Sea Salt & Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Imagine...a bite of decadent, ooooozing chocolate, that's surrounded by brown sugar and a kick of sea salt.

What's better than a chocolate chip cookie? After searching online and reading about whether or not to make brown butter chocolate chip cookies, sea salt or just stick the with original, I decided to go with a dark chocolate chunk sea salt cookie. What a mouthful right? Well the name is fitting for this outrageous recipe because these cookies are so good I don't know if I will ever stray from these. How had I been so naive to only use chocolate chips instead of chunks before?

After visiting Seattle, where they sell a wonderful treat that consists of dark chocolate with sea salt on top, this ultimate combination has haunted my mind daily. It's invaded my life more than you could imagine. The other day I went to Trader Joe's and bought salted almonds and a dark chocolate bar just to could get my fix. Not a bad on-the-go snack! Salty & sweet. You just can't go wrong, which is why these cookies are seriously, THE BEST. I made a double batch but they still seemed to vanish once they came out of the oven...sad.

This recipe is so simple, you never have to use a hand-mixer. Just by combining the butter, egg and brown sugar in a food processor, the mixture is so smooth you can stir it directly into the flour, baking soda and powder. You're not supposed to over-mix the cookie dough, just combine enough to evenly distribute the chocolate chunks which will allow for a wonderfully homemade, fluffy cookie.

Butter has to be the best ingredient on earth.

Combine the wet ingredients with the dry. Don't over-mix, just stir enough to evenly distribute.

I used 70% dark chocolate that I chopped into small pieces. Mix a little to maintain that rustic cookie feel. Afterward, place the cookie dough in the fridge for 15 minutes.

Roll into a 1 to 1 1/2 tbs. ball and place on a baking sheet with lined parchment paper. This will allow you to easily remove the baked cookies. Sprinkle sea salt on top of the cookie. Using a generous amount really does bring out the rich flavor of the dark chocolate so don't be shy!

 

 Ingredients:

10 1/2 tbsp of unsalted butter

1 4/5 cup of all purpose flour

1 egg

1 cup of brown sugar

1/4 cup of granulated sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons of baking soda

1 1/2 to 2 cups of chocolate (70% cocoa), chopped into chunks

sea salt

Directions:

Combine the butter and sugars in a food processor. Mix thoroughly until you reach a smooth consistency. Afterward, add one egg and pulse until mixed completely.

In a medium-sized bowl toss the dry ingredients together such as the flour, baking powder and baking soda. Then, with a spatula, scoop the mixture in the food processor out into the dry ingredient bowl to combine. Do not over-mix.

Finally, toss in the chopped dark chocolate into the cookie dough. Then take plastic wrap and cover the dough to place in the fridge for around 15 minutes. 

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove the cookie dough from the fridge and form the cookies into 1 to 1 1/2 tbsp. balls. Don't overcrowd. Sprinkle the sea salt generously on top.

In a 350 degree preheated oven, let the cookies bake for 10-15 minutes. Remove from the hot pan and place on a rack to cool.  

Don't forget the milk!