Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

My husband and I have this thing for chocolate chip cookies. I mean, we're talking chocolate chip cookies ... what's not to love? But we've taken it to the next level. About once a week, while we enjoy a food coma following a pretty large dinner for two, one of us will invariably mention how some chocolate chip cookies sure would hit the spot.

Once someone says it, you can't get it out of your head. Duh. So. I make cookies. Lots and lots of chocolate chip cookies.

Now, you can't go wrong with some version of the Classic Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe. And if you have multiple types of chocolate and 24 hours to spare, the Jacques Torres Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe is pretty phenomenal. Or if you're craving cookies the size of your head, make these Ultimate Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies. But if, like me, you make at least one batch per week, it's fun to mix it up with different versions of the classic. For these, I make the dough ahead to keep in the fridge (it lasts up to 3 days) and pop in a batch or two whenever the craving hits. 

Tips for taking these cookies to the next level. Use quality, grass-fed butter for the ultimate results. Good butter makes all the difference. Browning the butter makes for dense, chewy, nutty cookies. I also like to chop a portion of my chocolate to add more texture to the cookies. Also, pull them from the oven when the edges are just beginning to brown and the middle still looks a bit doughy. They will firm up as they cool and the result is heavenly — crispy outer layer and a chewy center.

{Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies}

adapted from Serious Eats

Ingredients

2 sticks unsalted butter

2 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar

8 ounce dark chocolate chips, chopped

flaky sea salt

Directions
1. Allow one stick of butter to soften. Meanwhile, melt remaining stick of butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, swirling pan until it begins to turn golden brown and nutty. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely in the refrigerator, whisking occasionally.
2. Meanwhile, whisk flour, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. In the bowl of your stand mixer, whisk together sugar, eggs, and vanilla medium-high for about 5 minutes. 
3. Add brown butter to the egg mixture. Add in flour mixture and mix until just combined. Add chocolate. Refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight.
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place rounded spoonfuls of cookie dough onto a parchment-lined baking dish. Bake until golden brown and soft, 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven to a wire rack. While still hot, sprinkle lightly with coarse salt. 

Since I moved to Utah — altitude 5,600 feet — I've had trouble with flat cookies that spread out all over the pan. Not these. These cookies come out of the oven perfect and plump and bursting with chocolate. The browned butter adds a nutty note missing from other chocolate chip cookies, and chopping a portion of the chocolate chips means ribbons on chocolate in every bite.