I am not an expert baker, not by a long shot. That said, these salted chocolate chip cookies are some of the best cokies I have ever eaten, and I can confidently say I am an expert at eating cookies. This recipe is almost exactly the Nestle Tollhouse recipe, except for 2 important changes which will be discussed below. These changes improve the recipe so much, I just had to share it! Enjoy!
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Why I Love This Recipe?
Who doesn’t love a great chocolate chip cookie? Who doesn’t love salt? Smash those things together, and you get my favorite salted chocolate chip cookie. Using the simple recipe that comes on the bag of chocolate chips, with the modifications in this recipe, these cookies go from a classic to a showstopper. There are no crazy ingredients to fetch, or crazy techniques to learn. Just make cookies like you have since you were little and tweak it a bit to take it from “Mmmmm” to “Holy Crap!”
Ingredients & Equipment
Special Ingredients Needed to Make Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chocolate Chips: Grab the Nestle Tollhouse brand morsels to make sure they are delicious. Store brand is probably fine, but I go with the name brand. The recipe is on the bag in case you can’t find our website or something!
- Coarse Salt: The only special ingredient that our recipe calls for. Sprinkle a bit on each cookie as they come out of the oven for a spectacular finish. The grain should be bigger than a salt shaker, but smaller than pretzel salt.
- Chopped Nuts: Anything but peanuts. Walnuts are a go-to and I could see pecans being delicious as well. Macadamia nuts would also be great.
- Flour, Baking Soda, Salt, Butter, Sugar, Brown Sugar, Vanilla Extract, Eggs
Equipment Needed for Making Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Mixing Bowl: A great big bowl to mix the dough in. Deep enough to hold everything by half, the depth will help keep everything in there while you are mixing.
- Mixer: A hand mixer is a simple tool that every kitchen should have. A stand mixer is an upgrade to that mixer, but it is a costly one. The hand mixer will get the job done, and I can’t wait until I can afford the upgrade to a stand mixer!
- Cookie Sheet: Solid enough to dissipate heat evenly to all the cookies so they cook evenly and bake at the same rate. Bigger is better for the sake of fewer batches.
- Parchment Paper: I cannot recommend parchment paper enough to keep from cleaning your cookie sheets.
- Cooling Rack: Slotted cooling racks ensure your cookies stop cooking when they are supposed to.
Secret Tweak #1:
When you soften the butter in the microwave, add 1/4 cup chocolate chips as well. The chocolate will melt faster than the butter, so you get softened butter and melted chocolate. The melted chocolate in the dough adds another dimension of flavor that makes these cookies irresistible.
Secret Tweak #2:
Coarse Sea Salt. Every time I get a cookie with coarse salt on it, they are off the chart delicious. So, once your cookies are out of the oven, but still hot, sprinkle a bit of course sea salt over the top. Not a lot, like 5-15 grains. Adding it at that time makes sure the salt sticks but doesn’t dissolve so you get a crunch of salt with each bite. The salt with the two sources of chocolate takes these cookies to another dimension of flavor, that is why these salted chocolate chip cookies are the best
Preparation:
Making the Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 375*F. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl and whisk to combine.
- Soften 1 stick of butter along with 1/4 cup chocolate chips. 30 seconds in the microwave should do it, with 10-second intervals after that until the chocolate is fully melted.
- Combine all the butter, melted chocolate, white and brown sugar, and vanilla extract. Cream the sugar for 3 minutes until it is nice and creamy.
- Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and slowly beat in the rest of the dry ingredients. Once everything is combined, stir in the remaining chocolate chips and nuts if you want.
- If you have time, place the bowl of cookie dough in the refrigerator for an hour. This allows the butter to firm back up and makes it a bit less sticky when dropping the cookies. They also spread less while cooking. Skip it if you’re in a hurry.
Melt Chocolate in the Microwave along with a stick of butter. Dry ingredients added after the sugar is creamed. Chips stirred in after the dough is formed. Drop the balls onto the cookie sheet and leave enough space for spreading. Final, delicious cookies.
Baking the Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Cover the cookie sheet(s) with parchment paper. Drop rough 1 inch balls/chunks onto the tray, with an inch or two in between each dough ball.
- Bake the cookies at 375*F for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven when they are golden brown. It will be a bit difficult to tell when they’re done since they are already kinda brown, but 10 minutes should be plenty.
- Right out of the oven, sprinkle a pinch of course sea salt on each cookie and then allow them to cool.
- After 3-5 minutes, transfer each cookie using a spatula to the cooling rack. Once the cookies are completely cooled, transfer them to an airtight container to store for up to a week.
Pro Tip: Store your cookies with a piece of bread to keep the cookies soft and moist. Swap out the bread as it gets stale, and separate the cookies from the bread with a piece of parchment paper. If the bread is stored on the cookies, it will saturate whichever cookie it touches and you’ll get nearly wet, crumbly cookies instead. I don’t know what wizardry causes the sloppy cookies to happen, but it does.
The BEST Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies
Equipment
- Big Mixing Bowl
- Hand Mixer or Stand Mixer
- Big Baking Sheet (2 preferred)
- Cooling Rack
- Spatula
Ingredients
- 2¼ Cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1 Tsp Baking Soda
- 1 Tsp Salt
- 2 Sticks Butter Unsalted preferred
- ¾ Cup White Sugar
- ¾ Cup Brown Sugar
- 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
- 2 Large Eggs
- 14 oz Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips ¼ cup divided out
- 1 Cup Chopped Nuts (optional) walnuts, pecans, or macadamia suggested
- Course Sea Salt for sprinkling
Instructions
- Combine the flour(2¼ cup), baking soda (1t), and salt (1t) in a small bowl. Stir to combine and set aside.
- In a microwave safe bowl, combine the butter (2 sticks) and chocolate chips (¼ cup). Microwave in 15 second intervals until the chocolate chips have melted.
- Combine the softened butter, melted chocolate chips, white sugar (3/4 cup), brown sugar (3/4 cup), and vanilla extract (1t). Cream the sugar for 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs (2) until well mixed.
- Add the dry ingredients, slowly while mixing until completely combined, forming a soft dough. Stir in the chocolate chips (whole bag) and chopped nuts (if desired). Stir by hand until well mixed.
- Optional. Chill the dough for 1 hour, if you have time.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line the baking sheets with parchment paper. Drop 1"-2" dough balls onto the sheet, leaving enough space for spreading.
- Bake the cookies for 9-11 minutes. Remove when the look cooked but still soft. Sprinkle with a pinch of course sea salt now, and allow to cool for a few minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Store in an airtight container with a piece of bread to maintain softness for up to a week.
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions (F.A.Q.)
It isn’t necessary by any means, but it is generally believed to make a better cookie in the end. When you chill cookie dough, the butter firms back up. With cold butter, the cookie can take shape before the butter liquefies, resulting in a nicely shaped cookie that hasn’t spread as much.
Either can work, but salted butter has an extra 1/4 tsp salt per stick. You can substitute salted butter by removing 1/4 tsp salt from the recipe for each stick of salted butter. Simple enough.
Absolutely. I suggest separating layers of cookies with a layer of freezer paper before freezing to reduce freezer burn and sticking together. That way you can remove a layer at a time. Either put them in a freezer bag or a leftover container.
Alternatively, you can freeze the dough and make the cookies whenever you want in the future. Form the dough into a rectangle and wrap it in cellophane, then stick it in the freezer. It should last a good long time up there until you are ready to make cookies!
I suggest a soft, meaty nut for baking into cookies. Peanuts would work fine, but pecans, walnuts, and macadamia nuts add a lot more unique flavor and texture. I do not recommend almonds since they are usually very hard.
Hands down, whole milk is the best milk to serve with cookies. Chilled to near freezing, the extra fat in whole milk makes for a downright decadent dessert experience, and clings to the dipped cookie better.
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