Chocolate chip cookies are one of the most classic treats around. Ever since I was a kid, my grandma and I would make them all of the time. But with this recipe, we no longer have to make boring chocolate chip cookies. The brown butter takes the cookie to a whole new level, adding a caramel-like taste and a chewy texture. You will not be able to have just one of these cookies. They’re suitable for just about any event or occasion, and I’ve heard nothing but good things from friends and family about them. This recipe is originally from tasty.co, but I’ve made my own little changes to it.
Tips
Browning butter may seem daunting, but it’s not as difficult as it seems. Here are my tips on browning your butter.
- The bigger the pan you use, the faster the butter will brown.
- Be sure to leave out a bowl before beginning to brown the butter, so you can quickly pour the butter out of the pan to stop it from cooking.
- Once the butter begins to brown, it will foam up, making it hard to see how brown the butter is. Move the foam aside to see how brown it is.
It is imperative to not over mix your dough. Over mixing results in a hard, tough cookie. Here are some tips I follow to avoid overmixing.
- Add ⅓ of dry mixture at a time.
- Only mix until just combined. It is alright to leave some unmixed flower in your dough, as it will be mixed in when you add the chocolate chips.
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ½ cup white sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon instant espresso (or coffee powder)
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup walnuts (optional)
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt (plus more for sprinkling)
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Now, we’ll brown the butter. In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.
3. Stir constantly, making sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the pan. As the butter begins to boil, keep a close eye on it.
4. Once the butter takes on a golden-brown color, and has a nutty, caramel scent, take it off of the heat immediately. Quickly pour into a bowl, and put it into the fridge to cool. We want the butter to still be liquid and around room temperature (this will take around 15 minutes).
5. In a separate, medium sized bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
6. After butter is sufficiently cooled, put the butter, sugars, espresso powder, and vanilla extract into a large bowl.
7. Add egg and egg yolk, and mix until incorporated.
8. Slowly add ⅓ of the flour mixture at a time, mixing until just incorporated. Repeat until all of the flour mixture is incorporated.
9. Fold in your chocolate.
10. Make the dough into about ⅓ of a cup balls, put on a baking sheet and bake for 12-14 minutes.
11. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool for at least 15 minutes.
12. Enjoy!