Chances are if you're reading this you have some pretty strong opinions on this most classic of cookies. I totally understand. For the majority of my life, I've been a-soften-the-butter-a-la-the-back-of-the-Tollhouse-package-kind-of-girl and I've made countless batches of them and consumed more than I care to think about. But now I've jumped camp and these melted butter ones are the new loves of my life and even that's a bit of an understatement for how much I ❤ them! If chewy, tender, crisped edged chocolate chip cookies are the thing of your dreams, you've got to try them, but maybe spend an extra half hour on the treadmill first. I have to warn you--they're totally addictive!

First off, it's a dream not having to remember to soften the butter. But that, while a real time saver, especially for the impatient (read, me) is not the reason to make these cookies because the time you save not softening butter is more than made up for in the several hours of chilling time that the dough requires. 

And the fact that they don't require a mixer, while really nice and particularly useful during a power outage (although the baking part might be tricky--hmmnn, barbecued cookies?) is also not reason enough to make these cookies.

Nor is the fact that the cookies bake up perfectly every time, round and slightly nubby with perfectly golden, crisped edges.

No, you bake these because they are pure perfection--buttery without being greasy, chewy with just the slightest hint of crispness and studded with tons of chocolate chips and nuts (if you like) throughout. Just the best and totally worth the time you have to wait chilling them. Try them and let me know what you think--oh, and invite me over too, because really, you don't want to be alone in the house with a batch of these cookies, do you?!!

The Melted Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie

Makes about 3 dozen large cookies or 6 dozen mini ones

Prep Time: 20 minutes, plus several hours of chilling the dough; Bake Time: 9-11 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour (10.125 ounces)

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and warm

• 3/4 cup sugar (5.25 ounces)

• 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed (5.25 ounces)

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 2 large eggs

• 12 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips or chunks

• 1 cup walnuts or pecans, roughly chopped (3.5 ounces)

The Recipe

1.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda and set aside.

2.  Place the melted butter, both sugars, vanilla and salt in a large bowl and mix together well. Stir in the eggs and then mix in the flour mixture until everything is well combined. Add in the chocolate chips and nuts. Either cover the bowl (or transfer to an airtight container) and refrigerate for several hours and up to 2 days. I almost always let these chill overnight.

3.  When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375ºF and line cookie sheets with silver foil but place the dull side, facing up. Remove the dough from the fridge and if it's too hard to work with, let it sit out on the counter for a while to soften up. 

4.  For larger cookies, scoop heaping double tablespoons of batter onto the sheets--use rounded tablespoons if you want to make smaller cookies, spacing the cookies at least 2 inches apart because these do spread a bit as they bake. Bake for 9-11 minutes, rotating the pans from front to back and top to bottom halfway through the baking time. The cookies will be golden brown at the edges, and kind of puffy on top--they might look underbaked to you, but don't let them overcook or they won't be chewy and don't worry about the puffiness--they will flatten out as they cool. Let them sit on the baking sheets for a couple of minutes on a wire rack and then use a metal spatula to remove them from the sheets and transfer to the racks themselves to finish cooling fully. When fully cooled, store in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days.

Enjoy!

Note:  Recipe adapted from Chewy, Gooey, Crispy, Crunchy by Alice Medrich.