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Chocolate Chip Cookies · Brown Butter

Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

20

Hands-free cooking

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  • “How do I fold?”, “What does temper mean?”, “What are soft peaks?”
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Reading aloud

Before you start

Gather your ingredients

  • Swaps for unsalted butter

    Instead of butter

    • Salted butter: The same amount, with about ¼ tsp less salt per stick (½ cup) elsewhere in the recipe. Nothing noticeable once you cut the salt.
    • Plant-based butter sticks: The same amount. The closest swap.
    • Refined coconut oil: The same amount: solid when the butter is soft or cold, melted when it is melted. It is all fat, so bakes are a bit more tender and rich, with no butter flavor.

    All 4 swaps for butter

    Cooking for an allergy? Check every label.

  • Swaps for dark brown sugar

    Instead of brown sugar

    • White sugar + molasses: 1 cup granulated sugar + 1 tbsp molasses (light) or 2 tbsp (dark). The same as store-bought.
    • White sugar: The same amount. Crisper, paler cookies with less caramel flavor.
    • Light and dark brown sugar: The same amount, either way. Dark brown sugar tastes stronger and makes bakes a bit darker and moister.

    All 4 swaps for brown sugar

  • Swaps for granulated sugar

    Instead of sugar

    • Less sugar: Up to ¼ less in cookies, muffins and quick breads. Less browning and spread, a drier, more cake-like texture, and bakes go stale sooner.
    • Brown sugar: The same amount, packed. Moister and chewier, with a caramel flavor and darker color.
    • Coconut sugar: The same amount. Darker and caramel-like, a little less sweet; cookies spread slightly less.

    All 4 swaps for sugar

  • Swaps for egg

    Instead of eggs

    • Flax egg: 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water for each egg. Binds well but gives less lift, so bakes are a little denser and flatter, with a mild nutty taste and brown flecks.
    • Chia egg: 1 tbsp chia seeds + 3 tbsp water for each egg. Works like a flax egg: good binding, little lift, slightly denser crumb.
    • Unsweetened applesauce: ¼ cup for each egg. Moister and denser, with a soft, slightly gummy crumb if you swap more than one egg.

    All 5 swaps for eggs

    Cooking for an allergy? Check every label.

  • Swaps for vanilla extract

    Instead of vanilla extract

    • Vanilla bean paste: The same amount. Stronger, with visible vanilla seeds.
    • Vanilla bean: The seeds of 1 bean for each 1 tbsp extract. A deeper, floral flavor and visible seeds.
    • Alcohol-free vanilla: The same amount. Made with glycerin; a slightly milder taste.

    All 5 swaps for vanilla extract

  • Swaps for all-purpose flour

    Instead of all-purpose flour

    • Gluten-free 1:1 baking flour: The same amount, a blend that includes xanthan gum. A little grittier and more crumbly, browns faster and dries out sooner.
    • Bread flour: The same amount. More gluten: chewier cookies and bread, tougher cakes.
    • Whole wheat flour: Up to half of the flour. Nuttier, darker and denser.

    All 4 swaps for all-purpose flour

    Cooking for an allergy? Check every label.

  • Swaps for baking soda

    Instead of baking soda

    • Baking powder: 3 tsp baking powder for each 1 tsp baking soda. It rises, but bakes come out paler and puffier, cookies spread less, and the extra powder can taste a little bitter.

    More for baking soda

  • Swaps for kosher salt

    Instead of salt

    • Table salt or fine sea salt: About half as much as Diamond Crystal kosher, about ¾ as much as Morton kosher. The same saltiness when measured this way.
    • Salt by weight: 1 tsp is about 6 grams of table salt, 5 grams of Morton kosher, 3 grams of Diamond Crystal kosher. The most reliable way to swap, especially in baking and brines.

    More for salt

Step 1 of 9

Cut the butter into pieces and melt it in a light-colored saucepan over medium heat. Keep swirling the pan as it foams and crackles.

Step 2 of 9

When the crackling quiets down and the specks on the bottom turn toasty brown and smell nutty, pour it right away into a large heatproof bowl, scraping in all the brown bits.

Step 3 of 9

Let the butter cool until it is warm but not hot, so it won't cook the eggs.

Step 4 of 9

Whisk both sugars into the butter for about 30 seconds, then
whisk (how to whisk) Whisk Beat ingredients with a whisk to mix them smoothly or to add air. 1. Use a bowl big enough to whisk without splashing; set it on a damp towel to stop it spinning.2. Hold the whisk loosely and move it in quick circles or side to side, touching the bottom.3. For lumpy mixtures, add liquid a little at a time and whisk after each.4. For sauces on the stove, keep the whisk moving across the whole bottom of the pan. Done when: The mixture is even with no lumps or streaks of egg. How to whisk: mistakes to avoid
in the egg, yolk and vanilla until the mixture looks glossy and smooth.

Step 5 of 9

Add the flour, baking soda and kosher salt and stir with a spatula until no dry streaks remain.
Fold (how to fold) Fold Combine a light mixture (whipped cream, beaten whites) or chunky add-ins into a batter gently, so it stays airy. 1. Put the lighter mixture on top of the heavier one, or add the flour or chips.2. Cut a rubber spatula straight down through the middle to the bottom of the bowl.3. Sweep it across the bottom and up the side, then turn it over on top.4. Turn the bowl a quarter turn and repeat.5. Stop as soon as no streaks remain. Done when: There are no dry streaks or white blobs, and the mixture still looks light and puffy. Safety: Batters with raw eggs or flour aren't safe to eat raw.How to fold ingredients into a batter: mistakes to avoid
in the chopped chocolate.

Step 6 of 9

Cover and chill the dough so it firms up and the cookies don't spread too thin. You can chill it up to 2 days.

Step 7 of 9

Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and
line (how to line a pan) Line a pan Cover the bottom (and sometimes sides) of a pan with parchment or foil so food doesn't stick and lifts out easily. 1. For a sheet pan, tear parchment the size of the pan and lay it flat.2. For a round cake pan, trace the bottom on parchment, cut the circle out and press it in.3. For brownies and bars, leave two long sides hanging over to make handles (a "sling").4. A little grease under the paper holds it in place. Done when: The paper lies flat with no folds where the batter could run under it. How to line a baking pan with parchment: mistakes to avoid
two sheet pans with parchment. Scoop 3-tablespoon balls, leaving 3 inches between them.

350°F

Step 8 of 9

Bake one pan at a time in the center of the oven until the edges are golden and set and the middles look puffy and slightly underdone.

350°F

Step 9 of 9

Sprinkle with a little flaky salt while hot, cool on the pan 5 minutes, then move to a rack.

All done

Enjoy!

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Ingredients

  • Swaps for unsalted butter

    Instead of butter

    • Salted butter: The same amount, with about ¼ tsp less salt per stick (½ cup) elsewhere in the recipe. Nothing noticeable once you cut the salt.
    • Plant-based butter sticks: The same amount. The closest swap.
    • Refined coconut oil: The same amount: solid when the butter is soft or cold, melted when it is melted. It is all fat, so bakes are a bit more tender and rich, with no butter flavor.

    All 4 swaps for butter

    Cooking for an allergy? Check every label.

  • Swaps for dark brown sugar

    Instead of brown sugar

    • White sugar + molasses: 1 cup granulated sugar + 1 tbsp molasses (light) or 2 tbsp (dark). The same as store-bought.
    • White sugar: The same amount. Crisper, paler cookies with less caramel flavor.
    • Light and dark brown sugar: The same amount, either way. Dark brown sugar tastes stronger and makes bakes a bit darker and moister.

    All 4 swaps for brown sugar

  • Swaps for granulated sugar

    Instead of sugar

    • Less sugar: Up to ¼ less in cookies, muffins and quick breads. Less browning and spread, a drier, more cake-like texture, and bakes go stale sooner.
    • Brown sugar: The same amount, packed. Moister and chewier, with a caramel flavor and darker color.
    • Coconut sugar: The same amount. Darker and caramel-like, a little less sweet; cookies spread slightly less.

    All 4 swaps for sugar

  • Swaps for egg

    Instead of eggs

    • Flax egg: 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water for each egg. Binds well but gives less lift, so bakes are a little denser and flatter, with a mild nutty taste and brown flecks.
    • Chia egg: 1 tbsp chia seeds + 3 tbsp water for each egg. Works like a flax egg: good binding, little lift, slightly denser crumb.
    • Unsweetened applesauce: ¼ cup for each egg. Moister and denser, with a soft, slightly gummy crumb if you swap more than one egg.

    All 5 swaps for eggs

    Cooking for an allergy? Check every label.

  • Swaps for vanilla extract

    Instead of vanilla extract

    • Vanilla bean paste: The same amount. Stronger, with visible vanilla seeds.
    • Vanilla bean: The seeds of 1 bean for each 1 tbsp extract. A deeper, floral flavor and visible seeds.
    • Alcohol-free vanilla: The same amount. Made with glycerin; a slightly milder taste.

    All 5 swaps for vanilla extract

  • Swaps for all-purpose flour

    Instead of all-purpose flour

    • Gluten-free 1:1 baking flour: The same amount, a blend that includes xanthan gum. A little grittier and more crumbly, browns faster and dries out sooner.
    • Bread flour: The same amount. More gluten: chewier cookies and bread, tougher cakes.
    • Whole wheat flour: Up to half of the flour. Nuttier, darker and denser.

    All 4 swaps for all-purpose flour

    Cooking for an allergy? Check every label.

  • Swaps for baking soda

    Instead of baking soda

    • Baking powder: 3 tsp baking powder for each 1 tsp baking soda. It rises, but bakes come out paler and puffier, cookies spread less, and the extra powder can taste a little bitter.

    More for baking soda

  • Swaps for kosher salt

    Instead of salt

    • Table salt or fine sea salt: About half as much as Diamond Crystal kosher, about ¾ as much as Morton kosher. The same saltiness when measured this way.
    • Salt by weight: 1 tsp is about 6 grams of table salt, 5 grams of Morton kosher, 3 grams of Diamond Crystal kosher. The most reliable way to swap, especially in baking and brines.

    More for salt