I haven’t been feeling at home lately. ย I don’t think it’s an issue of physical location… I spend a hearty amount of time sitting at my desk. ย I think this might be more of a brain-space problem… my brain is everywhere but in my head doing its job.
I’m not certain how to coax my brain back into the world of now. ย I’ve been busying my poor brain with future work, future deadlines, and future anxieties. ย The now is certainly suffering in a way that feels annoyingly paralyzing.
Making these cookies came to mind more as a meditation than a treat. ย The act of melting butter down into a fragrant amber-colored fat, and creaming it with brown sugar feels like it could lead me home. ย Toasted pecans and dark chocolate chunks stud the path. ย The smell that fills the kitchen?… Yep, I think it’s working. ย I’m finding my way home.
Thank you for being here with me. ย Here is home, right?
Editor’s Note (it’s just me, Joy):
– ย There’s no way I could mention chocolate chip cookies without mentioning the dad who taught me how to make cookies: ย Dad the Baker. ย Father’s Day is right around the corner, which makes this week a wonderful time the reminisce about Dad Lessons. ย Oh how I need these every single day.
– ย If you follow me on Instagram (and I’m super glad that you do!) you may be have seen that this weekend I’m part of a Pop-Up Bake Sale and Shop in Los Angeles. ย Just sayin’. ย Stay in the know! ย
Here is a collection of ingredients I feel at home in. ย Butter is browned and nutty. ย Brown sugar is sticky and moist. ย Chocolate is dark. ย Pecans are chopped. ย I live in this space. ย Home, Sweet (literally) Home.
This cookie dough is creative with butter. ย We use softened unsalted butter like traditional cookie dough… but we also use melted and browned butter. ย Yea… brown butter is the magic ingredient to everything delicious. ย That’s not an exaggeration.
Proof: ย Brown Butter Strawberry Banana Bread
Now would be a good time to grab a spoon.
I’m at home, but sometimes it takes the smell of baking cooking to actually make me feel at home with everything around me.
Cookie dough is patient and kind.
Cookie dough burrito.
(I’m a poet.)
Cookie dough is scooped and, because I have a salt-tooth, I like to top these cookies with a pinch of smoked sea salt.
I mean…
Yea!
You can taste the butter from here, can’t you?
Brown butter + chocolate + pecans.
Chewy, crisp, and buttery. ย There’s not much more to say. ย We’re all ย the way home.
Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies with Pecans
from the Joy the Baker Cookbook
makes 24 cookies
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon molasses
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans
1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
coarse sea salt for sprinkling
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt and baking soda. ย Set aside.
Start by browning 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter. ย In a medium skillet, melt butter over medium heat. ย Once the butter has melted completely, it will begin to foam and froth as it cooks. ย The butter will also crackle and pop. ย That’s the water cooking out of the butter. ย Swirl the pan occasionally, and keep an eye on the melted butter. ย The butter will become very fragrant and brown bits will begin to form at the bottom of the pan. ย Once the bits are an amber brown, immediately remove pan from the heat and pour browned butter (bits and all) into a small bowl. ย Leaving the butter in the pan will burn it. ย Allow butter to cool for 20 minutes.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream remaining 1/2 cup of butter with brown sugar. ย Cream on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. ย Add the vanilla extract and molasses and beat until incorporated.
Once the brown butter has cooled slightly, pour the butter (brown bits and all) into the creamed butter and sugar mixture. ย Add the granulated sugar and cream for 2 minutes, until well incorporated. ย Add the egg and egg yolk and beat for 1 minute more.
Stop the mixer and scrape the bottom of the bowl to ensure that everything is evenly mixed. ย Add the flour mixture, all at once to the butter mixture and beat on low speed until the flour is just incorporated. ย Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and use a spatula to fold in pecans and chocolate chips.
Spoon batter onto a piece or parchment paper or plastic wrap and wrap into a disk or cylinder and seal at both ends. ย Allow to rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Place racks in the center and upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees f. ย Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. ย Scoop dough by the two tablespoonful onto prepared sheets. ย Sprinkle with sea salt. ย Be sure to leave about 2-inches of space between each cookie.
Bake for 12 to 14 minutes of until cookies are golden brown. ย Remove from the oven and allow to rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. ย Serve warm or allow to cool completely. ย Cookies are best enjoyed within a few days. ย Duh. ย
179 Responses
So, would it work to scoop these into individual cookies and then FREEZE the dough like that? I’d love to store these in little cookie balls in the freezer, and bake a few at a time so I don’t HURT myself by eating every dang one.
I’ve made these quite a few times and they are my favorite chocolate chip cookies. Can I refrigerate the dough overnight or will the dough get too hard?
You can refrigerate the dough overnight!
Can this cookie dough be frozen?
For sure!
Hi Joy, thank you for this brilliant recipe! The heights of cookie yumminess. How long can you keep the dough in the fridge before baking them?
https://bakingallfor.blogspot.com.au/
my daughter is doing a project on baked good and she made these last week to start off.
Can’t wait to bake these – sounds yummy! My child is allergic to nuts. Should I add more flour and more chips if leaving the nuts out?
I’m baking these right now. As a chocolate chip cookie obsessive, these are insanely good!
Oh, Joy!! These are FANTASTIC!! I love the way they smell, I love the way they feel, I love the way they look, I love the way they taste! (and to throw in the hearing sense, i love the way the butter crackles and pops!) These are sure to be a hit with my family tonight and tomorrow at Christmas! Thanks to you for inspiring me to bake and Merry Christmas!
Saw this on twitter and knew I had to try them and boy, they are winners! I keep going back for another cookie! :) thanks for sharing this great recipe!
This look unreal. Can’t wait to give them a try! x
Have you ever tried making your own Vanilla Extract? I made these cookies with home-made vanilla https://cuceesprouts.com/2013/10/homemade-vanilla-extract/ YUMMMM
these are amazing.I’ve been on the hunt for 2 years looking for the best choc chip cookie- and I’ve found it. these cookies are tio me, what porn is to men!!
thanks so much for the recipe
I made these last night for a little dinner party at my house. They were amazing!! Probably the most delicious chocolate chip cookies I have ever baked. My guests loved them! Thanks for the recipe! Oh, and thanks for including the short tutorial about browning butter in the recipe. It was most helpful. I’ve never browned butter before but will definitely be doing it again.
Hi there,
Just wondering if I will still get the full deliciousness without the pecans. Due to nut allergies at my kids’ school we are not allowed to send treats containing nuts. Such a shame, really. — so many good recipes contain nuts or peanut butter.
Thanks,
Carin
I made these to take to office. Everyone loved it. It would be nicer if you cut down sugar to 1 cup – 1 1/4 cup.
Is it possible to make these without a mixer? I only have wisks, spoons, and pure arm power. Thanks!
of course!
I’m busy resisting to eat the dough. Brown butter is grrrrrreat :)
I followed the recipe: the cookies flattened out & ran together in the sheet as it baked. Looked more like I was making a pan of blondies lol. I added an additional 1/2 cup of all purpose flour to the remaining dough & they baked up picture perfect :.)
I just found recently a recipe similar but stuffed with Nutella. Flatten the cookie, put a bit of chilled Nutella in the middle then wrap the cookie dough around the Nutella. A co-worker made them and they were so good! Here is the link for that recipe but I like the idea of having nuts in the cookie batter as well.
https://www.ambitiouskitchen.com/2012/09/nutella-stuffed-brown-butter-sea-salt-chocolate-chip-cookies-my-favorite-cookie-ever/
These helped heal a little part of a broken heart. Thank you, JTB.
When I bake these, they are never as brown and crackley as yours look. Also, my batter is almost pudding- like before I add in the flour. Do those 2 correspond and how can I prevent that?
pudding… hm. that seems fine for before you add in the flour. i don’t know what caused your cookies not to brown. i’m afraid i need more information.
Wow. These are amazing! I ran out of AP flour and used whole wheat pastry flour – you can’t even tell. Phenomenal recipe. Thank you!
WOW. I made these last week and they were so delicious. (I forgot to leave a comment but I had to.)
These are so good. Like so good. I made them twice and I think I’ve perfected making browned butter.
When I creamed everything, it kind of had the consistency of pudding so that worried me. But it turned it out fine. The tops would always be uncooked and the sides would be way done. What does that mean?
ANYWAY- I just broiled the tops on low with the door open to fix that.
I love how chewy these are and slightly crisp on the edges. The brown butter makes it more rich and nutty, not to mention the brown sugar.
EVERYBODY NEEDS TO MAKE THESE. I PROMISE, THEY WILL BECOME YOUR GO-TO RECIPE.
I am a big fan of cookies…..this recipe looks easy gonna try this soon
Delicious cookies….cant wait try them.
no joke, most of my favorite recipes are from your blog or book. i make some variation of your almond coconut granola often. i just made this dough (in the fridge now, but it almost didn’t make it because i was eating that mess raw!) thanks for helping me to feel awesome in the kitchen!
Hey, yo Joy. These biscuits have my life worth living. Seriously. I did three different combos:
1. salted peanut with butterscotch flavoured choc chips
2. Dark chocolate with hazelnuts
3. White chocolate (the real deal) and pistachios
All of them, equally as amazing. My life is complete!
My cookies were very soft in the oven so I let them stay in for a while longer, they were beautiful and chewy when I tried them when they were warm, however as soon as they cooled down they became very hard! What did I do wrong? Was it because I kept them in the oven for longer?
I have my first batch chilling as we speak! And this is a girl who doesn’t usually have the willpower to wait for things like the chilling process. I pop them in and dance expectantly in front of the oven until I hear that beep.
Once I tasted the dough though, I wanted to follow the instructions to a T. The browned butter and molasses are AMAZING, and I’m so excited because chocolate chip cookies are my husband’s favorite dessert and I can’t wait to have him try these.
Thanks Joy!!!
Perhaps you miss your dad so much because of those memorable times that you were together while he taught you how to bake the cookies. Your dad is a great baker by the why. I know because the ingredients he used were just simple but it turned our to be a very fine cookie.
Made these today with 2 adjustments:
1) Substituted half the butter for coconut oil (still used brown butter, but for the other stick used coconut oil)
2) I don’t have a mixer so I mixed all ingredients by hand
Turned out great. Browned butter is always a great way to make a cookie taste a little more delicious. I think next time I make them, I will use coconut oil in place of only one half stick of butter and use 1 and a half sticks. Mine turned out a little more flaky than I desired.
I have molasses to use up, so I will have to add this to the list of things to bake!
Toll what? Oh yum just made a batch with my daughter. They have a smokiness to them that made them extra wonderful, nice surprise.
Umm, I just made these and they are absolutely delicious. I’m sad that these have already been promised to my husbands office! Another batch will have to be made in the near future.
Oh Joy! Thank you so much for giving me such a wonderful birthday gift……posting these delicious cookies for me (on my birthday) and to make for my son’s graduation! Perfect timing and I know they will be a hit! I even let my husband test taste the dough (which I never do…..he’d eat it all), we practically did! ;) Hugs!
Hi Joy,
Thank you for this excellent treat! Goes perfectly with a glass of fresh milk.
OMG! These look amazing! everywhere I look today, I’m seeing Chocolate Chip Cookies. It must be a sign! Where is my mixing bowl?
you could never go wrong with brown butter. good stuff!
I just bought two of these at a Joy The Baker pop up today. That was buying way too few.
I am now downloading this recipe to try and re-create them. They were delicious.
I was lucky enough to get the from Joy herself.
Delicious!
These were DELICIOUS! The brown butter made my apt spell heavenly.
Dad appreciated them =)
Delicious! My family very much enjoyed these.
My husband turned 30 last month. He LOVES chocolate chip cookies. He once lived off them for two days in college. I made him some using your recipe (from your cookbook). Four other people also made him chocolate chip cookies. Mine were the best. Thank you.
This was the first recipe I made after I bought the cookbook. My husband after the first bite said “Now that is a chocolate chip cookie! ” and he is one picky Brit.
Love the cookbook!
Nothing is more relaxing than baking cookies; the act of mixing, scooping, and the wonderful smells are calming and make feel at home. What a perfect recipe!
It’s been a while since I’ve made cookies, Joy! I’ll have to try these. I’m sure it will feel like home should again in no time. :)
Do you think there’s an app for finding your way back to your head? Probably. Bummed I missed the info on the bake sale, I’d loved to have donated some of my caramels! Have fun and sell lots :)
My daughter just made these for her teachers…..our favorite cc cookie.
Made these last night. Ummm. The real deal right here people. Swoon.
These look amazing! Making them today, cannot wait! Thank you Joy…
I’m a complete and utter sucker for anything with browned butter in it. And I agree that sometimes I need to spend time in the kitchen to ground myself and get back in balance. I’ll be adding these to my weekend baking list :)
Yum. You had me at brown butter and chocolate…and then you had to go to smoked salt?! Gah… be still my beating heart!
This is why I think that we would be bff’s. Totally making these for a friend with a birthday this weekend! Per usual, winning!
A cookie dough burrito! Love that. These look amazing – so glad you found your way home :)
These are so great!!
Damn. Now I need to go home and make these. I have been trying to resist since I saw you post on FB….but really one cannot resist the best chocolate chip cookies ON. THE. PLANET.
Ah I’m so happy for these, I make your other brown butter toasted coconut chocolate chip cookies all the time for my friend and mail them to her. I bet she’ll love these too!
I made these yesterday and they were fabulous. My husband ate half the batch while I was at my yoga class, so he must have thought so too! I refrained from telling him that ge gad just consumed a whole stick of butter. :) What I really appreciate is that unlike so many cookie recipes, this one actually makes the amount of cookies you say it will.
Joy… Your dad’s lessons just made me laugh until I cried. No joke. Space Odyssey at six years old… that is why you are so cool.
The ant in the kitchen made me laugh for 5 minutes.
Joy, this post tugged at my heart. I just moved to a new city and I haven’t been feeling very at home in my home. Your sentiments about baking bringing you home (especially baking cookies) are so insightful. I can definitely relate. Thank you for reminding me. xoxo
These cookies look soooooo delicious, my heart tells me I’d eat them all in one go, but my head says otherwise hehe :)
Joy, sometimes we are just on the same wavelength, I totally get you! Oh and these cookies look scrumptialicious! Lots of love xx
Hey Joy,
First of all, very nice to meet you. I’m 20 years old, I’m from Maceiรณ, Alagoas, Brazil. I just want you to know that your blog has saved many days of my life. I had huge problems in the past, I was sexually abused during all my childhood. Which led me to a real screwed up life.
Anyway, every night I read your blog before sleeping. My heart gets warmer, sometimes I can feel the smell of cookies and it soothes me. Big time. I feel I can keep living my life positively. I’ll be always grateful for your existence.
Just keep doing what you do. You’re super great!
Thank you so much,
Kaline Melo.
P.s.: here in Brazil it’s really tricky to find good ingredients so I cannot say I try to do each one of your recipes. Sorry.
Do you sprinkle the sea salt after baking or before? Going to make these for my dad for Father’s Day. Can’t wait to try them!
Cookie dough burrito. I think you may have come up with the next big thing, Joy. :)
These look amazing. And I know what you mean about feeling at home, and your mind getting away from you. Been there. :)
This looks amazing! I haven’t baked cookies in the longest time, but I may have to try these now
DIVINE :)
My brother just posted a similar recipe like this on our blog, but I never thought of pecans, genious!
I love the version of these in your cookbook. They’ve become my new go-to chocolate chip cookie.
I can almost smell them! They smell like home…
Going to save this recipe and try it out. x
lol… Like the cookie dough burrito!
These look lovely, and soon I will be home as well! After almost ten months in Paris, my French adventure is at an end, and I move back to Oslo this weekend. I’ve definitely eaten my share of Parisian pastries during my stay, but I haven’t been able to bake at all, because there is no oven in my tiny apartment – as soon as I can smell the baking cooking, I’ll know I’m really home!
Oh… and yes, this is home! =)
Never had brown butter before… definitely going to try this recipe! I don’t like any nut though… do you think i should add something to make up fpr the pecans? Oh, and I live in Brazil… any substitute for molasses?
Tks a lot!!
how have i not made these from your book?!
To Do list has now been updated to include ‘MAKE COOKIES IMMEDIATELY’
This is one of my go-to recipes from your cookbook. These cookies are glorious! Chewy, and that nutty flavor from the browned butter is divine.
These cookies are always a success! Thanks for sharing the recipe :)
These are just gorgeous…Your photos are amazing!!!
i have never made anything with brown butter but I can smell these cookies- yum yum yum
These will happen soon in my kitchen. And to supplement the salty, i might… just maybe… replace the pecans with chopped pretzel sticks. Think they would stay crunchy?
Joy! I am home with this recipe! Just Great! I can smell the butter just sitting in my room in front of my computer! Definitely a must try this weekend! Thank you.
Hi Joy,
Could you scoop the dough onto the cookie sheets and let that rest in the frig for 30 minutes instead of wrapping in parchment?
yea! you could totally do that!
this is my happy place.
Lovely and genuine, love love love
Cooking is so therapeutic! I have actually been feeling the same way this week. Thanks for sharing! And thanks for the AMAZING cookie recipe, it’s sure to do the trick to snap my brain out of it’s funk!
I think I’m having the same brain issues…
Will try to make the bake sale this weekend- how fun!
Baking is definitely some sort of mediation for me too. I especially like the act of mixing and kneading – and eating chocolate chips!
oh my, those look awesome!
Thank you for the brown butter love. I will be making these!
I made these on Monday for the same reason! Good luck with your bake shop!
Browned butter + smoked sea salt + cookie…. oh my. These just moved to the tippety top of my TO MAKE list for this weekend. Tippety tippety top.
I would eat a cookie dough burrito. Just sayin’.
I promised my husband I’d make him cookies this week, and I think these may be it.
I am totally feeling what you feel, Joy! It’s the strangest thing. I am literally going to whip up a batch of these tonight. My coworkers will thank you…
Any danger in leaving out the molasses? I don’t have any on hand and use it so infrequently I’m not sure I want to go out and buy it…
P.S. You’re awesome.
Replying to my own post, but I left out the molasses and my cookies were a little fluffier but every bit as tasty. Coworkers thought they were a hit!
This sounds heavenly. I’ve been looking for a cookie recipe to make chipwiches this summer. I think I have found it.
Thanks for sharing.
xo Quinn
Quinn Cooper Style
Hi Joy!
I agree about browned butter. It is the root of all happiness. Browned-butter frosting is heavenly.
Looks to die for….
Can I just leave out the molasses? Or what would be a replacement? These sound awesome.!
L
I just made these this past weekend, so I know they’re awesome! Yum!
Yes you can taste the butter! There is nothing like baking to make you feel at home. It’s one of the reasons I love to bake.
Joy, since buying your book last summer, i’ve made these many times. i must say, the molasses is genius! these are definitely one my favs…thanks!
Amazing when the kitchen can take you away from it all…even if just for minutes. Lovely seeing you this weekend!
Oh gosh. Can I move in please? As long as I have cookies, I don’t take up much space, or make much noise, promise!
I’ve been meaning to try cookies with brown butter for a long time, I’m sure it tastes even better!!
I can totally smell and taste the cookies through this post! Papa must be proud!!
Hi Joy,
I dont have any molasses, could I leave it out or use something else instead?
these look yummy!
I just made these and I left out the molasses as it is hard to come by in the UK. From my perspective it isn’t lost but I haven’t tried them with it. Delicious!
you can totally leave it out if necessary. no big deal!
thanks ladies!! I will add these to my weekend baking list :)
I wonder if using dark brown sugar would have the same effect as using light brown sugar + molasses? Since the darker the brown sugar, the more molasses….
Just a thought!
I love love love the combo of ingredients here! Pecans, chocolate, brown butter. Very earthy and buttery.
thank you for inviting us into your home. i feel at home, here, too. it’s a pretty welcoming space.
Oh I love these cookies! I’ve made them from you book before!
Delicious and I LOVE the picture of the dough in the bowl.
I just saw someone’s instagram picture of gorgeous cookies yesterday and someone asked what the recipe was and she said the Browed Butter Choc Chip Cookies from your cookbook! And now today you made your own recipe. And now I am reminded again that I need to make them!
And not feeling at home. Oh boy, story of my life at times. I hope you find that calm, peaceful, at-home feeling soon :)
Hey Joy,
I just feel like you would dig this. It has nothing to do with cookies but has everything to do with awesomeness and kids and bikes and rapping and swerve… swerve. pop that. pop that.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rSH5K5LlE8
sorry.. didn’t know it would be so huge! thought it would just be the link:(
Loved seeing this! I grew up in Minnesota, and attended college in Minneapolis. Yay Minnesota!
sounds DELICIOUS
Love these, nothing better than brown butter & chocolate!
I have made these many times and they are a hit every single time!!
I have to try these!
count me in for browned butter, it is the stuff that I wished I knew even 5 years ago!
Ha! I was just wondering how I coud incororate browned butter into yur chocolate chip cookie recipe… you must be psychic!
Oooh, I know this feeling. Being at home but not feeling that way. Cooking is always one of my ways back to myself. I hope you’re feeling at home soon. Can’t wait to see you, my friend. Love to you!!!
Oh man! Those look heavenly! Wishing I was eating one now with a cold glass of milk!