Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar with a mixer for about 2 minutes.

Add the eggs and vanilla and cream again for another 2 minutes, until light and fluffy. Don't skip the creaming on this step — most recipes mention it for the butter and sugars but gloss over it here. That second cream is what gives these cookies their perfect texture.

Gently mix the dry ingredients into the wet until no dry flour remains, being careful not to overmix. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Using a cookie scoop, place 12 balls of dough onto the prepared sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. If baking two trays at once, rotate them halfway through — switching top and bottom racks at the 5-minute mark ensures even baking.

The cookies will look puffy and slightly underbaked when they come out — that's exactly what you want! Let them sit on the baking sheet for 10 minutes to finish setting. Repeat with the remaining dough. This recipe makes 36 cookies.