Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Stand mixer or hand mixer
• •Large mixing bowl
• •Rimmed baking sheets
• •Parchment paper or silicone baking mats
• •Wire cooling rack
• •Cookie scoop (optional but recommended)

Instructions

1. 1

   Cream butter and sugars

   In a large bowl, beat the butter with both sugars using a stand mixer or hand mixer on medium speed. Work it for a full three minutes until the mixture turns pale and fluffy, scraping down the sides halfway through. This isn't optional fussiness. You're incorporating air that gives the cookies their texture.

   Butter should leave a slight indent when pressed but not be greasy or melted. Too soft and your cookies will spread thin. Too cold and they won't cream properly.
2. 2

   Add eggs and vanilla

   Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition until fully incorporated. The mixture may look slightly curdled after the first egg. Don't worry. Add the vanilla with the second egg and beat until the batter is smooth and homogeneous.

3. 3

   Incorporate melted chocolate

   Pour in the melted bittersweet chocolate and beat on low speed until evenly distributed. The batter will deepen to a rich brown. Scrape the bowl thoroughly. Chocolate hides in corners.

4. 4

   Mix dry ingredients

   In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Sift if your cocoa is lumpy. Lumps in the dry mix become lumps in your cookies.

   Dutch-process cocoa has been treated with alkali to neutralize its acidity. It produces darker, more mellow chocolate flavor. Natural cocoa works but yields slightly different results.
5. 5

   Combine wet and dry

   Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture in two additions, mixing on low speed just until no flour streaks remain. Stop the mixer the moment you achieve uniformity. Overworking develops gluten and toughens cookies. The dough will be thick and dark, almost like brownie batter.

6. 6

   Fold in chocolate chips

   Using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, fold in both the white and dark chocolate chips until evenly distributed. The dough is stiff, so this takes some arm work. Make sure chips reach the bottom of the bowl. Every cookie deserves its fair share.

7. 7

   Chill the dough

   Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 72 hours. This rest firms the butter, concentrates flavors, and prevents excessive spreading. Patience makes better cookies.

   A 24 to 48 hour rest produces noticeably better cookies with deeper flavor and improved texture. If you have the time, take it.
8. 8

   Preheat and prepare pans

   Heat your oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats. Don't grease the parchment. The cookies have enough butter.

9. 9

   Portion the dough

   Scoop rounded tablespoons of dough onto prepared sheets, spacing them two inches apart. They'll spread as they bake. For uniform cookies, use a cookie scoop. For rustic charm, use two spoons and don't fuss over perfect rounds.

   Press a few extra chocolate chips into the tops of each dough ball before baking. This ensures every cookie shows off its chocolate credentials.
10. 10

    Bake until just set

    Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. The cookies are done when the edges look set but the centers still appear slightly underdone and soft. They'll look almost too raw. They're not. The residual heat firms them as they cool.

11. 11

    Cool properly

    Let cookies rest on the baking sheet for five minutes. This is not optional. Moving them too soon causes breakage and heartache. After five minutes, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. The chocolate chips need time to firm up from their molten state.

Chef Tips

• •Use high-quality chocolate for the melted bittersweet. Ghirardelli, Guittard, or Valrhona all work beautifully. Cheap chocolate makes cheap-tasting cookies.
• •If your butter is too cold, cut it into cubes and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Microwaving creates uneven temperature and greasy results.
• •For thicker, bakery-style cookies, increase flour by two tablespoons and chill the dough overnight. The extra flour and cold butter produce a taller, denser cookie.
• •Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to five days. A slice of bread in the container keeps them soft.
• •These freeze beautifully. Layer cooled cookies between parchment in a freezer bag for up to three months. Thaw at room temperature for 20 minutes.

Advance Preparation

• •Dough can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours. Longer chilling improves flavor and texture.
• •Portioned dough balls freeze well. Arrange on a sheet pan, freeze solid, then transfer to a freezer bag. Bake from frozen, adding 2 to 3 minutes to bake time.
• •Baked cookies freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 40g)