These Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies are thick, soft and fluffy with plenty of semi-sweet chocolate chips and chopped walnuts in every bite. A light sprinkle of finishing salt on top balances the sweetness and brings out the rich chocolate flavor.
Make these cookies smaller for a traditional batch or go big with bakery-style cookies. The larger version makes about 8 to 9 cookies and gives you those thick, soft centers with lightly golden edges. Finish them with vanilla bean salt for a subtle hint of vanilla, or use your favorite flaky finishing salt.
Why You Will Love These Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Soft and Fluffy: These salted chocolate chip cookies bake up thick with soft, tender centers and lightly golden edges.
- Sweet and Salty: A sprinkle of finishing salt balances the sweetness of the cookies and pairs perfectly with the semi-sweet chocolate chips.
- Plenty of Chocolate: With 1 1/2 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips, you get chocolate in just about every bite.
- Make Them Big or Small: Bake a batch of smaller cookies or divide the dough into 8 to 9 portions for large, bakery-style chocolate chip cookies.
- No Need to Soften Butter: This recipe starts with cold, diced butter, so there’s no waiting for butter to soften before you can start baking.
Ingredient Substitutions
- Chocolate Chips: Semi-sweet chocolate chips provide a nice balance of sweetness, but dark chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips or chocolate chunks can also be used.
- Walnuts: Leave out the walnuts if you prefer chocolate chip cookies without nuts. Chopped pecans are another great option.
- Cake Flour: Cake flour helps give the cookies their soft, tender texture. If you don’t have cake flour, you can substitute all-purpose flour, although the finished texture may be slightly different.
- Finishing Salt: Vanilla bean salt adds a subtle vanilla flavor that works especially well with chocolate. Regular flaky sea salt can be used instead.
How to Prepare Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add the cold diced butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat until smooth and creamy.
- Add the eggs, vanilla extract and instant vanilla pudding mix. Mix until combined.
- Add the all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking soda and salt. Mix just until combined. Do not overmix.
- Gently mix in the chocolate chips and chopped walnuts.
- Portion the dough onto the parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving space between each cookie.
- For large cookies, divide the dough into 8 to 9 portions and bake for 15 to 18 minutes.
- For smaller cookies, portion the dough into smaller mounds and bake for 13 to 15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven when the edges are set and lightly golden and the centers remain soft.
- Sprinkle the warm cookies with vanilla bean salt or flaky finishing salt.
- Allow to cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
How to Serve and Store
- Serve: Allow the salted chocolate chip cookies to cool for about 5 minutes before serving. They’re especially good slightly warm, while the chocolate chips are still soft.
- Store: Keep completely cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 to 5 days.
- Freeze: Store baked cookies in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
- Freeze the dough: Portion the dough into individual cookies and freeze until firm. Transfer to a freezer-safe bag or container and freeze for up to 3 months.
Sprinkle the finishing salt over the cookies shortly after they come out of the oven. The cookies will still be warm, which helps the salt stick to the tops.
Make sure your baking sheet is cool before adding the cookie dough and measure the flour carefully. If the dough feels unusually soft, chilling it briefly before baking can also help prevent the cookies from spreading too much.
Look at the edges rather than the center. The edges should be set and lightly golden while the centers still look soft. The cookies will continue to set as they cool on the baking sheet.
Yes. Cover the prepared cookie dough tightly and refrigerate for up to 2 days. If the dough becomes too firm to portion, allow it to sit at room temperature for a few minutes before baking.
Yes. Simply leave out the walnuts. You can also substitute chopped pecans or add a few extra chocolate chips.
These Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies are easy to make with soft, fluffy centers, lightly golden edges and plenty of chocolate chips in every bite. Make them smaller for a classic chocolate chip cookie, or portion the dough into large bakery-style cookies. Either way, don’t skip that final sprinkle of vanilla bean salt or flaky sea salt. It’s the perfect finishing touch to balance the sweetness.
Print
Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 6 to 8 servings 1x
Description
Thick and fluffy Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies loaded with chocolate chips, walnuts and finished with a sprinkle of salt.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) cold butter, diced or grated
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 (3.4-ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup cake flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
- Vanilla bean salt or flaky finishing salt, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add the cold diced butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat until smooth and creamy.
- Add the eggs, vanilla extract and instant vanilla pudding mix. Mix until combined.
- Add the all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking soda and salt. Mix just until combined. Do not overmix.
- Gently mix in the chocolate chips and chopped walnuts.
- Portion the dough onto the parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving space between each cookie.
- For large cookies, divide the dough into 8 to 9 portions and bake for 15 to 18 minutes.
- For smaller cookies, portion the dough into smaller mounds and bake for 13 to 15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven when the edges are set and lightly golden and the centers remain soft.
- Sprinkle the warm cookies with vanilla bean salt or flaky finishing salt.
- Allow to cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
- ENJOY!
Notes
- Avoid overmixing the dough once the flour has been added.
- Use a parchment-lined baking sheet for easy removal and cleanup.
- Baking time will vary slightly depending on the size of the cookies and your oven.
- The centers should still look slightly soft when the cookies are removed from the oven.
- Allow the cookies to rest on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring.
- Vanilla bean salt adds a subtle vanilla note, but regular flaky finishing salt works well.
- For large bakery-style cookies, this recipe yields approximately 8 to 9 cookies.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Easy
- Cuisine: American
GET TO KNOW ME!
WELCOME! My name is Melissa Latin aka. Charlotte Fashion Plate. Happy to meet you! I am more than just recipes. I love fashion and style too! Most importantly, I love my Family (my Hubby and my Fur Babies). My Husband (aka my “Kitchen Bitch”) means the world to me. He’s pretty damn cool too. Not only is he one of the nicest guys you will ever meet, he also has had a lengthy career in professional hockey. Not only winning two Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the early ’90’s, but most recently winning the Calder Cup with the Charlotte Checkers, amongst many other accolades. If you live in Charlotte and play hockey, or have a family member who plays, be sure to contact him!
Our life has changed dramatically in the past few years with the passing of our two goldendoodles, Vegas and Viva. We were lucky enough to have Vegas for five years (totally wish it was longer). Most recently, losing our Viva to a brain tumor in July of 2020. We welcomed our mini goldendoodle 7, almost seven years ago. We just added the amazing Hazel! Of course, I am always posting tons and tons of photos! Be sure to check out my recipe for Pet Bone Broth! This broth is super rich in nutrients and will provide your pet with a multitude of health benefits!
In addition, I’m so very excited to announce I have published my first e-book and paperback, “Mastering Thanksgiving – A Guide to Perfecting Your Thanksgiving Dinner.” Your support would mean the world to me.
Let’s Get Social!
Be sure to follow me on social media! I’m always talking food, fashion, and family! I also love sharing some of my favorite Amazon Finds too. Click here to check out my Amazon page! Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, Pinterest and YouTube! Check out my ShopMy and LTK to find out what I’m wearing! THANK YOU!
No comment yet, add your voice below!