"Chocolate chip cookies are proof that happiness can be baked." 🍪✨
After countless hours in the kitchen and over 100 different recipes tested, I have finally perfected the ultimate chocolate chunk cookie—a masterpiece of texture, flavor, and pure indulgence. Each bite is a heavenly balance of chewiness and richness, with velvety pools of melted chocolate nestled within a perfectly golden, buttery dough. The chocolate-to-dough ratio is nothing short of perfection, ensuring that every mouthful is filled with deep, decadent cocoa notes that harmonize beautifully with just the right touch of sweetness and a hint of salt to elevate the flavor. These cookies are not just a treat; they are an experience, a moment of bliss wrapped in warm, bakery-fresh goodness. One taste, and I can confidently say you’ll never look at another chocolate chip cookie the same way again.
100-Tries, Brown-Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookie
Prep Time:
40 Minutes
Cook Time:
10-15 minutes
Serves:
15 Servings
Level:
Intermediate
After testing over 100 different recipes and tweaking every detail, I’ve finally crafted the ultimate chocolate chunk cookie—chewy, rich, and bursting with chocolatey goodness. The dough-to-chocolate ratio is spot on, and the balance of sweet and salty is pure perfection. One bite and I guarantee you’ll never crave another chocolate chip cookie again!
Ingredients
1 cup browned butter
1 ½ Tbs. milk powder*
1 ½ cups brown sugar, packed
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg & 2 egg yolks
2 ½ tsp. vanilla extract
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
2 ½ cups chocolate chunks (mix of semi-sweet, dark and milk chocolate)
Flaky sea salt for garnish
Preparation
Step 1
Start by browning the butter. Place the butter in a medium (light-colored*) pan. Over medium heat, melt the butter, stirring continuously. Once melted, add the milk powder, and continue stirring. The butter will begin to foam, keep stirring until the foam starts to subside and the milk solids on the bottom of the pan begin to brown and turn a medium golden-brown color. The butter will smell vaguely nutty and rich. Approximately 10 minutes. Allow the butter to cool to room temperature.
Step 2
Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and set aside.
Step 3
In a mixer or large bowl, cream together butter and sugars until fluffy. Add in eggs and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth and well combined.
Step 4
Slowly add the dry ingredient mixture to the butter mixture. Mix just until combined. Do not overmix.
Step 5
Gently fold in chocolate chips/chopped chocolate. Reserve approximately ½ cup for topping the cookies.
Step 6
Using a cookie scoop, form dough into rough ball shapes. Top each with a few of the reserved chocolate chunks and place on a baking sheet to chill for at least 1 hour.
Step 7
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake on a parchment-lined sheet for approximately 12 minutes. The cookies will look slightly underdone in the middle, but they will continue to cook on the baking sheet as they rest. Do NOT overbake!
Step 8
Before the cookies cool, add a pinch of course salt to each and "scoot"* each cookie for perfect roundness. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
1. Milk powder added to the browned butter helps to add an extra beautiful rich, salty flavor to your cookies.
2. When browning your butter, use room-temperature or mildly chilled butter. If your butter is frozen or too cold, it will splatter and easily burn. I also recommend cutting it into pieces so it cooks evenly.
3. Use a light-colored pan to see when the butter has browned. Dark pans can make it difficult to tell.
4. I like to stir my browning butter with a silicone whisk, wooden spoon, or heat-proof rubber spatula.
5. Cookie "scooting" is the act of using a circular, metal cookie cutter or other circular object to swirl around the edges of each cookie after they are freshly removed from the oven and still piping hot to ensure perfectly circular cookies.
6. I typically prefer to use Ghirardelli chocolate chips or high-quality baker's chocolate that I've cut into chunks myself. This ensures those big beautiful pockets of melty chocolate and the best, rich chocolate flavor.
