Save These classic chocolate chip cookies offer a chewy texture, blending semisweet chocolate chips with a touch of flaky sea salt. The dough comes together with simple ingredients like butter, sugars, eggs, and vanilla, baked to golden perfection. For an extra chewiness, chill the dough before baking. The sea salt accentuates the sweetness, creating a delightful balance in every bite. Ideal for pairing with milk or coffee, these cookies provide a comforting homemade treat.
My roommate sophomore year of college taught me that sea salt on chocolate chip cookies wasnt pretentious, it was transformative. Wed bake them at midnight during exam week, the whole dorm smelling like butter and sugar, and that tiny sprinkle of salt made everything feel less overwhelming. Now I cant make them without it, and honestly, neither should you.
Last Christmas my sister claimed she didnt like chocolate chip cookies, which I obviously took as a personal challenge. She ate three of these warm from the oven, then tried to convince me that sea salt was the only reason they were good. People will say wild things when theyre caught enjoying dessert.
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour: The structure builder. Measure by weight if you can, it makes such a difference in consistency
- Baking soda: This is what gives you those beautiful cracks and the perfect rise
- Fine sea salt: Balances sweetness and enhances chocolate flavor without being salty
- Unsalted butter: Softened properly, not melted. I learned the hard way that melted butter changes everything
- Granulated and brown sugar: The brown sugar keeps them chewy while white gives crisp edges
- Eggs: Room temperature eggs blend better into the dough, trust me on this
- Vanilla extract: Dont skimp here. It makes the chocolate taste more chocolatey
- Semisweet chocolate chips: Classic choice, but I sometimes mix in some chunks for variety
- Flaky sea salt: The finishing touch. Maldel is my go-to, but any flaky salt works
Instructions
- Get your oven ready:
- Preheat to 350°F and line your baking sheets with parchment. No greasing needed, which is one less thing to clean later.
- Whisk the dry team:
- Combine flour, baking soda, and fine salt in a medium bowl. Set it aside and try not to sneeze in it.
- Cream the butter and sugars:
- Beat them together for 2 to 3 minutes until the mixture looks pale and fluffy. This step is worth the effort.
- Add the eggs and vanilla:
- Add eggs one at a time, letting each disappear completely before the next. Pour in vanilla last and watch it swirl.
- Bring it all together:
- Fold in dry ingredients just until you dont see flour anymore. Over-mixing makes tough cookies, and nobody wants that.
- Add the chocolate:
- Pour in those chips and fold until every scoop will have chocolate. Sometimes I add a handful extra just because.
- Scoop and space:
- Drop tablespoon balls onto prepared sheets, giving them 2 inches of room to spread. They need their personal space.
- The salt finish:
- Sprinkle each cookie with flaky salt. This is where the magic happens, so dont skip it.
- Bake to golden:
- 10 to 12 minutes until edges are golden but centers still look slightly underbaked. They keep cooking on the hot pan.
- The hardest part:
- Let them cool 5 minutes on the baking sheet before moving them. Warm cookies are worth the wait.
Save My toddler helped me make these last weekend and somehow managed to eat more dough than made it into the oven. He kept pointing at the chocolate chips and signing more, which I interpreted as a culinary endorsement from someone who knows exactly what he likes.
Making Them Your Way
Sometimes I swap half the chocolate chips for chopped dark chocolate or throw in some toffee bits. The base recipe is forgiving enough that you can experiment, though my husband insists plain with sea salt is perfection and refuses variations.
The Texture Secret
Room temperature ingredients blend together more evenly, creating that chewy centers and crispy edges combination we all love. Cold butter makes weird lumps and melted butter changes the whole structure, so patience really pays off here.
Storage and Sharing
These stay soft in an airtight container for up to five days, though in my house they rarely see day three. I once brought a batch to a new moms potluck and came home with an empty platter and three requests for the recipe.
- Freeze scooped dough balls for fresh baked cookies anytime
- Warm slightly in the microwave before serving if theyve been sitting out
- The salt topping works best right before baking, not ahead of time
Save Theres something impossibly comforting about warm chocolate chip cookies, like a hug you can eat. Hope these bring you as much joy as theyve brought my kitchen over the years.
Recipe Questions & Answers
- → How does flaky sea salt affect the overall flavor?
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Flaky sea salt adds a subtle crunch and enhances the sweet flavors of the chocolate chips, providing a balanced sweet-savory profile.
- → Can I substitute the semisweet chocolate chips?
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Yes, dark or milk chocolate chips can be used to alter the sweetness and depth of chocolate flavor according to preference.
- → Why is chilling the dough recommended?
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Chilling helps control spread during baking, resulting in chewier cookies with more concentrated flavors.
- → What is the ideal baking temperature and time?
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Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 10–12 minutes until edges turn golden while centers remain slightly soft for best texture.
- → How should the cookies be cooled after baking?
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Allow cookies to rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely, ensuring proper texture.
