Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Position oven rack in the middle and heat to 375°F (190°C), then line a light-colored aluminum half-sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside — do not grease the parchment.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 2¼ cups (270g) all-purpose flour, 1 tsp (6g) baking soda, and 1 tsp (6g) fine sea salt until evenly combined with no visible streaks, approximately 15 seconds.
- Push the flour mixture to one side of the bowl, then pour in 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter melted and cooled to barely warm, followed by ¾ cup (165g) packed brown sugar and ½ cup (100g) plain white granulated cane sugar, and stir from the bottom upward in wide circular strokes for 30 to 40 strokes until smooth and glossy with no visible sugar streaks.
- Add 2 large room-temperature eggs one at a time, stirring fully after each addition, then add 1 tbsp (13g) pure vanilla extract and stir for 20 more strokes until the mixture looks smooth and slightly lightened in color.
- Add the flour mixture all at once on top of the wet ingredients and fold from the bottom upward with slow deliberate strokes, counting 15 to 18 strokes maximum, stopping the moment no dry flour streaks remain — do not overmix.
- Add 1 cup (170g) semi-sweet chocolate chips and 4 oz (113g) roughly chopped dark chocolate chunks to the dough, reserving 2 tablespoons of the mixed chocolate, and fold in with 10 to 12 strokes until evenly distributed throughout.
- Using a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop, portion dough into 55g balls, weigh the first ball to calibrate, then portion the remaining 13 balls to match, placing them at least 2 inches (5cm) apart on the prepared pan and pressing 2 to 3 pieces of reserved chocolate onto the top of each ball.
- Bake on the middle rack at 375°F (190°C) for 10 to 12 minutes, checking at 10 minutes, and pull the pan the moment the edges look set and lightly golden and the centers still look slightly underdone and puffy.
- Immediately sprinkle flaked sea salt over the tops of the cookies while the chocolate is still molten, then leave the cookies on the hot pan for exactly 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack — do not move them before 5 minutes.
- Allow cookies to cool on the rack for at least 10 minutes before eating — the interior continues to set during this time.
Notes
- Butter: must be melted and cooled to barely warm — hot butter scrambles the eggs and produces broken, greasy dough.
- Flour: spoon into the measuring cup and level — or weigh at 270g. Scooping packs 20–30% more flour and produces dry cookies.
- Baking soda: test freshness before baking — drop ½ tsp into hot water with vinegar, it must bubble aggressively within 2 seconds.
- Brown sugar: must be packed and pliable — hardened brown sugar cannot be measured accurately.
- Chocolate: use both semi-sweet chips and roughly chopped dark chocolate chunks — chips alone will not produce the surface pools shown in the photos.
- Flaked sea salt: add immediately after the pan comes out of the oven while chocolate is molten — waiting until after the 5-minute rest means the salt will not adhere.
- Storage: hard-sided lidded container, parchment between layers, room temperature up to 4 days — best on day 2.
- Freeze unbaked: portion into 55g balls, freeze solid on a pan, transfer to a freezer bag, bake from frozen at 375°F (190°C) for 12–14 minutes.
- Make ahead: dough keeps covered in the fridge up to 48 hours — let sit 15 minutes at room temperature before scooping.
- Scaling: to double, use 1¾ tsp baking soda not 2 — leavening does not scale linearly. Bake in separate batches.
- Altitude: above 3,500 feet, reduce baking soda by ¼ tsp, increase flour by 2 tbsp, reduce each sugar by 1 tbsp, increase oven temp by 15°F — see FAQ for full details.
- Allergens: contains gluten, dairy, and eggs. Chocolate may contain soy — check your brand label.
- Tip: bake one test cookie before committing the full pan — it reveals exactly how your oven behaves with this dough.