Heat a deep saucepan over medium heat. Add butter and let it completely melt. Once the butter is completely melted (see notes if you would like to brown the butter), remove from heat and add brown sugar and sugar and whisk together until completely smooth and no longer grainy at all. It should look smooth like dark caramel. If it isn't smooth enough, return to the heat and heat for about 30 seconds. If you have any clumps, use the back of a wooden spoon to press down on the clumps of sugar.
Set aside for 15-20 minutes to allow to come to room temperature before adding the eggs.
Stir in vanilla extract and eggs and mix until it is completely combined.
Fold in flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir until combined. Check to make sure the cookie dough isn't too warm before adding the chocolate. If the cookie dough is too warm, it will melt the chocolate. If it is warm at all, I suggest covering the pan and placing it in the refrigerator for 5-10 minutes.
Remove from the refrigerator and fold in the chocolate chips or chocolate chunks. Cover and place in the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes. You can chill for 24-48 hours if you prefer. If you chill the dough for 24 hours, let the dough sit at room temperature for 1 hour (to make it easier to scoop and to be less crumbly).
Preheat oven to 365 degrees. Use a cookie scoop and place 3-ounce chocolate chip cookie balls on light-colored baking sheets. The dough may be slightly difficult to scoop so I suggest using a cookie scoop. Roll into balls (make sure they look smooth) and press several chocolate chips on the top of each cookie. Bake for 8-10 minutes or just until a light golden color. DO NOT OVERBAKE! The cookies will continue to bake on the hot cookie sheet once removed from the oven.
To make your cookies look extra gourmet, press several chocolate chips or chunks on the outside of the round cookie dough balls. This ensures the cookies have perfectly placed chocolate on the top of the cookies when they bake.Form and shape your cookies after baking. After removing from the oven, take a spatula and press the edges toward the center to form a perfect circle, or take a glass slightly larger than the cookie and place it on the top of each cookie and just move it around the cookie until a perfectly round circle is formed.
Notes
BUTTER -- you can use either salted or unsalted butter in this recipe. If you use salted butter, reduce the salt by 1/4 teaspoon.BROWN SUGAR -- this recipe calls for DARK brown sugar. You can substitute light golden brown sugar for dark brown sugar. You can also use half light and half dark brown sugar.TO BROWN THE BUTTER:Melt butter over medium-low heat. The butter will go through different phases. It will begin to melt and bubble. Take a wooden spoon or spatula and stir often and around the sides of the pan. Let the butter melt and watch for it to begin changing colors from a creamy yellow to a deep amber yellow.The butter will begin to foam and this is why it is important to stir often so you can see what is going on below the foam. Small brown bits will begin to form and that will be a signal that the butter is officially browned. Butter can burn quickly so watch carefully. It is better to pull off of the heat a little early instead of browning too long and risk burning it.What Chocolate should you choose for your Chocolate Chip Cookies?The most popular type of chocolate used in chocolate chip cookies is semi-sweet chocolate. The second most popular type of chocolate would be milk chocolate.My personal favorite brands of chocolate to use in my chocolate chip cookies are Guittard, Ghirardelli, and Trader Joe’s.I prefer the Guittard Milk Chocolate Chips for their rich, creamy flavor and the Ghirardelli Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips. Trader Joe’s chocolate chips are slightly larger in size and have a decadent chocolate flavor. You can use their Pound Plus Chocolate Bars to cut into chocolate chunks for the cookies.