Chocolate chip cookies

Sally McKenney’s chocolate chip cookies are thick, soft and chewy, with chocolate scattered through a buttery dough. Her recipe uses more brown sugar than white sugar, melted butter and an extra egg yolk to build the texture she favours.

All-purpose flour, baking soda and salt form the dry mixture, with cornstarch included in this selection. Melted unsalted butter is whisked with light brown sugar and granulated sugar, then a whole egg, another yolk and vanilla extract are added.

The wet and dry mixtures are combined before semi-sweet chocolate chips are folded in. The dough is refrigerated before shaping, which McKenney identifies as an essential step for keeping the cookies thick rather than allowing them to spread too far.

Portions are shaped taller than they are wide and spaced on lined baking sheets. Baking stops when the edges are lightly browned while the centres still look soft; the cookies continue setting as they cool on the sheet and then on a rack.

A few extra chocolate chips may be pressed into the tops while the cookies are still warm. This optional finish is separate from the chips mixed into the dough; chocolate chunks, different add-ins and browned butter belong to other choices McKenney discusses.