Brown Sugar Chocolate Chip-Packed Cookies

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit with the rack positioned in the middle, and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda and whisk the dry ingredients to ensure that the salt and baking soda are evenly distributed.
3. In a stand mixer, cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
4. Mix in the eggs and vanilla until well combined.
5. Dump about half of the dry mixture into the wet mixture and mix until it looks about 75% combined (i.e. the dough looks shaggy and there is still a little bit of unincorporated flour), then dump in the rest of the flour and mix until combined. Note: If making a half-recipe, just dump all of the dry ingredients into the wet ones at once.
6. Add the chocolate chips, and gently mix until evenly incorporated throughout the dough.
7. For mini cookies: Scoop dough in 1 tbsp. portions onto cookie sheet (about 20 per sheet), and bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden around the edges. Note: because they are made with brown sugar, they will be a bit darker than regular chocolate chip cookies. When done, allow to cool for 2 minutes on the cookie sheet then transfer to cool completely on a cooling rack.
8. For big cookies: Scoop dough in 2 tbsp. portions onto cookie sheet (about 8 per sheet) press the dough down a little with your fingers so that it is about 1/2" tall and roughly circular, and bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden around the edges. Before taking the cookies out of the oven, set a couple of oven mits on your counter, and when you take the cookies out of the oven, whack the cookie sheet on the oven mitts from about 10" height while holding with both hands. No need to go full Hulk, but a nice firm, but gently slam is what you need. This makes them deflate a little bit so they will be flatter. Allow to cool for 2 minutes on the cookie sheet then transfer to cool completely on a cooling rack.