Disclosure: This post contains some affiliate links. I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase as a result of clicking one of these links. There is no additional cost to you.
Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies are made with melted brown butter, tons of chocolate, and flaky sea salt. They're basically the best cookies I've ever made. Bold words, but I stand by them.
Some things are so awesome, they really need no description. I mean, that's kind of the experience of awe, isn't it? Experiencing something that is so overwhelmingly beautiful or profound that it just leaves you speechless, in awe. Like your jaw drops and your heart floods, maybe tears well up in your eyes just because you know this thing exists.
And okay, maybe some of the things we call awesome these days don't quite live up to the true impact of this word, but I think we can find tiny moments of awe for the little things as well. A perfectly witty song lyric, a breathtaking sunset, a piece of art that makes your heart sing, or even a really great chocolate chip cookie. The magic of the universe is in those things as well.
What makes Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies so awesome?
Only you can say for sure whether or not these Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies are a transcendental experience, but I know they send me into waves of pure delight. First off, these cookies are ginormous. Each one is made with a quarter cup of cookie dough. They're tender on the inside with just a bit of crispness around the edges. They have a deep, almost caramely flavor with just tons of chocolate. But it's the salt that really makes them sing.
A sprinkle of sea salt flakes on top of each cookie takes this from just a sweet treat to a blow your mind flavor adventure. Salt turns up the volume on whatever flavor it touches, and when you get one of those flakes on your tongue, it's like fireworks. It takes all my will power to not immediately go for a second cookie. You've really gotta try them.
Magical Properties of Salt
Salt has been associated with witchcraft for centuries. It's probably most commonly known for its protective qualities, but salt can be cleansing as well. It can be used on its own or as an ingredient in a spell in probably hundreds of different ways. You can use salt in bath or shower magic, as a protective circle around a spell candle, or as the base of a spell jar or charm bag.
You can also charge your salt or enhance its qualities. Black salt, made by adding the ashes of charcoal, incense, or burnt botanicals, is extra powerful for banishing spells and protection against evil. You can also charge your salt, maybe even with a clear quartz crystal, under the light of the full moon to add to its cleansing or protection power. You could even use moon salt in your kitchen witchcraft. (Source: Everyday Magic by Semra Haksever)
Related: Salt Scrub Recipe
For more on the magical properties of other ingredients in this recipe, check the Kitchen Magick page.
Tips on making Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies
My favorite thing about making these cookies is that they're made with melted butter, so you don't have to remember to take your butter out of the fridge. Now, you could just melt the butter in the microwave and be done with it, but if you melt it on the stove, go ahead and let it start to brown just a bit before taking it off the heat to cool slightly. This will only deepen the flavor of the cookie dough. Just don't let the butter scorch and become bitter.
When it comes to adding the chocolate to these cookies, you can go any route you like. I've made them with chips, chunks, and chopped chocolate. I also use a mix of dark and milk chocolate. Basically, I just pull my basket of chocolate out of my pantry and use up whatever I have. Mix it up until you get to 325 grams. It's going to seem like too much chocolate. This is exactly what we want.
Once we have the cookie dough made up, use a quarter cup measure to scoop out the cookie dough, and flatten it just a bit on the baking sheet, leaving plenty of space for the cookies to spread as they're baking. Before they go in the oven, you need to sprinkle each cookie with flaky sea salt. This is the time to get out the good stuff. Don't skip this because it sounds weird. Trust me, it's awesome. Then just bake them until their golden and just set around the edges. They'll continue cooking from the residual heat on the baking sheet after you take them out of the oven. Let them cool a bit, but definitely crack into one while they're still warm.
FAQ
I add the sea salt flakes before baking because if you wait until they're baked, they won't stick. If you're worried that the salt has just melted into the cookie, you can always add a bit more after they're out of the oven, but chances are it will just slide off.
Every once in a while, we're in the presence of something truly awesome. Are these Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies in that realm? You'll have to try them to find out.
Looking for more awesome cookie recipes? Try these Classic Crunchy Peanut Butter Cookies or some No-Fail Sugar Cookies.
PrintSea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies
Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies are made with melted brown butter, tons of chocolate, and flaky sea salt. They're basically the best cookies I've ever made. Bold words, but I stand by them.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 15
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 150 grams (⅔ cup) butter
- 125 grams (⅝ cup) brown sugar
- 100 grams (½ cup) granulated sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 300 grams (2-½ cups) flour
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp fine sea salt (or whatever you use for everyday stuff)
- 325 grams of chocolate, chopped, chunks, or chips, a combination of milk and dark
- Sea salt flakes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F (175 C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Melt the butter and let it cool for a bit. If you do this in on the stove over low heat and let the butter brown just a bit, it only deepens the caramel flavor.
- Put the brown and white sugar in a mixing bowl, then pour the melted butter over them and beat them together with your electric mixer.
- Add the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk and beat until creamy and smooth.
- Slowly mix in the flour, baking soda, and fine sea salt.
- Finally, fold in the chocolate.
- Using your ¼ cup measure, scoop out the cookie dough onto your lined baking sheet. Give them plenty of space to spread out.
- Grab a small pinch of sea salt flakes and sprinkle it over each cookie, crushing the salt gently between your fingers as you do to break down the flakes into smaller pieces.
- Bake for 13-15 minutes. These cookies are best, in my opinion, when still a bit gooey in the middle, so don't overbake. Let them cool on the pan for five minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool.
Keywords: Chocolate, Cookies
Recipe adapted from Kitchen: Recipes from the Heart of the Home by Nigella Lawson.
Follow me on Pinterest for more awesome magical recipe ideas.
Leave a Reply