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Get prepped: Heat the oven to 360°F (180°C) with a rack in the center (350°F/175°C is fine if that’s the closest your oven can do). Line two sheet pans with parchment paper. DO NOT use silpat mats as it will make the cookies spread too much. Parchment is much better here because the cookies will hold their shape.
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In a medium saucepan over low heat, slowly melt the butter. (You shouldn’t hear sputtering.) Stir occasionally with a silicone spatula until the butter is almost melted. This should take about ten minutes. Low and slow. You are not making brown butter.
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Meanwhile, on a cutting board with a chef’s knife or serrated knife, chop the chocolate, aiming for a mix of 1/3-inch (8mm) to 1/2-inch (1.3cm) pieces, with some finer bits. I used a mix of thick chocolate bar (the massive chocolate bar from tjs - the big red bar that is 70% dark), 55% dark milk chocolate bar, and 65% Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate chips, also chopped)
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Mix dry, then mix wet: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and fine sea salt. Use a whisk to mix the dry ingredient.
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I use a stand mixer, but can be done by hand if needed. Grab a large bowl, add the melted butter, and whisk in both sugars. In a stand mixer use the paddle attachments. It might look clumpy at first, but it will smooth out quickly. Break the eggs in one at a time, whisking briskly after each one, just until the streaks of egg white disappear. If using a stand mixer, mix the egg at least 30 seconds each. Whisk/add in the vanilla.
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Mix dry into wet: With the silicone spatula, stir the dry ingredients into the wet until the flour is mostly mixed in. If using the stand mixer, stir on low, be careful the flour will spatter. Mix until no more streaks of flour, about 45 - 60 seconds.
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Stir in the chocolate, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl to catch any loose bits, stopping as soon as the flour has disappeared. (Mixing longer will toughen the cookies.)
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Roll the cookies: If the dough feels warm or looks glossy, refrigerate it for 5 minutes. Scoop 3 tablespoons dough (55g) per cookie and roll into a ball between your palms. Place 3 inches (7.5cm) apart on one of the lined sheet pans. Note: I weighed each cookie to 55g and made sure there was good chocolate distribution in each cookie.
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Bake the cookies: When one sheet pan is full, sprinkle each ball with a small pinch of flaky salt, and slide the pan into the center of the oven. Bake until the tops are cracked and lightly golden but still soft in the middle when pressed very lightly with a finger, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the pan with oven mitts halfway through baking. I set timer for 6 min. Rotated and swapped racks in the oven and set timer for another 6 min. This depends on your oven.
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Let the cookies cool on the sheet pan for 2 minutes, then use a wide spatula to move them to a wire rack to cool completely. Continue shaping and baking cookies with the remaining dough, using a cool sheet pan for each batch.
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Make ahead and store: The dough balls can be frozen in a sealed container for 3 months. Bake without defrosting at 330°F (165°C)—they may need an extra minute or two. Keep baked cookies sealed on the counter (and eat soon). To store: measure out cookie portions (55g) per scoop, put them in a freezer bag on a cookie sheet. Make sure there is space between each cookie. Once you have portioned out all the cookies for the freezer, gently place them, on the cookie sheet, in the freezer. Freeze for a few hours and remove the cookie sheet. You should now have perfectly portioned cookie dough balls that are not stuck together and easy to bake.
