Lemon and Thyme Salted Chocolate Cookies Recipe - Candied Meyer Lemons and Fresh Thyme combined into one scrumptious Chocolate Chunk Cookie and finished with Fleur de Sel. Plus, find out what makes this cookie so soft and chewy.

Lemon and Thyme Salted Chocolate Cookies Recipe

These cookies pack some serious lemon flavor complemented by fresh thyme and lots of melted chocolate. The sea salt sprinkled on top pulls it all together. One of the chewiest and most delightful cookies I have ever had.

Total time: 50 minutes

Yields: 24 cookies

Ingredients

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 (3.4 oz.) package vanilla instant pudding mix
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cup chocolate chunks
zest of one Meyer lemon
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, about 4 sprigs
sea salt, for sprinkling

To make Candied Meyer Lemons

2 Meyer lemons, cut into 1/4-inch slices
2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups water

Instructions

Start by making the candied Meyer lemons. Combine sugar and water in a skillet and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, cut 2 lemons into 1/4-inch slices and place into the boiling sugar water (make sure sugar is completely dissolved).Turn heat down and let simmer for 30 minutes or until lemons are translucent (cover with the lid or a piece of parchment paper). Remove skillet from the stove and let the slices cool completely in the syrup. Transfer lemon slices from the skillet to a wire rack (you may want to place a paper towel underneath the wire rack to catch any drippings) and let dry completely. I ended up placing the wire rack in a 250 degree oven for 20 minutes to speed up the drying process. If you choose to do that as well, keep an eye on the slices to prevent them from burning or getting brown.
Once the slices are close to being dry, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Prepare the cookie dough in your stand mixer. Cream together butter, shortening, brown sugar and granulated sugar. Add pudding mix and combine. Next, add both of the eggs and vanilla extract. Once incorporated, add baking soda and salt. Slowly add flour and stir until well combined.
Remove bowl from the mixer and stir in chocolate chunks. Add zest of one lemon and fresh thyme leaves.
Remove Meyer lemon slices from the oven and turn to 350 degrees F. Cut candied lemon slices into chunks and gently incorporate into the dough. Scoop 2-3 tablespoons of dough per cookie onto the prepared baking sheet. Place into the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes or until cookies are slightly brown on the edges. Remove and sprinkle with sea salt, if desired. Let cool for a couple of minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling completely. Repeat with remaining cookies. Enjoy!