Watch Pastry Chef Alicia Luther Bake Salted Chocolate Chunk Cookies

If you’ve ever wondered who the genius is behind the delightful baked goods at Black Eye Coffee Cap Hill, it’s time you knew: executive pastry chef Alicia Luther. Her cakes, muffins, quickbreads, cookies, and more are across-the-board delicious, so when she agreed to go on Facebook Live with us and share the secrets to her crazy-good salted chocolate chunk cookies, we knew we were all in for a treat.

The recipe is below, scaled for home bakers to yield about four dozen cookies. We don’t want to give away all of the wonderful things you’re going to learn from Alicia—watch the video!—but we will tell you that one of her tricks is freezing balls of the cookie dough for a few days before baking so the flavors can bloom. We tried it and sure enough, the frozen dough bakes up beautifully with incomparable flavor and a crisp-chewy texture. (Plus, freezing the raw dough means you can keep it on hand for fresh, warm cookies in minutes… or for eating straight from the freezer, as we admit to doing from time to time.)

Black Eye Cap Hill’s Salted Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Yields about 4 dozen cookies

These cookies are gluten-free, but the recipe includes almond flour so those with nut allergies, take heed. For the very best flavor, freeze balls of the dough before baking; baking the cookies from their frozen state keeps them chewy in the center as they crisp around the edges. The flaky salt on the top takes the flavor quotient to a whole new level of deliciousness.

227 grams (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
51 grams (1/4 cup) granulated sugar
57 grams (1/4 cup) turbinado sugar
278 grams (1¾ cup packed) light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
415 grams (2 ½ cups) gluten-free all-purpose flour
50 grams (1/2 cup) almond flour
7 grams (1 ½ teaspoons) baking soda
3 grams (3/4 teaspoon) baking powder
3 grams (1/2 teaspoon) kosher salt
460 grams (1 pound) bittersweet chocolate chunks (62% cacao or higher)
Flaky sea salt, such as Maldon

Using a mixer fitted with a paddle, beat together the butter and three sugars, starting on low speed and gradually working your way up to high speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 3 minutes once you reach high speed. Scrape the bowl and beater. Add one of the eggs and mix on low until blended before adding the second egg. Add the vanilla and mix to combine. Scrape the bowl and beater.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add this to the butter mixture in batches, mixing on low speed until blended; the dough will be stiff. Mix in the chocolate chunks on low speed until just combined.

Scoop rounded tablespoons of the dough, then roll each between your palms into a smooth ball. Freeze in a single layer on a baking sheet or plate until frozen, then transfer the dough balls to a large re-sealable plastic bag for storing. (You can freeze the dough balls for up to 1 month.)

When ready to bake, arrange oven racks in the upper and middle positions of the oven. Heat the oven to 375°F. Arrange the frozen dough balls about 2 inches apart on two parchment- or non-stick baking mat-lined baking sheets. Bake until the bottoms of the cookies are golden brown, about 12 minutes, rotating and swapping the sheets halfway through for even results.

Remove the sheets from the oven and immediately sprinkle flaky sea salt over each cookie, just a small pinch. Let sit for about 5 minutes, and then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.