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Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Source of Recipe

From "100 Cookies: The Baking Book for Every Kitchen" by Sarah Kieffer


Recipe Introduction

"I occasionally require some luxury in my daily life. These cookies demand a little work, but you won't regret the effort, especially as the warm chocolate pockets hit your tongue and perfectly mix with the crisp, buttery edge. A tiny burst of salt will cause your closed eyes to flutter open in delight, and from that day forward these cookies will quietly call to you, like the song of the Sirens to the sailors, like the waves of the Sundering Seas to the Elves..."

List of Ingredients

◦ 2 cups all-purpose flour
◦ 1 teaspoon baking powder
◦ � teaspoon baking soda
◦ 12 tablespoons (1 � sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
◦ � cup granulated sugar
◦ � cup brown sugar
◦ 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
◦ � teaspoon salt
◦ 1 large egg plus 1 large yolk
◦ 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into bite-size pieces
◦ Fleur de sel, for finishing (optional)


Recipe

Adjust an oven rack to the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350� F. Line three sheets with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Slice 4 tablespoons of the butter into four pieces, and place them in a large bowl.

Melt the remaining 8 tablespoons of butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the butter until it is dark golden brown and giving off a nutty aroma, 2 to 3 minutes. Pour the browned butter (and any bits of browned butter stuck to the bottom of the skillet) into the bowl with the room-temperature butter, and stir until all the butter is melted and combined. Stir in the granulated and brown sugars, vanilla, and salt with a rubber spatula, mixing until combined. Whisk in the egg and the yolk until fully combined, about 45 seconds, until it is smooth and glossy. Let the batter sit for 2 to 3 minutes, and then whisk again for 45 seconds. Pour the flour mixture into the bowl and use the spatula to combine (it may take a minute to incorporate all the dry ingredients). Place the chopped chocolate over the dough and use your hands to knead it in until it is evenly distributed. The dough will be very shiny, slick, and dense, and it will take a minute to incorporate the chocolate.

Form the dough into 1 �-ounce balls (2 tablespoons). Place 8 cookies on each sheet pan. Bake one pan at a time, rotating halfway through baking. For soft cookies with a gooey center, bake the cookies until the sides are set, the centers are very puffed, and the dough is still light, 8 to 9 minutes. For cookies with a crisp edge and tender center, bake until the cookies are light golden brown around the edges and the centers are still slightly puffed, 9 to 10 minutes. For cookies with a crisp edge and firm center, bake until the cookies are golden brown around the edges and the centers have begun to collapse, 10 to 11 minutes.

Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the cookies cool for 10 minutes, then move the cookies to the wire rack to cool. Sprinkle the cookies with fleur de sel, if desired, a few minutes after they emerge from the oven. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, but they're best eaten warm.

Makes about 20 cookies




❧ Note:
I like using a combination of chocolate; I use 5 ounces of Guittard semisweet or bittersweet baking wafers and 3 ounces of Valrhona Cara�be F�ves. For a more developed flavor, the dough can be rested (or "aged") for up to 48 hours in the refrigerator. Place balls of formed dough on a sheet pan lined with parchment and cover with plastic wrap. Cookies can then be baked as directed, adding a little baking time (about a minute) to the chilled cookies. These cookies will be plumper and won't spread as much.