Chef notes
If you're a crisp-edged cookie person, lean towards the longer baking time and an evenly golden look to the cookies. If you like a softer/chewier cookie, pull them earlier, when they're still very soft and somewhat pale towards the centers.
Swap option: You can use milk chocolate or semisweet chips, or swap in some peanut butter chips or butterscotch chips.
Ingredients
- 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, preferably King Arthur
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup (8 ounces European-style, or 2 sticks regular) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips, 60-70% cacao
Preparation
1.Position oven racks to the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat it to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
2.Into a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
3.In the bowl of an electric mixer on medium speed (or using electric beaters), beat together the butter, dark brown sugar, granulated sugar and vanilla extract until light in color and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium-low and beat in the eggs one at a time. Scrape down the bowl and beat one minute more to blend well. Reduce the speed to low and stir in the dry ingredients. When just a couple traces of flour remain, stir in the chocolate chips on low speed.
4.Using a small ice cream scoop with a 2-tablespoon capacity (or two spoons), portion the dough out onto the 2 baking sheets (8-10 cookies per sheet to leave enough room for spreading since the cookies are on the bigger side). Bake until the cookies are golden brown at the edges and slightly soft in the centers, 13 to 15 minutes.
5.Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets (just a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack if you like crisp edges, or let them cool completely on the sheets for softer/chewier cookies). Repeat the scooping and baking process with the remaining dough. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
