Short answer: too much flour or egg, or too much air beaten in.
Cakey cookies puff up and stay pale and soft rather than spreading into a chew. It’s often too much flour (measure by weight, not cups — a heaped cup can be 30g over), an extra egg or too much raising agent, or over-creaming that whips in cake-like air. For chew, weigh your flour, don’t over-cream, lean on brown sugar over white (it holds moisture), and don’t overbake.
Related:bakery-style chocolate chip cookies · glossary:creaming,crumb.