Brown Butter Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies

Brown butter sea salt chocolate chip cookies. That’s a mouthful, huh? Not as big as the mouthful you’ll have when you taste these babies. Chocolate chip cookies are such a classic – there is just something about them that makes you feel instantly nostalgic for childhood and totally at-home. I’ve always ranked these classics in my top 5 favorite desserts; I even love them without any chocolate chips at all. Don’t knock it until you try it! Now that I have discovered this version, they jumped to the number one spot. Growing up, just like everything else, my mom made the best chocolate chip cookies. Until now – now I do! Seriously, she asked me for the recipe. That’s how you know you’ve officially made it. Get ready for the best chocolate chip cookie recipe you’ve EVER had.

The level of flavors in these cookies is so insane. The simple step of browning the butter adds a layer of tastiness that you can’t immediately put your finger on but oh em gee – it’s life changing. The sprinkle of coarse sea salt on top cuts the sweetness of the cookies and mixes the sweet-salty combination perfectly. Unfortunately, I cannot take credit for how amazing these cookies are. I wish it came from my skills in the kitchen but it is just an incredible recipe from Ambitious Kitchen. I have changed it ever so slightly to my taste but I adapted it from her original recipe. I can’t explain to you how good these cookies are so just trust me. Try them yourself and you’ll never want a normal chocolate chip cookie ever again.

Ingredients (makes about 24 cookies):

– 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

– 1 teaspoon baking soda

– 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt, plus more for topping cookies

– 2 sticks unsalted butter

– 1 1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar

– 1/4 cup granulated sugar

– 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk

– 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

– 1 tablespoon vanilla Greek yogurt

– 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

– 3/4 cup dark chocolate chips

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, the butter will begin to foam. Watch the butter very carefully and whisk constantly to avoid the butter burning. It goes from perfect to burnt in about 5 seconds! You will see the butter begin to brown along the bottom and sides of the saucepan. After about 4 minutes or so, the butter should be smelling “nutty” and be a dark caramel color. Remove the butter from the stovetop and immediately transfer to a bowl so that it doesn’t continue to cook. Set aside to cool while you prep the rest of the ingredients.

3. Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and set aside.

4. In an electric stand mixer or with a hand mixer, mix the butter and sugars (brown and granulated) until blended. It will look like a thick sugar paste.

5. Beat in the egg and egg yolk, vanilla, and yogurt until it is all well-combined.

6. Pour the dry ingredients in slowly, mixing well between each pour. Mix until everything is incoporated. Do not overmix – this will result in tough cookies.

7. Stir in the chocolate chips!

8. I like to dish out the cookies onto the pans at this point because the dough is very easy to work with. I use an ice cream scoop to ensure rounded, perfectly measured scoops so that they all take the same time to bake. Arrange the dough with 1-2 inches between each cookie on a non-stick pan. Sprinkle each cookie with a bit of sea salt.

9. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for 2 hours. You can also place them in the freezer for 30 minutes if you just can’t wait!

10. Remove the pan from the refrigerator and place into the oven for about 15-17 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown. The original recipe suggests 9-11 minutes but I find that since the cookies are so large, mine take a bit more time. They should be set and slightly crisp along the edges but still soft in the center. Remember, they will firm up the more they cool!

11. Remove the cookies from the oven once they’re done to your liking. After a few minutes, transfer to a cooling rack. You may sprinkle a little bit of extra sea salt if you wish! Let them cool as long as you can stand it and then devour them.

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