Chocolate Chip Cookies with Flaky Sea Salt

Name: Chocolate Chip Cookies with Flaky Sea Salt
Total time: 35 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature; 3/4 cup granulated sugar; 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar; 2 large eggs; 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract; 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips; Flaky sea salt for topping (optional)

The chocolate chip cookie is the most iconic American baked good, and making them from scratch is a rite of passage for every home baker.

byKalle Bergman

Jump to Recipe

Chocolate chip cookies are where small decisions compound, which is why I have an opinion about almost every one of them. The ratio of brown sugar to white sugar determines whether you get chew or crisp. Pulling the sheet at 9 to 11 minutes, while the centers still look puffed and underdone, is the difference between soft-centered and hard cookies once they cool. And creaming the butter with both sugars for a full three to four minutes, not just until combined, gives you those awesome golden edges.

If you have the patience (you should), chill the dough for at least 30 minutes before baking. The cookies will spread less, hold their height better, and develop more complex flavor from the rested dough. A pinch of flaky sea salt on top before they go in the oven sharpens the chocolate and keeps the sweetness from being one-note. This recipe makes 24 cookies, which sounds like a lot until they start disappearing…

Simple Step by Step

Cream the butter and sugars

Preheat the oven to 375°F and line two baking sheets with parchment. Beat the softened butter with both sugars for 3 to 4 minutes, until it is light and fluffy, then add the eggs one at a time and mix in the vanilla.

Mix the dry ingredients and fold in the chocolate

Whisk the flour, baking soda and salt together, add them to the butter in two additions and mix on low speed just until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips. Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes if you have the patience.

Scoop and bake

Scoop rounded tablespoons of dough onto the sheets, two inches apart, and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, until the edges are golden but the centers still look puffed and slightly underdone. Let them cool on the sheet for 5 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did my cookies spread too much?

Usually the butter was too warm, the dough went into the oven unchilled, or it was over-creamed. Chilling the dough for at least 30 minutes takes care of all three.

Should I use brown sugar or white sugar?

Both, and the recipe uses equal amounts. The brown sugar brings chewiness from the molasses in it, and the white sugar gives you crisp edges.

How do I know when they are done?

Pull them at 9 to 11 minutes, while the edges are golden and the centers still look puffed and underdone. They finish firming up on the hot sheet as they cool.

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About the Author

Kalle Bergman

Kalle Bergman is a food writer and media entrepreneur and the founder of Honest Cooking & Travel Magazine. His writing has been regularly featured in publications like Gourmet, Los Angeles Times, Huffington Post and Serious Eats. He is obsessed with simple food, more often than not from his native Scandinavia or Spain.