Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
The ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies with browned butter and two chocolates—crisp edges, chewy centers, and gooey chocolate in every bite.
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup semi-sweet chips
- 6 ounces bitter-sweet chocolate 70% cacao, cut into small chunks
- Maldon salt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F.
- Add the butter to a small sauce pot over low to medium heat and cook for 9 to 11 minutes, or until it becomes very foamy. The goal is to toast the milk solids in the butter. They should be lightly browned at the end and have a nutty taste and aroma.
- Remove the butter from the heat. Transfer to a separate container, and add 2 tablespoons of heavy cream. Chill it in the fridge for 30 minutes, or for a quicker option, in the freezer for 15 minutes.
- In a large bowl, sift in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cornstarch.
- Add the brown and granulated sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment, mix on low speed.
- At this point, add in the chilled browned butter and then whisk on high speed for 3 to 4 minutes. It will become light and fluffy. Stop and scrape the bowl as often as needed.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until incorporated after each addition. Mix in the vanilla just until combined, then stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and beat on high for 10 seconds.
- Turn the speed down to low and add in the dry ingredients in 3 equal batches. Don’t add the next batch until the previous batch is fully mixed. Stop and scrape after the second batch is added in.
- After the third and final batch of dry ingredients is just mixed in, remove it from the stand mixer.
- Next, thoroughly fold in the chocolate chips along with the cut-up bittersweet chocolate using a rubber spatula. For the little extra chunks or shavings from cutting it up, briefly set them aside.
- Using a 3- to 4-ounce scooper, or rolling them by hand, make 12 equal-sized cookies.
- Place 6 of them on a half-sheet tray lined with parchment paper, evenly spaced apart. You will need 2 sheet trays.
- Take the little extra cut-up chocolate shavings and sprinkle them evenly on top of the cookies. Bake on the middle rack at 350° for 16 to 18 minutes, or until the outer edges begin to brown.
- As soon as you remove the cookies, place them on a cooling rack and season the tops with a very small pinch of Maldon salt.
- Cool them and eat them.
Notes
It’s important to get the browned butter right from the start, or your cookies won’t be bakery-worthy. Browning butter is the process of simmering melted butter in a light-colored pan until the milk solids have been toasted, the butter has taken on a deep golden color, and it smells rich and nutty. If the butter ever smells burnt during this process, it’s best to start over.
Chill the brown butter: If I didn’t chill the brown butter and cream mixture, the sugars would melt, and the cookies would spread too much in the oven.
How to measure flour: I like to use a kitchen scale when baking because it’s the most accurate way to measure ingredients. If you don’t have one, spoon the flour into a measuring cup and level off the excess with the back of a knife.
Don’t overmix: I avoid overmixing the cookie dough by adding the dry ingredients in batches and mixing just until the flour is absorbed into the wet ingredients.
Chill the cookie dough: Chilling the cookie dough in the fridge before baking is optional. Do it if you have the time—it gives the flour time to fully hydrate and the flavors time to develop. A 1-hour chill is good, or you can leave it for up to 24 hours (covered).
Use the right pan: I always bake these cookies on light-colored, aluminum sheet pans lined with parchment paper. Dark pans absorb too much heat and can overbrown the bottoms before the centers are set.
Overly soft cookies: The cookies will look very soft coming out of the oven, but that’s okay! My cookies didn’t take long to firm up and finish baking when I set them aside to cool.
Make-Ahead: You can make and shape the cookie dough balls ahead of time and freeze them for later. Freeze the dough balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet until solid, then transfer them to an airtight freezer container.
How to Store: The raw cookie dough can be covered and frozen for up to 3 months. The baked cookies can be stored in a sealed container on the kitchen counter for up to 3 days, in the fridge for about 2 weeks, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
How to Reheat: The raw cookie dough balls can be baked from frozen. Add 1 to 3 extra minutes to the bake time since they’re cold.
Nutrition
Calories: 514kcalCarbohydrates: 60gProtein: 5gFat: 28gSaturated Fat: 17gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 73mgSodium: 307mgPotassium: 250mgFiber: 3gSugar: 37gVitamin A: 564IUVitamin C: 0.01mgCalcium: 55mgIron: 3mg