Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare baking sheets with silicone mat or parchment paper.
Cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy, approximately 2-3 minutes. Beat in eggs and vanilla, and mix until well combined.
Dissolve baking soda into hot water, add to mixture and stir well to combine. Add flour and salt and mix by hand until combined. Fold in chocolate chips and mix until just combined. Do not overmix.
Scoop cookie dough, and if desired shape dough balls so that they are taller than wide, and place on baking sheet. Leave at least 3" between cookies to allow for spreading.
Bake for approximately 9-11minutes in preheated oven, until edges start to brown. Remove from oven and place baking sheet on a wire cooling rack. Allow cookies to sit on baking sheet for ten minutes, then with a spatula, gently transfer to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling. Store tightly covered.