Tara O'Brady's Basic, Great Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cupunsalted butter, chopped (225 g)
• 3.25 cupsall-purpose flour (415 g)
• 1.25 teaspoonsbaking powder
• 1 teaspoonbaking soda
• 1.5 teaspoonsmedium-grained kosher salt
• 1.5 cupspacked light brown sugar (320 g)
• 0.5 cupgranulated sugar (100 g)
• 2eggs
• 2 teaspoonsvanilla extract
• 12 ozsemisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped (340 g)
• flaky sea salt, for sprinkling (optional)

Method

1. 1Preheat an oven to 360°F (180°C). Line two baking sheets or sheet pans with parchment paper.
2. 2In a medium saucepan over the lowest heat possible, melt the butter. There should be no sizzle, crackling or pops; let the butter ooze into liquid, without boiling, so minimal moisture is lost. Stir regularly, until the butter is almost completely melted. (This is a good time to chop the chocolate.)
3. 3In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
4. 4Pour melted butter into a large bowl, and then whisk in the sugars. The mixture may look to seize, but will relax with a few seconds of stirring. Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking briskly after each addition, but only to combine. Stir in the vanilla. Use a wooden spoon or silicone spatula to stir in the dry ingredients. Once mostly blended, fold the chocolate into the dough until the remaining flour is incorporated and the dough no longer looks dusty. Bring any stray ingredients up from the bottom of the bowl. Do not over mix.
5. 5If the dough seems warm or looks overly glossy, refrigerate for 5 minutes. Roll into balls using 3 tablespoons of dough for each. Arrange on the prepared pans, leaving 3 inches in between each. Sprinkle with sea salt, if using.
6. 6Bake in the hot oven until the tops are cracked and lightly golden, yet still soft at the center, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating pan halfway through cooking. Leave the cookies on the sheet pan for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool. Continue shaping and baking cookies with the remaining dough, making sure to use a cold sheet pan for each batch.