About this recipe

The gold-standard homemade chocolate chip cookie — crispy on the edges, chewy in the center, and loaded with melty chocolate chips. This tried-and-true recipe uses browned butter and a touch of cornstarch for that bakery-style texture every time. No chilling required, no fancy equipment — just a bowl, a whisk, and a baking sheet.

Instructions

1. 1

   Brown the butter: In a medium saucepan over ^[medium heat], melt the butter, stirring frequently. Continue cooking for 4–5 minutes until the butter foams, then turns golden and smells nutty with brown specks at the bottom. Pour immediately into a large mixing bowl and let cool for 10 minutes.

2. 2

   Preheat your oven to ![375°F]. Line two baking sheet with parchment paper.

3. 3

   In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, cornstarch, and fine salt. Set aside.

4. 4

   Add both granulated sugar and light brown sugar to the cooled browned butter and whisk vigorously for about 1 minute until well combined and slightly lightened in color.

5. 5

   Add the eggs and pure vanilla extract to the butter-sugar mixture. Whisk for another 1–2 minutes until the mixture is smooth, glossy, and slightly thickened.

6. 6

   Switch to a spatula or wooden spoon. Add the all-purpose flour mixture all at once and fold gently until just combined — stop as soon as no dry streaks remain. Do not overmix.

7. 7

   Fold in the semi-sweet chocolate chips until evenly distributed throughout the dough.

8. 8

   Scoop dough into balls about 1.5 tablespoons each (roughly the size of a golf ball) and place 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. If desired, press a few extra semi-sweet chocolate chips onto the tops of each ball for a bakery look.

9. 9

   Bake one baking sheet at a time on the center rack for 10–12 minutes, until the edges are set and lightly golden but the centers still look slightly underdone and glossy. They will firm up as they cool.

10. 10

    Immediately sprinkle the hot cookies with flaky sea salt if using. Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. They need this time to set properly.