Are you looking for the ultimate Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe? Experience the perfect blend of sweet and savory with these delicious cookies, featuring rich chocolate chips and a hint of sea salt, for a taste that's truly unforgettable.
Searching for the Best Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe?
Are you here for the ultimate recipe for Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies? You've come to the right place! This recipe for Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies isn't a typical overly sweet cookie recipe. It blends the richness of dark chocolate chips with the unique twist of thyme and the distinct flavor of large flakes of sea salt.
This distinctive combination sets these apart as the best cookies, offering a gourmet experience that balances sweet, savory, and aromatic flavors, making it our go-to recipe for the holidays. If you're looking for a unique version of homemade chocolate chip cookies that's a bit more mature, this is it.
Ingredients
Give classic chocolate chip cookies a complete overhaul with some easy swaps.
- All-purpose Flour
- Baking soda
- Kosher salt - its important to use kosher salt for the flavor in these cookies, not traditional table salt.
- Fresh thyme (literally the most time-consuming part of this recipe is peeling those little leaves from the stems)
- Unsalted butter - at room temperature
- Granulated sugar
- Dark brown sugar
- Bourbon - you could use vanilla extract but we love the subtle flavor of bourbon in these
- Eggs
- Dark chocolate chunks - or chips
- Flaky Sea salt
If you love walnuts in your cookies, feel free to add toasted walnuts that have been finely chopped to the mix when you add dark chocolate chips.
How to Make these salted chocolate chip cookies
This cookie recipe is just like any classic cookie.
Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F and lining two baking sheets with foil or parchment paper.
Whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, and thyme in a large bowl.
In the bowl of your stand mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add in the white sugar and dark brown sugar and mix to combine. Then, using a rubber spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl and the mixing paddle attachment. Add in the eggs and mix again, scraping down the sides and the bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is incorporated. Add the bourbon and mix one more time.
Then, working in batches, mix in the dry ingredients a little at a time until they are fully incorporated. The dough should come together. At this point, you could cover the cookie dough with plastic wrap and let it sit in the fridge overnight or freeze it to bake later.
To prevent flour going everywhere, I drape a clean dishtowl over my mixer when adding the flour in. That way when the mixer starts, and poofs of flour are contained minimizing clean up.
- Pro Tip
Add in the chocolate chips and mix just once more to incorporate. Then, using a small cookie scoop or teaspoon, drop the cookie dough onto the prepared cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Sprinkle of sea salt over the top of the cookie, pressing gently with your fingers.
Slide the baking sheets into the oven and bake for 9-11 minutes, until the bottoms are golden brown and the tops are set for a chewy center. Add an extra minute if you like crispy edges.
Let the cookies sit on the sheet for another 2 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cook completely. Repeat the process until the dough is all gone.
The thyme flavor is mild right out of the oven, but who can resist a warm chocolate chip cookie? The next day, the thyme starts to pop in every bite.
How to remove thyme leaves from the stems.
Removing thyme leaves from the stem is a straightforward process. Hold the top of the stem with one hand, then gently slide the fingers of your other hand down the stem, against the direction of the leaves, stripping them off. This works best when the thyme is fresh as the leaves come off more easily. For woody or dried stems, you might need to pick the leaves off individually. This method quickly separates the leaves from the stem, leaving you with the flavorful thyme leaves for your cooking, just be sure to discard the stems.
Storage
Once cooled, store the cookies in an airtight container or resealable bag. We love old-fashioned cookie tins, which we find on sale at the dollar store around the holidays. They also make perfect gift boxes if you're baking cookies in batches for Christmas or the holidays.
More Cookies Recipes to Try
If you've tried this recipe, be sure to rate the recipe and leave a comment to help the next reader out!
📖 Recipe
Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies with Thyme
AmericanIngredients
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tbs fresh thyme leaves
- 1 cup butter - softened
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon bourbon
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cup dark chocolate chunks - or chips
- ½ teaspoon sea salt - coarsely ground
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with aluminum foil or parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, kosher salt, and thyme leaves. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and sugars together. Add bourbon, scrape down sides and mix again.
- Add eggs, one at a time, scraping down sides as needed.
- In three batches, combine the flour mixture until combined after each addition.
- Remove bowl from mixer and fold in the chocolate chunks.
- Using a small ice cream scoop or two spoons, scoop out tablespoon size portions of cookie dough onto sheets about 2 inches apart from each other.
- Sprinkle with sea salt.
- Bake 9-11 minutes until golden brown.
- Cool on for 5 minutes on sheet before transferring and cooling completely on a wire rack.
Notes
Feel free to substitute vanilla extract for the bourbon if desired.
Nutrition
Nutritional informations provided as a courtesy and is only an approximatation. Values will changes based on ingredients used.
⭐ Tried this recipe? Rate it ⭐
Help out the next person and give it a star rating below!
Belinda @zomppa says
Aw, kinda neat to see that no matter what happens, the geese know what to do. Hmm - so do you with these cookies!
ping says
Thyme and chocolate .... that sounds really nice! Thyme's one of my favorite all round herb. I would never have thought of using them in a choc chip cookie. I've used rosemary in some cookies but dunno why I've never thought of thyme ... duh me. I so need to make these!
The Mom Chef ~ Taking on Magazines One Recipe at a Time says
Our geese stick here year-round so we get to know them pretty well, remembering the couples or those that have lost a partner. I enjoy them (even with the land mines), but every once in a while their 3am squabbling gets a little loud for me. 🙂
I've not thought to put thyme in cookies before, but I like the sound of it. I bet they tasted as delicious as they look.
Blog is the New Black says
Loving this unique combo!
Tes says
What an exciting combination! The pictures are so stunning, too 🙂
Cassie says
Kita, these sound scrumptious. I love the savory/salt combination. Definitely trying these!
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar says
This is such a neat idea!
RavieNomNoms says
This is so creative! I am so curious as to what these taste like, I love trying new things that are adventurous. Especially when it is a cookie, hehe 😉
Fresh and Foodie says
Delicious! What a creative idea.
Anna says
I would love to taste these cookies! The flavors pairing sounds very intriguing. Thank you for sharing! Your pics are stunning, btw!
Kiri W. says
How intriguing! These sound really delightful, I am trying to envision the flavor combination 🙂
Lauren at Keep It Sweet says
I am so intrigued and want to try this flavor combination now! Also, your cookies look like cookie perfection!
Kristen says
I am definitely south enough to have winter bird guests. The geese fly through, honking, looking mighty strange with palm trees behind them. It's the same with the cardinals. All they need are sunglasses and Bermuda shorts to finish the ludicrous picture.
Just came from KimBee's site...you did a fabulous job.
Kaitlin says
I love salty sweet combos. I bet the thyme brings this to a whole new level of deliciousness. Great post!
Stephanie says
Ooh, thyme in cookies. I've never thought to put it into a dessert. Great idea!
Vicki @ WITK says
I think I read somewhere that geese will only fly as far south as they need to to find open water. So if your ponds and lakes aren't frozen, the geese are staying! Anyways.... these cookies sound good 🙂
Ann says
You are not alone in those type of thoughts! I would have never thought to put thyme in chocolate chip cookies...I bet it gives it a terrific, peppery bite!
Kristina says
Such a unique cookie! I'm going to have to make these because I'm so curious about how they taste! I love this idea!
Erin says
I wish I saw geese ever. And never had tried thyme in a cookie but imagining it in my head seems quite intriguing.
claire @ the realistic nutritionist says
OMG KITA. You are blowing my mind. I need to make these!!
Kim - Liv Life says
I saw your photo for these cookies on Tasteologie and they jumped off the page... positively beautiful! Not a combo I would have thought of, but one that really makes me want to try.
I hope your little goose friends are OK, we have some ducks like that around here and I always worry about them too!
Amy's Cooking Adventures says
These look so unique! I love herbed cookies!
Jenn and Seth (@HomeSkilletCook) says
this sounds so interesting! definitely want to try this sometime!
sweet road says
I love incorporating herbs and spices into baked goods, it adds so much depth! I'll have to try this combo soon, it must be amazing.
sara says
Love this recipe - looks really delicious! Gorgeous photos too!
Averie @ Love Veggies and Yoga says
Now you can get your veggies (or herbs) in while eating chocolate. I love this idea 🙂
Russell van Kraayenburg says
What an awesome flavor combo! I've never thought to put thyme in cookies. And I make about 6 dozen cookies a week.
You're definitely not alone. I just about rolled my truck this morning swerving to avoid a squirrel who decided to play chicken with me.
Schapiro says
Made these tonight and they were extremely delicious. The sweet / savory / subtle saltiness combo is fantastic. The thyme adds a very unique and distinct flavor, but not overwhelming or unfortunate; just right.Thanks so much for this recipe!
Kita says
Nothing is more awesome to a food blogger then when people actually try their recipes. I'm glad you enjoyed these. I found that I enjoyed the flavors more on day two when everyone had a chance to mingle.
Hazel says
I love the way these taste. The thyme is a little bit spicy, but it combines really well with the taste of the chocolate and salt.
Patricia Conte says
Whoa!!!! These sound amazing! What a wonderful idea - thanks for sharing!!