Chocolate Chip Cookies with Brown Butter

Who doesn’t love chocolate chip cookies? Myself, I must have tried about a dozen different chocolate chip cookie recipes.

Now! THESE chocolate chip cookies. They belong to Cooks Illustrated, so you know they have no other option but to be amazing. And they are. But with that it also means that they must contain a number of extra steps to complicate what should be a basic recipe.

What makes these so special and so different ,This recipe uses brown butter….

when you brown it, something happens… it becomes nutty and caramelly. It reaches these amazing levels of deliciousness. SO good.

Cooks Illustrated takes a portion of the butter in this recipe and browns it to enhance the depth of flavor in their cookie. It works. Fantastic. They also amp up the flavor by using dark brown sugar. They throw an extra egg yolk in there for good measure too.

(recipe from Cook's Illustrated magazine)

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups (420 ml) of unbleached, all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) of baking Soda
• 14 Tablespoons (210 ml) of butter ( that's 1 and 3/4 sticks (85 g))
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) of granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup (180 ml) of packed dark brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) of table salt
• 2 teaspoons (10 ml) of vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 1/4 cups (300 ml) of semi sweet chips or chunks (I used bittersweet chips)
• 3/4 cup (180 ml) of chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

Method

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and baking Soda. Set aside.
2. Heat 10 tablespoons (150 ml) butter in a 10-inch (25 cm) skillet over medium-high heat until melted, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking, swirling the pan constantly, until the butter is dark golden brown and has a nutty aroma, 1 to 3 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and, using a heatproof spatula, transfer the browned butter to a large heatproof bowl. Stir the remaining 4 tablespoons (60 ml) butter into the hot butter until completely melted.
3. Add both sugars, the salt, and the vanilla to the bowl with the butter and whisk until fully incorporated. Add the egg and yolk and whisk until the mixture is smooth with no sugar lumps remaining, about 30 seconds.
4. Let the mixture stand 3 minutes, then whisk for 30 seconds. Repeat the process of resting and whisking 2 more times, until the mixture is thick, smooth, and shiny.
5. Using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir in the flour mixture until just combined, about 1 minute. Stir in the chocolate chips and nuts (if using), giving the dough a final stir to ensure no flour pockets remain.
6. Preheat the oven to 375F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
7. Divide the dough into 16 portions, each about 3 tablespoons (or use a #24 cookie scoop). Arrange 2 inches (5 cm) apart on the prepared baking sheets, 8 dough balls per sheet. (Smaller baking sheets can be used, but will require 3 batches.)
8. Bake the cookies 1 tray at a time until they are golden brown and still puffy, and the edges have begun to set but the centers are still soft, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through baking. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and cool the cookies completely before serving.

Makes 16 cookies I got 22 :) enjoy!