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the best chocolate chip cookies
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The BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies

Browned butter with dark chocolate cookies - crispy on the outside and soft in the middle.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: chocolate chip cookies
Servings: 20 cookies
Calories: 200kcal
Cost: $35

Equipment

  • 2 large sheet metal pans
  • 1 cookie cooling rack
  • 1 saucepan to brown butter
  • 1 large mixing bowl
  • 1 sharp knife to chop chocolate
  • 1 small cutting board
  • 1 Whisk
  • 1 rubber spatula
  • 1 cookie scoop optional
  • parchment paper to prevent sticking

Ingredients

  • 12 tbsp unsalted butter
  • ¾ cups dark brown sugar
  • ¾ cups granulated sugar
  • 1 egg room temperature
  • 1 egg yolk room temperature
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1½ tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
  • 3 tbsp black coffee freshly brewed
  • 1 tbsp bourbon
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ⅓ cup dark chocolate chips
  • ⅓ cup dark chocolate chopped
  • flaky sea salt for topping

Instructions

  • Brown the butter. Add 8 tablespoons of unsalted butter to a saucepan and turn the heat to medium. Let the butter melt and stir occasionally. Let the butter bubble for 3-4 minutes, until it turns an amber shade and becomes fragrant (it will smell sweet and nutty). Remove it from the heat before it burns and pour the butter into a heat-proof bowl. Let the butter sit for 5 minutes.
    12 tbsp unsalted butter
  • Take the other 4 tablespoons of butter and slice it into four pieces. Add it to a large mixing bowl. Pour the hot browned butter onto the solid butter in the bowl. Whisk until all the butter is melted an homogenous.
  • Add the brown sugar and granulated sugar. Whisk the mixture together until combined. It may be a little firm at this point, that's okay.
    ¾ cups dark brown sugar, ¾ cups granulated sugar
  • Add the egg and egg yolk along with the salt. Whisk the mixture vigorously for 30 seconds. Then add the coffee, bourbon and vanilla and whisk vigorously again for about 45 seconds. The mixture should lighten and look creamy and slick.
    1 egg, 1 egg yolk, 1½ tsp vanilla bean paste, 3 tbsp black coffee, 1 tbsp bourbon, ½ tsp salt
  • Add the flour, baking powder and baking soda. Use a rubber spatula to gently mix the batter until just combined. It will firm up - scrape the sides and the bottom!
    2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tsp baking powder, ½ tsp baking soda
  • Chop the dark chocolate bar - I like to chop half of it into smaller shards and leave some larger chunks. Leave some of the large chunks aside and add the rest of that chocolate and the whole chocolate chips to the batter and fold into the batter.
    ⅓ cup dark chocolate, ⅓ cup dark chocolate chips
  • Freeze the batter for 10 minutes minimum. You can leave the batter right in the bowl.
    If you freeze for 10 minutes, you can bake the batter right away. If you freeze the batter for 30 minutes or longer, be sure to allow the batter to return to closer to room temperature before baking - otherwise they won't spread much in the oven if they are cold.
  • Line your baking sheets with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 350℉ and make sure the rack is in the center of the oven. Using a cookie scoop, scoop a hefty tablespoon's worth of dough and use your hands to roll the batter into a ball. Place around 6 cookies on a sheet (so they don't crowd). Take a dark chocolate chunk (leftover from earlier) and push it into the top of each cookie to give them a nice appearance.
  • Place the cookies in the oven to bake for 5 minutes. Then rotate the pan completely and bake them for another 3-5 minutes, until the edges are set and golden.
  • Remove the cookies form the oven and immediately sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Let the cookies cool for 5-6 minutes. Then transfer them to a wire cookie rack to cool completely.
    flaky sea salt