I made these cookies for my son's class at school as part of France's annual week of taste, or semaine du gout. The idea was to show how sweet and salty flavors complement each other.

　　

Ingredients

Makes about 50 cookies

　　3 cups all-purpose flour

　　1/2 teaspoon baking soda

　　About 2 1/2 teaspoons sea salt, divided

　　10 ounces unsalted butter, at room temperature

　　1 cup vanilla sugar

　　2 large eggs

　　1 teaspoon vanilla extract

　　12 ounces bitter chocolate chips, or bitter chocolate cut in very small pieces

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 375°. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

　　

Step 2

Sift together onto a piece of waxed paper the flour, the soda, and one half teaspoon of the salt.

　　

Step 3

In a large bowl, whisk together the butter and the sugar until it is light and pale yellow. Whisk in the eggs one at a time until thoroughly blended. Whisk in the vanilla, then stir in the flour just until it is blended.

　　

Step 4

Stir in the chocolate chips or pieces and mix until they are evenly distributed throughout the dough.

　　

Step 5

Drop the dough by tablespoons full onto the prepared baking sheets. Sprinkle each with a generous pinch of sea salt. Bake in the center of the oven until the cookies are golden, about 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit on the baking sheets for about 4 minutes to allow the cookies, which are fragile, to firm up, then slide them onto a cooling rack.

　　Letter from France