(adapted from a recipe that first appeared in the New York Times Magazine on 1.22.06)

The trick to making these cookies perfectly chewy is to watch the cooking process very closely. It's all about when you take them out of the oven!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups All Purpose flour

• 1 ¼ tsp baking soda

• 1 tbsp kosher salt (plus a pinch if you like the sweet/salty combo)

• 8 oz (two sticks) butter, softened

• 1 ½ cups packed dark brown sugar

• ¼ cup white sugar

• 2 eggs

• 1 tbsp vanilla extract 

• 2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 325°.

2. In a mixer, cream the butter and the sugars until fluffy. I like to do this for a long time (longer than you think it should be).

3. Add the eggs, one at a time, then add vanilla. Mix until just combined.

4. Add the flour, the salt, and the baking soda all together and mix until a dough forms.

5. Using a spatula or wooden spoon, fold in the chocolate. Chill the dough.

6. Using a tablespoon, drop lumps of dough onto a Silpat or parchment lined cookie sheet. Press down on each lump to flatten it slightly.

7. Place in the oven. WHATEVER YOU DO, DON'T LEAVE THE KITCHEN.

8. Watch the cookies. As they begin to puff up, take the tray out and lightly tap it on the counter to knock the air out (you want flat cookies). You might need to do this one or two more times throughout the cooking process.

9. Begin to watch the edges of the cookies at around 11 or 12 minutes. As the edges just start to turn golden brown, and the very center of each cookie is not quite set, remove from the oven. Let sit on the tray for 2-3 more minutes and then remove to a cooling rack.