Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

If you learn nothing else this day, week, month, year…learn to brown butter.  You will thank me.

Once you learn to brown butter, learn moderation or you might need larger pants and Lipitor.  True fact.

The perk to browning butter (besides the awesome nutty carmel flavor) … it gives you a chance to practice patience.  I think I am a fairly patient person.  Like most, some days are better than others…but after browning butter all weekend, I think my patience level has improved 3.84 fold.  Seriously.

You will want to speed the process up by increasing the heat.  Don’t.  Stay on medium heat.  You will want to walk away to change the tv station.  Don’t.  Keep swirling.  Keep listening to the annoying commercials.  Let the phone ring, you have voicemail.  You will want to remove it from the heat once it starts to turn brown.  Don’t.  Wait just a bit longer until the smell gets unmistakable nutty and the butter solids turn dark brown, just before burnt.  AND DON’T STOP SWIRLING.  Don’t let the butter solids stick to the bottom of the pan.  That is burnville people.  Keep out!

These cookies are probably some of the best chocolate chip cookies I have ever made.  Hands down.  And the cookie dough….well it is out of this world!  I had to stay out of the kitchen while they were baking…I couldn’t keep my fingers out of the mixing bowl.  It is absolutely amazing the amount of flavor the browned butter adds.  Carmel hints with a bit of nuttiness….oh me oh my!

Just make these…you will see.

I don’t think I will ever use another chocolate chip cookie recipe and I might put browned butter in everything.  Just sayin’.

Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes about 2 Dozen

Ingredients

• 2 Sticks Unsalted Butter, browned, chilled
• 1 Cup Brown Sugar, packed
• 1/2 Cup White Sugar
• 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
• 2 Cups All – Purpose Flour
• 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1 Whole Egg
• 1 Egg Yolk
• 1 Cup Mini Chocolate Chips

Over medium heat, place butter into a saucepan.  Melt.  The butter will begin to pop and crackle.  At this point, start gently swirling the pan.  Continue to swirl the pan of melted butter over medium heat until the butter particles have turned deep brown and the butter begins to smell nutty.  (the melted butter itself will be amber in color) Once brown, remove from heat and place in a small bowl.  Place bowl into the fridge for about 10-15 minutes or until the butter is solid again…solid but soft enough to cream.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Sift together flour, salt, and baking soda.  Set aside.

Once the butter is in solid form again (but soft), place in mixing bowl with both sugars and cream.  — do not overmix here, just cream until combined — Mix in the whole egg, the egg yolk, and the vanilla.

With the mixer on low, slowly mix in the dry ingredients.  With a wooden spoon, mix in the mini chocolate chips.

Spoon dough onto ungreased cookie sheet (or parchment covered) — these will not spread much, so about 1+1/2 inchs apart should do ya.  Since these do not spread much, you may want to slightly flatten each cookie dough ball.  Place in preheated oven and bake for 8 – 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and let sit on cookie sheet for an additional 3 to 5 minutes and then transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool.

Enjoy!!

P.S.  These freeze amazingly well if they make it that long!