Eggs begin with a very tiny air pocket that grows over time. They crack because this air pocket expands when heated. The fresher the egg, the smaller the air pocket, the less tendency toward cracking. At the same time, though, the fresher the egg, the harder they are to peel.

There's no such thing as a simple foolproof hard cooked egg recipe. Boiling an egg may seem like the simplest thing in the world, but when you start looking at the number of variables involved, the list is huge. Just off the top of my head, you have:

Size of the egg
Age of the egg
Amount of water (more water will hold heat longer and will also take longer to bring to a boil)
Number of eggs (the more eggs you use, the greater the initial drop in heat)
BTU output of stove
Shape/material of cooking vessel
Dissolved minerals in the water
Fridge temp
Altitude

In other words, if a recipe doesn't list things like the number of eggs or the quantity of water, it will produce completely inconsistent results from person to person. Everyone and their brother has a simple foolproof recipe for eggs. Don't believe the hype.

Your best bet is some trial and error. Try to decrease the variables by using the same amount of water, the same saucepan and the same number of eggs. Start off with less time- an undercooked hard cooked egg with a slightly soft yolk is far preferable to a smelly overcooked gray/green tinged yolk. Once you get a time that works- stick with it for that size egg. Once you find that magic window, that will be YOUR foolproof recipe. Please don't impose it on anyone else, though

It's a hassle, but if you really want consistently excellent hard cooked eggs, trial and error/mitigating the variables is essential. A lot of foods are like this. Contrary to what many people believe there is no 'correct' time to cook rice nor 'correct' amount of water to add. Same with beans.