Step 1

Cut the butter into small pieces for even melting. Melt the butter in a wide stainless steel skillet over medium heat. Swirl the pan a few times as the butter melts. It will get bubbly and then foamy – use a heat-proof spatula to scrape the butter across the bottom of the pan to prevent burning. You’ll see the butter start to turn golden brown very quickly, and you’ll be able to smell it (yum). When it is a nice golden brown color, remove from heat and transfer to a cool bowl or glass measuring cup, being careful not to burn it. The whole process should take about 5 minutes. Let the butter cool for another 5-10 minutes while you measure and prep everything else.

Step 2

Add the butter, sugars, and vanilla to the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium high speed for 2-3 minutes.

Step 3

Add the eggs and beat for 1-2 minutes until shiny and smooth.

Step 4

Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix until just combined into a dense, shiny dough. Let the dough cool for 15-20 minutes (if you add the chocolate chips now, they will melt).

Step 5

Mix in the chocolate chips or chunks (sometimes it helps to do this by hand). Let the dough rest for another 20-30 minutes. This helps hydrate the flour and carry the browned butter flavor farther in the cookies.

Step 6

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Roll or scoop your cookie dough into 3-tablespoon balls onto a baking sheet. Bake for 9 minutes, until the edges look cooked but the middles are still slightly soft and puffy.

Step 7

Remove from the oven and let the cookies rest for 15-20 minutes. I KNOW I KNOW I KNOW this is very hard. But as they rest, the middles are going to sink down and kind of densify the middle, so you get that crispy exterior with the barely-thick, underbaked center.