Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
The underlying caramel tones make these Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies really special. There’s deliciousness in every bite!
These are the top-ranked chocolate chip cookies in a couple of my friends’ homes, and their size alone makes my gang happy.
Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
These brown butter chocolate chip cookies became our weekend dessert after drilling Bill on what sweets to bake. I could have predicted his answer, “chocolate chip cookies, flourless chocolate cake or lava cakes.” Well, I have a plethora of chocolate chip cookies on this blog and this particular one debuted in 2010, only months after I started blogging.
Needless to say, there were a few awful photos and not much else besides the recipe. A redo was definitely in order.
How to make brown butter
Brown butter is super easy to make, although it can be a disaster if you don’t babysit it. You want a nutty flavor not a burnt one! The goal is to heat the butter until the butter solids brown.
- Cut unsalted butter into small, evenly-sized pieces and place it in a pot or pan.
- Cook on low until butter is melted.
- Turn the heat up to medium swirl the pan or stir almost constantly with a heatproof spatula to prevent milk solids from burning.
- The water is evaporating at this point. Watch carefully at all times.
- The butter becomes a light tan color as the milk solids toast or “brown” in the hot fat. Voila, brown butter!
How to make dark brown sugar
So you don’t have a box or bag of dark brown sugar in your pantry and are wondering what to do. You can always substitute light brown sugar, which is much more commonly found in kitchens. But you can also make your own dark brown sugar! PRO-Tip; For each cup of dark brown sugar you need, combine 1 cup of light brown sugar with 1 tablespoon of molasses. Mix and use as directed. It’s as easy as that!
You May Need:
A Cook’s Illustrated Classic
Since most of my friends are aware of the hubby’s penchant for chocolate chip cookies, I’ve had numerous folks offer their favorite recipes. I have tested nearly every single one. I tweaked this Cook’s Illustrated classic chocolate chip cookie recipe, recommended by numerous friends, by browning the butter before adding it to the dough. Note that the recipe calls for dark instead of light brown sugar which adds another degree of deliciousness with caramel undertones!
Bill was thrilled to come home to these, though he did mention that a double batch would have been nice! That made me chuckle.
More Chocolate Chip Sweets You’ll Love:
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars from Spend with Pennies
- Jumbo Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Banana Bread from Princess Pinky Girl
- Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Rainbow Chocolate Chip Cookies from In Katrina’s Kitchen
- Ad Hoc Chocolate Chip Cookies
The Recipe: Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
A caramel undertone from the brown butter makes these chocolate chip cookies something special!
Ingredients
- 14 tablespoons butter, divided
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 3/4 cup flour
- 1 1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, chunks or discs
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375º.
Melt 10 tablespoons of the butter in a saucepan over over low heat until melted. Increase heat to medium, cooking and stirring for a few more minutes until the butter is golden brown with a nutty fragrance.
Pour into heatproof bowl, and add the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter. Stir until melted.
Add both sugars, then vanilla. Mix in egg and egg yolk. Add baking soda, then flour and mix until just combined. Add chocolate and mix until well dispersed.
Use a large cookie scoop to make dough balls. Place about 2 inches apart on parchment lined cookie sheets. Bake 10-14 minutes or till cookies are golden. Cool on rack.
Notes
Adapted from Cook's Illustrated's Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
16Amount Per Serving: Calories: 262Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 46mgSodium: 121mgCarbohydrates: 32gFiber: 1gSugar: 20gProtein: 3g
what wonderful cookies Lizzy !!
That butter must kick these up to a whole another level! delicious cookies !
It’s been way too long since I’ve made Chocolate Chip Cookies and this version sounds really good. Nice instructions on making brown butter. It’s great over pasta, so I’ll save these instructions.
I love using brown butter in cookies! These look fabulous!
This recipe was worth resurrecting! I didn’t see the pics before but these are beautiful and the cookies sounds amazing with a double layer of yumminess!
Yep, they’d be a big hit here too! They’re calling for more snow the next two days… Might need some cookies to keep my strength up:@)
You have some really amazing cookie recipes, Liz. These browned butter version looks awesome.
Now, those I have to make. We are going to the beach in a few weeks and the grandkids and we gownup kids would certainly enjoy those. I just did a pound cake and glazed it with browned butter frosting and it added a great flavor. I can only imagine how good these will be. Dawn
Kim, I thought of you while making these. I tried to get Nick to tell me which he like better…these or the Jacques Torres version…but he could only say, “They’re both great.” I think he wants me to keep baking any kind of chocolate chip cookie!
looks fantastic Liz! Yum