Help. Not an experienced baker. Thought I followed the recipe. Why did my chocolate chip cookies come out like this?

As others have mentioned, try chilling the cookie dough balls for 30 minutes in the fridge and bake straight from there. I would lower the oven temperature to 350F as well. Cook in middle rack in the oven. Try cooking 6-8 on a pan instead. Baking time is just an estimate. Keep a close eye on them after 8 or so minutes. Sometimes as little as an extra minute is the difference between the perfectly cooked cookie and an overdone one. Cookies are better if they are slightly underdone when you take them out. They will continue to cook as they cool and you will get a softer cookie as a result. If you wait for them to turn golden in the oven, they will be too crispy when cooled. You can always test bake 1 cookie first to see how it comes out. Good luck with the next batch.

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