Salted Popcorn Chocolate Chip Cookies

Heyyy there.

Remember me?

I know. It’s been a long time. Over a month.

I’m sorry for the blog neglect. I have felt so guilty!

But I’ve been super busy with culinary classes and this crazy workout program. Baking at home has sadly come to a near halt.

This weekend, I was like. Alright dude (yes, when I talk to myself- or anyone for that matter- I usually address them with a ‘dude’). This has gone on long enough.

The blog needed some attention. So here I am. With these cookies.

I absolutely love popcorn. It’s by far one of my favorite snacks. I would eat it every day if I could.

So I was brainstorming what to bake this weekend, and I was like…hey, a salty sweet snack is always fun. And I had never tried mixing popcorn into a treat before. So… boom.

Salted popcorn cookies. The extra kick from the coarse sea salt flakes on top is what maaakes these guys. You can’t skip that part. Next time I’d definitely go with some dark chocolate cut into chunks instead of generic choco chips (but it’s what I had).

Ingredients: (Yield: 2 dozen cookies)

4 ounces (1 stick or 1/2 cup) unsalted butter, room temp
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 1/4 cups ap flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2-3/4 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 cups popped popcorn
Flaky sea salt for topping (Maldon Sea Salt Flakes are the beeest)

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Pop your popcorn in whatever way you choose. I have a Nordic Ware Popcorn Popper that goes in the microwave that is fantastic. Spray with misto or toss with butter and sea salt to your taste.

In the bowl of your stand mixer, cream the butter and sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy. Scrape down your bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until incorporated. Add the baking soda, salt and flour and mix until just combined. Add in the chocolate chips, and about 2 cups of your popped popcorn. Mix until incorporated.

Using a cookie scoop, portion out on to your baking sheets and bake for 10-12 minutes (until the edges are golden, but not too dark). Right when they come out of the oven sprinkle with flaky sea salt.

There ya’ll go! These were definitely an experiment, and I’m super happy with how they turned out. I was going for that perfect balance of sweet and salty.

Sometimes you want a sweet snack. Sometimes you want something salty. These cookies are the best of both worlds! 😀

Just a couple more weeks ’til I’m done with my culinary classes and then I set out into the industry to absorb all the experience I can. I’m getting so excited to be out there baking for real. I can’t believe how fast this year went by. Eeeeeep.