Basic, Great Chocolate Chip Cookies From Tara O’Brady

Step 1

Get prepped: Heat the oven to 360°F (180°C) with a rack in the center (350°F/175°C is fine if that’s the closest your oven can do). Line two sheet pans with parchment paper. In a medium saucepan over low heat, slowly melt the butter. (You shouldn’t hear sputtering.) Stir occasionally with a silicone spatula until the butter is almost melted. Meanwhile, on a cutting board with a chef’s knife or serrated knife, chop the chocolate, aiming for a mix of 1/3-inch (8mm) to 1/2-inch (1.3cm) pieces, with some finer bits.

Step 2

Mix dry, mix wet: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and fine sea salt. Grab a large bowl, add the melted butter, and whisk in both sugars. It might look clumpy at first, but it will smooth out quickly. Break the eggs in one at a time, whisking briskly after each one, just until the streaks of egg white disappear. Whisk in the vanilla.

Step 3

Mix dry into wet: With the silicone spatula, stir the dry ingredients into the wet until the flour is mostly mixed in. Stir in the chocolate, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl to catch any loose bits, stopping as soon as the flour has disappeared. (Mixing longer will toughen the cookies.)

Step 4

Roll the cookies: If the dough feels warm or looks glossy, refrigerate it for 5 minutes. Scoop 3 tablespoons dough (55g) per cookie and roll into a ball between your palms. Place 3 inches (7.5cm) apart on one of the lined sheet pans.

Step 5

Bake the cookies: When one sheet pan is full, sprinkle each ball with a small pinch of flaky salt, if you like, and slide the pan into the center of the oven. Bake until the tops are cracked and lightly golden but still soft in the middle when pressed very lightly with a finger, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the pan with oven mitts halfway through baking. Let the cookies cool on the sheet pan for 2 minutes, then use a wide spatula to move them to a wire rack to cool completely. Continue shaping and baking cookies with the remaining dough, using a cool sheet pan for each batch.

Step 6

Make ahead and store: The dough balls can be frozen in a sealed container for 3 months. Bake without defrosting at 330°F (165°C)—they may need an extra minute or two. Keep baked cookies sealed on the counter (and eat soon).