Quick and Easy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

• 14 ounces assorted dark, milk, or white chocolate, roughly chopped
• 12 1/2 ounces all-purpose flour, such as Gold Medal
• 8 ounces unsalted butter, soft but cool, about 65°F
• 7 1/4 ounces white sugar
• 8 ounces light brown sugar
• 1/2 ounce vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling; for table salt, use about half as much by volume or the same weight
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 1 large egg, straight from the fridge

Directions

1. Move an oven rack to the center and heat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Pull out a small handful of the chopped chocolate, about 2 ounces; 55g, and keep it separate for finishing the cookies. Put the rest of the chocolate in a medium bowl, sift the flour over it, and stir until the pieces are coated. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle in place, add the butter, white sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and nutmeg. Start the mixer on low just until everything is dampened, then turn it to medium and let it beat until the mixture looks airy and soft, about 5 minutes. Keep the mixer going while you add the egg, stopping once the mixture is smooth. Turn the speed back to low, add the flour and chocolate mixture in one go, and mix until you have a firm dough.
2. Scoop the dough into 2-tablespoon mounds, about 1 1/2 ounces or 40g each, then roll each portion into a neat ball. If you want to pause here, tuck the shaped dough into a heavy-duty zipper-lock bag and refrigerate up to 1 week, or freeze it for 6 months. Before baking, let the dough sit at room temperature until it is very soft, about 70 degrees F or 21 degrees C, then continue with the baking step.
3. Set the dough balls on a parchment-lined half sheet pan with 2 inches of space around each one so they have room to spread. Press the reserved chocolate onto the tops and add a little kosher salt to each. Bake until the cookies have risen, the edges are lightly golden, and the centers still look steamy, about 15 minutes. If you want them crisp, leave them in until they turn golden, 3 to 5 minutes more. Let the cookies rest right on the pan until the crumb firms up, about 5 minutes. Eat them warm, or keep them in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 days.