the best chocolate chip cookie you will ever eat.

maybe i am thinking about treats because it is my brother's birthday,
and birthdays equal treats.
maybe it just seems like a baking kind of day.
(then again, isn't every day a potential baking day?)

my new favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe is out of the awesome baking illustrated cookbook that my mom-in-law got me for my birthday. i love it. it is so so yummy, and trumps even my own chocolate chip recipe (which is pretty good in and of itself, if i do say so myself.) if you have a craving for a treat-and who doesn't?!-haul out the chocolate chips and bake away, my friends!

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
(Source: Baking Illustrated, page 434)

Makes about 18 large cookies.

These oversized cookies are chewy and thick and awesome. They rely on melted butter and an extra egg yolk to keep their texture soft. Make sure you take these out while they still look slightly underdone; I usually err on the side of gooey. These cookies are best served warm from the oven but will retain their texture even when cooled. To ensure the proper texture, cool the cookies on the baking sheet. Also, I've found that I have better results once I chill the dough for a few minutes. If you can't wait that long (um, I can't), then just bake a small first batch, and refrigerate the remainder of the dough so it can chill before baking.

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons (10 5/8 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled until warm
1 cup packed (7 ounces) light or dark brown sugar
1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1. Adjust the oven racks to the upper- and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or spray them with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside.

3. Either by hand or with an electric mixer, mix the butter and sugars until thoroughly blended. Beat in the egg, yolk, and vanilla until combined. Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed just until combined. Stir in the chips to taste.

4. Roll a scant 1/4 cup of the dough into a ball. Hold the dough ball with the fingertips of both hands and pull into 2 equal halves. Rotate the halves 90 degrees and, with jagged surfaces facing up, join the halves together at their base, again forming a single ball, being careful not to smooth the dough’s uneven surface. Place the formed dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, jagged surface up, spacing them 2 1/2 inches apart.

5. Bake until the cookies are light golden grown and the outer edges start to harden yet the centers are still soft and puffy, 15 to 18 minutes, rotating the baking sheets front to back and top to bottom halfway through the baking time. Cool the cookies on the sheets. Remove the cooled cookies from the baking sheets with a side metal spatula.