Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

I absolutely love these chocolate chip cookies. They opened up a whole new world of flavor in my baked goods by introducing me to “browned butter”, which is butter that has been heated up so the milk proteins start to brown and give off a complex nutty flavor. It’s divine, and one of the secret ingredients in my rarely-made cornbread recipe (because corn is absolutely terrible for you, but that recipe is solid). This may also be the first time you are introduced to the difference between chocolate chips and chocolate chunks or wafers. When you get that ooey-gooey chocolate chip cookie where the chocolate melts when you break it in half, that’s because they used chocolate chunks or wafers instead of chocolate chips (the chips have extra ingredients in them whose purpose is to keep that classic drop shape). I know you’ll love these cookies as much as I do.

Ingredients:

1 ¾ C. all purpose flour
½ tsp baking soda
14 Tbsp. unsalted butter
¾ C packed dark brown sugar
½ C granulated sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
1 ¼ C chocolate wafers or chunks (they’re better than chocolate chips!)
Flake salt (optional, but recommended)

Equipment:

Large mixing bowl
Medium saucepan or skillet
Heatproof mixing bowls
Stand mixer or hand mixer
Baking tray
Parchment paper, optional

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375F. Whisk flour and baking soda in a medium bowl and set aside
Heat 10 Tbsp. of your butter in a saucepan or skillet over medium-low heat until browned and fragrant, stirring frequently. About 10-minutes (don’t walk away! This can easily turn into “burned butter”, which you do not want). Transfer browned butter to a heatproof bowl, along with the remaining 4 Tbsp. of butter and swirl until all of the butter is melted.
Add the brown sugar, sugar, salt, and vanilla extract to the butter mixture and stir until combined. Add your eggs and stir until combined. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer with the whisk attachment, mix your sugar and butter mixture for 30-seconds on medium speed, then let rest for 3-minutes. Repeat the 30-seconds of mixing and 3-minutes of resting 2 more times.
Gently mix the flour and baking soda into the sugar until there are no more streaks of flour. Add chocolate wafers and stir until combined.
Chill dough in the fridge for 20-minutes, then divide into roughly 16 equal portioned cookies, place on a parchment lined baking sheet, and sprinkle with flake salt. Bake at 375F for 10-14 minutes, rotating halfway through. Your cookies are done when the outer edges are looking golden brown and just set while the center still looks pale and puffy. Remove from the oven and allow cookies to cool on their pans until they are room temperature.