The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

Steps

1. 1

   Melt the butter in a microwave-safe bowl in short bursts until just melted. Leave it to cool slightly; it should be liquid but not hot enough to cook the egg.

2. 2

   Add the light brown sugar and caster sugar to the melted butter. Whisk until evenly combined.

3. 3

   Add the vanilla extract and egg, then whisk again until the mixture is smooth and well incorporated.

4. 4

   Add the plain flour and salt. Sift in the bicarbonate of soda and cornflour so there are no lumps, then mix until a dough forms.

5. 5

   If the dough feels warm, let it cool for 5 minutes before adding the chocolate; this prevents the chocolate from melting into the dough.

   Start 5-minute timer
6. 6

   Add the chopped milk chocolate chunks and mix until distributed throughout the dough.

7. 7

   Scoop the dough into 12 large ice-cream-scoop-sized balls. Place the dough balls on a plate lined with cling film or parchment paper.

8. 8

   Cover the dough balls and chill them in the refrigerator for 1–2 hours, or chill them in the freezer for 20 minutes.

   Start 2-hour timer
9. 9

   Preheat the oven to 180°C (350 °F) fan. Line a baking tray with baking paper.

10. 10

    Place the chilled dough balls on the prepared tray, leaving substantial space between them because they spread considerably. Bake only 3–4 cookies per batch, and keep the remaining dough chilled or frozen.

11. 11

    Bake for approximately 10–13 minutes. At the halfway point, carefully bang the tray or the cookies' air out on a hard surface, as described in the source. Bake about 10 minutes for gooey centers or closer to 13 minutes for more set cookies.

    Start 13-minute timer
12. 12

    Let the cookies cool on the tray, then enjoy.