Salty Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Salty Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies - made dough March 30, 2018 from The Girl Who Ate Everything

Another chocolate chip cookie recipe. You’d think I’d run out of new ones to try. Um, no. Most of the time, they turn out well. Most of the time, I can’t remember them a week after I made them. But I think I’ll remember this one.

For one thing, I loved the thickness of these, the chewy texture and the brown sugar caramel overtones on it. For another, the edges were crisp at their peak consumption period (i.e. 10 minutes out of the oven) and still retained a little of that crispness at full room temperature. But also, because you melt and brown the butter before making the dough, if you time it right, mix the dough and add the chocolate chips when the dough is still somewhat warm, some of those chips will melt into the dough.

You don’t want to use the browned butter while it’s still hot or you risk cooking the eggs (start with cold eggs to alleviate this risk) but you want it just warm enough that the chips soften. Then when you scoop into dough balls, some of those chips will be soft enough that they become slightly melted chocolate that swirls into the dough. Delicious.

I always advocate chilling or freezing the dough balls before baking. You want to line whatever container you’re chilling or freezing the dough balls onto with wax paper for easier removal from the container. I always the plastic tops of my mixing bowl covers and, because I didn’t line them, the dough balls refused to part from the plastic when they were frozen. I had to thaw them in the refrigerator until they had softened/unfrozen enough to be pried loose then put them in a Ziploc freezer bag and put them back into the freezer. Live and learn.

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups chocolate chips

fleur de sel, optional, for garnish

1. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat then bring to a boil. Stir constantly until butter passes the foamy phase and becomes a deep amber color with a nutty aroma. Remove from the heat, pour into a separate bowl and cool slightly.
2. Add both sugars to cool the butter further and melt into the browned butter.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.
4. Add eggs and vanilla to butter-sugar mixture. Fold in dry ingredients and stir until dough comes together. Add chocolate chips. Portion into golf-ball size dough balls, place on wax-paper-lined, freezer-safe containers, cover and chill or freeze several hours or overnight.
5. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Evenly space dough balls on baking sheets and bake 10 to 12 minutes, until edges are lightly golden and middles are no longer shiny or raw. Do not overbake.
6. Let cookies cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes then remove to wire cooling racks to cool completely. Sprinkle with fleur de sel if desired.