There’s nothing quite like a warm, homemade chocolate chip cookie straight from the oven—especially when the cookies are studded with dark chocolate and finished with flaky sea salt. These Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies are thick, chewy and perfectly balanced between sweet and salty. They are simple to make, freezer friendly, and consistently earn rave reviews.
Chocolate chip cookies are a classic for a reason: crisp edges, soft centers and pools of melted chocolate deliver comfort in every bite. I grew up helping my mom roll dough into perfect little balls, and that memory is part of what makes these cookies so satisfying to bake and share.
I prefer my cookies thick and chewy. After a few test batches, this recipe delivers that texture every time. Using dark chocolate chips gives a deep chocolate flavor while a sprinkle of flaky sea salt on top brightens the sweetness and adds a lovely contrast.
Why you’ll love this recipe:
- Produces thick, chewy cookies with crisp edges, studded with dark chocolate and finished with flaky sea salt.
- Simple ingredients and straightforward steps make these cookies easy to prepare.
- Flexible: swap the chocolate for your favorite chips or add nuts for texture.
- Freezer friendly—dough or baked cookies freeze well for later.
Recipe ingredients
This recipe uses familiar ingredients found in classic chocolate chip cookies, with a focus on dark chocolate for deeper flavor and flaky sea salt for a finishing touch. The recipe is forgiving and easy to customize based on what you have on hand.
Ingredients notes
- Unsalted butter lets you control the salt level. If you need butter to soften quickly, cut it into small pieces and let it sit at room temperature for a short time.
- Sugar combines brown and granulated sugar. Brown sugar adds moisture and chewiness because of the molasses and also contributes acidity that interacts with baking soda to help the cookies puff.
- Eggs—use large eggs. To bring eggs to room temperature quickly, place them in a bowl of warm (not hot) water for about 10 minutes.
- Chocolate chips—dark chocolate chips give bold chocolate flavor, but you can substitute semi-sweet or milk chocolate, or add chopped chocolate chunks.
- Flaky sea salt—sprinkle on the cookies as soon as they come out of the oven for a lovely finish. Maldon-style flakes work well if you have them.
How to make this recipe
The dough comes together quickly once the butter and eggs are at room temperature. The key step for thick, chewy cookies is chilling the dough before baking—this helps prevent excessive spreading.
Pro tip: Cut butter into small chunks to speed up softening. Place eggs in warm water for 10 minutes to bring them to room temperature faster.
- Whisk together 2 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a small bowl; set aside.
- Cream 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, 1 cup packed brown sugar and 1/2 cup granulated sugar together in a medium bowl until light and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes.
- Beat in 2 large eggs, one at a time, then mix in 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined. Fold in 1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips.
- Cover the dough and chill for up to 2 hours or overnight. Chilled dough is easier to shape and yields thicker cookies.
- When ready to bake, let dough sit at room temperature for 10–15 minutes to make scooping easier. Preheat oven to 375°F and position oven racks in the upper and lower thirds.
- Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a 1 1/2″ cookie scoop (about 1 1/2 tablespoons), portion dough into balls and place them about 2 inches apart on the sheet.
- Bake 8–12 minutes, rotating pans halfway through. Cookies are done when edges are golden brown and tops are just beginning to color.
- Immediately sprinkle flaky sea salt over the hot cookies, cool 10 minutes on the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
FAQs
Yes. Chilling the dough helps the cookies hold their shape and stay thick and chewy. If you skip chilling, the cookies are more likely to spread and become thin and crisp.
Brown sugar adds moisture and chewiness because of the molasses it contains, and its acidity reacts with baking soda to help create a slightly puffier cookie.
You can refrigerate the dough for 2–3 days. Let it sit at room temperature for 10–15 minutes before scooping so it’s easier to portion.
Yes. Freeze dough balls in a zip-top bag and bake from frozen (add a minute or two to baking time), or freeze baked cookies for up to 3 months.
Recipe notes
- Pro tip: Cut butter into small pieces to speed softening; warm water helps bring eggs to room temperature in about 10 minutes.
- Start checking cookies at 8 minutes; they can go from light to dark quickly. The longer they bake, the crisper they become.
- Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Freeze dough balls or baked cookies for up to 3 months. Bake frozen dough balls straight from the freezer—just add a minute or two to the bake time.
More easy cookie recipes:
- Chocolate-dipped almond horn cookies
- Flourless chocolate peanut butter cookies
- Flourless peanut butter cookies
- Gingersnap cookies
- Greek almond cookies (amygdalota)
- Kourabiedes (Greek butter cookies)
- Flourless almond butter cookies
Did you try this recipe? If so, leave a review below and share a photo with the handle @flavorthemoments on social media so the author can see what you made.
Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies
Equipment
- Rimmed baking sheets (about 16″ x 12″)
- Parchment paper
- 1 1/2″ cookie scoop
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips (or your favorite)
- Flaky sea salt for finishing (Maldon-style if available)
Instructions
- Whisk flour, baking soda and salt together and set aside.
- Cream butter and both sugars until light and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes.
- Beat in eggs one at a time on low speed, then mix in vanilla.
- Add dry ingredients and mix on low just until combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Cover and chill up to 2 hours or overnight.
- Remove dough from refrigerator and let rest 10–15 minutes. Preheat oven to 375°F and arrange racks in the upper and lower thirds.
- Line baking sheets with parchment. Scoop 1 1/2″ portions of dough, roll into balls and place 2 inches apart.
- Bake 8–12 minutes, rotating pans halfway through, until edges are golden and tops just begin to brown.
- Sprinkle flaky sea salt on the hot cookies, cool 10 minutes on the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Bring butter and eggs to room temperature for best texture. Use warm water to speed egg warming if needed.
- Check cookies at 8 minutes; watch closely as they brown quickly. Longer baking yields a crisper cookie.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Dough balls and baked cookies freeze well for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 cookie — Calories: 115 kcal; Carbohydrates: 19 g; Protein: 1 g; Fat: 5 g; Saturated Fat: 3 g; Sodium: 138 mg; Sugar: 18 g. (Estimated for guidance.)
This recipe was originally published in July 2014. Photos and text have been updated to provide clearer instructions and more recipe details.