Maui Girl Cooks

“One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.” Luciano Pavarotti

Tag Archives: salted chocolate chip cookies


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Salted Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

“Raisin cookies that look like chocolate chip cookies are the main reason I have trust issues.”  Unknown Author
I’ll start by saying that I’m pretty popular when I take these cookies to work, or to a sunset beach BBQ.  People seem to like them. . . a lot.  I am amazed at how many people screw up their faces when they hear that a sweet treat has salt on it.  There is no surprise here.  Salty + sweet = something delicious.  Case closed.  Remember how good a chocolate milkshake and French fries tastes? Indeed, putting the right kind of salt on your cookie can be quite tasty.  This recipe is an adaptation of Jules Clancy’s {Stone Soup} adaptation of Molly Wizenburg’s {Orangette} recipe.  I have reduced the sugar, changed the flour to whole wheat pastry flour & added walnuts.  I have strong feelings about nuts in cookies.  In my opinion, no self-respecting chocolate chip cookie goes into the oven without nuts {big pieces please, not finely chopped}.  The combination of butter, brown sugar, chocolate and walnuts is one of the tastiest I know.  It’s delicious before and after baking, especially with salt; Maldon salt to be exact.  The dough itself has no salt; it is all on the outside of the cookies.  Big, crunchy flakes of white salt from France.  It isn’t inexpensive salt, but a little goes a long way, and it lasts a long time.  Whatever you do, please do not use the stuff in the blue box.  It will not taste good on your cookies or anything else for that matter.  Once you get used to good salt, there is no going back to iodized table salt.  This recipe goes together quickly, especially if you use a scale instead of measuring cups, and it’s easy to make all the cookies exactly the same size.  Invariably, my balls of dough would vary in size before I started weighing my cookie dough.  Bonus: clean-up goes quicker too!

Salted Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

10 oz. unsalted butter, softened
13 oz. light brown sugar {2 packed cups}
2 eggs
16 oz. whole wheat pastry flour {3 ½ cups + 1 tbsp flour}
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
16 oz. dark chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate {I use Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chips}
2 cups broken walnuts

Cream the butter & sugar together until light & creamy.  Add eggs & mix until well combined.

Whisk flour, baking powder & baking soda together.

Stir butter mixture into flour just until combined.

Stir in chocolate chips & nuts.  Cover & refrigerate at least 15” but no longer than 72 hours.  The dough is difficult to work with when it is cold, so I like to make the balls while it’s soft, and then refrigerate it.

Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment & preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place 1 ½ oz {about golf ball size} balls of dough onto the prepared cookie sheet, allowing room for them to spread.  Sprinkle liberally with Maldon salt flakes.  {I sprinkle the cookie sheet with salt before putting the dough balls on it.}

Maldon_Salt

I start checking for doneness at 10” and usually bake them about 14”. I declare them done when the outside edges are set & the center is still moist; this will give you a cookie that is crispy on the edge & soft in the middle, just the way I like it. When baking on 2 trays, reverse cookie sheets’ positions halfway through baking. Cool cookies on the tray.

Makes about 24 cookies

Salted Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies on plate

Some people like their cookies with milk, but I’ll have mine with a nice cup of tea.

Up close chocolate chip cookie with Maldon salt

Take a look at that big flake of French salt!

I hope you’ll bake a batch of these cookies for the chocolate chip cookie lovers  you know; they will love you for it.  And I’m sure you won’t mind either!