Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies
These are soft, slightly thick cookies with a wrinkly top. The recipe uses melted butter, so no mixer is required. The addition of orange zest and a small amount of almond extract makes them a bit different from a standard chocolate chip cookie.
Ingredients (~12-14 cookies)
- 1/3 cup salted European butter (80% butterfat)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp fresh orange zest
- 1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 1/4 tsp almond extract
- 1/2 cup bittersweet dark chocolate (70%), chopped
- Flaky sea salt
Prepare the Dough
Take the cold, cubed butter and place it in a bowl. Microwave it for ~15-20 seconds, just until it’s about halfway melted. Stir it with a fork until the rest of the butter melts from the residual heat.
Set the butter aside to cool down completely. It should be liquid, but not warm.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour and baking soda.
In a separate large bowl, add the granulated sugar and the orange zest. Use your fingers to rub the zest into the sugar. This releases the citrus oils.
Add the packed light brown sugar. Pour in the cooled, melted butter and whisk everything together. The mixture will look like a thick, smooth paste.
Whisk in the room-temperature egg, vanilla paste, and almond extract until the mixture is smooth.
Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold everything together until no streaks of dry flour remain. Don’t overmix.
Fold in the chopped dark chocolate.
Chill and Bake the Cookies
Scoop the dough into balls, about 1.5 tablespoons each. Place them on a tray, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight.
Chilling the dough is essential. It firms up the butter and allows the flavors to deepen.
When you’re ready to bake, set your oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Take the cold dough balls and gently roll them in your hands to make them uniform. Place them ~2-3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake for ~11-12 minutes. The edges should be set and golden brown, but the centers should still look soft.
Remove the pan from the oven and immediately sprinkle each cookie with a little flaky sea salt.
Let the cookies cool on the hot baking sheet for ~5 minutes to set up, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
Ingredients (~12-14 cookies)
- 6 tablespoons salted European style butter
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon fresh orange zest from ~1 large orange
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 cup 70% bittersweet dark chocolate roughly chopped
- Flaky sea salt for topping
Method
- Microwave butter until halfway melted, stir until fully liquid, then cool completely.
- Rub orange zest into granulated sugar to release oils.
- Whisk together brown sugar, cooled butter, egg, vanilla, and almond extract.
- Fold in flour mixture and chopped chocolate until just combined.
- Scoop dough into 1.5 tablespoon balls and refrigerate 3 hours or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350F and line baking sheet with parchment.
- Roll cold dough balls and place 2-3 inches apart on sheet.
- Bake 11-12 minutes until edges are golden but centers remain soft.
- Immediately sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
- Cool on baking sheet 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack.
