The Best Chocolate-Chip Cookies

There is nothing better than a crispy yet chewy cookie. I’ve been making cookies for a long time and I would say that this is always the recipe I go to. It’s a reliable recipe that I know is going to work. And I hate scrolling through a whole blog page in search of the actual recipe, so without further ado, let’s get baking, shall we?

Recipe

170 g unsalted butter (melted)

150 g light or dark brown muscovado/soft brown sugar

150 g caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg + 1 egg yolk

225 g plain flour

25 g corn starch

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1/2 tsp table salt

200 g chocolate (chopped)

1. Preheat your oven to 160C/140 Fan/325F/Gas 3 and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
2. Melt the butter either in the microwave or in a saucepan over the hob. Pour the melted butter into a big mixing bowl, add in the sugars and vanilla extract, and whisk until combined. No electric whisk needed, but you can use one if you’re feeling lazy. No judgement.
3. Then add in your egg and extra yolk and whisk again.
4. Gradually sieve in the flour, corn starch, salt and bicarbonate of soda, mixing into the butter and sugar mixture after each addition. Once all the floury stuff is mixed in, set aside.
5. Chop your chocolate into sizeable chunks and add it to the cookie dough, dispersing it evenly.
6. Take a tablespoon of dough and roll it into a neat ball with your hands. Place on the tray and repeat with five more gobs of dough. I would suggest only baking six at a time and spacing them at least a couple of inches apart—they spread a bit!
7. Bake in the preheated oven for 9-12 minutes. I recommend not leaving the kitchen because these babies bake quickly! Once the cookies have gone golden brown on the edges, and they’re still slightly under-baked, remove them from the oven. Trust me, if your brain says ‘THEY’RE UNDER-BAKED, MUST KEEP IN THE OVEN FOR ONE MORE MINUTE’, ignore this voice. This voice is stupid. The cookies will continue to bake for a bit out of the oven so don’t be afraid to ignore your common sense in this case. But do pay attention to it when crossing the street. Obviously.
8. Pick up the baking paper off the tray (with the cookies on it) and place on a board or work surface to cool down; trying to slide them off with a spatula or fish slice at this point will not work because they’re too gooey.
9. Eat a warm cookie immediately with a hot beverage. You’re welcome.