Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies

0 Place the cold cubed salted butter in a small bowl and microwave for about 15-20 seconds, until only halfway melted. Stir with a fork until the remaining butter melts. Set aside to cool completely, yet still liquid. Do not put warm butter in the cookie dough.
1 Whisk together the flour, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Set aside.
2 Place the granulated sugar and orange zest in a large bowl and rub them together with your fingertips. This helps release the oil of the zest into the sugar, infusing it with orange flavor.
3 Add the brown sugar and the cooled butter to the orange zested sugar. Hand whisk together to form a thick applesauce like mixture.
15 Whisk in the egg, yolk, vanilla, and almond until nice and smooth.
4 Add the flour mixture onto the wet ingredients and gently fold together using a rubber spatula until no flour streaks remain.
5 Fold the chopped chocolate into the cookie dough to evenly distribute. Careful not to overwork or stir the dough too much.
6 Scoop the cookie dough into 1.5 Tbsp balls, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or even better overnight. 
7 Chilling the dough, firms the butter to prevent over spreading while baking and also allows the flavors to deepen. I have frozen the cookie dough balls for just 30-min before baking and they come out nice, but I believe the flavor and texture are better with a long chill. 
8 When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350℉ (180℃). Line a rimmed baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or two layers of parchment paper. 
9 Gently pack each ball together with your hands to form a thick tall mound.
10 Place the dough balls about 2-3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Keep remaining dough in the fridge until ready to bake.
11 Bake for about 11-12 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and the center is mostly set.
12 Remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle each cookie with flaky sea salt. Leave cookies on the hot tray for 5 minutes to finish baking before transferring directly to a wire cooling rack.
14 Repeat with remaining cookie dough, making sure the baking tray is cool each time.