I still remember the first time I tried one of Jacque Torres’ famous chocolate chip cookies in NYC.

It was an ugly, rainy day during a weekend movie junket with my friend Emma, and she insisted these cookies would make us forget it was even raining.

And she was right.

They were positively decadent and ultra-buttery with pools of dark chocolate running throughout. As much as you craved another the second you finished the first, your belly simply wouldn’t allow it. One was plenty, and I knew I needed to recreate these cookies at home. Emma knew too because she bought me a bag of the chocolate discs to make these cookie dreams come true again in Texas.

As far as chocolate chip cookie recipes go, these are a bit EXTRA. You can’t just whip them in your Kitchen Aid and enjoy warm cookies straight from your oven in 20 minutes. There are steps to follow, all necessary, and it wouldn’t hurt to procure Jacques’ chocolate discs ahead of time because these cookies truly are better with them.

But all the fuss is worth it, I promise. Just ask my book club. I made them a couple of months ago, and everyone seemed to enjoy them as much as I had while walking the rainy streets in DUMBO.