Brown Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Name: Brown Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 18 cookies
Ingredients: 2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1 cup butter; 1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar, packed; 1/2 cup granulated sugar; 2 eggs, room temperature; 1 tablespoon vanilla extract; 1 ½ cups dark chocolate, chopped into chunks; Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling on top

Whip up a batch of these Brown Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies and watch them disappear before they even cool down! Packed with gooey chocolate chunks and a hint of sea salt, these aren’t your average cookies; they’re little bites of magic that will make your kitchen the most popular spot in the house!

Servings 18 cookies

Author Joshua Snyder

Prep time

10 Min

Cook time

20 Min

Inactive time

30 Min

Total time

1 Hour

Brown Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Ingredients

2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups dark chocolate, chopped into chunks
Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling on top

Instructions

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
Melt butter in a small light-colored saucepan or skillet over medium-low heat.
Cook for about 3 minutes stirring constantly until butter foams and bubbles. As you stir the butter will start to clear up before it foams again.
Continue cooking and stirring until you can see brown specks through the bubbles and foam.
Remove from heat and strain, with a fine mesh strainer, into a small bowl to remove the larger brown bits which can be bitter.
Set the butter aside to cool to room temperature.
Once cooled, pour the butter in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.
Now, add both sugars and mix until combined. The mixture will look a little crumbly and wet.
Next, add the eggs and vanilla. Mix until everything is well incorporated and smooth.
Gradually add flour mixture to the wet ingredients mixing on a low speed until just combined.
Fold in 1 1/4 cup of the chocolate chunks, setting aside ¼ cup for finishing touches.
Cover the dough and place it in the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes.
While the dough chills, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and prepare baking sheets with parchment paper.
Scoop the dough into 2 tablespoons-sized portions, placing them on the prepared sheets. Bake only 6 cookies per sheet to allow for spreading.
Bake in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes, or until the cookies are set and golden on the bottom.
Remove the cookies from the oven and let cool on a wire rack. While still warm, press the reserved chocolate chunks into their tops evenly and sprinkle with sea salt.

Notes

While dark chocolate is specified, feel free to use a mix of semi-sweet and milk chocolate for a varied flavor profile. Using a mix can cater to different chocolate preferences among your guests or family.

Substitute light brown sugar for the recipe if needed. The dark brown sugar gives the cookies more depth, but the cookies are just as delicious without!

Ensure the brown butter is cooled to room temperature before mixing with the sugars to prevent the eggs from cooking when they are added.

Tips for browning butter:

· Use a Light-Colored Pan: Choose a saucepan with a light interior if possible. This makes it easier to see the color of the butter as it cooks, helping you avoid burning it.

· Start melting the butter over medium-low heat. This allows the butter to heat gradually, reducing the risk of burning the milk solids before the rest of the butter browns.

· Stir Constantly: Once the butter has melted, keep it moving by stirring constantly. This ensures even heating and prevents the solids from sticking to the bottom of the pan and burning.

· Watch for Color Changes: First, the butter will foam and then begin to clear up. Watch closely as light tan specks start to form; these are the milk solids caramelizing. You're aiming for a golden-brown color, not dark brown, which could indicate burning.

· Cool Off: As soon as the butter reaches the desired shade of brown, remove it from the heat. The residual heat can continue to cook (and potentially burn) the butter. Pouring it out of the hot pan and into a heat-proof dish can help stop the cooking process immediately.

· Straining the Bits: Pour the brown butter through a fine mesh strainer into another container. This removes the larger, potentially bitter browned bits. If you desire a completely smooth butter, line the strainer with cheesecloth.