I don't care what anybody says, these are perfect cookies. The absolute best. I will go to war over it. They are also an introduction to muscovado sugar, a slept-on ingredient that's an easy way to punch up your baking flavor without having to brown butter, wait for dough overnight in the fridge, or pray to strange, unfamiliar deities. Crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside, they use chopped #chocolate (pick your bar!) instead of that yellow bag of wax chips.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup butter at room temperature
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup muscovado sugar (also called Barbados sugar)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 12 oz. bittersweet (70% cocoa or higher) chocolate chunks, chopped from your favorite bar or baking discs
• 1 cup chopped, toasted walnuts

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. If you have a mixer, attach the flat beater (not the dough hook or whisk). If not, stretch your arms and grab a wooden spoon.
3. Beat the brown sugars into the butter until it's really well mixed and slightly fluffy.
4. Add the sugar and do the same.
5. Make sure the mixer or your arms are on a low speed, then add vanilla and eggs. Add the eggs one at a time. Mix until the eggs are nicely integrated (not very long). Stop the mixer or shake out your arms.
6. In a bowl, mix the flour, salt, and baking soda.
7. Slowly add the dry mixture to the buttersugar in three parts. Make sure to scrape down the edges of the mixing bowl if necessary. This last point is important: Mix as little as possible, until the flour is just integrated into the dough. There shouldn't be clumps of flour or anything, just don't over mix!
8. Mixing as little as possible, incorporate the nuts and chocolate chips.
9. Get a 1/4 cup measuring cup. Use it to scoop out 6-8 cookies per baking sheet. Give each cookie ample space.
10. Bake the cookies for 14 minutes. You can cook them up to 16 minutes: the longer you cook, the less gooey they'll be inside and the farther the crispiness will climb up the edges.
11. If you are fancy and have a wire rack, cool the cookies on that. If not, find a plate or something.
12. (optional) Sprinkle with finishing salt, if you're that kinda gourmand.

They are fantastic when they're still warm, especially with ice cream, but I probably didn't need to tell you that!