My Go-To Chocolate Chip Cookies
Some people are militant about their chocolate chip cookie techniques: you MUST refrigerate overnight, you MUST use chocolate discs instead of chips. Me? I like to keep things casual. My go-to recipe comes from The Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook from Cheryl and Griffith Day and I make things easy on my self by just doing everything in the mixer: first the butter (which, not to be militant, should really be at room temperature), the sugars, the eggs, and then — the most controversial part — the dry ingredients, right in, without pre-sifting. My other tip is to use an ice cream scoop: makes evenly-sized cookies and also makes the process easier. Whichever cookies you don’t want to bake now, freeze for later on a cookie sheet and then pop into a freezer bag. Best gift to yourself ever.
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature If you use Kerrygold, it's just one package.
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups semisweet or bitterwsweet chocolate chunks Best to chop the chocolate yourself from a bar. I recommend Scharffen Berger.
Fleur de sel, for sprinkling
Preheat the oven to 350 and line two cookie sheets with parchment.
Sift together the flour, baking soda, and sea salt, set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large mixing bowl, using a handheld mixer), cream together the butter, vanilla, and both sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes.
Add the eggs and mix for no more than 1 minute; the eggs will not be fully incorporated. Turn the speed down to low and add the dry ingredients in thirds, beating until just combined. With the mixer running, sprinkle in the chocolate chunks, beating until just combined.
Using a large ice cream scoop or a 1/4-cup measuring cup to form the cookies and place on the prepared cookie sheets, leaving 2 inches between the cookies to allow for spreading. Lightly tap each cookie with the palm of your hand and sprinkle the cookies with fleur de sel.
Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, for 15 to 18 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time for even doneness. The cookies should be golden brown around the edges but still light in the centers. Let the cookies cool on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container (if you can resist eating them all) for up to 3 days at room tempearture.