Simple Ways to Elevate Chocolate Chip Cookies

The chocolate chip cookie. Possibly the most perfect dessert out there. It’s portable, rich, gooey, and chocolatey, plus the dough is even a mouthwatering experience when you sneak a finger full! We know it begs the question, does the humble chocolate chip cookie really need to be elevated? Obviously, the answer is yes, or we wouldn’t have a blog post to write. In honor of National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day (August 4th), we’re sharing six simple things you can do to make your chocolate chip cookie stand out from the pack:

1. Brown Butter. Instead of creaming the butter as the recipe calls for, brown the butter in a saucepan on your stove until it turns golden brown. Let it cool until solid again and blend in with the sugar. Browning the butter adds a nuttier flavor.
2. Coffee Grounds or Espresso Powder. Coffee and espresso powder bring out the richness of chocolate. Just add a teaspoon or two to the dry ingredients and instantly boost the chocolate power of your cookies.
3. Chunks Not Chips. Bypass the ease of chocolate chips in the bag. Instead, buy a bar of higher-quality chocolate and chop it up by hand. Chopping by hand gives you uneven chocolate pieces, which give you different amounts of chocolate each time you bite into the cookie. Keep your taste buds guessing!
4. Cereal. This is a little unconventional, but a handful of your favorite crunchy cereal added to the dough changes the texture and flavor.
5. Two Words: Sea Salt. Adding sea salt to anything chocolate immediately makes it taste better. When you pull the cookies out of the oven, lightly sprinkle some sea salt over the tops.
6. Chunky Dunk. Instead of chopping up that chocolate bar for chips, melt it. When the cookies have cooled enough to handle, dip half of them into the melted chocolate. You can even sprinkle the sea salt on top of the melted chocolate or add colorful sprinkles.

Before you go, check out these chocolate chip cookie recipes (click on the title to view the recipe on our blog):

Double Chocolate Edible Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

Nutella Stuffed Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies