Cream butter and sugars: In a large bowl, beat the softened butter with the brown sugar and granulated sugar until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes with a spatula or hand mixer.

Add eggs and vanilla: Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla extract until the mixture looks smooth and glossy.

Combine dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt until evenly blended.

Mix wet and dry: Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and stir just until no flour streaks remain; do not overmix.

Fold in chocolate chips: Stir in the chocolate chips by hand until they are evenly distributed throughout the dough.

Chill the dough: Cover the bowl and refrigerate the dough for 20 minutes so it firms up and holds its shape better during baking.

Preheat the oven: While the dough chills, preheat your oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Scoop the dough: Scoop the chilled dough into tablespoon-sized balls and place them about 2 inches apart on the prepared sheets.

Bake the cookies: Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges turn golden but the centers still look slightly soft and underbaked.

Cool on the pan: Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving them to a wire rack to finish cooling; this prevents them from breaking apart.