I make a lot of chocolate cookies, often with dark chocolate as a focus, so what makes this cookie stand out?
It comes down to three things. Obviously, one of them is dark chocolate cocoa powder, which is essentially for any dark chocolate baking.
The second is dark brown sugar. The more intense molasses flavor of dark brown sugar helps bring sweetness without too much lightening of the overall dark chocolate flavor. If you’re a fan of darker chocolates and you’ve always been sad at how much they lose when you bake them with a bunch of sugar and flour and other stuff, this is for you.
Third is the finishing salt. A generous sprinkling of a large-crystal sea salt brings a very bright punch to the surface of the cookies, that helps offset the dark bitterness without using sweetness to do it.
A good while back, for some recipe or another, I bought a box of this large-grain finishing salt. I don’t really remember why I got it, it’s just been sitting in a cupboard, occasionally used when I want a little salt garnish on something. It’s specifically this Maldon salt from Amazon, if you want to pick some up yourself.
Other than that, it’s a basic cookie recipe. Mix the ingredients, scoop out tablespoon-sized balls and arrange them on a cookie sheet, add a bit of salt, and bake. That’s all there is to it!
Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Cookies
Equipment
- Mixing Bowl
- Baking Sheets
- Silicone Baking Mat
- Cookie Scoop
Ingredients
- ½ Cup Salted Butter Softened
- ¾ Cup Dark Brown Sugar
- 1 Egg Room Temp
- 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 Cup Flour
- ½ Cup Dark Cocoa Powder
- 1 Tsp Cornstarch
- ¾ Tsp Baking Soda
- Finishing Salt Kosher Salt also works
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350℉ and line your baking sheets with silpats or parchment paper.
- Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and cornstarch.
- Cream the butter and brown sugar together until it's light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat to mix it until it's combined.
- Add the dry mix to the wet mix and mix until it's a thick, fudge-like dough.
- Scoop 1 tbsp at a time and roll into balls. Arrange these on the baking sheets with enough space for them to spread as they bake. Top each ball with a pinch or so of finishing salt.
- Bake for about 9 minutes, until the edges of the cookies are set and the centers look slightly under-done. They'll finish cooking on the cookie sheet as they cool.