Brown butter does something amazing for chocolate chip cookies. It adds a nutty richness that can’t be replicated with any other ingredient. It’s rare that I think a store-bought or even bakery cookie is as good as homemade, but I tried one of Whole Food’s brown butter chocolate chip cookies last year and was instantly hooked! They use a combo of bitter and semi-sweet chocolate so they’re not overly sweet and they’re crisp on the edge, chewy in the middle and everything a cookie should be. And ever since I’ve been trying to recreate them at home.

I read a lot of similar recipes before landing on one to try. My first attempt tasted pretty good but was flat and stuck to the pan and I learned two things: 1) the butter and dough need time to chill in the fridge before creaming/baking to prevent spreading, and 2) parchment paper is a good idea. The second time around I tweaked a couple ingredients (not too much vanilla extract so the brown butter flavor can shine through, a decent amount of salt to balance the sweet- you can even sprinkle some flake salt on top after baking!, and a bit more flour to get the perfect texture) and this time they were just right!

Don’t be intimidated by browning the butter. It takes a few minutes but it smells amazing and and totally transforms the flavor. The rest of the recipe is very straightforward. I like to use both semi-sweet and chopped dark chocolate but you can use what you have/prefer. I hope you love these as much as we do!

INGREDIENTS

2 sticks (1 cup) butter
1 cup light or dark brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. sea salt
2 cups chocolate chips (I like a combo of semi-sweet and dark chocolate in these cookies, so I used about 1/2 cup chopped 60% bittersweet Ghirardelli chocolate and 1 1/2 cups Ghirardelli semisweet chocolate chips)

DIRECTIONS

1. Place butter in large pot or deep skillet. Melt butter over medium-low heat. The butter will go through different phases. It will begin to melt and bubble. Take a wooden spoon or spatula and stir often and around the sides of the pan. Let the butter melt and watch for it to begin changing colors from a creamy yellow to a deep amber yellow. The butter will begin to foam and this is why it is important to stir often so you can see what is going on below the foam. Small brown bits will begin to form and that will be a signal that the butter is officially browned. Butter can burn quickly so watch carefully. It is better to pull off of the heat a little early instead of browning too long and risk burning it.
2. Since you want the butter to chill quickly, pour it into the mixing bowl you’ll be using and place in the refrigerator. Use a spatula to get every bit of butter out of the pan. Let it chill in the refrigerator for about 1 hour.
3. Remove the mixing bowl with chilled butter butter from the refrigerator. Add brown sugar and sugar and cream for 2-3 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl often.
4. Add eggs, one at a time, beating for 30 seconds after each addition. Stir in vanilla.
5. Add flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir just until combined, avoid over-mixing. Stir in chocolate chips.
6. Cover and let dough chill in the refrigerator for 2+ hours (or up to 2 days).
7. Preheat oven to 375 F. Place parchment paper liners or Silpat liners on baking sheets. Roll balls of cookie dough and place on cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until edges starts to become a light golden color. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.

Makes 2-3 dozen cookies, depending on size.

(Adapted from Modern Honey)