Cream the butter and sugar. In a bowl of a stand mixer, or in a large mixing bowl using a hand-held mixer, cream the butter and sugar together for one full minute. You want the butter to be light and fluffy and super creamy. (The color of the butter will ultimately depend on the type of sugar you use.)

Add the wet ingredients. Scrape down the sides and mix in the egg and vanilla extract until they’re both combined.

Add the dry ingredients. Scrape down the sides and add the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, sea salt, and cinnamon and stir JUST until combined.

Tip: Sift in the flour for an even, soft textured cookie. Also don’t over-stir the dry ingredients, otherwise you’ll activate the gluten in the flour and make the cookie cake-like and chewy.

Fold in the chocolate chips. Don’t over-stir!

Chill the dough. This step is mandatory, but I promise it’s worth it! Set the timer for 30 minutes and clean up the kitchen while you wait. Chilling the cookies solidifies the butter, giving you a cookie that won’t spread during the baking process. Preheat the oven to 350F.

Measure the cookie dough and bake in the oven for 12 minutes. I like to use cookie scoops to ensure every cookie is the same size. Be sure to let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack to cool completely.