Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose four
• 2 tablespoons nonfat milk powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 cup unsalted butter, very soft
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 12 ounce bag semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Start with the dry ingredients. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the flour with the milk powder, then the salt and baking soda. Put the bowl aside.
2. Using an electric mixer, or a stand mixer fitted with the beater attachment, beat the softened butter with the granulated sugar and brown sugar on medium speed for 30 to 60 seconds, just until everything comes together. If you see any stubborn chunks of brown sugar, lift them out. Run a spatula around the bowl and over the beaters.
3. Add the 2 eggs and the vanilla to the butter mixture, then beat on medium until the mixture is smooth, 10 to 20 seconds, with no streaky bits hanging around. Scrape the bowl and beaters again.
4. Tip in the flour mixture in one go. Mix on low only until the visible flour disappears, 20 to 40 seconds. A few tiny specks of milk powder may still show, and that is fine.
5. Pour in the chocolate chips, then mix on low briefly, stopping as soon as the chips are spread evenly through the dough.
6. Scrape the sides of the bowl and the beater, then cover the bowl. Refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes or up to 3 days. Or portion it into scoops and freeze for up to 3 months.
7. Set the oven to 375F and place a rack in the center. Line 2 baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment. I usually bake 1 sheet at a time so the cookies bake evenly. If you would rather move faster, bake 2 sheets at once, with 1 in the upper third of the oven and the other in the lower third.
8. Use a medium cookie scoop, or a generously mounded tablespoon measure, to portion the dough onto 1 prepared baking sheet. Leave about 2 inches between cookies.
9. Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes. While the first pan is in the oven, scoop the dough for the next batch. The cookies are ready when the centers look lightly puffed and the edges are beginning to brown.
10. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes, until the puffy centers settle and the cookies feel a little firmer. Move them to a wire rack and let them cool all the way.
11. Keep baking batches until all the cookie dough has been used.
12. The cookies are crispiest on the day you bake them. Put any leftovers in an airtight container; they will soften a bit overnight but will still be very good. After about a week, they turn crumbly, which is your cue to scatter the pieces over ice cream.