Everyone needs a go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe! These sea salt chocolate chip cookies are definitely my favorite. Soft and chewy in the center and a tad bit crispy around the edges. Just how I like them!
I have to start by asking: do you like your cookies crispy, soft, cakey, or chewy?
I like mine soft and slightly chewy, with lots and lots of chocolate chips. I also like them with a hint of sea salt. I mean, sea salt chocolate chip cookies are simply the best!
Achieving your favorite chocolate chip cookie texture is all about the ratios between butter, white sugar, and brown sugar. I’ll be posting more chocolate chip cookies over the next few months, but today it’s all about those soft and slightly chewy salted chocolate chip cookies!
Ratio for Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
The texture of your chocolate chip cookies depends on the ratio between the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. For example, for thin or crispy cookies, you want more butter and granulated sugar, and less brown sugar than soft and chewy cookies. For soft and chewy cookies, you definitely want to add more brown sugar than granulated sugar.
For these sea salt soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies, the proportions are as follows:
- 2 sticks unsalted butter (1 cup)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
As you can tell, we’ve got more brown sugar than granulated sugar here for 2 sticks of unsalted butter. The brown sugar will give your cookies that molasses-ish texture in soft and chewy cookies.
How to Make Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies
Making salted chocolate chip cookies is super easy! And don’t let the “sea salt” part scare you. Each cookie only gets a light sprinkle of sea salt that balances out the sweetness. I love it!
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt.
- In a stand mixer (using the paddle attachment) or using a handheld mixer, beat the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and softened unsalted butter on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Then, beat in eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla extract and mix. Tip: to soften butter, leave it out at room temperature for about 1 hour. Or microwave butter for about 20-30 seconds, checking every 10 seconds to make sure it’s not melted.
- Adjust mixer to low speed. Gradually add the flour mixture and mix until well combined.
- Using a rubber spatula, fold in chocolate chips.
- Cover dough with plastic wrap, making sure the plastic wrap touches the dough. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours Why? It will make it easier to roll into balls and give the cookies a nice round shape and consistent texture.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. If you refrigerated the dough overnight, let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes. Why? if the dough is too cold, it will crack.
- Line 2 large baking sheet pans with parchment paper. Rolls into balls (about 1.5 tablespoons) and place onto the prepared baking sheet about 2-3 inches apart so they have room to expand. Tip: do NOT use aluminum foil instead of parchment paper (been there, done that…it will burn the bottom of your cookies).
- Gently press a few extra chocolate chips into the cookie dough balls. Bake 10-11 minutes until edges are golden brown.
- Sprinkle with some sea salt as soon as you remove them from the oven. Let cool before devouring them!
Per usual, all the exact measurements are in the recipe card below. I just like to provide extra tips and notes in this step-by-step section 🙂
Refrigerate Dough Before Baking
A BIG piece of advice: refrigerate the dough for about 1 hour before baking!
If your dough is too warm, it will get sticky and you’ll have trouble rolling them into balls or dropping them on your baking sheet. Worst of all, they will spread a lot faster in the oven and you’ll end up with shapeless cookies that are way too flat.
If the dough is sticky, don’t just add more flour (provided you followed this recipe ingredients measurements). Adding more flour will only make your cookies dry and tough. Most likely, all you need to do is chill the dough.
Once again: chill the cookie dough before baking! 🙂 Mkay.
Tips for Making the Best Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chill the dough before baking! See section above 🙂
- Check your baking soda: combine some vinegar or lemon juice with a teaspoon of baking soda. If it fizzes up, it’s good!
- Line the baking sheets with parchment paper so the cookies don’t burn. Bonus tip: if you don’t want to fight with stubborn parchment paper, buy parchment paper sheets instead of rolls.
- Don’t overbake! The cookies will look a bit undone in the center, and that’s totally fine! Look for barely browned spots in the middle. They will continue cooking a bit when cooling.
- Use chocolate chunks instead of chocolate chips if you want.
To store the cookies (if you don’t end up eating them all in one sitting, hehe), place them in an airtight container. Airtight containers will keep your cookies fresh for days.
That was a lot of information! Now that you are a cookie expert, go bake some delicious sea salt chocolate chip cookies. Your kitchen will smell like a bakery and you will feel like you’re in heaven!
And if you’re looking for more delicious sweets, try these:
- perfect brownies
- pistachio and almond chocolate bark
- fresh strawberry quick bread
- apple peach crumb bars
- samoa brownies from my friend Chelsey at The Saucy Fig
Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoy these sea salt chocolate chip cookies as much as I do.
And please don’t forget to pin this recipe. Much appreciated!
If you try my recipe, use #cookingformysoul on Instagram! Follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook for the latest fun updates and recipes!
Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened at room temperature - (1 cup)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, plus more as needed
- Coarse sea salt for sprinkling
Instructions
- In a bowl, whisk the all-purpose flour, baking soda, Kosher salt until evenly combined.
- In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or using a handheld mixer, beat the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and softened butter at medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add the vanilla extract and mix.
- Adjust the mixer speed to low speed. Gradually, add the flour mixture and mix until well combined.
- Using a spatula, stir in the chocolate chips and fold in until just combined.
- Cover the dough with plastic wrap, making sure that the plastic is touching the dough. Refrigerate for about 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove dough from refrigerator and let sit for 15 minutes so it’s not too cold if you refrigerated it overnight.
- Meanwhile, line 2 baking sheet pans with parchment paper. Roll dough into balls (about 1.5 tablespoons), and place onto the prepared baking pan making sure they are about 2-3 inches apart. You can also use a cookie scoop.
- Gently press a few extra chocolate chips into the cookie dough balls so they look prettier.
- Bake or 10-11 minutes, until edges are golden brown but center is still soft. It may look a bit underdone, and that’s okay. Just look for barely browned spots in the middle.
- Sprinkle with some sea salt as soon as they come out of the oven. Let cool for about 15 minutes. Enjoy!
Jules says
Hi! Do you suggest light or dark brown sugar for this recipe? Is the brown sugar packed when measuring?
Tania says
Hi Jules! I like light brown sugar better, but dark brown sugar works too. Dark brown sugar will give it a deeper, more molasses-y flavor. And, yes, it should be packed in the measuring cup.
Ella says
OMG! These have got to be THE BEST chocolate cookies ever!!! I highly recommend. Just as you said- Crispy on the edges but soft in the middle! I did turn the oven temperature to 375 fahrenheight because at 350 the cookies took a little long to bake. Other than that, there were no hiccups! My family and I made around 72 small chocolate chip cookies together. Thank you so much for our new go-to cookie recipe!! Dessert for days!!!
Meka says
Yummy! Nice bite, but soft in the middle. Use sea salt sparingly. Next time I might try to put the sea salt on before baking as a lot of salt just falls off if I put it on the baked cookie. I used a mix of regular semi sweet chips and minis and there was lots of chocolate throughout the cookie.
Jordyn Chumley says
These cookies are SO SO good! I have made them twice and my third batch is in the refrigerator now for cookies for Santa tomorrow. I usually let the dough chill in the fridge for close to 24 hours.
If you haven’t made these yet, what re you doing with your life.
Thank you for the yummy recipe.
Fatihah says
Hi Tania! This recipe looks amazing! May I know what brand of chocolate chip you used? I’m trying to find chocolate chips that melts when baked. Thank you.
Tania says
I used Ghirardelli!
Karen Kofman says
These are amazing!! Excellent texture. Thank you so much.
Olivia says
I make these cookies ALL THE TIME. They are so good and amazing. My friend doesn’t like sweets but she LOVES these. Highly recommend to everyone!
Tania says
Thanks, Olivia!
Rene says
Hi, Tania! I’m trying to cut down sugar rn, so I’m wondering if I could cut down the amount of granulated sugar and brown sugar? Can I just use brown sugar instead? Thank you in advance!☺️
Tania says
Hey Rene! You can use just brown sugar, but the texture will be a bit more chewy and soft. Let me know how it turns out!
zulaikha says
Hello. How long do i preheat the oven and at what temperature should i set it to bake?
Tania says
Bake it at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. For conventional ovens, it usually takes about 15 to 20 minutes to preheat.
Syaheera says
Hello dear! Greetings from Malaysia! Im planning to bake this delicious cookies. What if I use 250gm of butter ya?
Tania says
Hi Syaheera! You’ll need a bit less than that – use about 226 grams of unsalted butter. Hope you like them!
Yvette says
This is by far the best chocolate chip cookies I have baked thus far…crispy round the edges and chewy in the centre, just how we love them! Thank you so much Tania, it’s my go-to now for choc chip cookies! So super yums!
Tania says
Thank you so much for your kind comment, Yvette!
Kelly Chiam says
Hi there! I tried your recipe and the cookie turned out very soft all around after it cooled down. It doesn’t have the hardness on the outside. Any advise?
Tania says
Hi Kelly! You could try baking them 1-3 minutes longer and turning the sheet pan halfway through. Ovens can vary – for example, mine has hot spots in the back left corner.
ezaty mds says
Hi, may i ask how many grams of butter is being used here?
Tania says
Hi! You need 226 grams of unsalted butter for this recipe.
Kim says
These cookies are the best I’ve ever made making a second batch today thank you
Kim says
Thank you for the recipe
Tania says
So happy to hear! Thank you for making my recipe, Kim!
Chelsey says
These Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies look so yummy! I could probably eat a whole batch myself at this very moment haha. Can’t wait to try making these with the kids for our next family treat night!
Tania says
Thank you Chelsey! 🙂