Description
These Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies feature rich, nutty flavors from browned butter, combined with melted and chip chocolate, walnuts, and a perfect balance of sugars, resulting in irresistibly soft and chewy cookies with crisp golden edges. Chilling the dough enhances the flavor and texture, making them a decadent treat perfect for any occasion.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 3 (360g) cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter (straight from the fridge, to be browned)
- 2 teaspoons water
- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 2 large whole eggs
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or vanilla paste
Mix-ins
- 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped (from a bar)
- 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and kosher salt until evenly mixed.
- Brown the Butter: Place the cold unsalted butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir continuously with a silicone whisk as it melts and foams. Watch carefully for it to change from pale yellow to light brown, then continue stirring until it reaches a deep golden brown color. Quickly remove from heat and stir a few more times to prevent burning.
- Cool Brown Butter: Immediately pour the browned butter into a large mixing bowl and whisk in 2 teaspoons of water. Let the mixture cool for about 10 minutes. This cooling prevents the chocolate added later from melting prematurely.
- Add Sugars and Eggs: Whisk the brown and white sugars into the browned butter until smooth. Then add the whole eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla extract, whisking again until fully incorporated.
- Combine Wet and Dry: Pour the wet mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients and gently mix until just combined, being careful not to overmix.
- Fold in Chocolate and Walnuts: Fold in the chopped bittersweet chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate chips, and walnuts evenly throughout the dough.
- Chill the Dough: Cover and refrigerate the dough for 1 hour to firm up and develop flavor.
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Sheet: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
- Shape Cookies: Scoop out 2-ounce portions of dough and roll between your palms into balls. Space them 4 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets to allow room for spreading.
- Bake and Shape: Bake the cookies for 8 minutes, then remove them from the oven and optionally reshape the dough balls with a spatula or spoon for a flatter appearance. Rotate the baking sheet for even baking.
- Finish Baking: Return the cookies to the oven and bake for an additional 3 to 4 minutes, until edges are lightly golden brown but centers are still soft.
- Cool and Serve: Remove from oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Make Ahead: Dough can be made ahead, portioned into balls, and refrigerated for up to 3 days. Bake directly from the fridge for best results.
- Flour Weight: For consistent texture and avoid domed cookies, weigh your flour precisely as flour quantity affects cookie appearance dramatically.
- Freezing Dough: Cookie dough balls can be frozen for longer storage. Thaw before baking or bake directly from frozen with adjusted baking time.
- Equipment: Recommended tools include an OXO medium cookie scoop, baking sheets lined with parchment paper, a stand mixer or hand mixer, and silicone spatulas for folding.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 124 kcal
- Sugar: 21 g
- Sodium: 21 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 32 mg
