3 cups AP flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

2 sticks unsalted butter (softened, not room temp!)

1 1/4 cup brown sugar

2 large eggs (room temp) (or 1/2 cup aqua faba if egg free)

1 Tbsp vanilla

1 cup chocolate chips

Mix flour, salt and baking soda into a bowl

Beat butter with whisk attachment until fluffy. Should look like frosting and be an ivory color. Whisking should take a few minutes. This completely sets the texture for the cookie and is vital.

Add brown sugar and beat until fluffy. Remember to scrape the bowl.

Switch to beater attachment. Add one egg at a time until incorporated. Don’t rush it or the dough will split and give a poor texture. Beat until it looks like smooth frosting.

Add dry mix in three parts. Increase the speed of your mixer to not over strain the motor.

Beat in vanilla last.

Fold in chocolate chips by hand.

Scoop cookie balls into a bowl or container. Separate layers of balls with parchment paper for easier removal.

Refrigerate for at least two hours (I often do this over night).

Heat oven to 350

Place parchment paper over cookie sheet.

Place cookie balls about two inches apart and smash cookie balls down to atleast a half inch to quart inch thickness. This will ensure your cookies will not have over baked edges with a raw middle.

Place cookie sheet into the oven and immediately drop the temperature to 325. Ovens lose heat when opened and beginning at a higher temperature keeps the oven closer to the desired temperature. Otherwise, it begins cooking at a lower temperature and you get a less than perfect bake.

Bake about 11-13 minutes depending on your oven.

Remember to raise the temperature between batches. If using a convection oven, remember to adjust the oven temperature down if your oven doesn’t do it automatically.

Cool cookies on the cookie sheet for at least two minutes before moving to cool on a cooking rack if you can.

Store completely cooled cookies in ziplock freezer bag on the counter for a couple days or in the freezer. If frozen, set out to thaw for a couple minutes (I hate a microwaved cookie but you can. It does affect texture). Cookies thaw very well into fresh cookies. I always freeze my extra cookies.