Hello there! I hope everyone is having a lovely week so far!
I told y’all about my friend Annick last week, remember? And I promised to share part two of ‘Treats for Annick.’ Well here it is, and boy o boy, you should be excited!
I found this recipe while reading one of my absolute favorite blogs, A Cup of Jo. Joanna, the über personable lifestlye blogger with terrific style and taste (if you ask me), has started a “best you’ll ever have” food series – best banana bread, best roast chicken, best spaghetti and so on. Well – these cookies were “best chocolate chunk cookies you’ll ever have” and you know what? They honestly may very well be. No lie.
There are two secrets – muscovado sugar (recipe calls for light, I used dark because I had some on hand) and sea salt (the original recipe calls for Fleur de Sel, but I used Maldon). I really don’t think there is anything I love more than the combo of sweet and salty!
The best part about this recipe? The dough freezes perfectly, enabling those late night, early morning, afternoon teatime, cookie cravings to be satisfied by freshly baked, warm, gooey, sweet, saltyness. You know you want some! I know I do, and I think I’ll go make yet another batch right now. Who’s with me?!
Photo by Aran from Cannelle et Vanille
Sea Salt Chocolate Chunk Cookies ever so slightly adapted (and photograph) from A Cup of Jo
A couple quick notes. One, the original recipe provides a gluten free version – if that’s your thing, go for it and enjoy a delicious gluten free cookie. Two, with this (and you’ll see some other baking recipes I share) I give some of the ingredients in weights; it’s more accurate. A kitchen scale is a super handy tool to have, and I highly suggest picking one up; doesn’t have to be anything fancy, but make sure it’s of good enough quality to ensure accuracy.
Ingredients
1 stick (110 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup (100 g) packed light muscovado sugar (I used dark)
1/4 cup (50 g) natural cane/white sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg, at room temperature
8 ounces (230 g) all purpose flour
1/2 tsp fleur de sel (I used Maldon sea salt, crumbled, but any course sea salt will do), plus more for topping
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 cup (170 g) chocolate chunks or chips (I used nestle semi-sweet, but these would be killer with good dark chocolate)
Directions
1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the butter, both sugars (muscovado and natural cane/white), and vanilla. Mix with the paddle attachment on medium speed for 2 minutes until light. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add the egg and mix until combined.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, fleur de sel/sea salt (if using Maldon, finely crumble flakes before measuring), and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients into the butter mixture and mix on medium speed until the dough comes together.
3. Add the chocolate chunks/chips and mix until thoroughly incorporated.
4. Scoop the dough onto a piece of parchment paper. With the help of the parchment, roll the dough into a log that is approximately 2 inches in diameter and 12 inches long. Wrap the log with the parchment and refrigerate for 1 hour (or additionally wrap well in plastic wrap and place in the freezer for future cookie cravings).
5. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Cut the log into 1/2″ disks. Place them on baking sheets lined with parchment paper or silicone baking mats, leaving 2 inches between each cookie.
6. Sprinkle the tops with a bit of fleur de sel/sea salt. Bake for about 12 minutes or until edges set and start to turn golden. They might look a bit underdone, but this is fine. They will harden as they cool and slightly under-baking them will keep them chewy and moist.
7. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before trying to lift them. Store them in an airtight container.
Useful Tools
