Recipe: Sea-Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies

by Flavia Scalzitti on July 28th, 2018 | 1 Comment »

My love for chocolate chip cookies runs deep. They are my favorite cookie. There is just something about chocolate chip cookies that feels familiar and homey to me. Despite the simplicity of chocolate chip cookies, I am always amazed at how many different recipes there are for this cookie, and I always enjoy trying them out. This recipe comes from Alice Currah's new cookbook, Savory Sweet Life: 100 Simply Delicious Recipes for Every Family Occasion.

What makes Alice's recipe shine are two things: dark brown sugar and sea salt. I have never thought to try dark brown sugar in the other chocolate chip recipes I have made in the past. Truthfully, I have always been skeptical of dark brown sugar, thinking that the flavor would be too overpowering from the added molasses. I am glad I put my skepticism aside and used dark brown sugar because it added such depth of flavor and a delightful chewy texture to these cookies. I do not think that I will ever use regular brown sugar in chocolate chip cookies ever again!

The other ingredient that takes these cookies to "over the top" status is the sea salt. I decided to alter Alice's recipe just a little bit and sprinkle a few flakes on top of each cookie dough ball right before I slid the baking sheets into the oven to bake. The salt flakes nestle into the cracks and crevices of the cookie as it spreads and flattens and adds a delicate crunch when you bite into the cookie. The combination of the sea salt flakes with the semi-sweet chocolate chips is sublime and neither flavor overpowers the other. The texture of the cookies is a perfect combination of chewy and crispy, with chocolate in every mouthful. I love these cookies so much, I am not sure if I want to try another chocolate chip cookie recipe ever again!

Sea-Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies

Adapted from Savory Sweet Life: 100 Simply Delicious Recipes for Every Family Occasion by Alice Currah

The one major alteration I made to this recipe was to chill the cookie dough overnight before baking the cookies. Cookie dough that has been chilled beforehand results in cookies that spread out less. Allow the chilled cookie dough to stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes before baking the cookies to allow the dough to soften—this will make it easier to scoop out.

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoons sea salt + more for sprinkling on top of each cookie dough ball
2 1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, granulated sugar, and dark brown sugar together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy in texture, about 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium-low and add in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each egg is added. Add the vanilla and mix to incorporate. Next, add in the flour, baking powder, baking soda and sea salt and mix just until all the dry ingredients are fully incorporated. Do not over-mix. Add in the chocolate chips and mix them in by hand using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. Transfer the cookie dough to a bowl and cover tightly. Refrigerate the cookie dough overnight.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. Use a cookie scoop to portion out the cookie dough onto the baking sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart. Sprinkle each cookie dough ball with a small amount of sea salt. Bake the cookies for 15 minutes, rotating the baking sheets halfway through the baking time to ensure even browning. Remove the cookies from the oven when they are a light golden brown around the edges and allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for about 2 minutes before transferring them to a baking rack to cool completely. Store in a covered container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Flavia Scalzitti is a food blogger based in Houston, Texas. She is originally from Maryland and comes from an Italian family. Flavia grew up around people who used food and cooking as a way to keep their traditions alive, celebrate their Italian culture, express their love for their family, and nourish the people they cooked for with the freshest and best quality ingredients. She is entirely self-taught and is also passionate about baking. In addition to cooking and baking, Flavia enjoys learning about and practicing photography, reading, traveling, practicing yoga, and spending time with her husband, Peter. She blogs at Flavia's Flavors: http://www.flaviasflavors.com