1. Preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C
2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking soda. To reduce clumpiness, sift through a sifter or sieve. Gently mix these together, then set the bowl aside.
3. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugars together, then beat in eggs and vanilla extract, vanilla essence . The coarseness of the sugar granules will help break the butter down, so be sure to do this first. Then add the eggs and vanilla and mix again until completely combined.
4. Gradually a cup at a time add the dry ingredients from the medium bowl to the wet ingredients in the large bowl, then add chocolate chips. Pour a cup of the dry ingredients, stir, and repeat until the dry and wet ingredients are totally combined. Fold the chocolate chips in until fully incorporated. At this point you should have a moderately thick cookie dough.
5. Drop spoonfuls of cookie dough onto a pre-greased or a lined baking sheet.Leave at least an inch of space between the cookies because they'll spread out when they bake. You can usually fit 12 cookies on a full-sized cookie sheet at a time.
6. Bake for about 9 to 11 minutes or until light golden brown. Do not over bake; if you do the cookies will be dark brown and burnt. Remove the pan from the oven and let the cookies rest on the pan for 3-4 minutes.
7. Using a spatula, lift cookies off and place onto wax paper or a cooling rack.Let cool for about 5-7 minutes.
8. Eat when hot and steamy or cooled and slightly crisp. If you like you can pipe a small swirl of icing or whipping cream on top and add some sprinkles to make it look fancy.