A Perilously Good, Save Your Day Kind of Cookie

 

These cookies should come with a warning.  

They're that good.

Dangerously binge-worthy.

Monica gave me the heads up on this recipe, which comes from Ashley Rodriguez's stunningly photographed foodie blog, Not Without Salt.  She calls it The Ultimate, The Last, and also The Chocolate Chip Cookie.  Translation:  The Most Delicious, The Seek-No-Further, The Only...Chocolate Chip Cookie.

Here's what you need to know:  

Salt.  Not only is there the usual small amount of salt in the cookie...there is flake salt dusted over the top of the cookie.  Salt and chocolate.  That, fine friends, is a perfect combination.  Do use something good, fleur de sel, himalayan pink, or vanilla infused sea salt.  You can even make your own.

Good quality bittersweet chocolate.  Chunks, not chips.  (Although, confession, I've made them with half chunks, and half Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips.  Which are not only damn good, but also very reasonably priced, so I don't feel too bad about not following that part of the recipe.)

An abundance of brown sugar, and a bit of Turbinado sugar, give these cookies a serious edge over the old stand-by recipe.  (Okay, okay...another confession. I've not had Turbinado on hand when we had a serious need for a chocolate chip cookie, so I - horror! - just substituted a little more brown sugar.)

I realize I'm sounding like a bit of a hypocrite after the recent post vowing to follow recipes, word for word, what with all the baking substitutions, but hear me out.  When, on a rainy weekend, we are all trapped indoors...while the mister is framing some very high, very triangular, windows...the compressor is belting out its deafening roar every 4 minutes...the nail gun hose keeps getting a kink in it every time it's dragged way up the ladder...and the normally calm mister (quietly) looks like he's about to lose his cool...it is a chocolate emergency.  Not enough bittersweet chocolate chunks in the house?  No Turbinado sugar?  Who cares!  This man needs a cookie!  Stat!

I've had these cookies made both ways.  The responsible, follow the recipe word-for-bloody-word way...and the hell, I've-got-to-cram-some-chocolate-in-this-guy-NOW way.  And yes, the recipe way is superior.  Undoubtedly.  But even with the substitutions, these were still the best chocolate chip cookies I can remember eating.  Ever.

So, go visit Not Without Salt.  Make the recipe for the Chocolate Chip Cookies to end all chocolate chip cookies.  

And, by the way, here's how to make your own vanilla sea salt.

Vanilla Sea Salt

1/4 cup flake sea salt

1 vanilla bean

Slice open the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape the seeds from the pod.  Mix the seeds into the salt.  Voila! Vanilla Sea Salt.  

Definitely, definitely pair this with chocolate.  It is unbearably delicious.

Here's hoping you don't have a chocolate emergency kind of day...but if you do...now you're prepared.