Chocolate Chip Cookies

YIELD

Makes about 28 large (4 1/2-inch) cookies

INGREDIENTS

1. • 3 cups all-purpose flour
   • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
   • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
   • 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
   • 1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
   • 1 cup granulated sugar - Even though I used one half cup less white sugar, I would cut even more sugar from the recipe. But the cookies come out a great texture. Everyone loved them!
   • 3 large eggs
   • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
   • 2 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (16 ounces)

PREPARATION

1. 1. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment or wax paper.
   2. Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl.
   3. Beat together butter and sugars in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until pale and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Lightly beat 1 egg with a fork in a small bowl and add 1 3/4 tablespoons of it plus 2 remaining whole eggs to butter mixture, beating with mixer until creamy, about 1 minute. Beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low and mix in flour mixture until just blended, then stir in chips.
   4. Scoop 1/4 cup batter for each cookie, arranging mounds 3 inches apart, on 2 baking sheets. Flatten mounds into 3-inch rounds using moistened palm of your hand. Form remaining cookies on additional sheets of parchment.
   5. Bake, 1 sheet at a time, until golden, 13 to 15 minutes. Transfer cookies to a rack to cool and continue making cookies in same manner using cooled baking sheets.

Cooks' note:

Cooled cookies keep in an airtight container at room temperature 3 days.

Suggestions

These cookies are amazing! I made a few changes since I love dark chocolate. I substituted dark chocolate chips, 53% cacao, for the suggested chips. I scooped 1/4 cup batter for each cookie, arranging the mounds 3 inches apart, with 6 cookies on each baking sheet. I did not flatten the cookies and baked them for approximately 13-15 minutes at 375. I let the cookies cool on the baking sheet to maintain these huge cookie's (5" diameter) shape. They were a great hit with my dinner guests and family that same night and still wonderfully delicious the next day!

Really good, straight forward recipe, easy to repeat. I added a bit more salt on the second go around. I also used a 12 oz bag of chocolate chips we had and that seemed to be an adequate quantity of chips.

 Reducing baking time to 10-12 minutes from 13-15 because the bottoms got a little too done; not by much, but just enough to notice (a bit too hard and almost on the verge of burning) *

* Reducing chocolate chips from 16 oz to 12 oz (possibly even 10 oz) because it felt really excessive. Plus, it felt like the dough struggled to accommodate the entire pound. Plus, you'll need the room in the dough should you decide to add nuts (I would incorporate no more than 3/4 cup) and, if this is the case, I would strongly consider using only 10 oz of chips. * Using only two eggs thus eliminating the 1 3/4 tbs of the third egg. I feel that this will make the cookie a tad less "cake-y". 

I also added eggs all at once. Even though I used one half cup less white sugar, I would cut even more sugar from the recipe. But the cookies come out a great texture. Everyone loved them!