I make them. So easy and I love that you don’t need to refrigerate the dough before baking.
Could you tell me if this is a crispy cookie or a soft one? I’m looking for a crispy one.
Crisp around the edges, but then soft and chewy.
Since I’m the Pastry Chef I make these all day at a Doubletree hotel .We get them in puck form , Follow the recipe yet freeze the dough after scooping . This way they don’t over spread in baking , also use a convection oven at 310 degrees and bake for 20 minutes. I make anywhere from 200 to 600 or mare daily.
Can you bake these and then freeze them rather than freeze the dough?
Yes!