
Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies
These bakery-style chocolate chip cookies have crisp golden edges, soft chewy centers, generous pools of chocolate, and a finishing sprinkle of flaky sea salt.
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chunks or chopped chocolate
- 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
- Flaky sea salt, for finishing
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter, dark brown sugar, and granulated sugar together until pale, creamy, and slightly fluffy, about 2–3 minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla extract.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and fine sea salt.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Mix only until the flour is incorporated. Do not overmix.
- Fold in the semisweet chocolate chunks and milk chocolate chips, reserving a small handful of chocolate for the tops of the cookies.
- Cover the dough and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes. Chilling helps prevent excessive spreading and produces thicker, chewier cookies.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Scoop the dough into approximately 3-tablespoon portions. Roll them loosely into balls and place them several inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
- Press a few reserved pieces of chocolate into the top of each dough ball.
- Bake for 10–12 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden but the centers still look soft and slightly underbaked.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and immediately sprinkle each one with a small amount of flaky sea salt.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 8–10 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.
Baker's Notes
- For thicker cookies, chill the dough for one to two hours.
- Chopped chocolate creates larger melted pockets, while chocolate chips hold their shape more firmly.
- The centers should look slightly underdone when the cookies leave the oven. They will continue setting as they cool.
- For rounder bakery-style cookies, gently shape the edges with a large circular cookie cutter while the cookies are still warm.
- Do not oversalt the cookies. A small pinch of flaky sea salt on each cookie is enough.
Storage
Store the baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to four days.
The unbaked cookie-dough portions can be frozen for up to three months. Freeze the dough balls on a tray first, then transfer them to a freezer-safe container. Bake directly from frozen, adding approximately two minutes to the baking time.
