POSITIVELY-THE-ABSOLUTELY-BEST-CHOCOLATE-CHIP COOKIES

Steps:

• Adjust two racks to divide oven into thirds and preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line cookie sheets with baking parchment or with aluminum foil, shiny side up. In a large bowl beat the butter until soft with an electric mixture. Add the salt, vanilla, and both sugars and beat to mix. Add the eggs and beat to mix. On low speed add about half of the flour and, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula, beat until incorporated. In a small cup stir the baking soda into the hot water, then mix into the dough. Add the remaining flour and beat only until incorporated. Remove the bowl from the mixer. Stir in the walnuts and the chocolate. Spread out a large piece of aluminum foil next to the sink. Use a rounded tablespoonful of the dough for each cookie and place the mounds any which way on the foil. Then wet your hands with cold water, shake off excess, but do not dry your hands. Pick up a mound of dough and roll it between your wet hands into a ball, then press it between your hands to flatten it to about a ½ -inch thickness. Place the cookies on the lined sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake two sheets at a time, reversing the sheets top to bottom and front to back if necessary to insure even browning. Bake for about 12 minutes, until the cookies are browned all over. (If you bake one sheet alone, bake it on the upper rack.) The cookies must be crisp; do not underbake. Let the cookies stand for a few seconds, then transfer with a metal spatula to racks to cool. Store in an airtight container.