Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Brown butter, a 24-hour rest and two sizes of chocolate produce cookies with crisp edges, a chewy middle and pools of melted chocolate. Worth planning a day ahead for.
Photograph credit: Choc-Chip-Cookie by Evan-Amos · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies, Step by Step
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Brown the butter in a light pan over medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes, swirling, until the solids are deep golden and it smells of toffee. Scrape everything, including the browned bits, into a bowl and cool for 20 minutes until it is thick but still liquid.
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Whisk in both sugars and beat for 2 minutes until glossy and slightly lightened.
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Beat in the eggs and yolk one at a time, then the vanilla. Beat for a further minute — the mixture should look like caramel.
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Fold in the flour, bicarbonate of soda and fine salt until only just combined, then fold in both chocolates.
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Cover and refrigerate for at least 24 hours, and up to 72. This is the step that makes the difference.
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Scoop into 60 g balls, roll lightly, and space six per tray on lined baking sheets.
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Bake at 180°C / 355°F for 11 to 13 minutes, until the edges are set and browned but the centres still look pale and underdone.
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Bang the tray firmly on the counter as they come out — this deflates the centre and creates the rippled edge.
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Sprinkle with flaky salt and cool on the tray for 10 minutes before moving.
Related guides: Prep, cook and total time · Ingredient substitutions.
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Notes for Getting It Right
- Pull them out looking underbaked. They set on the tray, and a fully baked cookie is a hard cookie once cool.
- Chopped chocolate from a bar melts into pools; chips are formulated to hold their shape and will not.
- Freeze the scooped balls and bake from frozen, adding 2 minutes — fresh cookies whenever you want them.
Serving Suggestions
- A glass of cold milk, unimprovably
- Serve warm with vanilla ice cream
- Excellent with strong coffee
Leftovers and Storage
Keeps 4 days in an airtight tin with a slice of bread to hold moisture. Dough balls freeze 3 months.
Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies: Questions and Answers
How long does Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies take to make?
20 minutes of preparation and 12 minutes of cooking, plus 24 hours 20 minutes to 3 days of chilling, so allow 24 hours 52 minutes to 3 days 1 hour from start to finish. The recipe serves 24.
The Numbers per Serving
Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.
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Compiled by Turab
Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked. Found a mistake? Tell us.
First published ; last changed .