Perfectly Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Instructions

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer use the paddle attachment to cream the softened butter and sugars on medium-high until smooth. This should take about 1-2 minutes. The butter and sugar should be fluffy and pale. 
2. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing at medium speed and scraping down the bowl between each.
3. Add the vanilla and salt to the mix, doing a few spins with your mixer just to incorporate. 
4. In a separate bowl, whisk your baking powder, baking soda, and flour. 
5. Add the flour mix, mixing on low speed until just incorporated. Do not over mix or you will have dense cookies. 
6. Fold in the chocolate with a spatula until just combined.  
7. Arrange 3 oz sized balls of dough for large cookies or 2 oz sized balls of dough for a small cookie onto a baking sheet and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
8. When it's time to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
9. Place chilled dough balls onto a baking stone and sprinkle additional salt onto the cookie dough and top with a broken piece of the bittersweet chocolate bar if desired.
10. Bake for 8-14 minutes, rotating halfway between baking time for an even bake.
11. When 8 minutes are up, check the cookies. It is better to underbake than overbake. They should be light golden brown, but will not look done. They will continue baking on the stone once removed from the oven. I baked mine for the full 14 minutes and allowed them to continue baking/cooling after I pulled them out of the oven. The baking time will come down to one thing: your oven. Keep an eye on the cookies and watch for that tan look. It's better to have an under-baked cookie than a dry, over-baked cookie.
12. Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool completely or almost completely. Allowing them to cool allows the cookies to firm up and take on their soft chewy form.