Big and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

The operative word here is BIG (that's what she said). These are some of the biggest cookies I've ever had, and I swear it's not my fault. The directions say to make each cookie with 1/4 cup of dough!*











These are from The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook - a behemoth of almost everything you could ever want to cook. It's a fabulous and well organized book, my second favorite to Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything. Both were given to me by my brother and sister-in-law, Andrew and Nora.
One of the great things about this cookbook is that it comes with tips. Their tip for this cookie is to use melted butter (as opposed to just softened, room temperature) because it makes for a chewy cookie. But in order to keep it from being tough, they add some more fat in the form of 2 egg yolks. Also, they say to remove the cookies from the oven after 17-20 minutes and then let them finish cooking on the hot baking sheet for 10 more minutes. I did this and it turned out fabulously.
The ratings (on a 4 star system) -
John: 3.5 stars. He likes thinner cookies and these are super thick.
Abby: 4 stars. I love thick cookies! Also, a whole bag of chips makes them super chocolaty.

Makes: 20 large cookies.
Prep: 5 minutes
Total: 35 minutes plus cooling time

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
16 tbs (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated
2 large eggs (I used medium)
2 large egg yolks (again, I used medium)
1 tbs vanilla extract
1 12-oz bag chocolate chips**

1. Adjust the oven racks to the upper- and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl and set aside.

2. Beat the butter and sugars in a large bowl using an electric mixer on medium speed until combined, 1-2 minutes. Beat in the eggs, egg yolks, and vanilla until combined, about 30 seconds, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

3. Reduce the mixing speed to low and slowly mix in the flour mixture until combined, about 30 seconds. Mix in the chocolate chips until incorporated.

4. Working with 1/4 cup of dough at a time,*** roll the dough into balls and lay on two parchment-lined baking sheets, spaced about 2 1/2 inches apart. Bake until the edges are golden but the centers are still soft and puffy, 17-20 minutes, rotating and switching the baking sheets halfway through baking.

5. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes, then serve warm or transfer to a wire wrack to cool completely.

*It's possible I misunderstood this and accidentally made monstrous cookies. If so, it was certainly not a problem.
**You could use any other kind of chips, chopped nuts, raisins, or coconut, as the Test Kitchen team suggests.
***Looking back on it, this sounds like maybe you make a few smaller balls from that 1/4 cup of dough. Again, I'm not complaining.