This post contains affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy.
I’m a sucker for salted dark chocolate chip cookies. Especially the thin and chewy ones packed with melty pools of chopped dark chocolate. These are the cookies you’ll want to eat straight off the warm baking pan and the recipe you’ll keep coming back to.
I’ve added a hint of orange zest to compliment the chocolate and of course a generous topping of flaky sea salt. Imagine a slightly crisp edge, chewy center, along with a tasty balance of bitter sweetness.
Key Ingredients & Test Notes
These cookies are the thinner, chewier version of my Bakery Style Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies.
- Salted European Style Butter is what I recommend for rich tender cookies.
- Testing Notes: European style butter, aka “cultured butter” has a minimal butterfat content of 82%, but the demi-sel or salted butter has 80% butterfat, which is the same for standard US butter.
- 70% Dark Chocolate is the bitter contrast needed to balance the sweetness of the cookie dough.
- Test Note: I prefer to chop quality dark chocolate bars into small chunks as it disperses little chocolate flecks throughout the cookie. Chopped chocolate also contributes to cookies spread since it melts into the dough, whereas chocolate chips hold there shape during baking.
- Dark Brown Sugar creates a softer chewy texture that makes a cookie melt in your mouth. Plus, the caramel and toffee notes from the added molasses are what we came for!
- Granulated Sugar gives structure and sweetness. By using a high ratio of brown sugar to granulated sugar, these cookies will spread nicely with a chewy center.
- All Purpose Flour at 10-11% protein creates a lovely tender cookie crumb.
- Testing Notes: For this recipe I used a softer wheat flour with 11% protein. The cookies maintain a nice chewy days after baking.
- Vanilla Bean Paste or Pure Vanilla Extract enhance the cookie dough flavor with classic vanilla notes.
- Pure Almond Extract gives a subtle sweet nutty flavor that brings this cookie to life.
- Ginger adds a touch of warming spice that blends nicely with the orange.
- Orange Zest is the secret ingredient that brightens the chocolate flavor.
- Testing Notes: Work the wet orange zest into the sugar with your fingertips and let it sit for a couple minutes before mixing the brown sugar.
- Flaky Sea Salt sprinkled on warm cookies gives an extra salty kick to dark chocolate.
Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies are Just Better
Everything you bake or cook is better with salt, period. In chocolate chip cookies salt is used to enhance the overall flavor of the dough. Salt balances out the sweetness from the sugars while reducing the bitterness of the 70% chocolate bar allowing the flavor of the chocolate to shine through. Its that special secret ingredient that takes cookies from cloyingly sweet to next level professional status.
Salt can be used in more ways than just adding a teaspoon of fine sea salt to the cookie dough. One of my favorite baking shortcuts is using salted butter. It helps build flavor without the worry of under salting, and European butter’s higher fat content makes everything taste a little more indulgent.
And of course we all know the trick of sprinkling flaky sea salt onto warm cookies right as you pull the tray from the oven. It’s the final pièce de résistance that puts crunchy salt directly onto your tongue for a bit of added texture.
What makes a cookie chewy?
Several factors contribute to the chewy texture of these cookies. This recipe uses a higher ratio of brown sugar to granulated sugar, an extra egg yolk, and melted butter. The molasses in brown sugar adds moisture, helping create a softer, chewier cookie. Yay! The extra egg yolk acts as an emulsifier, adding richness and giving the dough a smoother, creamier texture. Using melted butter instead of creamed butter prevents extra air from being incorporated into the dough, resulting in a denser cookie.
Below is a photo comparing these chewy cookies with a wider diameter and flatter tops to my soft bakery style cookies that are thicker with fluffier tops. Both cookies are equally delicious, whichever one you make depends on your cookie texture preference.
How to Make Salted Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies
The cookie dough comes together easily in a large bowl with a hand whisk and a spatula.
- Blend Orange Zest with Sugar: The first step involves working orange zest into granulated sugar to release the orange oils into the sugar.
- Prep Butter and Dry Ingredients: Melt the butter halfway and then stir it together. Cool the butter completely. Mix together the flour and baking soda in a separate bowl.
- Mix Together the Wet Ingredients: Combine the orange sugar, brown sugar and melted butter together in a large bowl. Add in the egg, egg yolk, vanilla and almond mixing until smooth.
- Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: Add half the dry mixture at a time to the wet ingredients and fold together using a silicone spatula. Fold in the chopped chocolate chips last to evenly distribute.
- Chill and Scoop: Because this recipe uses melted butter, the dough feels a bit greasy at room temperature. Scoop it into 1.5 Tbsp balls and chill in an airtight container, or cover the bowl with plastic wrap and scoop before baking. Chill for 2–3 hours to firm the butter, or my preferred time of overnight for deeper flavor.
- Shape and Bake Cookies: Once chilled, gently pack the dough balls in your hands before placing them on the baking tray. Bake until the edges are golden and the centers are nearly set. Let the cookies rest on the hot tray for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.
- Finish with Flaky Sea Salt: Top the cookies with a little or a lot of flaky salt while they’re still warm so the salt sticks.
Jenn’s Cookie Tips!
- Use Chopped High Quality Chocolate: Mix in dark chocolate chunks from chopping a 70% cacao chocolate bar for a mix of delicate flecks and larger chunks. For extra pockets of melted chocolate, press a few chunks on top of the cookie balls before baking.
- Mix the Dough Just Enough: When adding in the flour, mix until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chunks with a silicone spatula. Over mixing the dough increases gluten formation which leads to tougher cookies.
- Chill the Cookie Dough! Refrigerate your dough for at least 3 hours or overnight to firm the butter and deepen the flavors before baking. Make sure the cookie dough is cold when it goes into the oven to prevent over spreading.
- DON’T Over Bake: Once you seem them start to brown on the edges, take them out of the oven. A little soft in the center and firming on the edges is the sign of a perfectly baked cookie.
Leftovers & Storage
- Cooled baked cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 5-6 days of freshness.
- Raw dough can be made ahead and kept in the fridge for 5 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Make sure the dough is sealed in airtight freezer safe container.
★★★★★ Please leave a star rating and review below if you make this recipe! THANK YOU!!
Chewy Salted Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies
Equipment
- parchment paper
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 152 grams (2/3 cup) salted European style butter, 80% butterfat, (American salted butter can also be used)
- 222 grams (1 ¾ cups) all purpose flour, 10-11% protein
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 50 grams (¼ cup) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons fresh orange zest, 1 large orange zested
- 210 grams (1 cup minus 2 teaspoons) dark brown sugar
- 1 large egg (50 grams), room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk (20 grams), room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 170 grams (1 cup) 70% bittersweet dark chocolate , roughly chopped (or chocolate baking chips)
- flaky sea salt
Instructions
- Place the cold cubed salted butter in a small bowl and microwave for about 15-20 seconds, until halfway melted. Stir with a fork until the remaining butter melts. Set aside to cool completely, though still liquid. Do not put warm butter in the cookie dough.152 grams salted European style butter
- Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and ginger in a medium bowl. Set aside.222 grams all purpose flour, 3/4 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- Place the granulated sugar and orange zest in a large bowl and rub them together with your fingertips. This helps release the oil of the zest into the sugar, infusing it with orange flavour.50 grams granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons fresh orange zest
- Add the brown sugar and the cooled butter to the orange zested sugar. Hand whisk together to form a thick applesauce like mixture.210 grams dark brown sugar
- Add in the egg, egg yolk, vanilla paste, and almond extract. Slowly whisk again until just smooth.1 large egg (50 grams), 1 large egg yolk (20 grams), 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste , 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- Spoon the flour mixture onto the wet ingredients and gently fold together using a rubber spatula until no flour streaks remain.
- Fold the chopped chocolate into the cookie dough to evenly distribute. Careful not to overwork or stir the dough too much.170 grams 70% bittersweet dark chocolate
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 hours or even better overnight.
- Chilling the dough, firms the butter to prevent over spreading while baking and also allows the flavours to develop.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350℉ / 180℃ / 160℃ Fan (convection). Line a rimmed baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or two pieces of parchment paper.
- Once thoroughly chilled, take a 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop, measure the dough into balls. Gently pack each ball together with your hands to form a thick tall mound.
- Place six dough balls about 2-3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Keep remaining dough in the fridge until ready to bake.
- Bake for about 11-12 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and the center is mostly set.
- Remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle each cookie with flaky sea salt. Leave cookies on the hot tray for 5 minutes to finish baking before transferring directly to a wire cooling rack.flaky sea salt
- Repeat with remaining cookie dough, making sure the baking tray is cool each time.
Notes
- Ingredients Used:
- Flour: 10-11% soft wheat flour – Gold Medal All Purpose Flour
- Butter: President Salted (demi-sel), 80% butterfat
- Some salted European butter brands may have 82% or higher butterfat like the unsalted versions. Read the label, as more butterfat means less water and will change the outcome of the cookie’s spread.
- Oven: This recipe was written for a conventional oven (top and bottom heat). For convection fan ovens, reduce the temperature by 25 degrees and begin checking for doneness 75% of the way through baking.
Weigh your flour: The measurement I use: 1 cup of flour equals 125 grams. This amount can change based on a different baker’s recipe or using a conversion tool. The weight listed in the recipe is how it was tested and should be used for accuracy. Different brands of flour are made with soft or hard wheat and have varying levels of protein, ranging from low to high. This can change the final result of a baked good, giving different outcomes on the same recipe. I list the level of protein in the ingredients, the brand of flour tested with and a link to My Baking Ingredients for additional details. When choosing a flour, look at the protein level on the back of the bag and consult the recommended amount for the recipe.
Hi! Question about the ingredients. I’m new to baking and noticed that the recipe calls for 1 egg, and 1 egg yolk. Does that mean the mixture calls for 1 egg(with white and yolk) plus a second egg yolk? Thanks!
Hi Kristian! Yes, 1 egg would be a large egg that ways 50 grams (not including shell), egg white and egg yolk. The line for egg yolk is just the yolk of a large egg that weighs 20 grams. All weights do not include the egg shell. Click the link for “Ingredients Details” for more info. Happy baking!
Very nice cookies. I place the dough on long strips of plastic wrap and roll it into a one inch diameter log and refrigerate on a sheet pan.
when I am ready to bake them I unwrap the dough and cut it into one inch pieces and bake them. No need to roll into balls. Do all of them or just a few.
Hi Paul! thank you so much! I love your method for an easy cookie prep, I’ll definitely try this myself on my next batch. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Deliciously Sophisticated Twist on a Classic!
These chocolate chip cookies are an instant favorite in our house! As a big fan of almond flavoring, I was thrilled to see it included in the recipe—it adds such a lovely depth that sets these cookies apart. The orange zest brings a bright, fresh note that really elevates the overall flavor.
The recipe was incredibly easy to follow, and I appreciated the thoughtful ingredient tips throughout. This truly feels like a grown-up version of the classic chocolate chip cookie—but the best part? My kids love them just as much as I do!
A perfect balance of nostalgic comfort and unexpected flavor—I’ll definitely be making these again.
Christine!! thank you so much for this lovely review of my cookie recipe. I’m so glad you love them as much as I do!