Chocolate Chip Sea Salt Cookies

There's something about the smell of butter and brown sugar hitting a hot oven that stops me mid-thought every single time. Years ago, I was testing recipes for a friend's café, and I accidentally grabbed dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate chips. That mistake turned into these cookies, and they've been my go-to ever since.

I brought a batch to my sister's house once, and her eight-year-old said, "These taste like fancy." That's when I knew the sea salt really was the thing. Now every time I make them, I think about that moment in her kitchen, sunlight pouring through the windows, all of us standing by the counter with warm cookies in our hands.

Ingredients

• All-purpose flour (2 1/4 cups): Use a light hand when measuring, or better yet, weigh it if you can. Too much flour makes them dense instead of tender.
• Baking soda (1 teaspoon): This is what makes them spread and chewy, so don't skip or reduce it.
• Fine sea salt (1/2 teaspoon): This dissolves into the dough and balances the sweetness from the inside.
• Unsalted butter (1 cup): Room temperature is non-negotiable. Cold butter won't cream properly, and you'll lose that fluffy texture.
• Granulated sugar (3/4 cup) and brown sugar (3/4 cup): This combination is the reason they're chewy. The brown sugar brings moisture and molasses flavor.
• Eggs (2 large): Add them one at a time so they emulsify properly. Cold eggs can throw off your mixture.
• Vanilla extract (2 teaspoons): Pure vanilla makes a noticeable difference compared to imitation.
• Dark chocolate chips or chunks (2 cups): Bigger chunks stay more solid when baked, which I actually prefer over chips.
• Walnuts or pecans (1 cup, optional): Toasting them first brings out their flavor even more.
• Flaky sea salt: The finishing touch. I use Maldon because the flakes are the right size to taste on their own.

Instructions

Set your stage:

Preheat the oven to 350°F and line your baking sheets with parchment paper. This gives you time to focus on the dough without rushing.

Dry ingredients together:

Whisk the flour, baking soda, and fine sea salt in a bowl. This distributes everything evenly so you don't get weird pockets of baking soda in any cookie.

Cream the butter and sugars:

Beat them for about two minutes until the mixture is light, fluffy, and noticeably paler. This is where air gets incorporated, which creates that tender crumb.

Add eggs and vanilla:

Add each egg separately and beat well after each one. The mixture should look slightly curdled before you add the next egg, which is exactly right. Stir in the vanilla last.

Combine wet and dry:

Fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture on low speed, stopping as soon as no flour streaks remain. Overmixing develops gluten, which toughens the cookies.

Fold in chocolate and nuts:

Use a spatula to gently stir in the chocolate chunks and nuts if you're using them. This keeps the dough from getting worked too much.

Scoop and salt:

Use a heaping tablespoon scoop (or a small ice cream scoop) to portion the dough onto the baking sheets about two inches apart. Sprinkle each cookie with a tiny pinch of flaky sea salt right before they go in the oven.

Bake and cool:

Bake for 11 to 13 minutes until the edges are golden but the centers still look slightly underdone. Let them rest on the baking sheet for five minutes so they set, then transfer to a wire rack.

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I've learned that the best cookies aren't always the most complicated ones. There's something about sitting down with a warm chocolate chip cookie and realizing that the simplest ingredients, treated with a little attention, become something people actually crave.

Why Dark Chocolate Changes Everything

Milk chocolate chips are fine, but dark chocolate has this deeper flavor that doesn't disappear when you bite into it. The cocoa solids give the cookie an almost sophisticated finish, especially when paired with the salt. I've tested these with all kinds of chocolate, and dark chocolate never lets you down.

The Sea Salt Thing

Sea salt flakes aren't just a topping. They create this moment where sweet and salty hit at the same time, and your brain does a little loop-de-loop. If you haven't tried this before, you're about to understand why restaurants charge extra for seemingly simple details like this.

Storage and Variations

These cookies stay fresh in an airtight container for up to five days, though they rarely last that long in my house. I've made them with white chocolate (great, but needs a lighter salt hand), and I've made them without nuts for friends with allergies. The dark chocolate and sea salt combo is flexible enough to work with almost any change you want to make.

• Store them in layers separated by parchment paper so they don't stick together.
• If they've hardened after a day or two, a slice of bread in the container brings back softness overnight.
• You can freeze the dough balls and bake them straight from the freezer, adding just a minute or two to the bake time.

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These cookies have become my answer to the question, "What can I bring?" They taste thoughtful without being fussy, and they remind people why they love homemade baked goods in the first place.

Recipe FAQs

→ What type of chocolate is best to use?

Use dark chocolate chips or chunks for a rich, intense flavor that pairs well with the sea salt.

→ Can I use nuts in these cookies?

Yes, adding chopped walnuts or pecans provides extra crunch and complements the chocolate nicely.

→ How do I achieve chewy texture?

Slightly underbaking and letting the cookies cool on the baking sheet helps retain moisture and chewiness.

→ What does the sea salt add?

The flaky sea salt enhances sweetness by providing a subtle, crunchy contrast to the soft cookie base.

→ Can I substitute different sugars?

Light brown sugar adds moisture and depth, but you can adjust sugar types slightly for a variation in flavor and texture.