American · Baking

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.

32 min prep and cooking plus 24 hr 20 min to 3 days chilling 24 hr 52 min to 3 days 1 hr start to finish Serves 24 servings Easy
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Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Photograph credit: Choc-Chip-Cookie by Evan-Amos · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies, Step by Step

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  1. 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.

  2. Whisk in both sugars and beat for 2 minutes until glossy and slightly lightened.

  3. Beat in the eggs and yolk one at a time, then the vanilla. Beat for a further minute — the mixture should look like caramel.

  4. Fold in the flour, bicarbonate of soda and fine salt until only just combined, then fold in both chocolates.

  5. Cover and refrigerate for at least 24 hours, and up to 72. This is the step that makes the difference.

  6. Scoop into 60 g balls, roll lightly, and space six per tray on lined baking sheets.

  7. 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.

  8. Bang the tray firmly on the counter as they come out — this deflates the centre and creates the rippled edge.

  9. Sprinkle with flaky salt and cool on the tray for 10 minutes before moving.

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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.

232Calories
3gProtein
28gCarbs
12gFat
1gFibre
16gSugar
260mgSodium

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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 .