The Perfect Salted Chocolate Chunk Cookie
Everyone has their favourite chocolate chip cookie and this is mine - and I’m going as far as to say it’s the perfect salted chocolate chunk cookie. This is one of those recipes that comes your way via someone else. Pip had a playdate over the summer holidays and the Mum of the friend that came to play, sent her daughter along with a batch of these cookies. We were all delighted (and it also made me realise how terrible I am at these kind of things. I’m lucky if the kids leave the house with shoes on and their hair brushed, let alone thinking ahead to make cookies for the family who will host my child for the day). I am thoroughly impressed with people that are organised and think ahead. It is definitely not my forte. I am more a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kinda girl screaming “hurry uppppp, we’re going to be late!!!” whenever we have anywhere to go, all of us tipping into the car in a disorderly fashion with several dashes back inside the house to collect things we had forgotten to bring.
Anyway, these cookies are damn good. And with home based learning in full swing in various countries around the world, these might come in handy as a snack at home to keep everyone going.
what makes these salted chocolate chunk cookies good?
Well, they’re chock full of sugar with a healthy slab of butter in the mix, so there’s always that. But I think the difference here is using proper chocolate - think 70% dark chocolate - chopping it into chunks, and giving these cookies a good sprinkle of sea salt to finish them off. Sweet and salty is a well trodden match made in heaven and these cookies deliver on that in the most satisfying way.
the perfect salted chocolate chunk cookies
Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit
ingredients
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons cold salted cutter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups plain flour
170g bittersweet dark chocolate (I like 70%) chopped into chunks
1 large egg, beaten
demerara sugar (for rolling)
flaky sea salt
method
Using an electric mixer (or a stand mixer with a paddle attachment) beat the butter, granulated and brown sugar and vanilla on medium speed until light and fluffy (3-5 mins).
Using a spatula scrape down the side of the bowl to make sure everything is integrated. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour followed by the chocolate and lightly mix.
Divide the dough in half, then place each half on a large piece of plastic wrap. Using the plastic wrap, roll the dough into a log shape (if you try and do this with your hands it will be too sticky, so use the plastic wrap over the dough to roll it into shape). Wrap up the log and twist the ends of the plastic wrap and place in the fridge for about 2 hours or until firm.
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Line a baking tray with baking paper (or use a silicon cookie mat). Brush the outside of the chilled cookie dough logs with the beaten egg and then lightly roll in the Demerara sugar. Slice each log into 1/2 inch thick rounds. Arrange on the baking tray with space apart (they won’t spread too much but you don’t want a big giant cookie - or maybe you do?) Sprinkle with sea salt and bake the cookies until the edges are just beginning to brown - about 12-15 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a baking rack and then eat, warm…with a cup of tea (if you are me) or with a cold glass of milk (if you are my kids).
I hope these cookies bring you the smallest moment of joy.
All credit for the cookies in these photos go to my lovely helper, Marife, who was whipping up a batch of them yesterday when I decided to photograph them and pass on the recipe. Lucky I am quick at photography as the smell of freshly baked cookies for afternoon tea was almost too much for the kids who had to wait for me to photograph them.
