Salty and Sweet Cookies
By Emily Chavez / Photo by Luis Chavez
The famous chocolate chip cookie will always be loved. However, I appreciate complex complementary flavor profiles, instead of a one-note confection. Mixing semi-sweet and dark chocolate lays a base for a more balanced sugar content. Adding walnuts creates a multidimensional earthy undertone. And, finally, coarse pink Himalayan salt further tempers any lingering sweetness.
In a way, the flavor balance has become dangerous for me because I’m not satisfied by the sugar content five cookies in, so I keep eating.
For a moister cookie, I recommend chopping the walnuts right before adding into the batter so the oils release at that moment. To further enhance the cookie, chill the dough for at least an hour and up to overnight to allow the flavors to meld. Note that if you chill the dough, your baking times may need to extend a few minutes.
Salty and Sweet Cookies
Active time: 15 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Yields about 50 cookies
Ingredients
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon table salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels or chips
1 cup dark chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts (add 1-2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, if you don’t want nuts)
Coarsely ground pink Himalayan salt for topping
Instructions
Combine flour, baking soda and table salt in a small bowl.
In another bowl, beat together butter, both sugars and vanilla extract until creamy.
One at a time, and beating again after each addition, add eggs to the butter sugar mixture.
Gradually beat in dry ingredient mixture.
Stir in chocolate, morsels and nuts by hand.
Drop rounded tablespoons of cookies batter onto ungreased or parchment lined baking sheets.
Sprinkle pink Himalayan salt on each cookie according to taste preference.
Bake in for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown in A preheated oven at 375 degrees.
Cool on baking sheets for at least 1 minute before cooling completely on wire racks.
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