I've Been Making Martha Stewart's 5-Ingredient Cookies Nonstop

After a long and stressful day, there's nothing quite like a homemade cookie to lift me up. This is not the time for something complicated—no pies, cakes, or cupcakes. I need a cookie that takes 20 minutes or less and doesn't require a ton of fancy ingredients. And that's why I love Martha Stewart's five-ingredient chocolate chip cookies—it takes longer to preheat the oven than to make the dough.

When I first encountered Martha’s cookies on Instagram, I wasn’t looking for a gluten-free or dairy-free cookie, but they do tick those boxes if that’s something you’re after. Do they taste just like chocolate chip cookies? They don't. These cookies taste like sweet almond butter with chocolate, but my kids and I love them just the same.

The first time I made these cookies, I placed them in a 32-ounce lidded Mason jar on the kitchen counter and watched them disappear throughout the day. When they were all gone, my son Oliver buttered me up for more: "Mommy, you're the best chef. Those were so good!" I'm a sucker for sweet talk, so I made another batch. It's a good thing these cookies take no time to make, and they're so easy I now know the recipe by heart.

How I Make Martha Stewart’s 5-Ingredient Chocolate Chip Cookies 

Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

In a medium bowl, use a sturdy rubber spatula or large spoon to beat two eggs, 1/2 cup (100 grams) light or dark brown sugar, and one teaspoon kosher salt until the sugar is fully dissolved and the mixture looks frothy. (This is a job for a child that claims to be bored.)

Add one cup (270 grams) of almond butter and stir until fully combined. Stir in 3/4 cup (four ounces) of chopped semi-sweet chocolate. Martha calls for chocolate chips, but I love small flecks of chopped chocolate that pepper the cookie and create gooey puddles.

Scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheet. I use this one-tablespoon cookie scoop, which yields about 32 two-bite cookies. These don’t spread much so about an inch of space in between is sufficient.

You could sprinkle flaky salt on top before popping them in the oven, but since the cookies aren't too sweet, the extra salt isn't necessary. If you love the pops of salt, go for it.

Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes until the edges darken. The longer you bake them, the crispier the edges will get, which I prefer. They’ll be shy of totally baked through, but they’ll firm up as they cool—leave them on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes.

These cookies are chewy just baked and soften after day one. The almond flavor also becomes more pronounced. However you like them best, you can go from zero to cookies in about 20 minutes and you won't regret baking a batch or three.