CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Over the years I’ve baked hundreds—maybe thousands!—of chocolate chip cookies. I have been making them from scratch since my youth, and I’m always trying to improve my recipe. I firmly believe that chocolate chip cookies should be soft and chewy in the center, crisp on the edges, sweet with brown sugar, salty with a crunch, and perfectly speckled with just the right amount of chocolate. Years and years ago, they were the first recipe I shared on my blog, and they were the first recipe on my list for this book. This recipe makes giant cookies with big pools of melted chocolate, and each is dusted with flaky sea salt. The dough is chilled, allowing the flavors to meld, making these cookies taste like they are from the fanciest bakery in town.

1¼ cups (2½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1¼ cups light brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1¼ teaspoons baking soda

1½ teaspoons baking powder

1½ teaspoons kosher salt

3½ cups all-purpose flour

8 ounces semisweet chocolate baking discs

Flaky sea salt

Makes 16 large cookies

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar together on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix to combine. Add the vanilla, mix, then scrape down the bowl. Add the baking soda, baking powder, and salt to the dough, and mix until fully combined. Add the flour all at once, and mix it in short bursts until just combined (do not overmix). Add the chocolate pieces and mix on low speed until just mixed in. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and chill in the fridge for a minimum of 24 hours and up to 3 days.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with baking mats or parchment paper. Form the dough into 3½-ounce balls, a little larger than a golf ball. Arrange the dough balls very far apart on sheets (as the cookies will be up to 5 inches across once baked), and sprinkle the top of each with a few flecks of sea salt.

3. Bake the cookies for 12 to 17 minutes until they are golden all over. Allow the cookies to cool on the trays for 10 minutes, then transfer them to wire racks.

Tip: I have just recently started using semisweet chocolate baking discs in large cookies like these. You can certainly use chocolate chips, but the next time you are at a specialty grocery store, look for the baking discs. They melt beautifully, creating ribbons of chocolate through every bite.