Perfect Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

I'm a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to cookies. There is nothing wrong with a perfect chocolate chip cookie, still soft and slightly warm from the oven, with a glass of cold milk. No nuts, no Nutella, no add-ins. I would never pass up cookies that have nuts or mix-ins, and my chocolate chip cookie dough is versatile enough that if you wanted to add some pecans or toffee chips, it wouldn't affect the outcome of the cookies. But today I simply wanted an old-fashioned chocolate chip cookie that didn't require much prep or patience.

This recipe doesn't require your butter to start at room temperature, so you can make this recipe in a moment's notice. Instead, you simply melt the butter in the microwave before creaming the sugar, eggs, and vanilla together. If you melt the butter in your work bowl, this is a one bowl cookie (yay for less mess!). This cookie can be made in a stand mixer, but I prefer to use my hand mixer and my Pyrex mixing bowl.
 

I use a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop to make my cookies small and uniform. Smaller cookies mean you can eat 2 and not feel guilty. Also, you can make more cookies with the same amount of dough, so you can put some in the freezer for another day. I simply roll the extra dough into a log in parchment, twist the ends (like making compound butter) and place flat to freeze. To bake from frozen, let defrost on the counter for about 20 minutes, then slice into 1/4 inch coins and add 1-3 minutes to your baking time, depending on the size of your cookies and how chewy or crunchy you like them.

Perfect Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes about 5 dozen (but I always bake half and freeze the rest of the dough)

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Ingredients:

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 bag (12 oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips

Method:

Preheat oven to 375F. In a microwave-safe large bowl, melt the butter using 30 second intervals. It doesn't have to be 100% liquid, but it does have to be soft. Add the sugars, eggs, vanilla and salt. I like to add the salt in this step since I use kosher salt and it gives it a chance to dissolve. Cream together until emulsified. Stir in flour and baking soda (sift if you want, but it's not necessary). Stir in the chocolate chips until uniformly spread through the dough.

Line your baking sheets with parchment. No matter what cookie I bake, I always use parchment to prevent sticking. Using a small cookie scoop or tablespoon, make rounded balls of dough. Make smooth balls by rolling the dough in your palms, and place 2 inches apart. Bake for 12-14 minutes, until light golden brown. They will look soft when you take them out, but set. They will reach chewy perfection as they cool. If you let them get too dark in the oven they will be crunchy chocolate chip cookies, but no less delicious. If your goal is to bake a more crunchy cookie, bake for 15-16 minutes.
 



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