Emergency Saturday dispatch, friends! We have an update!
My parent’s are visiting New Orleans this week which means I’ve convinced my dad to make my favorite cookies (twice now and once more before he goes) – his Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies.
I’ve made hundreds of dozens of cookies in my day but none better than these. Two things make these cookies so special: 1) browned butter, and 2) dad making them for me. Now… when I make them for myself they’re still absolutely delicious. The effort barely decreases the pleasure at all. But ya know… it just feels nice to have dad bake cookies and mom help with dishes after a year long pantene pro-v.
I have this supremely fine recipe for Browned Butter Chocolate Chip. It’s been up for ages (7 years to be exact) and it feels high time for an update from our Virgo Baking Legend, Clifford Lesley.
The key to this recipe – the things that will make your cookies as good as Dad’s version:
• Brown the butter (a step-by-step here) and allow it to cool back to room temperature. You can speed this process up by placing the browned butter in the refrigerator to cool but bring it to a softened room temperature before combining with the sugar and other butter.
• Allow the cookie dough to rest for 1 hour (at least) before baking. This will allow the dough to meld and rehydrate.
• Portion the dough into 60 gram (about 2 1/2 tablespoon) round balls before baking.
Just the way dad does it and he seems to have the perfect touch.
Happy baking, friends. Let there be cookies in your future.
PrintDad’s Very Best Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Dad’s perfectly chocolate chip cookies. Chewy inside, crisp around the edges, deep buttery caramel flavor.
- Prep Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 12-15 minutes
- Total Time: 18 minute
- Yield: 18 cookies 1x
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks, 226 grams) unsalted butter, divided. 1/2 cup softened, 1/2 cup browned and cooled to room temperature
- 1 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 heaping cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Place half the butter (8 tablespoons) in a medium skillet. Melt the butter over medium heat, swirling it in the pan occasionally. It’ll foam and froth as it cooks, and start to crackle and pop. Once the crackling stops, keep a close eye on the melted butter, continuing to swirl the pan often. The butter will start to smell nutty, and brown bits will form in the bottom. Once the bits are amber brown (about 2 1/2 to 3 minutes or so after the sizzling stops), remove the butter from the burner and immediately pour it into a small bowl, bits and all. This will stop the butter from cooking and burning. Allow it to cool until absolutely room temperature. Speed this step up in the refrigerator, but don’t skimp on this step.
- In a medium bowl combine softened butter, room temperature browned butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Using an electric hand mixer, beat on medium speed until well incorporated, lightened in color, and fluffy – 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add the egg and yolk plus the vanilla extract and beat on low speed for 1 minute, until well incorporated.
- In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt to incorporate the leavening evenly through the flour.
- Add the dry ingredients all at once to the butter and sugar mixture and beat on low speed or incorporate with a wooden spoon or spatula until no dry patches remain. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Wrap the cookie dough in waxed paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. Dough can also be refrigerated overnight. Just allow the dough to rest on the counter while the oven preheats.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Roll dough into 60 gram portions (about 2 1/2 tablespoon balls). My dad rolls the dough into perfect balls and place about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake one cookie sheet at a time for 12 to 15 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking.
- Allow to cool on the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire to cool further before storing. Eat as many as you can while they’re warm.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for as long as they last.
Notes
Cookie dough can be frozen in rolled portions and baked from frozen for an additional 3 minutes.
Allie
These have officially become my #1 chocolate chip cookie. I’ve made them twice in the past 2 weeks and they were perfect both times. I even weighed the dough balls to get the ideal size and rolled them perfectly round which made them extra special. My husband usually gets bored with a dessert after eating one or two servings but he ate 3 of these the first night I made them and I had to bake the rest of the dough balls! They’re even still good after they sit for a day or two.
★★★★★
angeline
Your dad is a genius! These are going to be my new go-to chocolate chip cookies (I now have zero excuse for shelling out too much $$$ on the terribly delicious Whole Foods bakery ones). Thank you (and your sweet dad) for sharing this winning recipe with us.
★★★★★
samantha campanini
They look extragood!!
charlotte m.
I am going to make these today! Very excited. Also, I jus bought your over easy cookbook and man! I want to try all the recipes. Such a great book!
robin
I bake as a hobby and unable to taste anything I make due to being diabetic. I love to make sweet rolls (cinnamon/citrus) and known around here for them. I do volunteer work where I have willing tasters. This week I decided to make citrus rolls and make your cookie recipe (and never really much of a cookie person, but do like to make skillet cookies for the ease). I made these cookies and individually wrapped them. People went BONKERS over them. They kept trying to figure out the “SECRETE ingredient.” When they found out I made the cookies they asked if I would reveal the ingredient. I was glad to tell them about brown butter and they thought these were the “best chocolate chip cookies they had ever had.” Thanks
★★★★★
Abigail Wenderson
Wow, these cookies look amazing. I would love to make these soon. Thanks a lot for sharing the recipe.
★★★★★
Jen
Joy!!! Your dad’s method is the same as how I make your (I would argue) most iconic recipe! That makes me so happy. The only difference between his method and mine is that I do a full teaspoon of salt. I really try to make the dough a few days before I intend to bake them as that fridge aging makes them completely irresistible. I also think using a mix of chocolate chips (I usually do semisweet and dark chocolate) takes it over the top. One of my hobbies is trying new chocolate chip cookie recipes but this one is my absolute fave. It’s such a good recipe!
shahnnen
your dad is the cutest! love this!
Mini
What an ingenious method to freeze them for an hour and roll them out. I tried this last night and my family just loved these. Because I rolled them into a ball just like how your dad suggested, they all came same sized. That is a tip that I will always try now for all my cookies. Love all the way from India :)
Morean
So for this recipe, am I browning half a cup of butter and using what’s left after the water cooks off? Or do I use exactly 1 measured cup of brown butter? I was planning on making a batch of brown butter to keep in the fridge for another recipe, so I’m not sure if it measures the same since water will cook off of it. These cookies look amazing and I can’t wait to try!
Kristen
Worth it! These were phenomenal!
★★★★★
Molly
I made these cookies last night. Perfectly shaped buttery cookies! I love the browned butter step for cookies. It gives them that extra oomph. I’m so glad your parents were able to visit!
★★★★★
Jamie
Made them for dinner tonight. Amazing!
★★★★★
Amy
JOY! Holy crap, these cookies. I almost don’t even care about the chocolate chips (!) because the crunchy caramel-y corners are giving me so much life. You and your dad have excellent taste. I’m so grateful for the tiny miracle of you guys being together this weekend. Thanks for the recipe—y’all have a great visit! Thanks for all you do. xo
★★★★★
Kathryn
Do you or your dad recommend a specific chocolate chip?
Sue
Thank you for sharing your Dads
original Brown Butter Chocolate
Chip cookie recipe. At first sight that is
some good size cookie. I’ve been wanting to make chocolate chip cookies
for about a month. Now you have given
me a new recipe to try that is different
from most I have seen. Thank you and your Dad.
★★★★★
Stella
The cookies look delicious and I can feel the love all the way to LA. Enjoy
Patrick
I mean I do love you Joy, but your dad’s recipes are some of my faves. First it was the sweet potato pie which people go nuts over and now these cookies. They are definitely my new favorite. By the way, I do about 45 grams each and get 25-26 cookies and they’re plenty big. Thanks for the great recipes, the Sunday blog and for sure thanks for your dad!
Janet Scaglione
Lookin’ good in that apron Cliff! Love to all!
Alene
Enjoy this visit with your parents!
Denice
Love this!!! Love that your Dad makes you cookies.
Amy
Your brown butter chocolate chip cookies are THE BEST! I make them all the time :)
The sprinkle of sea salt in the top truly adds the perfect finish to a great cookie.
Laura Silberman
Can’t wait to try these. I’ve made your version of browned butter chocolate chip cookies and these sound fantastic too. I especially love that you have a handwritten version (hoping it’s your father’s writing) of the recipe. I treasure all the handwritten, stained with age, recipes I have collected over the years from family members and friends. There is something extra personal about them.
Leiann K
I made the the recipe and found that the cookie gets even better if that’s possible by aging the dough in the fridge for a few days!
Best chocolate cookie ever! A must try.
Thanks Dad!
Sarah
This is the only chocolate chip cookie recipe I have ever made and I make it all the time!! We putting a little extra flour in now?!
★★★★★
joythebaker
Dad puts a little extra flour in! :)
janie
I will definitely try baking your father’s cookies. I needed to take the time to say how blessed you are to have a father that bakes you cookies, not once, but 3 times. Tripled blessed. This special blog with your father brought tears to my eyes. Thanks for sharing your family with us.
More Blessing to you all, Janie