I know I’ve said before that I’m not really a baker. But I lied. Quite often I love to bake, especially when I can do a little experimenting with flavors. Case in point: these Chocolate Brownie Cookies with Walnut and Sea Salt that I whipped up for a dinner this week.

A few of you just paused — sea salt? However, let’s take a step back. Who doesn’t like that heavenly spot between sweet and savory? Sea salt is a delicious complement to many sugar-laden baked goods. Salted caramel, anyone? Or, how about this chocolate-covered pretzel toffee?

The initial chocolate cookie recipe is tweaked slightly from The Post Punk Kitchen (check out those ladies for a number of incredible vegan recipes) but I think those of you with a hankering for a sweet ‘n salty fix will enjoy my variation. And yes, the texture is very much like a brownie, thanks to a shorter baking time and super moist batter. No hockey puck cookies here. With that in mind, the walnuts and light sprinkle of sea salt offer a vital crunch to this crowd-pleasing treat.

Chocolate Brownie Cookies with Walnut and Sea Salt

3/4 cup canola oil

1 1/3 cups sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 tablespoon flax meal

1/2 cup non-dairy milk (almond, soy, coconut)

2 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

A liberal pinch of sea salt

1/2 – 1 cup chocolate chips (depending on how big your craving is)

1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 F. Whisk together flax meal and milk in a small bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.

In another large bowl mix oil, sugar, vanilla, and flax/milk mixture. In batches, fold in the dry ingredients. You should get a nice stiff dough, at which point you can add chocolate chips and walnuts.

Roll dough into 1 inch balls and flatten into a disc. Place on a very lightly greased cookie sheet about an inch apart.

Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for about 5 minutes, then set them on a wire rack or plate to cool completely.

As they cool, sprinkle a few crystals of sea salt on the top. Delicious. Makes about 12 big cookies.

In other cookie news, Family Circle magazine’s “Presidential Cookie Bake-Off” is underway this week in preparation for July 4th, with First Lady Michelle Obama and Ann Romney vying for the prize. Now’s not really the time for me to get into the problematic gender implications of this contest, but it’s worth thinking about as you check out the recipes. Michelle has submitted a recipe for White and Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies (with the inclusion of mint chocolate…interesting), while Ann shares hers for Oatmeal and M&M Cookies. Neither batch is vegan, so you’ll all have to tell me which you prefer. In the meantime, make sure you’re all registered to vote for the actual election.