Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

Turn the oven on to 350 degrees. Put the butter in the oven in a stainless steel bowl as it's preheating until about half of the butter is melted. Turn the oven off. Let the butter come back to room temperature – it doesn't have to harden completely but just so it's not hot anymore.

Add the sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla to the bowl with the butter. Cream with electric mixers until well mixed. Add the eggs and beat on high speed for 1 minute.

Measure in the flour, baking soda, and salt. You can do this in a separate bowl, but I usually just dump it all into the mixing bowl. Slowly mix with the electric mixer on low speed, scraping the sides, until all the flour is incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chips with a wooden spoon. Refrigerate for 2 hours or more, until firm. I refrigerated mine overnight.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. When the dough is firm, roll 2 tablespoons or more into high, round balls. Place on a baking sheet a few inches apart and bake for 8-12 minutes. Sorry for the discrepancy – our oven here is so hard to read (literally, there are no temperature markings) so I usually just watch them after 8 minutes to see when they look ready. You want to take them out when they are puffy and just a tiny bit brown on the tops and edges. Let stand for a few minutes – they will lose a little of their puffiness but they should stay thick and hold together well.