Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe is adapted from Cooks Illustrated Magazine's perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe. The cookies are, truly, perfect - chewy in the center, crispy at the edges, and loaded with rich, toffee flavor. If you get bored with plain old chocolate chips, here are a few other suggestions:

Add candy corn (see pictures) for Halloween!

Add milk chocolate and white chocolate chips for a little interest

Add dried cherries or cranberries (or even crushed peppermint candies) for a little holiday spirit

The original recipe includes a number of steps (melting the butter on the stove, stirring then waiting then stirring then waiting) which, after many trials, I've concluded are entirely unnecessary. I've also eliminated a bit of the butter. Trust me on this one - this recipe will become your cookie staple. Homemade cookies don't get any better than this.

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
11 tbsp butter
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
Melt 9 tbsp butter in the microwave (be careful not to burn!),
then stir in remaining 2 tbsp until completely melted
Add both sugars and vanilla, and stir until well combined (batter will look shiny)
Stir in egg and egg yolk
Add flour, baking soda and salt, and stir until just combined
Stir in chocolate chips
Drop dough (I use a serving spoon) onto two greased cookie sheets
(I like to make these cookies big - this recipe typically makes about 18 cookies - though feel free to make them smaller!)
Bake 10-12 minutes (edges should be beginning to brown, but centers should still be soft)
Remove from oven and let cool on cookie sheets

*If want to add candy corn, press into cookies immediately after removing from oven. Dried fruit can be stirred into the batter before baking.

18 large cookies