What is Fleur de Sel? 

Fleur de Sel, translating literally to “Flower of salt” is the crust of salt that forms on the surface of sea water as it evaporates. Fleur de Sel is grown in salt marshes and is then collected traditionally using wooden racks by workers called paludiers. It is a rather labor intensive process which explains why fleur de sel is more expensive than table salt. Fleur de Sel is very often used in Brittany cooking and baking as it’s grown/created on its coast, notably in Guérande, Noirmoutier and the Ile de Ré. 

I always bring back some Fleur de Sel from France in my luggage. But you can also easily find Fleur de Sel online (I recommend the Paludier or Le Saunier de Camargue) and in some specialty grocery stores. 

How to use Fleur de Sel? 

With Fleur de Sel, a little goes a long way. Use it as a tiny garnish, sprinkled over food, rather than the classic salt you would add to your dish in the process of cooking. In texture, Fleur de Sel comes in large salt crystals. In taste, it has a higher moisture content than table salt, which makes the crystals often stick together and hence deliver a higher, more intense salt flavor on your tongue. This cookie recipe shows you exactly how table salt and Fleur de Sel can be used in different ways: the table salt is mixed with the dry ingredients and folded into the batter, while the Fleur de Sel is sprinkled on the cookies right before baking. 

Cooking notes: 

• A food scale is recommended for this recipe, as each cookie dough ball must be rolled in 60 grams balls. After several test batches, I found that 60 gram-cookies were the best in term of texture and size. 
• Make sure you use unsalted butter. This recipe calls for salt and fleur de sel which will provide plenty enough salt for the cookies. If you use salted butter, your cookies will likely be too salty in taste. 
• Melt the butter about 30 minutes before you start the recipe. Set aside and let it cool down to room temperature.
• Semi-sweet chocolate chips are perfect here. But you can also opt for milk chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips, or a mix. Using good quality chocolate will make a big difference. 
• Do not overbake the cookies. 17 minutes is the ideal baking time for me, but remember every oven is different. When taking the cookies out of the oven, the edges should be set and slightly golden but the centers should still look slightly gooey. Leaving them on the baking sheet for two extra minutes will set the center. You should then be able to transfer them onto a cooling rack (with the help of a spatula). 

I hope you’ll love this Chocolate Chip Cookies with Fleur de Sel recipe as much as I do! If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment. 

You may also like:

• Buckwheat Chocolate Chip Cookies with Sea Salt 
• Breton Salted Butter Sables
• Hazelnut Chocolate Sea Salt Granola
• Classic French Chocolate Truffles
• Classic French Chocolate Pots de Crème

Chocolate Chip Cookies with Fleur de Sel

Print Recipe

Serves: 14-16 cookies Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cooking Time: 17 Minutes 17 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 4.6/5

( 13 voted )

Ingredients

10 tbsp/1.25 stick (140g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 cup, packed (160g) dark brown sugar
½ cup (100g) white sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg at room temperature
1 ¾ cups (260g) all purpose flour
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
150g semi-sweet chocolate chips (or milk, or dark)
2 tsp Fleur de sel (or sea salt flakes)

Instructions

Make sure you read the cooking notes before you start.

Step 1 - In a large mixing bowl, mix together the melted butter, brown sugar and sugar until fully incorporated and shiny. Add the egg and vanilla extract, and mix again until fully incorporated. 

Step 2 - Add the all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Fold in these dry ingredients with a spatula until just combined – do not overmix. Fold in the chocolate chips. 

Step 3 -   Pre-heat your oven to 350F (180C) with a rack in the middle. Prepare two baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Shape little balls of cookie dough, weighing 60g each (about 2 tablespoons) and place them 3 inches apart onto the baking sheets. Sprinkle Fleur de Sel on top of each ball. 

Bake each baking sheet for 17 minutes, until the cookies are just set and lightly golden on the edges. Let cool for 2 minutes on the baking sheets and then transfer onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

Did you make this recipe?

I’d love to know how it turned out! Please let me know by leaving a comment below, rate the recipe and/or share a photo on Instagram: tag @pardonyourfrench  and hashtag it #pardonyourfrench.  This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my Privacy Policy & Disclosure page for more details.

I tested many (many!) chocolate chip cookie recipes before finding a combination that I really loved, making tweaks along the way. Some of my inspirations include Duchess At Home Tripe Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe, Tara O’Brady’s Basic, Great Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe and French Chef Cyril Lignac’s Double Chocolate Chip cookie recipe. 

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