Chocolate chip cookies were my first solo foray into baking, as well as one of the earliest posts I wrote for this blog (back in 2009). I was in the mood to bake and decided to make some of these classics. We start off with the usual suspects: white and brown sugars and butter. But not just any kind of butter...
Browned butter!
Browned butter (or beurre noisette, if you want to be fancy) is magical. Like bacon, anything it touches is turned delicious. It's especially good on fresh biscuits. It also makes a great pasta sauce, but that's a recipe for another day!
As it cooks, the butter turns a deep amber color and gives off an amazing nutty aroma. It imparts a toasty caramel flavour to the finished cookies for a taste that's reminiscent of English toffee. Finish with a sprinkle of salt on top for a very addictive sweet and salty dessert.
As always, recipe after the jump!
Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Yield 2.5 dozen
1 cup (236 grams) unsalted butter
1/2 cup (100 grams) sugar
1 cup (215 grams) brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cup (300 grams) all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups (1 lb, 450 grams) semi-sweet chocolate chips
Coarse salt, for sprinkling (optional)
In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Once melted, continue to cook until it turns golden brown. Swirl the pan occasionally if needed so that it browns evenly. Watch it fairly closely, as it can go from brown to burned quickly. When the color has turned golden, small flecks speckle the butter, and it has a nutty aroma, remove from heat and pour into a shallow dish. Chill in the fridge until it becomes solid. You want it to be soft, but not melted. If too hard, let it come back to room temperature before using.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
Beat the brown butter, sugar, and brown sugar on medium high speed with an electric mixer until light and creamy, about 4 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each. Add the vanilla extract.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Add the chocolate chips and mix until incorporated.
Spoon by the tablespoon onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving 2 inches in between each cookie. Sprinkle with coarse salt, if desired. Bake until golden brown, 10-12 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes on the pan before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.
Tips: Chill the dough before baking so the cookies stay thick and chewy as they bake (or else they spread out thin). Also, use light brown sugar so the browned butter flavour comes through.
Recipe source: Completely Delicious
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