Whether you’re a home baker, a chef, or a certified cookie monster, you probably have at least one go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe. It’s quick, comforting, and one of the easiest things to make if you’re new to baking. But let’s be honest – it can be boring.

Here are six creative ways to add flair to your chocolate chip cookie and whisk the boredom out of your kitchen.

1. Keep the Chocolate, Ditch the Chip

It may sound crazy to have chocolate chip cookies without chocolate chips, but trust me. Swapping those toll house chips for some roughly chopped chocolate bars is a game changer. Chocolate chips are made with a small amount of cocoa butter, which makes them harder to melt and helps the chips retain their teardrop shape after baking. In contrast, chopped chocolate bars (with their high cocoa butter content) melt into tiny chocolate-y puddles. Using bars also helps the dough spread better while baking, giving you that even bakery-style look.

2. Flavour Your Butter

Try infusing your butter. Think of flavours that go well with chocolate, like coffee, bourbon, or orange. Teas like matcha, earl grey, and masala chai are good options for a more complex flavour profile. You can even use herbs or go the sweet-and-savoury route by adding miso. Melt butter in a saucepan, add your ingredient of choice, and simmer on low heat for about 3 minutes for syrups and 8-10 minutes for teas. Strain, keep in the fridge until firm, and use in place of your usual butter.

3. Add a Hint of Spice

A dash of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, cardamom, or a combination of all four is guaranteed to have your cookies (and your kitchen) bursting with aroma and a more distinct taste. Plus, they’re super easy to add to your dough. Sift them into the flour, and you’re good to go. For a cookie with a kick, add a teaspoon of cayenne pepper.

4. Switch Up the Flour

The all-magical all-purpose flour does the job for most cookie recipes. But if you want some variation in texture, it’s time to meet the other flours. To get cookies with crisp edges and gooey centers, combine equal parts cake flour and bread flour. For a heartier cookie, try whole-wheat flour. Rice flour, oat flour, and almond flour are great gluten-free options but can be mixed with all other flours for added crunch.

5. Crack A Yolk (or two)

Doubling up on egg yolks is the easiest way to get a denser, chewier, ooey-gooey cookie. Crack an egg and separate the yolk from the white (save that extra egg white for these recipes), or, if you’re a cookie fiend like me, get double-yolk eggs by the dozen. Look for brands like Gray Ridge or Burnbrae at the nearest grocery store.

6. Bring In the Salt –

– bring out the flavour. If you’re into baked goods, you’ve probably seen cookies decked out in flakey salt. That’s because salt enhances the flavours in a cookie and cuts the sweetness of all that sugar. Take it up a notch by using smoked Smoked salt comes in various flavours like maple, applewood, and Hawaiian black lava (yes, from the volcano) and adds a rich, smoky profile to your cookie.