These soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies by Christina Tosi are the fastest homemade cookie recipe I’ve ever made, and they come together in just one bowl, no mixer required. The hit of flaky sea salt really sends them over the top.
Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies
Because it’s Monday. That’s why.
Mondays call for a stiff cup of coffee in the morning and possibly a martini with three olives to cap off the night. But homemade chocolate chip cookies — they’re in order no matter what time of the day.
Last Friday was the official chocolate chip day of the year. But since my sugar rolodex was on hiatus, I missed it. Ironically, I had this chocolate chip cookie recipe ready to rock and roll for today.
I may be a day or two late, but this cookie is FAR from a dollar short. Make that a chocolate chip short. Hardly. Because this baby is PACKED with chips. In fact, the amount of dough pretty much comes secondary to the number of chips, making for an extra rich, soft, chewy chocolate chip cookie with crispy edges.
All I did was add a sprinkle of flaky salt and I have a new favorite.
The chocolate chip cookie can be a point of dissension. Everyone has their favorite: their grandmother’s recipe or that one they used to buy in the mall, and let’s not ignore the recipe cited as the best from the NY Times. But come on, NY Times, when I’m craving a cookie I can’t wait 36 hours to rest in the fridge. I need my fix before my conscience comes to its calorie counting senses.
While I have my family favorite Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie, I’m happy to preheat my oven to try one more. Some stack up, and some don’t. This one though, it’s a keeper.
It comes from Milk Bar Life: Recipes and Stories by Christina Tosi of Momofuku fame. While at the library and leafing through the cookbook, I was immediately drawn to Tosi’s headnote that states, “this cookie is great because you can make it by hand in one bowl, with a wooden spoon, just like the old gals used to do.”
One bowl? No mixer? It truly is as easy as that and the cookie dough is ready to bake in just about 10 minutes flat.
Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies Ingredients
The surprising ingredient in this recipe is powdered nonfat milk. If you don’t use powdered milk often (I know I don’t) Carnation offers it in a small packet that tucks easily into your pantry or drawer. Although, now that my family has been requesting these cookies more and more, I may as well invest in the big box.
I didn’t stray from Tosi’s recipe but did add a sprinkle of flaked salt to the tops of each cookie, highlighting the chocolate flavor even more. If that is even possible.
Besides those two unique additions, these Milk Bar cookies are made with classic ingredients you’d expect to find in any homemade chocolate chip cookie, such as:
- Unsalted butter
- Light brown sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Egg
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Kosher salt
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Chocolate chips
How to Make Chocolate Chip Cookies
The butter is melted first, then mixed by hand into the sugars. You’ll mix it for a good minute or two, and as Tosi suggests, flex your muscles when mixing to result in a glossy sheen after adding the egg and vanilla.
Once your arms have been sufficiently exercised, mix in the dry ingredients followed by the chocolate chips. Scoop the cookie dough into golf ball-sized balls and place on a parchment paper-lined baking tray.
Bake the salted chocolate chip cookies until the edges are golden brown but the middles are still soft.
Is There a Milk Powder Substitute I Can Use?
I’ve only made these salted chocolate chip cookies as written, so I can’t say for sure what a a good substitute for the milk powder would be. However, Food52 has a discussion forum about this very question, so give the answers a read and see what other bakers are saying.
Can I Freeze Chocolate Chip Cookies?
Yes, you can freeze the raw cookie dough (after you’ve shaped it into balls) as well as the baked cookies. You can bake the cookie dough from frozen, but you’ll likely need to add an extra minute or two to the total bake time. And frozen, baked cookies can be reheated in the oven or microwave whenever a cookie craving hits.
Tips for Making the Best Chocolate Chip Cookies
As I mentioned above, this chocolate chip cookie recipe is packed with chips that nearly overtake the batter. The result is a soft and chewy cookie with rich, chocolate flavor. I used semi-sweet chips, but dark chocolate chips or even chunks would be just as decadent. I use a #24 round squeeze handle scoop to divvy out my cookies to the sheet.
I did experiment with this recipe and used browned butter instead of the called for plain melted. But as the butter browned, it also lost moisture and when added to the mix, rendered a dryer batter and hence, a dryer cookie.
It was not the delicious result I’d had the first few times I’d made the recipe. I’ll continue the tweaking and see if I can come up with a solution to share another time. Until then, I’m content to stay just where we are with this one for now. Just figured I’d mention my little experiment if you were thinking of doing the same thing.
Finally, it’s important that you take the cookies out of the oven while the middles still look soft and slightly underbaked. As the cookies cool, the middles will fall a bit, but the residual heat inside the cookies will finish cooking them through. Just trust me on this one, slightly underbaking is the way to go!
More Homemade Cookie Recipes You’ll Love
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- The Best No-Bake Cookies in the World
- Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies
- Chewy Oatmeal Currant Cookies
- Cranberry White Chocolate Chip and Macadamia Nut Cookies
- Loaded Monster Cookies
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment below or take a photo and tag me on Instagram or Twitter with #foodiecrusheats.
Milk Bar's Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and just warm to the touch
- ¾ cup packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons nonfat milk powder
- 1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips*
- 1/4 cup flaked salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- With a wooden spoon, mix the sugars together in a large bowl and add the melted butter. Stir vigorously for about a minute or more. Mix the egg and vanilla in the measuring cup you used for the sugar and add to the mixture. Stir until the mix gathers a glossy sheen, about 1 more minute.
- Mix in the flour, milk powder, salt, baking powder, and baking soda until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips and mix until evenly distributed.
- Use a #24 squeeze handle scoop to portion the dough (or lightly form into balls about the size of a golf ball) and place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper about 2 to 3 inches apart.
- Bake for 9-11 minutes or until golden brown around the edges but still soft in the middle. The cookies will fall as they cool. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
More Easy Desserts You’ve Got to Make
- Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread
- Apple Blondies with Cinnamon Almond Streusel
- Classic Fat Witch Dark Chocolate Brownies
- Chocolate-Dipped Coconut Macarons
- Lighter Caramel Seven-Layer Bars
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