QUINTESSENTIAL CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Steps:

• 3. On low speed, add sifted flour mixture. Beat slowly until all of the flour is incorporated. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add chocolate chunks and mix in. 4. Heat oven to 350 degrees with the rack positioned in the lower third of the oven. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Spoon heaping teaspoons of dough 2 inches apart onto baking sheets. If not baking right away, remove small handfuls or spoonfuls of dough from mixer and plop them down on the middle of a sheet of parchment or wax paper, creating a log about 1 1/2 inches wide and 12 inches long. Fold parchment over, creating a sausage. Chill for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight. Using a serrated knife, slice chilled dough into 1/3-inch-thick rounds and place them 2 inches apart, in staggered rows, on parchment-lined sheets and proceed. (Dough will keep nicely, tightly wrapped, in the refrigerator for 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 1 month. Thaw frozen dough at room temperature for 30 minutes before slicing.) Bake 12 to 15 minutes, until lightly browned, rotating sheets from top to bottom and from front to back halfway through baking. Remove from heat and slide parchment off baking sheet and onto a work surface. Allow cookies to cool for at least 5 minutes before serving, or for at least 20 minutes before storing in an airtight container. They will keep for up to 3 days at room temperature. NOTEFor even more chocolaty cookies, add another 1 to 2 ounces (30 to 60 grams) of chocolate. If you want flat, crispy cookies, when you go to turn the baking sheets halfway through the baking, tap them down on the back of the oven door before sliding them back in. This will cause the rising cookies to fall.