Name: Chef John’s Chocolate Chip Cookies
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 2 h 27 min
Yield: about 32 cookies
Ingredients: 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour; 1 1/4 tsp kosher salt (or 3/4 tsp fine table salt); 1 tsp baking soda; 2 sticks (1 cup) very soft unsalted butter; 1 cup sugar; 1/2 cup light brown sugar; 1 1/4 tsp vanilla extract; 2 tbsp milk; 1 large egg; 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Pre-flight checklist

Before you start

Leave the butter out until it's very, very soft

Flight plan

Method

Whisk the flour, salt and baking soda together.
In another bowl, beat the soft butter with both sugars for 3 to 4 minutes, until light and fluffy.
Add the egg, milk and vanilla and whisk them in, small areas first and then all together, so the mixture doesn't separate.
Stir in the dry ingredients until no flour shows, then the chocolate chips.
Put the dough in a zip-top bag and chill until firm, at least 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 375°F and line the baking sheets with parchment. Scoop rounded tablespoons about 4 inches apart (about 8 per sheet), since they spread thin.
Bake about 12 minutes, until golden brown.
Slide the parchment onto a rack for a few minutes, then move the cookies off the paper to finish cooling.

Notes & tips

Be sure the butter is room temperature and very, very soft.
Chef John uses a high-quality European-style butter. Cheaper butters have more water, which changes how thick the cookies bake up.

Chef John’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

Before you start

Method

Notes & tips

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