Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
There are few things in life that are better than a chocolate chip cookie. I was determined to find my own, made-from-scratch recipe. It took multiple rounds of recipe development, but I finally achieved my own spin on the chocolate chip cookie.
The chocolate chip cookie is a classic. Every home needs their go-to recipe. Here’s the chocolate chip cookie (Anna-Nicole’s version).
This recipe is a winner because it:
Maxes out the chocolate flavor. Chocolate is the star ingredient in this recipe. I recommend using a high-quality chocolate to make these cookies. My personal favorites are the Guittard and Ghiradelli brands. I purchase the Guittard chocolate wafers from my local Sur La Table. While chocolate chips maintain their shape during the baking process, chocolate wafers do not—which creates puddles of melted chocolate.
Browned butter. The browned butter adds an extra richness to the cookies. I melt the butter over the stovetop until it crackles, foams, and turns a golden brown color. Make sure to whisk constantly and monitor the butter during this step—browned butter can easily turn into burnt butter. After the melted butter cools, I mix it with a combination of granulated sugar and light brown sugar. The brown sugar further enhances the richness of these cookies.
Quick to make. You can skip the chill time, and the cookies will taste just as good.
Uses sea salt as a garnish. I love the contrast of the sweetness of the chocolate with the savoriness of the sea salt.
“Everything is good if it’s made of chocolate.”
Cookie troubleshooting:
Use a scale to weigh your ingredients. For years, I neglected the advice to use a kitchen sale to weigh my ingredients. This was a mistake. I recently purchased an electronic kitchen scale and it has been life changing. These cookies went through multiple rounds of recipe testing. I made the first batch of cookies without weighing my flour and sugar on a scale. While my first round of cookies were still delicious, I had a surplus of flour in my batter. I used measuring cups, but I still somehow managed to grossly overmeasure the flour. The scale ensures precision.
Room temperature ingredients. Take out your eggs ahead of time to ensure that they will be room temperature. This step allows the eggs to cream better with the rest of the batter.
Use a cookie scoop. A spring-loaded cookie scoop will ensure the cookies are consistent in size. The scoop also ensures that the cookies will bake evenly.
Bake until the cookies look barely done. This will ensure the cookies have crispy edges but gooey centers. Don’t fret, the cookies will continue to cook while they cool on the baking sheet.
Parchment vs. Silapt. As much as I love my Silapt to bake cookies, I have had much greater success using good old fashioned parchment paper. I found that the cookies tend to spread more and bake quicker on a Silapt.
Happy baking!
Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat mat.
- in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
- Place a small saucepan over medium-low heat on a stovetop. Melt the butter in the saucepan. Whisk constantly until the butter turns a golden brown (about 5 to 8 minutes). The butter will foam, crackle, and it will have a nutty aroma. Once browned, remove the saucepan from the stovetop. Transfer the melted butter to a separate bowl. Set aside to cool for 15 to 30 minutes.
- In a large bowl, combine the cooled butter with the granulated and brown sugars. With a hand-mixer or stand mixer, beat together the ingredients on medium-high speed.
- Gradually pour the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients. Beat together the mixture on medium-high speed until just incorporated. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of a bowl.
- Add the eggs and vanilla extract to the bowl. Beat together on medium-high speed until incorporated.
- Fold the chocolate chips and wafers into the dough with a silicone spatula. Be careful not to overmix.
- Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes in the fridge (optional, but recommended). Cover the dough with cling wrap before refrigerating.
- Using a spring-loaded cookie scooper, scoop the cookies onto the prepared baking sheet (I place six on a sheet). Bake on the middle rack of the preheated oven for 9-11 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. While still warm, garnish the top of the cookies with a dusting of sea salt. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store the leftover cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
