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These sea salt chocolate chip cookies have been a true labor of love. And by love, I mean a fierce love of chocolate chip cookies. And by labor I mean days of frustration and taste-testing in the kitchen.
For months now I have been attempting to make a batch of perfect chocolate chip cookies. There were some decent batches and there were some horrendous batches. A time or two I got close, but never close enough to the result I was looking for. But finally last week after another failed batch, I perfected these sea salt chocolate chip cookies! I have now made 3 batches and gotten perfect cookies each time.
There’s a few secrets to getting these right each time you bake them. And since I’m such a giver, you know I’m going to share those secrets with you!
Four Tips to Make These the Best Cookies
First, your butter to flour ratio is extremely important. You need just enough flour to keep the cookies from spreading a lot and being a little greasy. But not too much to make them dry. The perfect amount of flour keeps the cookies moist and and helps give them a good rise and shape even after they’ve cooled. It’s a delicate balance with each cookie recipe. Make sure to be precise in your measurement!
The sea salt is one of the most important things in this recipe. It gives a great salty punch of flavor and balances the sweetness and chocolate. And who doesn’t love sea salt and chocolate?? I actually use kosher salt because it’s more finely ground and flaky. But any type of sea salt will work, though I definitely don’t recommend a coarse grind.
Time is an equally important part of these cookies. This is not a dough you can whip up and bake unless your house happens to be 50 degrees all the time. Especially in the midst of a hot and humid Floridian summer, the dough has to chill. After you’ve made the dough, it must be refrigerated. At least 3 hours, or until firm. I have let the dough sit covered, overnight in the refrigerator and made perfect cookies. I definitely recommend letting it wait overnight but you can also just give it several hours.
The final tip to making these sea salt chocolate chip cookies amazing to eat and photograph actually happens after they’re baked. As soon as they come out of the oven, I sprinkle a little bit more sea salt over the top of each cookie. Then I take a few chocolate chips and press them into the top of each cookie. That way you can see the beautiful flavors of each cookie (and they’re definitely more Instagram worthy!)
Bonus tip!
I have wanted silicone baking mats for a long time. All the pros and baking shows use them. I have used parchment paper and love the effect and easy clean up. But I recently tried silicone baking mats that I found on Amazon. Let me tell you, they are my new secret weapon in cookie making! They help the cookies release easier and cook more evenly. You can see the kind I use here. Seriously, give them a try!
Final Verdict?
These sea salt chocolate chip cookies are so easy to make and just incredibly tasty. Everyone I’ve shared them with has given them high marks. I even had a pregnant friend tell me they were the best she’s ever had. I consider that high praise!
Oh, and if you’re into cookies, check out my Peanut Butter Candy Cookies that I made at the beginning of the summer! They are super tasty!
Have you ever had an amazing chocolate chip cookie? Was it homemade or store bought? Tell me in the comments!
THE Best Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 ¼ cups light brown sugar lightly packed
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 ½ cups flour, sifted
- 2 tsp corn starch
- 1 ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 ½ tsp sea salt plus more for topping
- ¾ + ¼ cups chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a stand mixer, cream butter and sugars until just mixed.
- Add in eggs, one at a time, and incorporate until just mixed in. Add in vanilla and mix.
- In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, and corn starch. Add in salt.
- Gradually add in flour mixture, scraping down sides, until just mixed together.
- Add in ¾ cup of chocolate chips and fold into cookie dough with a rubber scraper.
- Cover dough and refrigerate a minimum of 3 hours.
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare cookie sheets by lining with parchment paper, baking mats, or spraying a baking sheet generouslyy.
- Once oven is preheated, scoop out cold cookie dough using an ice cream scoop (or large cookie scoop). Place balls of dough at least 3 inches apart on cookie sheet.
- Bake cookies for 13-16 minutes, or until the edges turn golden brown. Leave cookie dough in the fridge in between batches.
- As soon as cookies come out of the oven sprinkle the tops with a pinch of sea salt. Then place several chocolate chips into the tops of each cookie.
- Allow to cool on cookie sheet for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.
- Cookies will keep in an airtight container for about 5-7 days.
