I make the best chocolate chip cookies. I do. If you have a cherished chocolate chip recipe, then I feel sorry for you because mine is way better. It just is. These cookies are soft, chewy, and packed with chips. I basically took the original Nestle Toll House recipe and made it perfect. I almost titled these "the world's best chocolate chip cookies" but decided to exercise humble restraint.

In my version, I lowered the cooking temperature, increased the ratio of brown sugar to white, and bumped up the amount of chocolate chips, among other tweaks. However, the real secret behind perfectly chewy cookies is the consistency of the butter. It should be soft but not too soft. Butter softened by sitting out in room temperature is best. Forcing the butter to soften quickly can lead to a dough that's too runny. Err on the side of solid, and if it's hard to beat with the mixer, then let it sit for a second. Should you choose to microwave your butter, doing so perfectly depends upon the machine. I have good results microwaving a solid block on the lowest power for 1:11 minutes. (Kevin taught me the lazy microwave method of pushing the same number multiple times.)

I recently ran across an article I bookmarked from the New York Times, a hard-hitting journalism piece on the chocolate chip cookie. It reminded me about the importance of time, namely the time it takes for the ingredients to come together. And I mean really come together. 36 hours in the refrigerator seems to be the magic amount of time to create cookies that have "richer, more sophisticated taste, with stronger toffee hints and a definite brown sugar presence." (If you weren't in the mood for cookies before you read that sentence, then you must be now!)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/09/dining/09chip.html

But, hey, if you don't have 36 hours to wait, 1 hour is plenty good for a piece of happiness.