REASONS THESE COOKIES ROCK:

The high DARK brown sugar ratio! Instead of using a half and half ratio of regular granulated white sugar and brown sugar, I use mostly brown sugar. The brown sugar helps to keep the cookies softer and chewier in the middle, yet still allows for crispy, delicious edges. Normally I choose dark brown sugar because it has a tiny bit more molasses in the flavoring, which again, helps to achieve an out of this world cookie.

Chilled dough! Yes, this recipe requires you to chill the dough, but I promise it’s worth it. Chilling cookie dough allows the cookies to create a smooth caramel flavor, with crispy brown edges and a chewy interior. This happens because the fat in the recipe (butter) is solid and the sugar also absorbs some of it. Trust me!

Two types of chocolate! One milk and one dark. It really just creates more flavor profiles.

Brown. Butter. Brown butter is butter that is cooked until the milk solids turn brown. When you’re cooking the butter, it will separate into fat and milk solids. The longer you cook it, the darker the milk solids will become. Note that it doesn’t take a lot of time for the solids to go from brown to black (aka burnt) so you really need to watch it when you’re cooking.

Without further delay….

Brown Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Prep time: 1 hr 15 mins
Cook time: 15 mins
Total time: 1 hr 30 mins
 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup butter

• 1 cup bread flour

• ¾ cup all-purpose flour

• 2 teaspoons course sea salt

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 cup dark brown sugar (tightly packed)

• ½ cup white sugar

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 1 teaspoon espresso powder (Can be omitted, but it makes the cookies have that rich, chocolate flavor)

• 1 large egg

• 1 large egg yolk

• dark chocolate, chopped (This is a matter of personal preference. I use around 6oz.)

• ½ cup chocolate chips (I use milk, but semi-sweet works too)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat, then bring to a boil. Once it starts boiling, stir constantly until the butter passes the foamy phase and becomes a deep amber color. Remove from the heat, pour into a separate bowl (this allows the butter to stop cooking) and allow the butter to cool for 20 minutes. Be sure to scrape in the brown bits!*

2. In a large bowl, sift together the flour and baking soda. Add the course sea salt to the sifted mixture and set aside.

3. In a large bowl, add the sugars, espresso powder, vanilla, & cooled brown butter. Cream together with an electric hand mixer until extremely fluffy. (Around 5 minutes)

4. Add the egg and egg yolk and mix until incorporated.

5. Add the flour mixture, about ¼ of the mixture at a time, and mix between additions until just incorporated.

6. Fold the chocolate chips and chunks into the dough.

7. Using a medium cookie scoop, drop the dough on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and place in fridge.*

8. Bake in a 350°F preheated oven for 13-15 minutes.

9. Allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. If desired, sprinkle a small amount of flaked sea salt on top of the cookies as they are cooling.

*NOTES:

1. After pouring the butter into another bowl, I place it in the fridge while I measure out my dry ingredients. You’re looking for the butter to be cooled but still liquid-y.
2. Chill the dough for at least one hour (just trust me!) though overnight is best. For those times that I have no self control, I will often bake half of the cookies after chilling the dough for an hour, and then bake the other half the following day.