How to Make Herb Salt

Add a punch of flavor to everything from cookies to salads with herb salt.

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We’re going to show you how you can achieve great taste using the one seasoning cooks couldn’t do without: Salt. This content was created in partnership with Food52.

There’s no better time than the start of a new year — and the long cold winter ahead — for a food project that will pay dividends for months to come. You’re excited to tackle new projects, and it’s too cold to brave the outdoors.

Making herb salt is like a gateway culinary project; it’s low-maintenance, incredibly easy and you probably have all of the ingredients you need at home already. Sprinkled over avocado toast, a fried egg, and even cookies, it will breathe new life into old favorites.

Here’s how to make compound salt with fresh herbs:

First, check the refrigerator. Did you buy too many fresh herbs again? Or are you lucky enough to have herbs growing? Perfect, as they’re about to be transformed into your new favorite pantry staple.

As a general rule, you should use a 1:1 ratio of herb (or herbs) to salt. Stick with one herb, like parsley, or use a mix of herbs with citrus zest. We like dehydrating equal parts fresh  parsley, thyme, and lemon zest before adding in the salt, but feel free to experiment with your favorite herbs -- so long as you maintain that 1:1 ratio of herbs to salt.

For fresh herbs, heat your oven to 120° F (or the lowest setting on your oven — even the pilot light will work for this). Wash all of your herbs and dry them as much as possible before spreading about half of them in an even layer, along with your zests, over a large sheet pan. Sprinkle a generous amount of kosher salt over the herbs, add another layer, and sprinkle with salt again.

Place the pan in the oven to dehydrate for about 8 hours (or for about an hour with an oven that has a dehydration function). In the end, the herbs will be crisp — the salt will have drawn out their moisture and the heat of the oven will have continued to dry them out. If you’d like, use a food processor to pulse the mixture to your desired consistency.

Alternatively, for herbs that are already like lavender or rosemary — skip the dehydration step and use a mortar and pestle or a food processor to grind the salt mixture together. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dark place.

Live.Love.Lux Tip: This couldn’t be easier thanks to the Dehydrate Mode on your Electrolux wall oven, combining convection air circulation and low, steady heat to remove moisture from food.

herb salt

Photo by James Ransom

Chocolate Chip Cookies with Hazelnuts and Rosemary Salt

Servings: 24 cookies

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Ingredients

2 1/8 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

8 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

1 cup toasted, chopped hazelnuts

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup dark brown sugar, tightly packed

1/2 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Rosemary salt

Instructions

First, make the rosemary salt: Pound a tablespoon of rosemary needles with a tablespoon of salt in a mortar and pestle. (Alternatively, you can make a larger quantity — look for a 1:1 herb to salt ratio  in your food processor for future batches of cookies or to give as gifts.)

Sift flour, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together chocolate chips and chopped nuts. Set aside.

In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and brown sugar on medium speed until well-mixed. Scrape down the sides. Add the eggs, one at time, mixing in between each addition and scraping down the sides as you go. Add the vanilla.

Working in four batches, add the flour mixture on low speed, just to combine. (You don’t want to over-mix the dough!) With the final batch of flour, add the chocolate and the nuts.

Chill the dough for at least an hour and up to 2 days. When you’re ready to bake, heat oven to 375° F. Line sheet pan with a silicone sheet or parchment paper. Using a spoon, form the dough into about 2-ounce balls, and put them on the baking sheet about 2 inches apart.

Bake for 9 to 13 minutes, sprinkling them with rosemary salt about halfway through. They’re done when they’re brown and crispy on the outside and still just barely raw in the very middle.

Allow to cool for a few minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.

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