Operation take good and make it even better. Kicking my favorite chocolate chip cookies up a notch with brown butter.
Hey Wednesday! Another day, another cookie recipe.
But you see these cookies here? They are anything but ordinary. The King of all cookies. I present you a thick and chewy cookie filled with a nutty brown butter flavor that will make anyone want seconds, or thirds.
Let’s get to this cookie. Here we have recipe #5 of the Christmas Cookie Countdown. Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies are making their debut.
There’s such an incredible amount of flavor in just one brown butter chocolate chip cookie. If you’ve ever browned butter before, you are surely familiar with the nutty flavors that come along with it. The flavor is 958687% better. I’m serious.
While most cookies typically have either creamed or just plain old melted butter, adding browned butter kicks it up a notch. And, browning butter is extremely simple. All you’re doing is browning butter on the stovetop.
Just like these cookies, swapping melted or creamed butter with browned butter isn’t always a direct swap. As you brown the butter, it loses moisture and less moisture in a cookie is not a good thing. But, with trial and error comes success.
Extra brown sugar + extra egg yolk + browned butter = party in your mouth.
CHILLING QUEEN
Once the cookie dough is mixed up, chill the dough. I know I always talk about this but this is the secret to thicker, chewier cookies. And, since we’re using browned butter, it gives time for the dough to absorb flavors.
This dough requires a minimum of 3 hours to chill, but it can be chilled up to 3 days. The longer the cookie dough chills, the more flavor that develops. (And the flavor that develops is unreal.)
3/4 cup (1 and 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, browned and slightly cooled
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg + 1 egg yolk, room temperature
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
2 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/4 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
Cut the butter into slices (roughly Tablespoon slices.) It doesn’t have to be perfect. Over medium-low heat, in preferably a a light-colored bottom (so you can see the butter brown), start melting the butter.
Stir occasionally to ensure that the butter is browning evenly. Once the butter is melted, you’ll see that it will start to foam up. You’ll see that light brown specks begin to form at the bottom of the pan. Once the butter begins to turn tan, remove from the heat and place on a cool surface. If your butter is extremely dark, it is burnt. You’ll need to start over.
The time typically takes around 6-7 minutes, but that depends on your pan and stove. For me, it took 5 minutes. Once browned, allow the butter to slightly cool before moving on.
After this,In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, salt and baking soda. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the sugars and whisk in the slightly cooled butter. Add in the egg and egg yolk, making sure they are whisked in before adding the next. Next, add the vanilla. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, slowly mix in the flour mixture until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
Mandatory step: chill the dough for at least 3 hours or up to 3 days. Do not skip this step. I chilled these cookies you see here for 24 hours. The more time you allow it to chill, the more flavor that develops.
Once chilled, take the dough out of the refrigerator and allow to slightly soften for 10-15 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 325F degrees. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats (preferred) or parchment paper. Set aside.
Roll the dough into balls, about 2 Tablespoons of dough for each. Place 8 total cookie dough balls on each sheet evenly apart. Now Bake for 11 minutes or until the edges are slightly browned. The cookies will look under baked, but that’s OK. After this,Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for five minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Store in an airtight container for up to 7 days (if they last that long.)
Christina’s Tip: You can make cookie dough in advance and can be left in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Or, you can freeze pre-rolled balls and bake directly from the freezer. The bake time for this is an extra minute.