Step 1: The Chocolate Chunk Prep

First things first – if you’re using chocolate chips, stop. Go buy a good quality chocolate bar (or three). Dark chocolate, milk chocolate, semi-sweet – whatever you prefer, but it needs to be bar chocolate. Chop it into rough chunks, varying sizes from pea-sized to almond-sized. The irregular pieces create different melting patterns and pockets of molten chocolate. This is non-negotiable for bakery-style cookies.

Step 2: The Dry Mix

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Whisk it well – you want the leavening and salt evenly distributed. Set this aside. This is the boring but necessary step.

Step 3: The Butter Situation

Melt your butter and let it cool for about 5 minutes. It should be melted but not hot – if it’s too hot, it’ll cook the eggs when you add them. Slightly warm or room temp melted butter is perfect. This is crucial for getting that thick, chewy texture. Cold butter makes cakey cookies. Melted butter makes chewy, dense cookies.

Step 4: The Sugar and Butter Marriage

In a large bowl (or your stand mixer bowl), combine the melted butter with both sugars. Mix on medium speed for about 2 minutes until it’s well combined and slightly lighter in color. It won’t get fluffy like creamed butter and sugar – that’s normal. You’re creating a smooth, thick mixture. The brown sugar is what gives these cookies their chewiness and that deep, caramel-like flavor.

Step 5: The Eggs and Vanilla

Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla extract. Mix until everything is completely incorporated and the mixture is smooth and glossy. It should look almost like caramel at this point. If you see any streaks of egg, keep mixing.

Step 6: The Flour Addition (Don’t Screw This Up)

Add your dry ingredients all at once. Mix on LOW speed just until you don’t see any more flour streaks. DO NOT OVERMIX. The second you don’t see flour, stop. Overmixing develops gluten, which makes tough, cakey cookies instead of tender, chewy ones. If you have a few small flour streaks, that’s better than overmixing. They’ll incorporate when you add the chocolate.

Step 7: The Chocolate Chunk Integration

Add your chopped chocolate chunks. Fold them in with a spatula or mix on the lowest speed for just a few seconds. You want them evenly distributed but you’re not trying to pulverize them. Some will be on the surface – that’s perfect. Those surface chunks will create those gorgeous chocolate pools on top.

Step 8: The Chill (Most Important Step)

This is where most people mess up. Cover the dough and refrigerate for AT LEAST 2 hours, preferably overnight. This isn’t optional if you want thick cookies. Chilling the dough does several things: it solidifies the fat so the cookies don’t spread immediately, it allows the flour to fully hydrate, and it lets the flavors develop. Room temperature cookie dough = flat cookies. Cold cookie dough = thick cookies. Science.

Step 9: The Oven Prep

When you’re ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350°F (or 325°F if you have a convection oven). Line your baking sheets with parchment paper. Don’t skip the parchment – it prevents sticking and makes cleanup easy.

Step 10: The Portioning

Use a 3-tablespoon cookie scoop (or measure out about 3 tablespoons of dough per cookie). The dough will be firm from chilling – that’s perfect. Roll each portion into a ball, then here’s the key: slightly flatten the top while keeping the sides tall. You want a hockey puck shape, not a perfect sphere. This helps them bake up tall instead of round.

Step 11: The Spacing

Place 6 cookies per standard baking sheet. These spread, but not a ton. Still, give them room. If you crowd them, they’ll bake into one mega-cookie, and while that sounds fun, it’s actually disappointing.

Step 12: The Baking Process

Bake for 12-14 minutes. They should be golden brown around the edges but still look slightly underdone in the center. They’ll look puffy and soft. DO NOT OVERBAKE. Overbaked cookies are the enemy of thickness. The centers should look barely set – they’ll continue cooking on the hot pan after you remove them from the oven.

Step 13: The Pan Rest

When you remove the cookies from the oven, let them sit on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. This is crucial. They need to set up before you move them or they’ll fall apart. After 5 minutes, transfer them to a cooling rack. They’ll firm up as they cool but should stay soft and chewy in the middle.

Step 14: The Salt Situation (Optional But Amazing)

While the cookies are still warm, sprinkle a tiny pinch of flaky sea salt on top of each one. The salt enhances the sweetness and the chocolate flavor. It’s the difference between good cookies and cookies that make people ask for the recipe.

Step 15: The Eating

Wait until they’re warm but not hot – about 10 minutes out of the oven. Pick one up and notice the thickness. Break it in half and see that soft, chewy interior with melted chocolate chunks. Take a bite and experience the textural contrast – crispy edges, soft center, molten chocolate. This is what cookies are supposed to be.