I know the last thing the internet needs is yet another chocolate chip cookie recipe, but these were so good that I have to share. I've tried many, many recipes, and these are my favorite ones yet. The brown butter adds a really deep flavor, and the extra egg yolks and melted butter make for a really fudgy, rich texture. These are adapted from the Violet Bakery Cookbook, which I highly recommend. Happy baking!
BROWN BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
- 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon (250 grams) unsalted butter
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (200 grams) muscovado or dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) white sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or paste
- 4 egg yolks
- 2 3/4 cups (325 grams) unbleached white flour
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 3/4 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 1/2 cups (250 grams) dark chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate
Melt and brown the butter: it will first bubble up, and then the solids at the bottom will start to turn brown and smell nutty. When they're a deep golden brown, remove the butter from the heat and add 2 tablespoons of cold water. Allow the butter to cool to room temperature (or give it 15 minutes in the fridge). Combine the melted butter and sugars in a bowl and mix. Add the vanilla and egg yolks and mix well.
In another bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Fold this into the butter and egg mixture, along with the chocolate. Stir just until combined, then refrigerate the dough overnight (well-covered).
Scoop individual portions of the cookie dough onto a baking sheet. Alternatively, you can do what I did, and pat the whole thing into a rectangle and then cut it into squares. At this point you can freeze the individual cookies if you want - they bake really well from frozen, without defrosting.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake the cookies 12-18 minutes, depending on how big you've made them. They are done when the center is just set (ie, doesn't look wet anymore), but still soft and slightly under-baked looking. They'll continue to brown a bit after you take them out. Sprinkle with flaky salt, if you'd like.
Makes about 2 dozen large cookies.