Smoked Salt Dark Chocolate Rye Cookies

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Smoked Salt Chocolate Rye Cookies | recipe via DisplacedHousewife

Smoked Salt Double Chocolate Rye Cookies

I first started working on this recipe in the middle of Christmas season when everyone was all eggnog, sugar cookies and tinsel. It didn’t seem remotely relevant. She’s been tested and tasted and retested at least half a dozen times since. All perched and ready to go. Just sitting in a Word doc on my desktop. She’s been waving her hands in the air, showing some leg and to no avail, she was ignored. Holiday parties led way to a broken oven and a general malaise that I was unable to shake. Cookies? Meh. Writing? Meh. Broken oven? Who cares. I’m not going to say I’ve completely snapped out of it…but I think the mist is starting to thin a bit.

There’s a lot of exciting things happening with these chocolate rye cookies. It is, in some form or another, all over the Internet. I was inspired by the one in Tartine No. 3. However, I grabbed the chocolate-rye idea and ran with it. I had my way with the recipe to where now it doesn’t resemble the original. I used half dark rye flour and half bread flour. The first for the way it brings out the flavor of the chocolate and the latter for the chewiness that I love so much in a cookie. I wanted to use smoked sea salt because I thought it would add even more depth and personality here. In regards to chocolate, I went dark. Real dark. This cookie is a total broad. Confident, lots of personality and a good time. I’m thinking if she could take on human form we’d drink martinis together.

Quick Notes:

  • A note on chocolate…how dark shall we go? For me, the darker the better. I love really delicious dark chocolate. However, I feel like most of us at any point in time are more likely to have semi-sweet chocolate in our cupboards. And cookies are usually a last-minute, running-into-the-kitchen-frantic craving. I’ve tested the recipe with both semi-sweet and dark and it came out great either way…pick your favorite or whatever you have handy. In regards to the unsweetened cocoa powder, again, I went dark. I am currently obsessed with Hershey’s Special Dark, but I’ve also made these with regular unsweetened cocoa. Use whatever you have on hand or whatever strikes your palate’s fancy.
  • To smoke or not to smoke…that is the question. I use three different types of salt in this recipe. Which is highly annoying. I’m sorry. You don’t have to (truth, I want you to…but again, I recognize that when craving’s hit, you might not have all three salts on hand). I wanted to use some smoked salt as I mentioned above, but you could just as easily use 1 1/2 teaspoons of regular sea salt in the cookie. I love the addition of sea salt flakes to finish a cookie but equally understand if you don’t. Let your conscience be your guide on this one.
  • A quick note on my cookies. If you’re new here, let me tell you a couple of things about my cookies… First, I like them soft, chewy and with some girth. I always use bread flour in my cookie recipes. Unless noted that I’ve tested the recipe with other flours, I would stick with the flours listed in the ingredients. Second, I usually recommend that the dough spend some time in the refrigerator. This will give it a little time to rest, it will help the dry ingredients absorb the liquids and it will make your dough easier to handle. Additionally, I have you put the cookies in the freezer prior to baking…just for 10 minutes. This helps your cookies maintain their structure and keeps them from spreading. For best cookie results, I would stick to these tenets. Peace.

OK, I think we got this. Let’s bake chocolate rye cookies, betches.

Smoked Salt Chocolate Rye Cookies | recipe via DisplacedHousewife

Smoked Salt Chocolate Rye Cookies | recipe via DisplacedHousewife

Smoked Salt Chocolate Rye Cookies | recipe via DisplacedHousewife

Smoked Salt Double Chocolate Rye Cookies

Makes About 2 1/2 Dozen Cookies

INGREDIENTS

  • 8-ounces dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
  • ΒΌ cup sunflower seed oil (or other light-flavored oil)
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs, room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons dark rye flour
  • 3/4 cup bread flour
  • ΒΌ cup cocoa powder (I used the Hershey’s Special Dark)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 Β½ teaspoon sea salt (I did it with 1 teaspoon smoked sea salt + Β½ teaspoon sea salt)
  • 2 cups chopped dark or semi-sweet chocolate
  • About 1 heaping tablespoon sea salt flakes, to sprinkle on top of the finished cookie

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Put the 8 ounces of dark chocolate and ΒΌ cup of sunflower oil in a medium microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir until the chocolate is smooth and doesn’t have any lumps. Do not overheat the chocolate. Better to pull it out with some lumps and stir until those are gone. Set aside to cool a beat. *You could also use a double boiler if no microwave is avail.
  2. Put the brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter and the slightly cooled melted chocolate-oil mixture in an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium until it’s completely blended. *You could also mix them in a bowl with a spatula…just a little extra arm work.
  3. Add the eggs plus vanilla and mix on low until well blended. Make sure to scrape the sides and the bottom of the bowl so that everything is completely mixed together.
  4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the rye flour, bread flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
  5. Pour the flour mixture into the bowl with the chocolate, eggs and butter, etc. Using a spatula, blend until just combined.
  6. Add the chopped chocolate and mix until it is evenly distributed in the cookie dough.
  7. Pull out a large piece of plastic wrap and dump the dough into the middle. Wrap tightly, so that it is completely sealed, and place in the fridge for at least 60 minutes or up to overnight. Don’t skip this step as the dough will be difficult to handle if you do…it’s on the sticky side.
  8. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Make sure there is a rack in the top third of the oven.
  9. Cover a baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper.
  10. Grab about 2 tablespoons of cookie dough, roll it between your palms to get it in a nice sphere. Don’t be too aggressive…just a nice, gentle nudging in the right direction. Leave about 2 inches between each cookie. Your hands will get a little messy, fyi. So just punch on through and wash your hands after. If the dough starts to get too sticky, just wrap it back up and throw it in the fridge for a quick stint.
  11. Put the baking sheet with the dough balls in the freezer for 10 minutes and then pop them directly into the oven, on the top rack, for 11 minutes. I really prefer baking one sheet of cookies at a time in the oven. If you do use two sheets in the oven at a time, I would rotate midway, top to bottom and front to bake for even baking.
  12. As soon as they’re out of the oven, sprinkle with the sea salt flakes if you’re using them. When they first come out of the oven they will be slightly puffed. Giving them time to rest on the cookie sheet (as suggested below) will allow the rye cookies to relax and get that wise, crinkled look that I love so much.
  13. Let the rye cookies cool on the baking sheet for at least 10 minutes before removing.

{ on my mind }

Smoked Salt Chocolate Rye Cookies | recipe via DisplacedHousewife

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Comments

Leave a Reply to Haley

I love your comments, reviews and questions! If you love this recipe, please rate it when you leave a comment. Star ratings 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 help people discover my recipes. Your support means a lot, I look forward to chatting with you!

Rebecca xox

14 Comments

  • Amanda June 17, 2017 at 11:18 PM

    could i make this recipie with all rye flour?

    Reply
    • Rebecca Firth June 18, 2017 at 5:24 PM

      Hi Amanda! I haven’t made it with all rye. I tend to mix flours so that there is a good mix of heavier flours + lighter flours so the cookie isn’t too dense. If you do make them like that I hope you’ll come back and let us know how they turned out! xoxo

      Reply
  • Haley October 25, 2016 at 2:38 PM

    I can’t wait to try this recipe! I have a giant bag of organic ride flower that I have been wondering what to do with . This will be perfectly decadent ! Thank you for sharing your passion.

    Reply
    • DisplacedHousewife October 25, 2016 at 9:05 PM

      Hi Haley — These are so good, I hope you enjoy them! They will definitely put your rye flour to good use!! xoxo

      Reply
  • Julie February 4, 2016 at 3:09 PM

    Hi there! I made these last night, and while they are DELICIOUS, mine did not turn out like yours. The spheres of dough never flattened out in the oven, or on the counter after they cooled. Wondering what could have gone wrong? I’ve made your giant chocolate chip cookies before and oh man, those things are serious perfection!

    Reply
    • DisplacedHousewife February 4, 2016 at 4:41 PM

      Hi Julie!
      Hmmm, I’m trying to figure this out. Were any ingredients swapped? Were they in the freezer longer than 10 minutes? Were my balls bigger than your balls?! ;)

      It’s interesting that you note that they were puffy (which I love in a cookie), because whenever I have made this recipe they come out less puffy than my other cookies. I almost noted it in the recipe notes. I will make them again, at some point over the next week, and see what shakes down. Thanks for the note! Sorry that they didn’t turn out like the photos…but happy you liked them!!

      PS Do you follow me on Instagram? I will probably post photos of them on there when I remake them. Have a great day!! And thanks for the love on your site!! xoxo

      Reply
  • MB@Bourbon and Brown Sugar January 22, 2016 at 11:41 AM

    We’re bracing for a “snowpocalypse” here in DC (20-30 inches… could be stuck inside for days. I’m planning a serious cook-a-thon) I think I have time to make one last run to the grocery store to grab the ingredients for these cookies – YUM.

    Reply
  • Zoe January 21, 2016 at 5:42 AM

    Omg!! These look amaz-ballsss!! I wish I could reach through the screen and grab one of those!!

    Reply
  • Josh January 21, 2016 at 12:07 AM

    These look super good!

    Reply