Salted Double Chocolate Cookies

One of my favorite candies is the Sea Salt Caramels from Fran’s Chocolates. Fran’s Chocolates is a local company, which always gets rave reviews. Sometimes when we go into the shop Fran is actually there, which I think is pretty cool! It’s amazing how well salt works with chocolate; it really brings out the flavor.

I saw these on Annie’s Eats (one of my favorite blogs!) and it reminded me of Fran’s caramels. I put this into my “Baking to Try” folder on my computer and this was the week to give it a try. I had bought some fancy salt at Whole Foods (Cyprus Flake Salt) and this was a great opportunity to use it. The original recipe had you sprinkle the salt on after baking, but I sprinkled it on before I put the cookies in the oven. I was worried that the salt would fall off and you wouldn’t get that great salt/chocolate combination.

These cookies are super chocolaty! 8 ounces of chocolate in the dough plus 12 ounces of chocolate chips. It kind of reminds me of a dense chocolate cake. There’s only 2/3 cup flour for about 3 dozen cookies, which makes a dense, gooey cookie. I made them smaller than Annie did for her blog, so I baked them for a slightly shorter time. These are so good and I loved the salt on top. I’m glad I didn’t make them too big since they are very rich. If you are looking for chocolate, these are the cookies for you.

8 oz. semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
4 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon fleur de sel (sea salt), plus more for sprinkling
2 large eggs
¾ cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats.

In a microwave safe bowl, combine the 8 ounces chopped chocolate and butter. Microwave in 30 second increments, stirring after each interval, until the chocolate is melted. In a separate small bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt.

In a large mixer bowl, combine the eggs, brown sugar and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until the sugar has completely dissolved, about 4-5 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and add the melted chocolate mixture, blending until incorporated. Add in the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips with a spatula. Scoop teaspoonfuls of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Sprinkle with additional salt.

Bake until the cookies are just slightly soft in the center and crackly on top, about 9-10 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe from Annie’s Eats, who adapted the recipe from other sources