The smell of cookies baking in the oven has us running to the kitchen like a kid on Christmas morning. While baking cookies from scratch is ideal, the mess that follows is not, and there are times when opting for store-bought dough is best (and our ranking of store-bought cookie dough from worst to best can help guide your purchasing!). The flavor might not be quite as good as homemade, but there are ways to elevate the taste of pre-made dough. One such easy trick that brings out the best in store-bought cookie dough is topping it off with flaky sea salt.
Finishing a batch of cookies with flaky salt brings balance to the flavor, providing the perfect contrast of savory and sweet as it melts into the warm dough. With its unique texture, it brings a soft, coarse crunch to the mix as well as aesthetic flair. Because sea salt has more minerals than table salt, it lends an extra bold, salty taste, so a pinch is all it takes. Just squish a little between your fingers and sprinkle on your cookies to your liking. Add it to your cookies before the dough hits the oven or after — the choice is up to you.
Flaky salt is the perfect enhancer for cookie dough
Salt is a known flavor enhancer, which is why it’s such an essential ingredient in most recipes, including sweet treats. It brings out the depth of the decadent chocolate chips and sweet, cakey dough of cookies. Instead of reserving salt for the interior of this dish, finish it off with the flaky variety too for even more flavor.
While there are plenty of other tricks to make store-bought cookies taste fresh, this is one of the best for a few reasons. For starters, store-bought doughs are not usually perfect, and one of their biggest flaws is a lack of depth in flavor. Namely, these generic recipes usually end up tasting overly sweet and boring. The dough might contain the usual suspects like butter and vanilla, but the flavors aren’t distinguishable. Flaky salt is the perfect remedy for this situation as it will enhance the overall flavor in a pinch.
Flaky salt is versatile, so once you’re done using it to finish cookies, you can stock it in the pantry with your other salts for the next dish. From a plate of grilled vegetables to vibrant avocado toast, this ingredient can elevate any meal come breakfast, lunch, dinner, or dessert.
