Bakery-style Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies
These sea salt chocolate chip cookies feature a chewy center, crisp toffee edges, and puddles of bittersweet chocolate. A 24-hour rest develops a deep, caramelized flavor that rivals any high-end bakery.
Equipment
- Stand mixer
- Baking Sheet
- Parchment Paper
- Kitchen scale
Ingredients
- 2 cups minus 2 tablespoons cake flour (8½ ounces)
- 1⅔ cups bread flour (8½ ounces)
- 1¼ teaspoons baking soda
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1½ teaspoons coarse sea salt, plus more for sprinkling
- 1¼ cups unsalted butter (2½ sticks)
- 1¼ cups light brown sugar (10 ounces)
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (8 ounces)
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract
- 1¼ pounds bittersweet chocolate disks or fèves, at least 60 percent cacao content
Instructions
Mix the Dry Team, Then Cream the Butter and Sugars
- Sift the cake flour, bread flour, baking soda, baking powder, and the measured coarse sea salt into a bowl, and whisk once more so everything looks evenly snowy. If you can, weigh the flour, this dough is sensitive to “extra handfuls.”
- In a mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the unsalted butter with the light brown sugar and granulated sugar for about 5 minutes, until the color lightens and the mixture looks fluffy and satiny. You are building tiny air pockets here, which helps the cookies bake up with lift and a tender chew.
Add Eggs and Vanilla, Then Bring the Dough Together Gently
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each, and scrape the bowl so no buttery streaks hide at the bottom. Stir in the natural vanilla extract and notice the aroma, it should smell like warm caramel and vanilla sugar.
- Reduce the mixer to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing only until just combined, about 5 to 10 seconds, you want to stop the moment the flour disappears. Add the bittersweet chocolate disks or fèves and fold them in so they stay mostly intact.
The Pre-Scoop Aging Technique, Then Bake and Cool
- Right away, portion the dough into generous golf ball sized mounds, 3.5 ounces each, and set them on a parchment lined tray. Press plastic wrap directly against the dough balls and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours, this keeps the rest easy and avoids the rock hard dough problem later.
- When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Space 6 chilled dough mounds on the sheet, and turn any chocolate pieces poking up horizontally for that bakery style look.
- Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and the centers still look a touch soft. Let the cookies sit on the sheet for 10 minutes to set, then move them to a wire rack to cool a little more.
Notes
Flour Blend: Bread flour adds structure and chew while cake flour ensures tenderness. If you don't have both, use all-purpose flour with a little cornstarch, though the texture will vary slightly.
Chocolate Choice: Using bittersweet chocolate disks or fèves creates wide, glossy layers of chocolate. If using bars, chop them into flat shards rather than chunks to mimic this effect.
Temperature Control: Bake the dough directly from the fridge. Cold butter in the dough helps the cookies hold their shape, creating thicker centers and crispier edges.
Weighing is Key: Use a kitchen scale to measure your flour and dough balls (3.5 ounces each) for consistent baking results.
Nutrition information is estimated based on common ingredients and serving sizes and may vary.
Nutrition
Calories: 480kcalCarbohydrates: 62gProtein: 5gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 65mgSodium: 300mgPotassium: 150mgFiber: 2gSugar: 40gVitamin A: 500IUCalcium: 30mgIron: 2mg
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