Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Microwave the butter for about 40 seconds to just barely melt it. It shouldn’t be hot – but it should be almost entirely in liquid form.

Using a stand mixer or electric beaters, beat the butter with the sugars until creamy. Add the vanilla and the egg; beat on low speed until just incorporated – 10-15 seconds or so.

Add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix until crumbles form. Use your hands to press the crumbles together into a dough. Add the chocolate chips and incorporate with your hands.

Roll the dough into 12 large balls (or 9 for HUGELY awesome cookies) and place on a cookie sheet. Bake for 9-11 minutes until the cookies look puffy and dry and just barely golden. DO NOT OVERBAKE.

Let them cool on the pan for a good 30 minutes. They will sink down and turn into these dense, buttery, soft cookies that are the best in all the land.