Salted Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
An unbelievably delicious, better-than-your-average chocolate chunk cookie. These cookies boast browned, crinkly-crisp edges and molten chocolatey centers – thanks to chopping our own chocolate, rather than using chips. The usage of salted butter creates a deeply delicious, flavorful dough that can really stand all on its own. But of course, things wouldn’t be complete without the chocolate now would they?
- Yield: 20 to 22 cookies (depending on how large you choose to make them) 1x
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/2 pound butter at room temperature (2 sticks)
- 1–1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 3 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon molasses
- 1 tablespoon water
- Two, 4-ounce semi-sweet chocolate bars, chopped into multi-sized chunks and pieces
- Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling (such as Maldon)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and place the oven rack in the middle position. Cover two large baking sheets with aluminum foil, shiny side facing up.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl with a hand-held electric mixer), cream together the butter and sugars until very smooth, light, and ultra-whipped; about 5 minutes.
- Add the egg, vanilla, molasses, and water and then mix until well-combined. Add the flour mix to the wet mix and beat until just combined. Stir in the chopped chocolate, mixing just until evenly combined.
- Scoop golf-ball sized (heaping tablespoons) balls of dough onto the prepared baking sheets. I usually only do 5 or 6 cookies per sheet. Pop the cookie trays in the freezer for 10 minutes prior to baking.
- After they’ve frozen for 10 minutes, bake the cookies (in batches as needed) for 7 minutes. Then, open the oven door and lift one corner of the pan(s) in the air and then let it drop down onto the baking rack again – creating a BANG (see NOTE 1). This drop will deflate the cookies and help to create those gorgeous ripples. Do this every minute until the cookies have baked for a total of 11 – 12 minutes. You’ll drop them about 3 – 4 times total.
- Remove the cookies from the oven when they’re just golden, and sprinkle them right away with a little flaky sea salt. Allow them to cool and firm up before transferring them elsewhere, about 6 to 8 minutes. Continue baking and freezing your pans until you’ve made your way through all of the dough.
Notes
1. The pan-banging method used in this recipe was learned from Sarah Kieffer, of the Vanilla Bean Baking Blog.Â
2. For additional interesting ways to use your molasses, try our Double Ginger Cookies, Pad See Ew, Savory Baked Beans, and Southern Killed Lettuces.