Cream the cold butter and sugar. Cut the cold butter into small cubes and add it to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the sugar and mix on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy and the sugar is fully incorporated. Keeping the butter cold here, rather than softened, is what gives these cookies their height.

Mix in the honey and vanilla. Add the honey (70 g / about 3 Tbsp) and vanilla extract (10 g / 1 Tbsp) to the bowl and mix again until well combined.

Add the egg and discard. Add the egg and the sourdough discard (120 g / ½ cup). Mix on medium speed until just combined.

Add the dry ingredients. Add the salt, baking soda, and flour (190 g / about 1¼ cups). Mix on low speed only until the dry ingredients disappear into the dough. Do not overmix - overmixing is the most common reason these cookies won't rise properly.

Fold in the chocolate chips. Remove the bowl from the mixer. Add the chocolate chips (170 g / about 1 cup) and fold them in by hand with a spatula, mixing as little as possible.

Scoop and chill. Using an ice cream scoop, portion the dough into 12 cookies and place them on a baking sheet. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, until firm.

Shape into towers. Once firm, shape each portion between your palms into a short, chunky tower rather than a flat ball. The taller the shape going into the oven, the less the cookies spread and the chunkier they bake up.

Freeze. Return the shaped cookies to the refrigerator overnight, then transfer them to a freezer-safe bag and freeze. Baking from frozen, rather than the same day, is what keeps them tall and thick instead of spread out.

Preheat the oven. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375°F and let it preheat fully for 30 to 40 minutes so the heat is even throughout.

Bake. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange the frozen cookies at least 2 inches apart and bake for 16 to 18 minutes, keeping an eye on them near the end. If you prefer a slightly underbaked center, pull them a touch early - every oven runs a little differently.

Cool. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack. Eat warm, or let them cool the rest of the way, your call.