These Secret Ingredient Chocolate Chip Cookies will have your friends begging for the recipe.

I have to admit I love to bake and am a Whole Foods Market junkie.  I am thrilled to be working with them this month to share some of their baking tips, holiday time saving tips and my recipe for The Secret Ingredient Chocolate Chip Cookie.

This is the perfect time of year to stock up on Whole Foods Market Pantry Staples. The holidays mean a last minute scramble to whip up a meal or dessert for a holiday gathering or unannounced out-of-town guests. Having the Whole Foods Market 365 Everyday Value® pantry staples like flour, sugar, salt, butter, vanilla and eggs on hand also makes it easy for putting together DIY gift and making treats to give a s gifts or take to gatherings.

My favorite homemade gift to give or treat to take or serve at a gathering is my Secret Ingredient Chocolate Chip Cookies.

This makes 5 dozen medium sized cookies. The secret ingredient is French sea salt sprinkled on top of each cookie right before baking.  I have always gotten fluer de sel  sea salt in the bulk section at a local health food store close to where I used to live.

The Whole Foods bulk section only had Sel Gris which comes from the same solar evaporation salt pans as fleur de sel but is harvested differently; it is allowed to come into contact with the bottom of the salt pan before being raked, hence its gray color.

If you can’t find the French sea salt, any sea salt will work. If it is course, just crush it a bit while pinching your fingers as you sprinkle it over the top of the cookies. Adding the sea salt intensifies the salty sweet combination we all love! This recipe makes 5 dozen cookies.

Secret Ingredient Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 cup brown sugar

4 sticks of butter

2 eggs

4 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 12 ounce packages of semi sweet chocolate chips

1 tablespoon French sea salt (reserved)

Heat oven to 375 degrees

In large mixing bowl, cream butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla. In separate bowl combine flour, baking soda and salt.  Gradually add flour mixture a cup at time to the creamed butter mixture. Mix well after each addition of flour. Batter will be stiff after all the flour is added. Add chocolate chips and mix well.

Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Using medium cookie scoop, place 12 cookies on baking sheet and sprinkle the tops with  a pinch of reserved sea salt.

Bake 9-11 minutes.

Remove from oven and let set 5 minute before removing from cookie sheet.

Be sure to check out Whole Foods Market Top 10 Baking Tips here
Recipes:
· Classic Sugar Cookies
· Maple and Almond Butter Cookies
· Molasses Gingerbread Cookies
Top 10 Holiday Time Savers:

· Frozen Pie Crust – the crust is usually one of the hardest parts of pie assembly. Grab a pre-made crust so you can focus on the delicious filling and baking!
· Mirepoix & Pre-Cut Squash and Garlic – Mirepoix is the perfect “grab and go” item for your Crock Pot. And pre-cut squash and garlic will save you precious minuets of prep time in the kitchen
· Stuffing Bags – made-in-house stuffing bags from our bakery give you the taste of homemade stuffing without the time commitment.
· Frozen Rice in a Bag – makes rice cooking easy and worry-free, especially if you don’t have a rice cooker
· Frozen Rolls – fresh from the bakery department and frozen, so you can break these out and throw them in the oven when the dinner menu calls for rolls!
· Stuffed Cornish Game Hens – not only is all the work already done for you, but these hens are a wonderful alternative to turkey or ham for your holiday table
· Pre-made Appetizers – a wide variety of appetizers that are already plated and ready to serve can make attending a party while bringing something to share both easy and delicious
· Cocktail Shrimp Platters – again, ready to serve and be enjoyed!
· Instacart – depending on where you live, Instacart’s delivery on demand is the ultimate in stress-free shopping during the holidays
· Holiday Pre-order – shop online ahead of time and pre-order your turkey, side dishes, appetizers and even full heat-and-serve meals for pickup at your local Whole Foods market!

Whole Foods also has live trees and wreaths.  For every tree sold one gets planted! I also wish to thank Whole Foods Market for supplying me with a gift card to purchase the ingredients for the cookies.