Jm's Salted Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Cookie Dough

1. 1

   Prepare

   Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Position oven rack to the middle and preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).

2. 2

   Cream butter and sugars

   In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the room-temperature unsalted butter (1 cup) on medium speed until smooth and slightly fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the granulated sugar (3/4 cup) and packed light brown sugar (3/4 cup). Cream together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes, scraping down the bowl as needed.

3. 3

   Add eggs and vanilla

   Add the eggs (2) one at a time, beating for 20–30 seconds after each addition until incorporated. Add the vanilla extract (2 tsp) and mix until combined, scraping the bowl once.

4. 4

   Combine dry ingredients

   In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour (2.5 cups), baking soda (1 tsp), fine sea salt (3/4 tsp), and cornstarch (1 tsp) to evenly distribute the leavening and salt.

5. 5

   Mix dry into wet

   With the mixer on low speed, add about one-third of the flour mixture to the butter-sugar-egg mixture, then another third, then the last third, mixing just until the flour disappears. Don’t overmix; stop as soon as there are no visible streaks of flour.

6. 6

   Fold in chips (and nuts)

   Using a spatula, fold in the semisweet chocolate chips (2 cups) and the optional toasted chopped nuts (1/2 cup) if using, until evenly distributed throughout the dough.

7. 7

   Chill the dough (recommended)

   For best flavor and texture, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours. Chilling firms the butter and prevents excessive spreading, producing thicker, chewier cookies.

8. 8

   Portion cookies

   If chilled, allow dough to sit at room temperature 5–10 minutes to make scooping easier. Using a 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop (or a heaping 2-tablespoon measure), portion dough into 18–24 balls about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Place dough balls on prepared baking sheets spaced about 2 inches apart to allow for spreading.

9. 9

   Bake

   Bake cookies in the preheated 350°F (175°C) oven for 10–12 minutes, rotating the sheet halfway through if your oven bakes unevenly. Bake until edges are set and lightly golden but centers still look slightly soft — this yields a chewy center after cooling. For crisper cookies, bake 1–2 minutes longer.

10. 10

    Finish with flaky salt

    As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, sprinkle each cookie with a small pinch of flaky sea salt (about a few flakes; total 1/2 tsp across the batch). The contrast highlights the chocolate.

11. 11

    Cool

    Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5–7 minutes so they finish setting, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days (or freeze dough or baked cookies for longer storage).