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There is no dessert category I take as seriously as I do cookies, specifically chocolate chip cookies. They’re a classic and a staple, and my favorite dessert to both make and eat. Over the years, I’ve made hundreds (thousands?) of cookies and came up with this recipe that has all the qualities I like in a cookie – brown butter, different types + sizes of chocolate, crispy edges and chewy centers.
So if that sounds like it’s up your alley, keep reading and give this ultimate chocolate chip cookie a try.
Ingredients
for 18 cookies:
- 2 sticks unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon whole milk
- 1 cup brown sugar*
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs + 1 egg yolk, room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 2.5-3 cups chopped chocolate**
- Optional (but highly recommended): chocolate feves or wafers, Maldon flaky salt
Directions:
- Brown the butter over medium heat.
- Pour the browned butter into a large mixing bowl, along with the milk*** and let it cool for about 15 minutes until it isn’t scolding hot.
- In the meantime, whisk together the dry ingredients – flour, baking soda, salt.
- Once the butter has cooled, add in both sugars and cream with a hand or stand mixer until the butter and sugar are well combined, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add in the eggs + vanilla and beat for another minute or two.
- Add in the flour mixture and mix until no flour streaks remain.
- Throw in the chopped chocolate and mix just until the chocolate is evenly distributed.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and allow the dough to sit at room temp for at least an hour and up to 3 hours.
- Preheat oven to 375F.
- Use a one-inch-scoop to scoop 6 cookies on a rimmed baking sheet**** lined with oven safe parchment paper.
- Top each cookie with a chocolate feve or wafer (if using).
- Bake for a total of 9-11 minutes, taking the pan out once at 7 minutes to bang the pan.*****
- Sprinkle a pinch of Maldon flaky salt over each cookie.
- Allow the cookies to cool for 10 minutes before removing them from the baking sheet.
Notes:
*Both light and dark brown sugar will work in this recipe but I prefer the milder taste and the texture of light brown sugar.
**I like to combine various types of chocolate to create layers of flavor and give some dimension to the cookie. I combine dark, semi-sweet and milk chocolate bars, and I’ve also thrown in some chocolate chips when I don’t have enough chocolate bars. I do recommend a higher ratio of chopped chocolate than chips as it creates more melted pools of chocolate and an overall better experience and appearance. But feel free to play around with flavors and sizes of chocolate to create the cookie you love!
***When you pour the milk into the hot brown butter, BE CAREFUL! It will bubble up quite a bit and may splatter.
****I highly suggest using a dark baking sheet rather than a light one when it comes to baking cookies. The dark pans absorb heat better and faster and affect the cookie more than you would expect! Of course, if all you have is a light baking sheet, the cookies will taste just as great but will have a slightly different appearance.
*****Banging the pan will deflate the puffed up cookie dough, creating a defined ridge around the cookie separating the crispy from the chewy. This step is technically optional but technically not. 🙂
