Jewelweed Seed Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies
There are few desserts better than a chocolate chip cookie done right. What “done right” means varies from person to person, of course, so feel free to adjust this recipe or process a bit to suit your own cookie goals. If you want a flatter, crispy-edges cookie, then press the dough more before baking and watch the timing carefully so they don’t lose their gooey and soft centers. If you want a softer cookie, cut down the timing a bit. More chocolate chips, less salt, and so on. My own cookie preferences land somewhere in the middle of soft and crispy, and include plenty of flaky sea salt on top, but the world is your cookie oyster when it comes to recipe and process, since the goal here is simply to include some jewelweed seeds on top of each cookie before baking. If you haven’t harvested many seeds on your outing (but want to include them anyway for the fun of it), feel free to toss in a handful of actual chopped walnuts in your dough to get a stronger nutty flavor.
Ingredients
- 2 sticks (16 tablespoons) salted butter, softened
- 1¾ cup granulated white sugar
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 2 eggs
- 3 cups white flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon table salt
- 2½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- A few tablespoons of jewelweed seeds
- A few teaspoons of flaky sea salt like Maldon
- Optional: 1 cup chopped walnuts
Notes
Makes about 36 cookies.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Cream together the softened butter, sugar, and maple syrup until smooth. Add the eggs and beat with a fork until fully incorporated.
In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and table salt. Mix the dry ingredients into the butter mixture, then add the chocolate chips and, if using, the chopped walnuts.
Roll the dough into golf-ball-sized balls. Space apart at least one and a half inches on the baking sheets, pressing each one slightly flat. Sprinkle some jewelweed seeds and sea salt flakes on the tops and press down on them lightly so they stick.
Bake for 7-10 minutes, until the edges are turning a bit golden brown and the centers are still light in color. Carefully check the cookies toward the end of baking time so you don’t miss that short window when the cookies will go from soft in the centers to very crispy throughout.
Allow to cool slightly before eating.
Raw dough can be frozen before baking and pulled out of the freezer whenever it strikes your fancy. If using frozen dough, allow it to warm to room temperature before rolling and baking.
