Description
This recipe for the best chocolate chip cookies delivers soft, chewy cookies with a perfect balance of sweetness and saltiness. Made with a combination of semisweet chocolate chips and chunks, these cookies have a rich buttery flavor complemented by a sprinkle of coarse sea salt.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, barely melted but not too hot
- ¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 large egg
Add-ins and Topping
- 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (half chips and half chunks recommended)
- Coarse sea salt for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent sticking and ensure even baking.
- Prepare dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt, then set this mixture aside.
- Mix wet ingredients: In a large bowl, beat the barely melted butter, light brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, and apple cider vinegar until smooth and creamy. Then, beat in the large egg just until combined without overmixing.
- Combine mixtures: Gradually mix the dry ingredient mixture into the wet mixture, stirring just until combined to avoid overdeveloping the gluten. Then fold in the semisweet chocolate chips and chunks evenly.
- Portion dough: Using a large cookie scoop (about 2 rounded tablespoons), drop rounds of dough about 3 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheet to give the cookies room to spread.
- Bake cookies: Bake for 10 minutes until the cookies show light brown edges and appear slightly underdone in the center for that perfect chewy texture.
- Add sea salt: Remove the cookies from the oven and immediately sprinkle each one with a small pinch of coarse sea salt to enhance the flavors.
- Cool: Allow the cookies to sit on the baking sheet for 10 minutes to firm up before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- You can use a medium cookie scoop if you prefer smaller cookies; adjust baking time accordingly.
- Butter should be melted but cooled slightly to prevent cooking the egg when mixed.
- Using both chips and chunks gives a nice texture variation in each bite.
- Coarse sea salt really makes the chocolate flavor pop, but feel free to reduce if you prefer less saltiness.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 180 kcal
- Sugar: 15 g
- Sodium: 110 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 22 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 25 mg
