Vanilla Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies
These Vanilla Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies have a nostalgic flavor and remind me of Chips A Hoy but made with much better ingredients! These sweet and salty eggless cookies strike the perfect balance of both, while having a crispy edge and slightly soft center. Made with my Homemade Vanilla Sea Salt, you'll be obsessed with these eggless cookies!
If you’re looking for more chocolate chip cookies, try some of my other favorites like Espresso Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies, Vegan Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies, Coffee Creamer Cookies, or Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies with Homemade Caramel.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- Recipe Name: Vanilla Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Ready In: 25 minutes
- Makes: 12 cookies
- Main Ingredients: salted butter, light brown sugar, all purpose flour, chocolate chips
- Flavor Profile: rich and creamy vanilla, chocolate in every bite, with a slight salty element
- Dietary Info: eggless, no seed oils
- Difficulty: Easy!
- Why You’ll Love It: perfect blend of sweet, salty, and nostalgic flavor thanks my signature vanilla sea salt
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Nostalgic: While the flavor of these organic cookies reminds me Chips A Hoy, it’s just enough nostalgia as I don’t care for the crumbly, crispy cookies that those are. These are soft and chewy with a nostalgic flavor.
- Organic Cookies: These sweet and salty cookies are made using organic ingredients for chocolate chip cookies you can feel good about indulging in!
- Eggless Cookies: I’m obsessed with eggless cookies, ever since I wrote my book, Effortless Eggless Baking. These eggless cookies use brown sugar and baking soda for lift and chew and milk for added fat and moisture, no egg replacer needed! Check out my Easy Egg Replacers for Baking for more eggless bakign inspo!
- Vanilla Sea Salt: I top these with my signature vanilla sea salt. Learn How to Make Vanilla Sea Salt to elevate your cookies, biscotti, brownies and more! This 2 ingredient recipe is a perfect dessert topping.
- Flexible: Easily make these vegan by swapping butter and milk for vegan options.
These Vanilla Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies are incredibly nostalgic. I love creating homemade desserts that remind me of things I ate as a kid (but with better ingredients!).
If you're looking for more nostalgic treats made better, try some of my other favorite recipes like Homemade Marshmallows Without Eggs, Homemade Crunch Bars, Organic Rocky Road Ice Cream, or Chocolate Protein Pudding With Bone Broth.
Ingredients
- Butter: I use organic salted butter, but you can also use vegan butter (and dairy free milk) if you want to make these vegan.
- Brown Sugar: I use homemade light brown sugar, which gives these organic cookies so much flavor with just one ingredient. It also gives them a great texture.
- Milk: I’ve made these organic cookies with both regular cow’s milk and also with coconut milk, they are delicious with both!
- All Purpose Flour: I use Cairnspring Mills, which is my favorite fresh milled flour.
- Baking Soda: Use baking soda, not powder as this is a quick rise bake and there’s brown sugar which activates the baking soda. For more info on leavening agents, be sure to check out my post the Difference Between Baking Soda and Baking Powder.
- Salt: Use a fine sea salt for inside the cookie dough.
- Vanilla Sea Salt: This is the secret ingredient in these sweet and salty cookies! You can make my Homemade Vanilla Sea Salt with just two ingredients. Be sure to make it before starting the cookies.
*For a full list of ingredients and measurements, visit the recipe card below.
Baker’s Tips for Vanilla Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Vanilla Sea Salt: Make the Homemade Vanilla Sea Salt before starting the cookies. This way it’s ready as you have to add it onto the cookies when they are hot out of the oven, so it sticks.
- Soft Butter: Be sure your butter is soft before beginning. I like to let it soften naturally on the counter, but you can also microwave for 10 second intervals if needed.
- Vegan: Make these vegan by using your favorite vegan butter and milk. I recommend Miyoko's butter and coconut milk.
- Storage: Be sure to store these organic cookies in an airtight container so they stay fresh.
- Freezing: You can freeze the cookie dough or the baked cookies, both is fine. If freezing the dough, portion and roll dough. Place in a freezer zip bag and store for up to 1 month. Allow cookies to come to room temperature before baking. If freezing cookies, just place in an airtight container in the freezer, thaw and enjoy!
How to Make Vanilla Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Add the butter, brown sugar, and vanilla extract.
- Mix on low until combined and there are no butter chunks.
- Add the milk.
- Then add the all purpose flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Mix until combined into a cookie dough.
- Add in the mini chocolate chips and mix to combine completely.
- Using your hands (or a cookie scoop) form the dough into 12 balls. Flatten them slightly so they’re about 2-inches in diameter. Place on the prepared baking sheets and spread out evenly, you’ll have 6 cookies per sheet. (Add extra chocolate chips on top if you want!).
- Bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. Sprinkle with vanilla sea salt immediately after coming out of the oven. Allow the cookies to cool completely on the baking sheets.
Recipe FAQ’s
Vanilla sea salt is classic sea salt mixed together with ground vanilla bean. This creates a lightly sweetened salty topping that is a little lighter and not as salty as just using plain salt. It adds a lightly salty but also sweet flavor to baked goods!
Yes, but they will just be salted chocolate chip cookies. The magic is in the Homemade Vanilla Sea Salt as it adds so much depth of flavor!
I add the vanilla sea salt on top of the cookies immediately after coming out of the oven. You need to do this when the cookies are hot so the sea salt will stick.
This vanilla sea salt adds a depth of flavor that is even better than plain sea salt. It adds a lightly sweet and lightly salty flavor with a complex vanilla flavor that is unreal!
Brown sugar and baking soda provide lift and chew; and whole milk adds moisture and fat. These eggless cookies are soft, chewy and thick without eggs!
Yes, just use plant-based butter and coconut milk. Everything else including the bake time stays the same.
More Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes
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Vanilla Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies
Equipment
- Digital Food Scale
- Stand Mixer
- Half Sheet Pan
Ingredients
- 113 grams salted butter (softened)
- 170 grams light brown sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ cup milk
- 255 grams all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 198 grams mini dark chocolate chips
- Vanilla sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Add the butter, brown sugar, and vanilla extract and mix on low until combined and there are no butter chunks.
- Add the milk, all purpose flour, baking soda, and salt and mix until combined into a cookie dough.
- Add in the mini chocolate chips and mix to combine completely.
- Using your hands (or a cookie scoop) form the dough into 12 balls. Flatten them slightly so they’re about 2-inches in diameter. Place on the prepared baking sheets and spread out evenly, you’ll have 6 cookies per sheet.
- Bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. Sprinkle with vanilla sea salt immediately after coming out of the oven. Allow the cookies to cool completely on the baking sheets.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 7 days.
Video
Notes
- Vanilla Sea Salt: Make the Homemade Vanilla Sea Salt before starting the cookies. This way it’s ready as you have to add it onto the cookies when they are hot out of the oven, so it sticks.
- Soft Butter: Be sure your butter is soft before beginning. I like to let it soften naturally on the counter, but you can also microwave for 10 second intervals if needed.
- Vegan: Make these vegan by using your favorite vegan butter and milk. I recommend Miyoko's butter and coconut milk.
- Storage: Be sure to store these organic cookies in an airtight container so they stay fresh.
- Freezing: You can freeze the cookie dough or the baked cookies, both is fine. If freezing the dough, portion and roll dough. Place in a freezer zip bag and store for up to 1 month. Allow cookies to come to room temperature before baking. If freezing cookies, just place in an airtight container in the freezer, thaw and enjoy!
- High Altitude — Bake at 375°F for 13 to 15 minutes or until golden brown around the edges.
Nutrition
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The vanilla sea salt really adds extra flavor to these cookies, so good!