Cookie Monsters like Salt

Chocolate.  I like it but I’ve determined that I’m allergic.  That doesn’t stop me from making chocolate chip cookies for the gang!  I found a recipe on Pinterest again.  This time it was a recipe from the New York Times.  It seemed like a very standard recipe but it had one strange addition of mandatory sea salt.

So on a lovely hot night in Palm Springs, I decided to bake cookies!  Luckily my friends have had a few drinks, so there was a good chance that I could succeed no matter what came out of the oven.

• 2 cups minus 2 tablespoons (8 1/2 ounces) cake flour
• 1 2/3 cups (8 1/2 ounces) bread flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 2 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter (1 1/4 cups)
• 1 1/4 cups light brown sugar (10 ounces)
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons natural vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 pounds bittersweet chocolate (at least 60% cacao)
• Sea Salt

I followed the directions as they were written.  You basically mix the dry ingredients and set aside.   Then mix  the butter and sugars together and add an egg one at a time.  Once all of your wet ingredients are together, you slowly incorporate your dry ingredients.  When the cookie dough is combined, gently add your chocolate chip cookies.  I then put chocolate chip cookie dough in plastic wrap and formed a couple of cookie loaves to put in the refrigerator.  You should let this dough set for at least a day.  It honestly does make a difference in the flavor of the dough.

It made it easier that I had premade cookie dough for Palm Springs.  I just had to cut cookies, place them on a cookie sheet AND sprinkle with sea salt.  I wasn’t sure about this but the recipe insists not to skip this step so I just trusted and sprinkled away!

Out of the oven, I delivered them to the pool.  Comments of “Mmmmmm” and “is there salt on this?”  accompanied lip smacking and Cookie Monster munching and crunching.

I purposefully did not tell anyone that the cookies were sprinkled with sea salt.  They definitely noticed it and welcomed the additional flavor.  I almost forgot to take a pic of the cookies because they went so fast!  Make these and do not forget the sea salt!