Weeknight Toll House Style Cookies

Heat the oven: Preheat to 375°F. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment. For the most even results, bake one pan at a time on the center rack. If you know your oven bakes evenly, you can bake two pans at once and rotate halfway through.

Mix the wet ingredients: In a large bowl, stir the softened butter with the granulated sugar and brown sugar until smooth, thick, and a little lighter in texture. By hand, that looks like the sugars are fully moistened and the mixture looks creamy, not gritty, about 1 to 2 minutes.

Add eggs and vanilla: Mix in the vanilla, then add eggs one at a time, mixing until smooth after each.

One bowl dry add: Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the dough and mix to combine. Add the flour and mix just until no dry flour remains. Do not overmix.

Fold in chips: Stir in the chocolate chips (and nuts if using). If you have 10 minutes, let the dough rest on the counter. It helps the flour hydrate, reduces spread, and bakes up a bit thicker and chewier.

Scoop: Scoop 1.5 tablespoons of dough per cookie (about 25 to 30 g each) and place on the prepared pan, spacing about 2 inches apart. This size yields about 30 to 36 cookies, depending on how generous your scoop is.

Bake: Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, until the edges are set and golden and the centers look slightly puffed and a little underdone. They will look pale in the middle, and that is the point.

Finish and cool: If you like, sprinkle a tiny pinch of flaky salt on top right when they come out. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then move to a wire rack to cool completely.