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Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies combine sweet and salty for the ultimate chocolate chip cookie recipe! Every bite is loaded with melted chocolate chips with a hint of sea salt that adds texture and enhances the flavor of the cookies. They are seriously the best!
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Sea salt chocolate chip cookies happen when you make the best chocolate chip cookie and add a hint of salt. It’s such a simple thing, but the sea salt totally elevates the cookies. If you’ve ever had the ones sold at Milk Bar, you should know – these are better than Milk Bar! They’re the best chocolate chip cookies with sea salt – they taste so gourmet!
Why You’ll Love Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies
If soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies with lots of melty chocolate are your thing, then this salted chocolate chip cookie recipe is for you.
I haven’t even mentioned the other unique ingredient we’re using: brown butter. Sure, you can use plain melted butter, but it develops the most amazing flavor when you take the extra step to brown it. It adds the best flavor to the cookies.
Of course, no amount of fancy salt or brown butter will make a poorly baked cookie better, so I am sharing all of my tips for making the best chocolate chip cookies. They’re perfectly baked with the best soft and chewy texture.
If you’ve never made salted cookies before, I can guarantee you’ll be hooked after just one bite. The flavor is complex, the texture is perfect, but I promise they’re easy to make. You are going to love this chocolate chip cookie recipe with sea salt on top.
Ingredients in Chocolate Chip Cookies with Sea Salt
Butter: You’ll need unsalted butter for these – you don’t want to brown salted butter since browning it concentrates the flavor. Start with sliced butter so it melts faster.
Sugar: The best cookies use both brown sugar and granulated sugar!
Egg: Be sure to buy large eggs.
Vanilla: I love adding it for flavoring – I always use PURE vanilla extract.
Salt: Needed since we’re using unsalted butter.
All-purpose flour: Be sure to measure it correctly.
Chocolate Chips: Use your favorite brand and flavor – mine are Trader Joe’s!
Coarse Sea Salt: For sprinkling on the cookies. You can also use flaky sea salt or kosher salt.
Sea Salt vs. Kosher Salt
Sea salt and kosher salt aren’t the same things. Sea salt is softer than kosher salt but still has a slightly crunchy texture making it perfect as a garnish. It’s also purer because it’s not processed as much.
How to Make Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Brown your butter by placing the sliced butter in a saucepan and cooking, stirring often, until it melts and bubbles and turns an amber color. Place the brown butter in a large bowl.
- Add the sugars and stir until the mixture is smooth.
- Mix in the eggs, vanilla, and salt.
- Add the flour to the wet ingredients, stir to combine.
- Mix the chocolate chips.
- Scoop two tablespoons of cookie dough to form each ball. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and then chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line other cookie sheets with parchment or silicone mats. Space the chilled cookie dough balls two inches apart on the prepared sheet pans.
- Bake the cookies for 10 to 15 minutes or until they just lose their glossy sheen.
How to Brown Butter
Browning butter takes an extra step, but it’s worth it! It adds the best nutty, caramelized flavor to the cookies.
Place the sliced butter in a saucepan and warm it over medium-low heat. Once it’s melted, continue cooking it, stirring often, until it starts to foam and reduces. Once it starts to brown (tiny brown flecks will appear), remove it from the heat.
Tip: Don’t walk away while making brown butter because it burns quickly. You need to keep an eye on it and stir it frequently.
Tips for Perfect Cookies
For the best chocolate chip sea salt cookies, read through these tips!
- Use Brown Butter: Seriously, it makes such a big difference! I use it for many recipes, and it takes these salted chocolate chip cookies over the top.
- Accurately Measure the Flour: Use a kitchen scale for the most accurate measurement. If you don’t have one, use the spoon and level method for measuring it.
- Chill the Dough: Your patience will be rewarded when you allow the dough to chill. If you skip this step, your cookies will spread too much when you bake them.
- Use a Cookie Scoop: For cookies that are all the same size, use a scoop! It takes all of the guesswork when you form the cookie dough balls.
- Add a Few More Chips: This is optional, but adding a few more chocolate chips on top of the cookies makes them prettier. Also, more chocolate is never a bad thing!
FAQ
For this recipe, you will need 1/2 teaspoon of table salt for the dough plus coarse sea salt for the tops of the cookies.
No I do not recommend that for this recipe, because we are browning the butter. You shouldn’t brown salted butter. If you skip the browning step then you can use salted (melted) butter and reduce the salt to 1/4 teaspoon in the recipe.
Wait until the cookies are done baking, and sprinkle the sea salt over the top while they’re still hot.
It enhances the flavor of the cookies. Adding sea salt on top also adds flavor and a crunchy texture.
Store them in an airtight container, and they will keep for up to three days at room temperature.
Layer the cooled cookies in a large freezer bag. Place paper towels between each layer and then freeze them for up to three months. Thaw them at room temperature with the paper towels, which will absorb any excess moisture.
More Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes You’ll Love
- Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Pizookie Skillet for Two
- Famous Amos Copycat Chocolate Chip Cookies
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Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, sliced into tablespoons
- ½ cup (100g) packed brown sugar
- ⅓ cup (67g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ cups (186g) all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups (255g) chocolate chips
- Coarse Sea Salt for topping
Instructions
- Add sliced butter to a saucepan and heat over medium-low heat until melted. Continue cooking, stirring often, until the butter foams and reduces, then turns brown (little flecks of brown will appear). Don’t walk away, this can happen quickly and it can burn fast. Remove from heat.
- Transfer melted butter to a bowl and stir in both sugars until smooth. Mix in egg, vanilla, baking soda, and salt. Stir in flour, then stir in chocolate chips.
- Scoop 2 tablespoon size balls of cookie dough onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. No need to space them at this time. Chill at least 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Space the cookies 2-inches apart on 2 cookie sheets lined with parchment or silicone mats, then bake 10-15 minutes or until they just lose their glossy sheen.
- When done baking, press additional chocolate chips on top and sprinkle with sea salt.
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Recipe Nutrition
If soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies with lots of melty chocolate are your thing, then this Salted Chocolate Chip cookie recipe is for you.
Last Updated on May 20, 2022
I’ve never made cc cookies without baking soda. That was intentionally omitted, right?
Thank you for catching that! Not sure how that got missed -added it.
But you didn’t add it in the directions?! Or am I blind?
It’s where you add the egg and vanilla!
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