Chocolate Chunk Cookies

It's one of those days - it's warm, the sun is out, the iPod has managed to pick just the right songs, buses and tubes seem to be arriving at exactly the right time and you've decided to ditch your packed lunch to enjoy the all-day breakfast at your favourite little cafe. Yes, it's one of those perfect spring days.

These chocolate chip cookies, while amazing on any day, are especially perfect for those not-so-perfect days. There's nothing like the smell of cookies in the oven to perk you up, even on the rainiest and gloomiest of London days. I stumbled upon this recipe after our resident chocoholic hinted (rather strongly) that he would really like my next baking session to involve chocolate chip cookies.


These cookies should come with a warning: CAUTION - HIGHLY ADDICTIVE.

Adapted from ELIZABETHBH's Best Big, Fat, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe.

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 cups dark chocolate chunks

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
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 chunks by hand using a wooden spoon.
Drop cookie dough onto cookie sheet. Be sure to space cookie dough balls about 3 inches apart from each other.
Bake for 15 minutes, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

It was love at first bite for the chocoholic. After begging me to teach him how to make them, he's made at least one batch almost every night since I made the very first batch of cookies almost 2 weeks ago. I find that using chocolate chunks instead of chips gives you those wonderful melty pockets of chocolate that really give the cookies character. The chocoholic has experimented with different types of chocolate and we've come to the conclusion that nothing beats dark chocolate. Also, be sure not to overbake the cookies - it's soft and chewy that you're after, not rock-hard and crunchy.

Best eaten right out the oven, swapping stories with your housemates after a long day.

Amazing.