Dry ingredients: In a bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and ½ teaspoon salt until evenly combined. Set aside.
In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or using a handheld mixer, beat the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Tip: Don’t overbeat, as this could introduce excess air and cause the cookies to deflate in the oven.
Reduce speed to medium. To the butter and sugar mixture, mix in the eggs, one at a time. Add the vanilla extract and mix until evenly combined.
Gradually, add the dry ingredients mixture and mix until combined and no pockets of flour remain. Then, stir in the chocolate chips until just combined. Do not overmix. The dough should be sticky and moist.
Cover the dough with plastic wrap, making sure that the plastic is touching the dough. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 3 days. Note: The dough has to refrigerate. Unchilled dough can cause flat and shapeless cookies.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove dough from the fridge and let it sit for 15 minutes on the counter so it’s not so hard and easier to scoop.
Meanwhile, line your sheet pans with parchment paper. Tip: Without parchment paper, the cookies bottoms will turn brown too quickly and overbake. I’d also recommend using light-colored aluminum sheet pans.
Using a medium cookie scoop (1.5 tablespoon capacity), scoop out the dough and shape into balls. Arrange 3 inches apart on the sheet pan. Press a few extra chocolate chips into the cookie dough balls so they look prettier.
Bake for 11-12 minutes in the middle rack or until the edges are slightly golden brown (also look for a few brown spots in the middle). Bake in multiple batches. They may look a bit underdone but will continue to cook and set with the residual heat.
As soon as they come out of the oven, sprinkle with some sea salt on top. Let cool for about 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. Enjoy!