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Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies full recipe

Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chewy, crisp edged chocolate chip cookies made with nutty brown butter. Brown the butter, chill the dough, and bake until golden for cookies with deep toffee flavor and soft centers.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Chill: 30 min to 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 10
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 230
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the dough
  • 1 cup 227 g unsalted butter
  • 2¼ cups 280 g all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ¾ cup 150 g packed light or dark brown sugar
  • ½ cup 100 g granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon milk
  • 1½ cups 255 g semi-sweet chocolate chips or chopped chocolate
For finishing (optional)
  • Flaky sea salt
  • A few notes on the ingredients
  • Butter. Unsalted gives you control over the salt. Butter loses some water as it browns which is why this recipe adds a spoonful of milk to make up for it.
  • Brown sugar. This is what keeps the centers chewy. Dark brown sugar gives a slightly deeper molasses flavor light brown sugar a milder one.
  • Egg and egg yolk. The extra yolk adds richness and a softer chewier texture.
  • Chocolate. Chopped chocolate from a bar melts into streaks and puddles while chips hold their shape more. Both are good. A mix of the two gives you more variety.
  • Salt. Don’t skip it. It balances the sweetness and makes the browned butter taste even nuttier.

Equipment

  • A light-colored saucepan or skillet, for browning the butter
  • A heatproof bowl
  • A large mixing bowl and a spatula
  • Measuring cups and spoons (or a kitchen scale)
  • A cookie scoop (about 2 tablespoons)
  • 2 baking sheets
  • Parchment paper
  • A wire cooling rack

Method
 

  1. Brown the butter. Cut the butter into pieces and melt it in a light-colored pan over medium heat. Stir often. Once it foams, keep swirling until it turns golden amber and smells nutty, about 5 to 8 minutes. Pour it right away into a heatproof bowl, scraping in all the brown bits.
  2. Cool it down. Let the butter sit for 10 to 15 minutes, until it’s warm but no longer hot. If it’s too hot, it can cook the eggs and melt the chocolate.
  3. Mix the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda and salt.
  4. Add the sugars. Stir the brown sugar and granulated sugar into the cooled brown butter until smooth.
  5. Add the egg, yolk and vanilla. Whisk in the egg, yolk, vanilla and milk until the mixture looks glossy and thick.
  6. Combine. Fold in the dry ingredients with a spatula until just combined. Stop as soon as you don’t see dry flour.
  7. Add the chocolate. Fold in the chocolate chips or chopped chocolate.
  8. Chill the dough. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 24 hours. The dough will firm up and become easier to scoop.
  9. Heat the oven. Preheat to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  10. Scoop. Portion the dough into balls of about 2 tablespoons each and place them 2 inches apart on the sheets.
  11. Bake. Bake one sheet at a time for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges are golden and the centers still look slightly soft.
  12. Finish. Sprinkle with a pinch of flaky salt right out of the oven. Let the cookies rest on the sheet for 5 minutes, then move them to a wire rack.

Notes

Tip: For rippled edges, lift the baking sheet about 4 inches and drop it flat on the counter once, 2 minutes before the cookies are done. This deflates the puffy middle and gives that bakery-style wrinkled look.