These thick, chewy salted chocolate chip cookies are the ONLY chocolate chip cookie recipe you’ll need! Plus a tip to keep them super soft for days!
If you’ve never tried salted chocolate chip cookies before, you’re in for a TREAT!! The sprinkle of sea salt truly accentuates the rich chocolate flavor, and this recipe produces super thick and chewy cookies that will be impossible to resist!
While everyone loves a classic chocolate chip cookie, once you add salt to the top, the become the ultimate dessert!
Even though these cookies are made entirely from scratch, they really don’t take very long at all! Yes, there is some chilling time… but that’s not hands on, so you have some down time.
If the “salted” part of these salted chocolate chip cookies is throwing you off, just promise me you’ll try it before you make a decision. The sea salt doesn’t make these overly salty, it’s just a pinch that truly accentuates the rich chocolate flavor.
Kind of like the Guinness does in these cupcakes, or the baking chocolate does to this turkey chili! I do really recommend sea salt for these cookies though, not kosher or table salt.
And of course, you can’t have these salted chocolate chip cookies without a glass of cold milk!
As we all know, baking, while more of a science, isn’t exactly the same from one kitchen to the next. The way someone measures their flour, temperature of ingredients, ambient temperature, freshness of ingredients, and different ovens are just a few of the variables.
To help you guys get the PERFECT cookies every time, here’s a few of my helpful tips.
Tips for Perfect Cookies:
- Use room temperature ingredients (eggs, butter, etc).
- Make sure your ingredients are fresh (like baking soda for example, if it’s not fresh, it won’t act the same during the baking).
- Chill your dough for at least 30 minutes.
- Roll dough into balls and don’t flatten them.
- Bake cookies on parchment paper, and don’t put them too close together.
- Gently press a few extra chocolate chips into the top of the balls of dough before baking (makes them look really pretty and bakery-like).
- Take cookies out when they look like they’re ALMOST done. The center should still look slightly underdone. They’ll keep baking as you let them cool a few minutes on the baking sheet.
I also have a super awesome tip I just HAVE to share with you guys. You know that freshly baked texture of cookies that you love, but fades after just a couple of hours? I found a way you can have that soft texture for days. Yes, DAYS!
Grab an airtight storage container and line the bottom with wax paper. Place a flour tortilla on top of the wax paper, then top the tortilla with another sheet of wax paper. Then add your cookies as usual, with wax paper between the layers.
Seal the container. That’s it! The tortilla gives off a bit of moisture, and it keeps the air in the container moist enough to keep the cookies super soft.
For some extra ooey-gooey fresh baked feel, pop a cookie in the microwave for 5 seconds or so before serving!
Think of these salted chocolate chip cookies a base recipe.. there will be other versions of these cookies coming to the blog!
Some Helpful Tools To Make This Recipe:
- Cooling Rack – this cooling rack has crossbars to reinforce it… no more saggy, flimsy racks!
- Cookie Scoop – Get perfectly sized cookies, every time!
- Sea Salt Flakes – You’ll love the texture and flavor of this sea salt!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 cup salted butter at room temperature, 1 stick
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/3 cup + 2 tsp granulated sugar
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (more or less, to your tastes)
- sea salt flakes (for sprinkling)
Instructions
- Add flour and baking soda to a mixing bowl and whisk for 15 seconds to incorporate and make them fluffy.
- In a separate bowl that's compatible with a stand mixer (or you can use a regular mixing bowl and use a hand mixer), add softened butter and both sugars. Beat with paddle attachment for about 2 minutes, until mixture is smooth and fluffy.
- Add egg and vanilla, beat on LOW speed until combined.
- Add flour, half the mixture at a time, beating on LOW speed until JUST combined after each addition. Don't overmix, or your cookies won't be soft and tender.
- Add chocolate chips and stir together with a wooden spoon.
- Cover bowl and chill for at least 30 minutes.
- minutes before you want to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Use a large cookie scoop (or a 1/4 cup filled about 2/3 of the way), scoop round balls of dough onto parchment paper about 2 inches apart. I baked 6 cookies per sheet.
- Press a couple chocolate chips into the tops of the balls of dough, and bake about 10-12 minutes, or until edges are lightly golden brown and tops of cookies look a little underdone. (mine took 11 minutes).
- Sprinkle top of baked cookies with some sea salt flakes.
- Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
Want to save this recipe for later? Click the heart in the bottom right corner to save to your own recipe box!
Chef Tips
2. If you use UNsalted butter, add 1/4 tsp salt to the dry ingredients
3. I measure my flour by whisking flour beforehand, scooping the flour with the measuring cup, leveling off with the back of a butter knife, then making sure to whisk the flour again before adding to the dough.
Video
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Manuela says
My cookies came out so flat. What did I do wrong?
The Chunky Chef says
Without being with you in the kitchen looking over your shoulder, here are a couple of questions about things that could have happened. Did you use real butter, not margarine? Did you use baking soda that was fresh? Did you chill the dough?
Scha says
Hi may i know why my cookies turns out to be thin when i double/triple the ingredient?
Also, may i know if i freeze the dough how long can they be kept?
Thank you.
The Chunky Chef says
Are you doubling all the ingredients? Chilling the dough? Frozen dough should last a couple of months.
Mama Tanq says
This is the best recipe – also for modifying. I swapped out the semi-sweet for dark chocolate instead. Because the contrasting salt pulls the sweetness out, it was a little too much for me. The 70% chocolate is a good alternative!
Pamela Rios-Mullis says
Best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever tasted! I missed the tip on keeping them soft however. Care to share?
The Chunky Chef says
So glad you loved them! There’s a whole paragraph about the tip, about halfway up the page from the recipe, as well as some tips and tricks for perfect cookies every time.
Tanya Martineau says
This recipe is *heavennnn*. I’ve made it once, and added a chopped up bar of milk chocolate to top all the cookies because why not. Making these again this Sunday afternoon for my cookie exchange tomorrow. Thanks for sharing ☺️
Chris says
These cookies are great and everyone loves them. I just can’t figure out why sometimes they bake very thin and sometimes they are perfect. Any thoughts on why that may happen? Thanks!
The Chunky Chef says
Are you chilling the dough the same amount of time each time you bake? Using real butter and not margarine?
Chris says
My chill time varies, typically more then an hour. I do always use real butter.
Di says
I’m guessing it’s because after the first batch, the cookie dough becomes warmer and when you roll the dough into balls after the first batch it isn’t as chilled as it’s supposed to be.
Jenna says
This recipe was delicious, just the right amount of sweet for me with the semi-sweet chocolate chips!
My only complaint is that the amount of dough is barely enough to make the 24 cookies.
Mine were quite thin and small so next time I would double the recipe.
Otherwise I will definitely be making these again!
Dian says
Thanks for the recipe. It tastes really good but it’s too sweet for me. Anyway, instead of brown sugar, i use palm sugar and still as good as brown sugar!
However, maybe i shouldve used dark choco chips (i use cadburry chocobars.
Above all, i’d definitely make this recipe again!
Thanks thanks thanksss
Homer Beeswax says
I’m confused about the fact that these are called salted chocolate chip cookies but salt is not listed as one of the ingredients
The Chunky Chef says
It is actually, the last ingredient. The need for salt in the dough is negated by the use of salted butter.
Sherry Cotten says
I’m so glad I found this recipe! These are the best cookies. Love-love the tip about helping to keep them fresher longer. I’ve made 2 batches… I’ll never use another recipe.
Thank you! Chunky Chef
Jennifer Lynn Jones says
How many cookies does this recipe make? For chocolate chip cookies with sea salt, that is!
The Chunky Chef says
Approximately 2 dozen cookies 🙂
Osh says
This is the best cookie recipe I have ever tried. Instead of cooling the mixture and then using an ice-cream scoop, if you put the mixture onto several sheets of baking parchment, roll them up and then freeze them until needed. This keeps them really fresh and when you cook them, they all come out the same size.
I’m European so here’s the measurements in grams for anybody else who needs them.
160g All purpose flour (plain flour also does the trick).
1tsp baking soda
113g butter
110g packed brown sugar
71g granulated sugar
1 large egg at room temperature
1tsp vanilla extract
Use as much chocolate as you want. I use 100g but I think this recipe calls for 250g
Pri says
Hi there! Is there a gluten free option when making these cookies? Thank you!
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Pri 🙂 Unfortunately I’m not familiar with gluten-free baking, as we don’t have any gluten allergies in our household.
Susannah says
Just use any “cup for cup” gluten free baking flour and they will turn out great!
Elizabeth says
I made these for my kids and I LOVED them! These soft, sugary cookies melted in my mouth, and I couldn’t contain myself from eating a lot of them! The only tip I have, is to “double pan” the cookies while baking, by putting another pan under the cookies. This way, your cookies can be cooked fully without burning the bottoms.
Hayley C says
These were amazing!! Fantastic tip to put the chocolate chips on top before baking, they came out beautiful!! Thanks!
Bri says
Super yummy as is but it only made 13 cookies and I didn’t make big ones?
G davis says
These cookies are so good..I used 2 t cognac instead of vanilla…a different twist….for a fun dessert, place small bowls of different liqueurs for dipping the warm cookies…a crowd pleaser!
dairy free macaroons says
Choco chip cookies is much tastier with salt rock salt in particular, its just the way i wanted it.
Anne says
How many cookies does the recipe make?
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Anne, it makes about 24-30 cookies 🙂
Peg Hambrecht says
Love these!!! Easy to make and EXCELLENT outcome! Everyone loves them. I added coconut and a little coconut oil too. Mmmmm Good! Thanks! Happy Thanksgiving! 2017!!!