Recipe Chocolate and Salt Cookies: Quick and Decadent Shortbread with Fleur de Sel
Chocolate and Salt Cookies (Chocolate Sablée)
Chocolate and Salt Cookies: the unexpected guilty pleasure
Let’s admit it: the problem when we look for something to nibble in the evening, maybe in front of our favorite series, is that we often end up with sweets so cloying they make us lose appetite after the second bite.
We look for that little “something” that satisfies without tiring us, something indulgent but with character. Well, I found the definitive solution and, believe me, it was a real revelation: chocolate and salt cookies.
If you’re thinking salt in desserts is a mistake, get ready to change your mind: it’s the secret ingredient that enhances the chocolate and makes it unforgettable.
The inspiration came from the team at “Fuga di Sapori”, a wonderful social project operating in Cuneo prison.
I tasted their shortbreads and was struck by the combination of bitter dark chocolate and the sudden savory note.
These are sablée inspired by the famous Ernst Knam recipe: cookies that don’t melt in your mouth but that “crunch”, offering pockets of chocolate and crystals of salt.
They are disarmingly easy to make, you don’t even need a stand mixer if you don’t have one, and the rest in the fridge is the real trick to get perfect rounds that hold their shape. Try them and they will become your new favorite evening vice (or an original gift that will make you look great!).
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Budget-friendly
- Rest time: 1 Hour
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Cooking time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 8
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
INGREDIENTS CHOCOLATE AND SALT COOKIES
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (type 00)
- 3 tbsp + 1/2 tsp granulated sugar
- 7 tbsp butter (about 3.5 oz (just under 1 US stick))
- 6 tbsp (packed) brown sugar (+ a little more to roll the cookies)
- 1 egg (whole)
- 3 oz 70% dark chocolate
- 2 tbsp + 2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3/4 tsp baking soda (or about 3/4 tsp baking powder (see note))
- 3/4 tsp salt (fleur de sel or fine salt)
Tools
- Stand Mixer
- Plastic Wrap
- Parchment Paper
- Baking Pan
CHOCOLATE AND SALT COOKIES RECIPE
In a bowl (or in the stand mixer with the paddle), work the sifted flour with the softened butter until you obtain a crumbly mixture. Add the cocoa, both sugars, the salt, the egg and the leavening agent (baking soda or baking powder). Briefly knead and, only at the end, fold in the chopped chocolate.
Thermomix Version: Butter and flour: 40 sec. speed 3. Add cocoa, sugars, egg, baking powder and salt: 40 sec. speed 4. Finally add chocolate: 10 sec. speed 3 reverse.Transfer the mixture to the work surface and divide it into three portions. Shape each portion into a long, narrow cylinder (about 3 cm diameter ~ about 1 3/16 in). Roll each little cylinder in a plate with brown sugar until evenly coated. Wrap them in plastic wrap and let rest in the fridge for at least 1 hour: this step is essential to cut the cookies without flattening them.
Preheat a conventional oven to 338°F (170°C). With a sharp knife, cut the cylinders into discs about half a centimetre thick (about 3/16 in). Arrange them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, spaced well apart. A little secret: return them to the fridge for another 15 minutes before baking. Bake for about 10 minutes. Do not touch them right out of the oven: they are very fragile! Let them cool completely on the tray.
STORAGE
They stay crisp for about a week if kept closed in a tin box or an airtight container. You can also freeze them raw (already cut into discs) and bake them straight from frozen, increasing the baking time by a couple of minutes.
Notes on ingredients and substitutions
Chocolate: I use 70% dark chocolate for an intense flavor, but if you prefer a milder, sweeter note you can use ready-made chocolate chips.
Salt: Fleur de sel is ideal because it doesn’t fully dissolve, giving sudden savory peaks. Alternatively, regular fine table salt is fine, but use a slightly smaller pinch.
Butter: It’s important that it is soft but not melted. If you use semi-salted butter, eliminate the salt from the dough ingredients.
CHOCOLATE AND SALT COOKIES – THERMOMIX PROCEDURE
Put the butter and flour in the bowl: 40 sec. speed 3.
Scrape down and add cocoa, both sugars, egg, baking powder, salt: 40 sec. speed 4.
Add coarsely chopped chocolate with the knife: 10 sec. speed 3 reverse.
Remove the dough, divide it into three. With each portion form a cylinder about 3 cm diameter.
Roll each cylinder in brown sugar, wrap separately in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
For forming the cookies and baking times follow the directions in the main recipe.
Recipe variations
Want an extra touch? Add grated orange zest to the dough for a citrus perfume that pairs divinely with chocolate. Or replace 20 g of flour with hazelnut flour.
Tips
Do not overbake! When you take them out they should still look slightly soft in the center; they will firm up as they cool. If you bake them too long, they will become bitter because of the cocoa.
FAQ (Questions & Answers)
Can I use powdered sugar?
No, granulated and brown sugars are needed to give the characteristic “sablée” granular texture.
Why did my cookies spread too much?
Probably the butter was too warm or they did not rest long enough in the fridge before going into the oven.
Is the baking soda necessary?
It helps make them more crumbly and reacts with the acidity of the cocoa, but classic baking powder is a valid substitute if you prefer a slightly denser cookie.
