I do not usually bake. It involves cleaning the kitchen beforehand, making sure I even have all the ingredients beforehand, and digging out the handheld appliances that I otherwise would never use. However, if there is one fool-proof recipe I always get right, it’s chocolate chip cookies. I began using this recipe several years ago, only needing to change it slightly for my tastes, and I have never needed another cookie recipe again.

Here’s my go-to recipe for chewy chocolate chip cookies.

Makes: 12 cookies

Ingredients you’ll need:

• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) of butter
• 1/2 cup of granulated white sugar
• 1/4 cup of brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1 cup of chocolate chips (I use a combo of milk chocolate and semi-sweet)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Soften your stick of butter in a mixing bowl until it is almost liquid but easily squished with a spoon. Then use a hand mixer or stand mixer to beat butter and both white and brown sugars into the bowl. I like to keep my granulated sugar scoops level, but I tend to use rounded scoops of brown sugar.

Beat in the vanilla and egg to the bowl. Be sure not to overdo this step- overmixing the egg won’t give you those soft, chewy cookies. If you’ve got a sweet tooth, this is also the spot to be a little heavy-handed with the vanilla.

Mix in baking soda, salt, and flour. I like to mix in the flour in half cup increments to make mixing easier and guarantee the dough doesn’t become too sticky or dry. As I add more scoops, I’m keeping an eye out for that play-dough texture– that’s when I know I’ve got enough flour.

At this point, you should be able to use your hands to mold your dough into a large ball. It shouldn’t be dry, but it shouldn’t be overly sticky. I like my dough to stick to my hands and beaters but not feel “wet.” This may require adding another 1/4 cup of flour if your dough is overly sticky.

Add in your chocolate chips or chocolate chunks. I like to use 1/2 cup of milk chocolate chips and 1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips. You can mix these into the dough manually.

Using your hands, roll the dough into 12 large balls. They will seem a little too big, but these cookies do not expand too far, so they will still cook through. Space your balls of dough about 2-3 inches apart on a non-stick baking sheet. You can place dough directly on the non-stick sheet (for darker cookies with a crunchier bottom) or use parchment paper (for lighter cookies with a softer bottom).

I like to then sprinkle a teeny pinch of salt onto the top of each ball of dough.

Bake for 12-15 minutes. When you check your cookies, they might look pale and/or undercooked. This is not a bad sign! If you leave cookies on the baking sheet after removing them from the oven, they will continue to cook on the bottom, so you always want to take them out before they look brown, or they could burn.

Let the cookies sit and cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes. The cookies will flatten out and look less puffy after cooling.

Enjoy your perfect chocolate chip cookies!