Best Big Fat Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

This has become my "go to" cookie recipe. It is frequently requested by family and friends (mostly my in-laws who are nuts about the recipe). What I love most about chocolate chip cookies is that they are almost like a medicine for a bad day. To me, making them is soothing and to others, at least I think, eating them is soothing. I recently made these for a friend when she was having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day (bonus points if you can tell me what book that is from) and realized that they had not made an appearance on my blog. They certainly deserve to be here among my other recipes so, without further ado, here they are:

Best Big, Fat, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie
(Source: Allrecipes)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.

2. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. Drop cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart.

4. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.