Crisp on the outside and chewy in the middle these are the perfect brown butter chocolate chunk cookies.Studded with semi-sweet chocolate chunks these are a chocolate lovers dream.
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Why these are the best Brown Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies
These Brown Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies are absolute perfection! They have a wonderful deep butterscotch flavour, crisp edges and chewy middles with pools of dark chocolate.
Ingredients
- Bread Flour: Bread flour has a higher amount of protein which gives these cookies an extra chewiness. You can substitute all purpose flour in case you don’t have bread flour.
- Butter: I like to use high butterfat European butter.
- Sugars: This recipe uses a combination of both light brown and regular granulated white sugar. Light brown sugar has molasses added to it which gives a wonderful texture to these cookies along with the sweetness. The extra moisture from the molasses is what gives these cookies chewiness. White sugar is what these cookies a wonderful crispy edges.
- Eggs: This recipes uses both eggs and egg yolks.The extra egg yolk gives fat to cookies making them dense, tender, and extra rich.
- Dark Chocolate: I like to use a chopped up bar of semi sweet chocolate.
- Salt:Salt helps round out all the flavors and promotes gluten development.
Why Browned Butter
I know browning your butter may seem like a challenging task but it. Traditionally used in french pastry, browned butter is made by heating butter slowly in heavy bottom sauce pan until it develops a deep yellow, almost brown color having nutty scent with caramel notes. Browned butter is truly the star of the show in these cookies. In my opinion browned butter is free flavor because with the same exact ingredient you get so much flavor to your cookies. It may as well be called liquid gold.
You can make browned butter ahead of time and keep it in the fridge until you are ready to use.
Tips for the best Brown Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies
- Use a kitchen scale: Baking with a scale is faster, easier, and overall much more accurate than cup measurements.
- Use room temperature ingredients: Using room temperature ingredients creates a smooth, fully blended batter that will result in a uniform texture and even baking.
- Keep the dough chilled: When cutting and rolling the dough, it can get warm and start to stick to your hands. You may need to chill the dough in between steps to keep this from happening!
- Underbake the cookies: You should remove them from the oven when the edges are just set and slightly brown with the centers still undercooked.
- Baking times may vary: All ovens are different, and your cookies may bake quicker or take longer than the indicated baking time. I recommend checking on them occasionally!
What kind of chocolate to use for these cookies?
I recommend using semi sweet chocolate (55% cocoa solids ) for these cookies. You could also use milk chocolate chips or regular chocolate chips. I wouldn’t use bittersweet chocolate here since I think they would be too bitter for these cookies. I prefer to use chunks in the cookies over regular chips as they melt beautifully to create those large pools of chocolate. My favorite ones are these valhrona feves or the Trader joe’s pound plus bars.
Step By Step Instructions
Step 1. Brown the Butter: Heat the cubed butter in a stainless steel pan over medium heat. The butter will melt and bubble vigorously which is normal. After about 8 minutes, the top will be completely covered in foam. Stir the butter continuously at this point so you can see when the butter has browned. After another 2 minutes, the bottom of the butter should be speckled with amber-brown bits. Take the pan off the heat and pour the butter into a large bowl.
Step 2. Whisk the dry Ingredients: In a bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
Step 3. Beat the wet ingredients: In a bowl of your stand mixer or using a hand mixer, beat browned butter and sugars until pale for 2-3 mins. Add the egg and egg yolks one at a time beating well with each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract.
Step 4. Mix the wet into dry. To the butter mixture stir in the flour mixture, white chocolate chunks, nuts and caramel bits until just combined.
Step 5. Refrigerate the dough. Cover the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.
Step 6. Scoop out the cookie dough. Using a large cookie scoop, roll out as many cookie balls out of the dough as possible. Arrange the balls evenly amongst baking trays and bake for 10-11 mins until golden.
Let the cookies cool on the pan for about 5 mins. Remove from pan and cool completely on wire racks.
FAQ’s
My cookies didn’t spread, why?
This has to do with the flour. The flour needs to be spooned and leveled. If you scoop using the measuring cup directly into the flour, it will be compacted. Compacted flour means no spread with your cookies.
Do I need to chill the cookie dough?
Yes! I know it sounds hard to wait on baking these cookies but its essential to chill these. Chilling would allow the butter to solidify and the flour to rehydrate. If you bake these immediately the cookies will spread way too much.
How do I get ripples on top of my cookies?
The way the cookies are scooped can completely change how they turn out. If rolled into smooth balls, they’ll bake with a completely different texture on top.
Using a large 2 oz cookie scoop, scoop the cookies out onto the cookie sheet.The cookie dough should be left in the same shape as the scoop – like a large dome.
When scooping, don’t roll the dough or manipulate it in any way. Using a scooper gives that rippled texture on top which creates those beautiful wrinkles on top of these cookies.
Can I freeze my cookie dough?
Yes, this dough can easily be frozen for up to 3 months. I recommend using an ice cream scooper to make dough scoops and place them on a plate or small tray and freeze for 30 minutes.
After 30 mins transfer the dough balls in to a zip lock bag and place in your freezer. To bake them, place the frozen dough ball on a cookie sheet at room temperature for an hour or so until slightly thawed and bake as directed in the recipe.
More cookie recipes to try
If you tried this or any other recipe on my website, please let me know how it went in the comments below, I love hearing from you! Also, please leave a star rating while you’re there! You can also tag me on Instagram or Facebook so I can check it out!
Recipe 📖
Browned Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Equipment
- Electric Mixer
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1 ¼ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated white sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chunks
- Flaky sea salt optional
Instructions
- In a heavy bottom sauce pan heat your butter carefully until it is browned stirring continuously. Once browned take it off the heat and let it come to room temperature for an hour or so.
- In a bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
- In a bowl of your stand mixer or using a hand mixer, beat browned butter and sugars until pale for 2-3 mins.Add the eggs and egg yolk one at a time beating well with each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract.
- To the butter mixture stir in the flour mixture and chocolate chunks until just combined.
- Cover the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour .When ready to bake, Pre-heat the oven to 175C (350 F). Line four large baking trays with non-stick parchment paper. Set aside.
- Using a large cookie scoop, roll out as many cookie balls out of the dough as possible. Arrange the balls evenly amongst baking trays and bake for 10-11 mins until golden.
- Let the cookies cool on the pan for about 5 mins.Remove from pan and cool completely on wire racks.Enjoy!
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