Happy Monday! The first week of March promised a snowstorm but it's all gorgeous outside so TC is feeling a bit betrayed by the promise of a potential snow day (feels like this is something that happens pretty often with him). I have a batch of super amazing chocolate chip cookies all ready though, to assuage the disappointment of having to go to school (what a lazy bum, seriously!). Chocolate chip cookies are his favorite, and this is my go-to recipe. I say it's my go-to recipe because I firmly believe that all chocolate chip cookies ought to be made with brown butter. It's a couple of extra steps that takes an additional 10 minutes of active time, plus they require chilling and stuff. This means it's not a batch of cookies you can whip up right away, so you have to plan ahead, like the night before. BUT the result is so much better that it's almost inexcusable to not use the brown butter whenever possible. Brown butter smells just so ridiculously amazing and the aroma actually stays with the cookies, hours after baking. No lie, I can smell the cookies sitting like 20ft away. I think that's a feat because I can never do that.
Okay, so that's probably not good for you because then you eat them all too quickly. Thumbs down on that.
I've made an extra batch of these cookies because *channeling Barney Stinson wait for ittttt* WE ARE GOING TO NEW YORK ON FRIDAY. Okay we go to New York like at least once a month, but I'm just so filled with excitement each time. Plus this time, it will be a little different and extra special. From New York I'll be traveling down to San Diego for a couple of days to visit a PhD program. Literally cannot wait for the amazing weather after this ridiculous cold. Lately there's been this commercial on San Diego on Hulu (have you guys seen it???) and I seriously feel like it is calling to me. So much beach! Much beach! After San Diego I'm flying back to New York to visit Columbia's PhD program. Super excited for that too... a trip back to the alma mater. It'll be fantastic to see all my old professors again, and get back to the department I knew so well as an undergrad.
Anyways, as I was saying. I made an extra batch of the cookies, which are frozen in nice little balls of cookie dough. They are ready to bake Friday morning, after which I will pack them up nice and pretty, and then munch on them all the way down to fantastic weather land.
YES!
Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
12 large cookies
What you need:
- 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
- 1 3/4 cup AP flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 1/2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips (or as much as you want)
How to do it:
- In heavy bottomed saucepan, melt butter on medium heat. Allow the butter to come to a slight boil before lowering the heat to medium-low. Stir butter as it changes color: First, the butter will foam and then the foam will dissipate. Dark brown specks will appear at the bottom of the pan as the butter slowly turns a dark golden brown. Remove from heat as necessary, because brown butter burns easily! A useful guide on browning butter and the color you are looking for can be found here.
- Allow brown butter to cool in the saucepan for 30min. I generally do this to make sure that the egg won't cook later.
- Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together until well mixed.
- Cream brown butter and white sugar together with a mixer for 5min. Add brown sugar and continue for another 2-5min, until the mixture is well incorporated and fluffy. Add eggs and beat until incorporated.
- Mix dry ingredients into the wet ingredients in three separate batches. When the cookie dough has come together, stir in (by hand!) the chocolate chips.
- Refrigerate cookie dough for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight. I always make mine before bed, and bake them first thing in the morning.
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat baking mat. Roll balls of cookie dough, about 1.5inches in diameter and place them on the baking sheet, about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 10-12 min, until the side have set but the centers are still looking a little undercooked. Allow the cookies to set, about 5min, before transferring to a cooling rack.