Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
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Classic chocolate chip cookies get upgraded with a slightly nutty flavor from brown butter and hints of espresso. These cookies are chewy with the perfect amount of chocolate flavor.
I consider myself to be somewhat of a cookie queen. Often times at night I’ll look at my husband and tell him I wish I had a cookie. Most times he agrees and we quickly decide what type of cookie we should have.
Most weekends you will find me baking up a batch of cookies. One of my favorites are these thick and chewy Insomnia Snickerdoodle Cookies. When I’m looking for a rich, chocolate cookie I always go for these big Crumbl Brownie Batter Cookies. For a party or show stopping cookie Pittsburgh Thumbprint Cookies can’t be beat.
Of course my go to cookie is always chocolate chip. I always have the ingredients on hand with a variety of chocolate chips. Just by changing the chips you can have an array of cookie flavors.
What type of chocolate chips should I use?
The classic chocolate chip cookies most often use semi-sweet chocolate chips. These chips are on the sweeter side without being overwhelmingly sweet. If you like sweeter chocolate then milk chocolate chips are a good choice. When you prefer less sweet then dark chocolate chips are a good choice. To add flavor to the cookies you can add peanut butter chips, cinnamon chips, or even butterscotch chips.
One of my favorite ingredients in chocolate chip cookies is brown butter. It gives the cookie a delicious nutty flavor that will totally elevate your cookie.
While brown butter is delicious it needs to be used in combination with the right ingredients so your cookies don’t turn out hard and crispy. I much prefer a chewy cookie to a crispy one.
How do you make brown butter?
To make brown butter it’s best to use a light colored skillet so that you can see when the butter is changing color. Cut the butter into 1 inch pieces and add them to the pan. Heat over medium heat, stirring until the butter is melted. The butter will begin to foam and you can gently stir it. Then it will begin to change color. Watch closely because it can go from light colored to burnt in a few seconds. You will notice brown specks forming and a nutty smell. The butter will begin to turn golden. As soon as it is a golden brown remove it from the heat and pour it into a heat safe container to stop it from cooking.
The brown butter is what gives these cookies their unique flavor so don’t skip this step. If you don’t like coffee you don’t have to add the espresso powder but it does give the cookies a flavor that is both delicious but that most won’t be able to identify.
Ingredients:
- salted butter (I always like my brown butter salted but you can use unsalted)
- dark brown sugar (you can use light but dark has a better flavor for these cookies)
- granulated sugar
- espresso powder (optional)
- egg
- vanilla paste (or vanilla extract)
- all purposed flour
- salt
- baking soda
- baking powder
- semisweet chocolate chips (or your favorite type of chocolate chip)
To make the cookies the first thing to do is brown the butter. Add the butter to medium saucepan over medium heat. The butter will begin to foam and brown specks will begin to appear. Stir constantly until the butter smells nutty and is a deep golden brown color. Remove from heat and immediately pour into a heat safe bowl to cool for 5 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl combine the brown butter, granulated sugar, dark brown sugar, and espresso powder. Mix well until combined. Add the egg and vanilla paste and mix well.
Can I make dark brown sugar?
I actually didn’t have dark brown sugar so I made my own for this recipe. All you need is 1 cup of light brown sugar and 1 tablespoon of molasses. Mix well until combined and you now have dark brown sugar.
Add in the salt, baking soda, baking powder, and flour and mix until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
Scoop out 12 cookies using a cookie scoop. I used a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop to do this. Make sure the cookies are at least 2 inches apart on the baking sheet.
Bake for 12-13 minutes making sure not to over bake. Remove from oven and cool for 1-2 minutes before removing them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Can I freeze Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies?
To freeze cookie dough scoop the cookie dough onto a small baking sheet. Place in the freezer for 30 minutes. Remove from the freezer and place the cookie dough balls in zip top freezer bag. When ready to enjoy remove from the freezer, place on a cookie sheet, and bake from frozen. Remember to add 2 minutes to your baking time because the dough was frozen.
These cookies were gorgeous when they came out of the oven. They looked thick and had puffed up. I was really excited to try them just because of their appearance.
The taste did not disappoint. These cookies are chewy, full of chocolate, have a nice nuttiness from the brown butter, and an exotic taste from the espresso. My husband and I agreed that they are truly the perfect bite.
Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/2 c. salted butter browned
- 1/2 c. dark brown sugar
- 1/4 c. granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder optional
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
- 1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 c. chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- To make the brown butter heat a skillet over medium heat. Add the butter and stir occasionally until it begins to foam. Stir constantly until the butter begins to brown and smells nutty. Remove from heat and pour into a heat safe bowl. Allow to cool for 5 minutes.
- In a large bowl combine the brown butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Mix well.
- Add in the espresso powder, vanilla paste, and egg and mix until well combined.
- Add in the salt, baking soda, baking powder, and flour and mix until just combined. Do not over mix.
- Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Scoop out 12 cookies using a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop. Place them on a cookie sheet 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 12-13 minutes or until they look set. Do not over bake.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before enjoying.
Notes
- Recipe from Schmidty Bakes