Dorie Greenspan's Best (Chocolate) Chocolate Chip Cookies

Since I purchased Dorie Greenspan's Baking From My Home to Yours, I've oggled over every page at least 15 times. I've baked 5 or 6 recipes from it, needless to say all of which were delicious. The book is failproof. But this basic chocolate chip cookie recipe I hadn't tried yet. My favorite in the book is a blueberry crumb cake that I will undoubtedly post once I find some cheap berries but for now I decided to stick to something new and simple.
I polled the roommates on which recipe I should try, a chocolate chip cookie one or the chunky oatmeal and peanut butter chipsters, and they all answered the peanut butter cookies.. apparently I had already picked out which one I wanted based on the fact I didn't choose the chipsters though, whoops! I think I have a tendency to ask for people's opinions when I already know my answer. I had a chocolate craving and the others required 2 hours of fridge time so voila, Dorie Greenspan's "Best Chocolate Chip Cookies" with cocoa powder to give them the extra chocolate I was craving. These turned out perfect and all in under 20 minutes.

Dorie Greenspan's Best Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour *
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder*
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter at room temp
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate chopped into chips, or 2 cups store bought chocolate chips (I used a mixture of bittersweet and semi-sweet which worked fine too)
1 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

*The original recipe calls for 2 cups of ap flour, but if you would like to make chocolate chocolate chip cookies you can sub 3/4 cup cocoa for 3/4 ap flour

Center a rack in the oven and preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.
Whisk together flour, salt, and baking soda.
Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed for about 1 minute until smooth. Add the sugars and beat for another 2 minutes or so, until well blended. Beat in vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each egg goes in. Reduce the mixer speed t low and add the dry ingredients in 3 portions, mixing only until each addition is incorporated. On low speed, or by hand with spatula, mix in the chocolate and nuts. (The dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen. If you'd like, you can freeze rounded tablespoonfuls of dough, ready for baking. Freeze the mounds on a lined baking sheet, then bag them when they're solid. There is no need to defrost the dough before baking-just add another minute or two to the baking time)
Spoon the dough by slightly rounded tablespoonfuls onto the baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between spoonfuls.
Bake the cookies--one sheet at a time and rotating the sheet at the midway point--for 10-12 minutes. They may still be a little soft in the middle, and that's just fine. Pull the sheet from the oven and allow the cookies to rest for 1 minute, then carefully using a wide metal spatula, transfer them to racks to cool to room temperature.


Repeat with the remainder or the dough, cooling the baking sheets between batches.


Grab a cold glass of milk and enjoy!!!