Created in the 1930s by Ruth Wakefield of the Toll House Inn in Whitman, Massachusetts, the original recipe calls for cutting bars of semisweet chocolate into small chunks. Chocolate chips were first sold in 1939 to streamline this step—Joy’s 1943 recipe spread the good news: “a specially prepared chocolate may be bought for use in cookies.” We occasionally like to use coarsely chopped chocolate instead. These cookies tend to turn out best when baked on dark metal baking sheets.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease or line 2 baking sheets or cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk together in a bowl:

Beat in a large bowl until well blended:

Add and beat until well combined:

Beat the flour mixture into the butter-sugar mixture until well blended and smooth. Stir in:

Drop the dough by the heaping teaspoon for smaller cookies, or by the tablespoon for larger cookies, 2 or 3 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake until the cookies are just slightly golden on top and the edges are browned, 8 to 10 minutes, switching oven racks and rotating the sheets halfway through. Let cool on the sheets for 2 to 3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.