📖 Instructions

1. First, let's get started by preheating your oven to 375°F (190°C). I once forgot to preheat and ended up with flat, sad cookies. Don't be like me!
2. In a mixing bowl, cream together ½ cup (1 stick) of softened unsalted butter and ½ cup of granulated sugar, and ½ cup of packed brown sugar until the mixture is smooth and creamy. You can use a stand mixer or a handheld mixer. I prefer the latter—less to clean!
3. Beat in 1 large egg and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract until well combined. Make sure your egg is at room temperature; it mixes better. One time I use a cold egg and the mixture looked kinda curdled.
4. In a seperate bowl, whisk together 2 ¼ cups of all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, and 1 teaspoon of salt. I like to use a fork for this to make sure everything is evenly distributed.
5. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined. Be careful not to overmix! Overmixing leads to tough cookies, and nobody wants that.
6. Stir in 2 cups of chocolate chips (semi-sweet or milk chocolate, whatever floats your boat!). I'm a semi-sweet kinda gal, but feel free to mix it up!
7. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto ungreased baking sheets. You can use parchment paper for easy cleanup, but it's not a must.
8. Bake for 9-11 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and the centers are still soft. Every oven is different, so keep a close eye on them! They should look puffy and slightly underbaked.
9. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. This helps them firm up without getting too hard.
10. Finally, enjoy your homemade chocolate chip cookies! They're best served warm with a glass of milk (or maybe a scoop of ice cream... I won't judge!)