Step 1

Place flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. Sift baking powder and baking soda through a small sieve into the flour. (This is to prevent little clumps of baking soda that often form, especially in older baking soda, from remaining unmixed, and it also helps distribute them. I always do it for all my baking recipes.) Whisk everything together until well mixed.

Step 2

In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, or an electric hand-held mixer, mix butter on low speed briefly just to make sure it is fully softened. Add brown and white sugar and mix on medium speed until the colour is lightened and the mixture looks fluffy. Stopping to scrape the bowl and paddle once in between.

Step 3

Add vanilla and eggs, then mix on medium speed just until well incorporated, scraping down sides as needed.

Step 4

Add dry ingredients in 4 instalments, mixing just for a few seconds each time until the flour is no longer sitting on top of the dough. This is to prevent the mixer from kicking up flour as it stirs. *If using a hand held mixer, switch to a wooden spoon and stir everything together, as this is quite a thick dough for the hand held.

Step 5

After the last addition of flour, mix very briefly just until there's a little bit of flour left unmixed. Do not mix fully yet at this point.

Step 6

Add the chocolate discs then continue to mix on low speed just until all the flour is incorporated into the dough and the chocolate is evenly distributed.

Step 7

Portion the dough out into 2-inch balls and place them onto a tray or a big container—I like using a #30 scoop for this and I fill it so it's just a bit rounded on the bottom. Separate each layer of dough with plastic wrap so they don't stick together. *If using chocolate discs, check to see if there are any large disc of chocolate exposed on the bottom of the ball, if so, push some dough to cover it. Because these chocolate discs are so large, if you have an big exposed piece sitting flat on the bottom it'll just melt and stick to the pan when baking and you'll lose chocolate!

Step 8

Cover the dough tightly and refrigerate for 48 hours. Yes, trust me, this makes all the difference!

Step 9

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350°F. Let it preheat for at least 30 minutes. **If after your first batch you find that the cookies are spreading too much, increase the temp to 375°F and bake for 11-12 minutes.

Step 10

Once the oven is ready, pull cookies out and put them on baking sheets lined with parchment paper or silicone mat. Make sure the cookies are at least 2 inches apart (you should only put 6 cookies on a half sheet pan). Bake in the middle rack for 15 mins until the edges are golden brown but the centre is still soft.