Cafe-Style Chocolate Chip Cookies

Whisk the flour, baking soda, cornstarch and salt together in a bowl.

In a larger bowl, beat the cooled melted butter with both sugars for a full minute. The butter must be melted, not softened, and cool enough that it will not scramble the eggs.

Beat in the eggs and vanilla until combined.

Fold in the dry ingredients, then the chocolate chips, stopping as soon as no dry flour remains.

Chill the dough in the fridge. This is not optional: warm dough spreads thin and loses the chew.

Heat oven to 350°F. Scoop ¼ cup portions and roll into balls. Tear each ball in half, then press the two halves back together with the torn sides facing up. That ragged surface is what gives the baked cookie its craggy top.

Bake until the edges are golden but the centers still look underdone, rotating the tray halfway. Bake one or two first to calibrate your oven before committing the tray.

Let them set on the hot baking sheet, pressing a few extra chips into the tops while soft. Move to a rack once firm enough to lift.