Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Cookie Recipe

When I was younger, I was all about eating sweets. I loved candy, cookies, ice cream, cakes, you name it! After dinner, I always begged my mom to let me indulge in some sweets. Once I'd eaten everything she'd allow, I'd try to push the envelope and ask for just one more. It almost never worked, but I always asked anyways. I think I exhausted my sweet tooth as a little girl, because I always go for the more savory options now.

Even though I don't have a sweet tooth quite like I used to, I absolutely love baking. Honestly, one of my least favorite things about living alone is that I don't have anyone to eat what I want to make- so I don't end up making it! My family got together for Easter, so I decided to use the opportunity to try out a new cookie recipe. Y'all. It was AWESOME.

Before I get to the recipe, I wanted to share a little back story behind my ingredient choice. I've always been told that the choices you make for ingredients greatly effect the outcome of your baked good! I completely agree with this, but feel as though I was interpreting it incorrectly. There are some great butter alternatives and gluten-free flours that bake just as well as their original counterparts. These alternatives can help people avoid allergens but still enjoy their favorite treats. I've been experimenting with different butter alternatives when cooking and thought it was a great time to transition into baking experiments! This was my first time baking with County Crock and won't be my last. The sticks were just as easy to use as real butter and produced delicious, fluffy cookies.

This recipe is perfect for someone like me because it marries salty and sweet into one delicious cookie. The dough that I used for the base isn't overly sweet and can support some sweeter add-ins. I used Ghirardelli 60% cacao dark chocolate chips in my recipe, but feel free to use what you like best. Personally I don't think there's any other brand of baking chocolate that comes close to Ghirardelli's flavor, so that is what I use.

Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Cookies
Personalized from Country Crock's "Make It Yours" Dough Recipe
Yields ~4.5 dozen cookies

1 cup Country Crock
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour (I used gluten-free)
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
10 oz dark chocolate chips
coarse sea salt

Preheat oven to 375. Cream together Country Crock, sugar, and brown sugar in a stand mixer using the paddle attachment. Add egg, egg yolk, and vanilla. Stir until well mixed. Using the stir setting, add in flour 1 cup at a time. Finally, add in baking powder, salt and baking soda until well blended. Using a wooden spoon, fold in the chocolate chips.

Cover baking sheets with parchment paper to prevent sticking. Spoon heaping teaspoonfuls onto baking sheet about 3 inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool on wire racks for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt then continue to cool completely. Enjoy!

This post was sponsored by Country Crock. Thank you for supporting the brands that support A Peachy Sonder!