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Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

recipeamericandessertcookieschocolate

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Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Source: Adapted from Joshua Weissman — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1xCU9ydG-A

Yield: 1 batch(es) — 24 cookies

Time: ~2 hours (plus optional overnight rest)

About

A complex chocolate chip cookie with browned butter, homemade toffee chunks, and espresso powder for depth. Soft and chewy at 13 minutes, crunchier at 15. The toffee chunks are the secret weapon.

Key Technique: Browned butter and a rest period for the egg-espresso mixture both add significant flavor depth — don't skip either.

Ingredients

Toffee

  • 113g unsalted butter
  • 200g light brown sugar
  • 6g kosher salt
  • Optional: almonds

Brown Butter

  • 227g unsalted butter
  • 2 ice cubes

Cookie Dough

  • 100g granulated sugar
  • 300g dark brown sugar
  • 6g espresso powder
  • 12g kosher salt
  • 3g baking soda
  • 2 eggs
  • 10ml vanilla extract
  • 240g all-purpose flour
  • 170g chocolate (70% cacao minimum)
  • Maldon sea salt (for topping)

Instructions

1. Make Toffee

  1. Combine butter and sugar in a tall pot on low heat, stirring constantly to keep the butter from separating.

- Tip: Use a taller pot — the mixture bubbles up significantly.

  1. Cook slowly until it reaches 150°C. Cooking too fast will make it sandy and clumpy.
  2. Pour onto a sheet pan and let cool, then break into chunks.

2. Brown the Butter

  1. Cook 227g of butter in a tall pot over medium heat until clear and lightly browned specks appear.
  2. Slowly add 2 ice cubes to cool it down and add moisture.

3. Make the Dough

  1. Mix brown sugar, white sugar, and browned butter until smooth — it should look like wet sand.
  2. In a separate bowl, mix eggs, vanilla, and espresso powder. Let sit for 20 minutes (allows coffee flavor to bloom).
  3. Add the egg mixture to the sugar and stir until it looks like a smooth sauce.
  4. Add flour bit by bit and mix until smooth.
  5. Fold in chocolate and toffee chunks.

- Tip: Split chocolate in half — chop half smaller to mix in, leave the other half in larger pieces to press on top before baking.

4. Bake

  1. Preheat oven to 149°C.
  2. Scoop dough into 25g balls, rolled tight.
  3. Bake 13 minutes for soft and chewy, 15 minutes for crunchier.
  4. In a standard pan, arrange in a 3-2-3 pattern to avoid spreading into each other.

Tips

Aged Dough:

  • Scoop cookies onto a tray and refrigerate overnight. Bake after returning to room temperature for stronger espresso flavor.

Tags: #recipe #american #dessert #cookies #chocolate