Larissa's Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

I learned today that a picture really is worth 1,000 words.  All I did was post a photo of some cookies I baked for a friend and - *BAM* - dozens of requests for a recipe.  They do look amazing, right?  I promise they taste even better!

Ingredients

• 1 c. brown sugar
• 1/2 c. granulated sugar
• 2 sticks room temperature butter (aka softened, not melted)
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. almond extract
• 3/4 tsp. baking soda
• 3/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups bread flour
• 1 cup flour (or just do 2 1/4 - 2 1/2 regular flour)
• 1/3 bag Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate Chips or Trader Joe's Chocolate Chips
• 1/3 bag Trader Joe's Chocolate Chunks
• 1/3 bag Nestle Mini Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips (the only time I ever use Nestle, as I don't prefer their chocolate)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees

• Combine sugars and butter until integrated/fluffy (too much mixing will melt the butter = bad)
• Mix in extracts, soda, powder, salt, and eggs (again, do not mix too much)
• Mix in bread flour until just integrated
• Mix in flour until just integrated (the dough may seem as if it is not going to stick together, but it will once you knead)
• Knead in chocolate chips with freshly washed hands
• Refrigerate dough for at least* an hour.  I prefer to let it set overnight, which is why I love this recipe- you can whip it together right before bed in ten minutes, then bake the next day (or three days later!).
• Roll dough into balls - I usually do about a 50-cent piece size just slightly smaller than a golf ball, but it works for larger sizes too

*I promise you if you don't let these set/chill, they will turn out very flat and crispy, which is not at all what you want.

Baking/Post-Baking

• Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.  Some ovens may take 11.  You want them to only have the lightest of brown on the higher points of the cookies.
• Let cookies develop on sheet for two or three minutes.
• Use spatula to remove and place on whatever surface you use for cooling - I use a sheet of wax paper or tin foil.  Nothing fancy.
• The cookies may seem to be gooey or more likely to fall apart, but they will solidify upon cooling.