Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpats or just leave your pan ungreased and unlined if you prefer.

Thoroughly stir together the flour and salt; set aside. Place butter in a microwave-safe mixing bowl and heat on high until melted. Stir both sugars into hot butter and let mixture sit for about 5 minutes so that sugar can dissolve a bit. Mixture will be shiny and buttery; stir in water and vanilla.

Sprinkle baking soda over sugar mixture, but do not mix. Sprinkle lemon juice over baking soda and watch it fizz for half a second. Stir the fizzies into the batter to make a light, bubbly batter.

Add flour/salt mixture mixture and stir until incorporated. Let dough cool completely if it is still warm (which it probably will be), then stir in chips and toasted pecans (if using).

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto lined baking sheets. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Mine took 10. The edges should be brown, the middles should be a bit paler. Caramel colored middles are okay too. Let cool for about 2 minutes on cookie sheet and then transfer to a rack of some sort to cool.