Elliott’s Sea Salt Chocolate Cookies

by Rach Pilston | Jun 8, 2023

INGREDIENTS

Makes 10 cookies

110 g butter (salted or unsalted), soft/at room temperature, cut into rough cubes
160 g soft light brown sugar
50 g caster sugar
1 egg
1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla paste
200 g plain flour
1⁄2 teaspoon baking powder
150 g good-quality dark chocolate, chopped
1⁄2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 teaspoon Pure Sea Salt
1⁄2 teaspoon Pure Sea Salt in a Finer Flake

Elliot’s in Edinburgh is on our ‘must-visit’ list. Simple, seasonal cooking from food writer Jessica Elliot Dennison. Here she has shared with us the recipe for her famous Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies, made with a scattering of Halen Môn.

From Jessica – Defining what makes the perfect cookie is, of course, a very personal thing. For me though, this is the one. It has a crisp edge, a squidgy centre and enough flaky sea salt to balance the sugar and chocolate.

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 180°C fan (400°F/gas 6) and line 2 large baking trays (baking pans) with baking paper.
Next, using an electric handheld whisk in a large bowl, beat the butter until it’s really soft. Add the sugars and beat for a further 2 minutes, then add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. (You can also use a wooden spoon and lots of elbow grease to do all the above.)
In a separate large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and fine salt. Using a fork or balloon whisk, thoroughly mix together all the ingredients to ensure the bicarbonate of soda is evenly distributed.
Tip the dry ingredients into the butter mixture along with the chocolate, then stir with a wooden spoon until combined. Using your hands, push together any bits that are sitting in the bottom of the bowl until you have a dough.
Roll the dough into 10 equal-sized balls and place them on the lined baking trays, leaving space between each one to allow for spreading.
Bake in the preheated oven for 14 minutes. After this time, the cookies may look slightly under-baked, but they will crisp up at the edges as they cool.
Remove from the oven and sprinkle the cookies with the sea salt flakes and allow to cool.
These cookies keep well in an airtight container for up to 4 days. You can also make and freeze the dough ahead, then bake the dough balls in smaller batches – just add an extra 4 minutes to the baking time when baking from frozen.