The Best Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies You'll Ever Eat
World famous brown butter chocolate chip cookies made with dark brown sugar, two types of chocolate chips and a sprinkle of sea salt. These epic cookies are perfectly crispy on the outside, chewy in the middle, and are, in fact, the BEST cookies you will ever eat.
Servings 24 cookies
Ingredients
- Wet ingredients:
- 1 cup (226 grams) salted butter*, sliced
- 1 ½ cups (320 grams) packed dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon plain whole-milk Greek yogurt
- Dry ingredients:
- 2 ¼ cups (270 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ cup (135 grams) semisweet chocolate chips
- ¾ cup (135 grams) milk or dark chocolate chips or chunks
- Flaky sea salt (I like Maldon)
Instructions
- Line a large plate or baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Brown the butter: Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, whisk constantly; the butter will begin to crackle, then foam. After a few minutes, the butter will begin to turn a golden amber color. As soon as the butter turns brown and gives off a nutty aroma, 5 to 8 minutes, remove from the heat and immediately transfer it to a medium bowl, scraping all the butter and brown bits from the pan. Set aside until cool enough to touch, about 15 minutes.
- Mix the wet ingredients: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the brown butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until well combined, about 1 minute. Beat in the egg, egg yolk, vanilla, and yogurt until the mixture is smooth and creamy and similar in appearance to a caramel sauce, about 1 minute. (Alternatively, you can do this with a whisk; it will take roughly the same amount of time.)
- Prepare the dry ingredients: In another large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt until well combined. With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix just until combined, about 1 minute. Add both types of chocolate chips and mix on low speed until just incorporated into the dough (don’t overmix!). Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 10 minutes.
- Chill the dough: Use a medium cookie scoop or spoon to measure 2 heaping tablespoons of the dough, roll the dough into balls with your hands, and place onto the prepared plate or baking sheet. Repeat with all of the dough. Cover the balls with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours and a maximum of 24 hours. (Chilling the dough will allow the flavors to come together, the butter to solidify so that the cookies do not spread too much, and the sugar to concentrate into a deeper butterscotch flavor. Please note that the dough needs to chill to be perfect. Have patience, because the results are worth it!)
- When you are ready to bake, place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove the dough from the fridge to allow them to soften for 15 minutes.
- Bake the cookies: Transfer the dough balls to the prepared baking sheet, placing them 2 inches apart. (Not all cookies will fit on the sheet for one batch.) Bake until the edges of the cookies just begin to turn golden brown, 9 to 11 minutes. (They will look a bit underdone in the middle but will continue to cook once out of the oven.)
- Cool the cookies on the sheet for 5 minutes to allow them to set, then sprinkle each cookie with flasky sea salt. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Once the baking sheet has cooled, repeat with the remaining dough balls.
- To store: Keep cookies in an airtight container or reusable silicone bag at room temperature for up to 1 week, then transfer to the freezer for up to 3 months.
Notes
*Please note that the cookbook states to use unsalted butter -- typos happen! Use salted butter for a little more "oomph" in flavor.
Change Your Life Stuffed Cookies: These are SO good when the cookie dough balls are stuffed with a dollop of Nutella. Chill 1 small jar of Nutella in the fridge to solidify ahead of time. Flatten each dough ball and place 1 teaspoon of chilled Nutella in the middle and fold the dough around it; gently roll into a ball, making sure that the Nutella is not seeping out of the dough. Add more dough, if necessary. Chill dough as directed in step 5 and bake as directed.