Sea Salt Chocolate Chunk Cookies
First of all, happy new year! I hope you're having a great start to 2014!
I've been back at home for the past two weeks and can't believe how fast time is whizzing by. Home is treating me well as always, even though I'm currently fighting a vicious cold. A lesson from 2013: never say you never get sick.
The best part about home (apart from mom's kimchi) is having all the free time in the world. So far, I've eaten my way through Texas, watched a dozen movies, started a new book, finished a few designs and ruined a loaf of bread along with a batch of cookies. Another lesson from 2013: recipe disasters will follow you everywhere no matter how experienced you may think you are. For those of you who don't know, I launched a baking blog earlier in the fall for one of my courses. If I could show and tell you about all the cupcake explosions and burnt cookies that came out of having a baking blog, I would, but I literally can't. I may or may not have completely destroyed all the pictures and forced friends who were watching in the kitchen to swear on their lives not to tell a single soul about what they just saw.
There is nothing more humbling than opening your oven only to find a mess. Just a few days ago, I baked chocolate chunk cookies with orange zest and toasted hazelnuts--sounds great, right? Unfortunately, they turned out resembling my grandmother's elbows.
So I tried again, and this time the cookie gods were on my side. Here's a simple cookie recipe to ring in the new year, friend. Cheers!
Sea Salt Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Yield: about 2 dozen cookies
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp sea salt
1 cup butter (2 sticks), at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups chocolate chunks
extra sea salt to sprinkle on top
In medium bowl, sift all purpose flour, baking soda, and sea salt. Set aside. In large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, and mix until just thoroughly combined. Add vanilla extract and mix again, but do not over-beat. Add dry mixture to wet mixture in 5 increments, mixing thoroughly in between each addition. Fold in chocolate chunks. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and place in fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread parchment paper on top of cookie sheet. Using a tablespoon, scoop cookie dough and set on cookie sheet at least 2 inches apart. Sprinkle extra sea salt on top. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until gold and crispy around the edges. Serve warm with a tall glass of milk. Enjoy!
