Chocolate and Sea Salt Cookies

When it comes to the world of cookies, I am inclusive. I like crisp cookies, soft cookies, fruit-filled cookies, nutty cookies, cookies brimming with chocolate chips, and cookies with few ingredients beyond butter and flour. But I do play favorites. This particular cookie, a chocolate shortbread speckled with sea salt, has earned its spot in my personal cookie hall of fame.

The reason: while bittersweet chocolate pieces and cocoa powder augment what is otherwise a plain shortbread cookie, sea salt closes the deal. These granules heighten the chocolate flavor even more. This is not a cookie for those who prefer vanilla.

Sea salt in desserts isn’t a new trend. Pastry chefs long have come around to using it to heighten sweet flavors, whether it’s chocolate, caramel, apples, or blueberries. But its presence in a dessert can still snap an eater to attention. These cookies aren’t nearly the same thing without salt.

I ate my first chocolate sea salt cookie while working at A16. The small, rich cookie was part of the cookie plate, and it was hard not to nab one or two when walking by the stash. Out of all the cookie recipes I worked on for A16 Food + Wine, this is still easily my favorite. Since the book came out, I’ve made it for bake sales, gifts, and personal indulgence. I’ve recommended the recipe to friends and family—my mom and some of her friends are now fans.

These cookies’ complex flavors belie how easy it is to make a batch. I’ve been out of unsweetened cocoa and pitch-hit with sweetened cocoa—I just cut back on the amount of sugar. It worked. I’ve added cinnamon, nutmeg, and cayenne to mimic a Mexican hot chocolate. It worked. I’ve used kosher salt instead of sea salt and had passable results. Since I don’t always have “00” flour, a finely milled Italian flour used at A16, I use all-purpose flour and have liked the results. As the holiday season descends, I thought it was high time to share this treat.

chocolate and sea salt shortbread

Adapted from A16 Food + Wine (Ten Speed Press, 2008)

Makes about 4 dozen cookies

1¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
¾ teaspoon baking powder
8 ounces cubed butter at room temperature (I have used both salted and unsalted;
just go with what you have on hand)
¾ cup sugar
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla
¾ teaspoon sea salt

1. Sift the flour, cocoa, and baking powder together. (I use a fine-mesh strainer suspended over a bowl.)

2. Using the paddle attachment on a stand mixer, combine the butter and sugar and mix on medium speed for about 2 minutes or until pale and smooth. Switch to low speed and add the flour mixture in three additions until incorporated. Mix in the chocolate, vanilla, and salt briefly just until incorporated.

3. Divide the dough in half. On a lightly floured surface, roll each piece with your hands into logs about 1 inch in diameter. Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

4. Preheat the oven to 325˚F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or lightly grease with butter.

5. Using a sharp knife, cut the logs into 1/2-inch-thick rounds. Arrange the cookies on the prepared baking sheets about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake, rotating the sheets once, for 12 minutes or until baked through but still soft. (If they are still very soft, turn the oven off and leave them in for 3 more minutes.) Let cool for about 30 minutes on the baking sheets. The cookies will firm up as they cool.

Tagged as: Recipes + Ideas, sweets