Salted Brown Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies

I call these my Next Level Chocolate Chip Cookies. They’re meant for those looking for a more sophisticated, elevated cookie recipe. Don’t get me wrong – there’s absolutely nothing wrong with the classics. In fact, I’m a huge fan. But there’s more than enough room for new and different flavors, am I right? New and elevated cookies coming to you in the form of Salted Brown Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies.

With browned butter, plenty of chopped dark chocolate creating pools of melty goodness and sprinkled with flaky salt, these Salted Brown Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies reinvent the classic chocolate chip cookie with elevated flavors. I’m just over here bringing some variety to your chocolate chip cookie diet, is all. Don’t mind me!

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How to elevate the classic chocolate chip cookie

One of the most popular recipes on my blog is My Best Chocolate Chip Cookies. They’re thick and chewy and filled to the brim with chocolate chips. They’re my go-to recipe for birthdays, get-togethers, celebrations of any kind and just because. 

This version brings a new take on this classic. I took my original chocolate chip cookie recipe and replaced the butter with browned butter, which adds a nuttiness and extra layer of delicious flavor. I also replaced the chocolate chips with a dark chocolate baking bar, chopped into pieces. The larger pieces help create those dreamy pools of melted chocolate in the baked cookie. And the shards made from chopping the baking bar add loads of chocolate flavor throughout the cookie. The flaky salt on top is what brings it all together at the end. What can I say, these elevated cookies are sure to become a new favorite!

Adding layers of flavor to the classic chocolate chip cookie

To add more layers of richness to this elevated cookie recipe, I replaced the eggs in my original chocolate chip cookie recipe with 3 yolks and added in a couple of tablespoons of thick and creamy sour cream. The trick here is to make sure the egg yolks and sour cream are at room temperature before they are mixed into the batter. This way, these ingredients will incorporate much easier and much more evenly, creating a consistent and smooth batter. To ensure these ingredients are at the proper temperature, remove them from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes prior to baking. (I often leave them out of the fridge overnight if I know I’m going to bake the next morning.)

Tips for Making Salted Brown Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies

• You can easily substitute the brown butter for melted butter that’s been chilled in this recipe. Melted butter that’s been chilled is not the same as using a stick of butter from the fridge. Melting the butter first then chilling it changes the consistency and texture of the finished cookie. I don’t know all the science behind it, but I’ve tested it and chilled melted butter incorporates differently into the dough. It also creates a different texture to your cookie than does unmelted solid, cold sticks of butter
• Speaking of chilled browned butter, when you remove it from the fridge, the butter will appear whitish on top and the brown bits will have settled to the bottom. This is normal, the way you want it and it should all be scooped out and added to the mixing bowl. You want to scoop out all that delicious nutty flavor 
• If you don’t have cake flour, you can substitute it cup-for-cup with all-purpose flour or use one cup all-purpose flour, remove 2 tablespoons from the one cup and replace with 2 tablespoons cornstarch. Whisk together to aerate and create a light and fluffy flour to add to your cookie dough
• When creaming together the butter and sugar, at first the mixture will be crumbly. Then it’ll come together and pull clean off the sides of the bowl. It’s ready when the mixture starts to loosen up a bit and stick to the side of the bowl, with a light brown fluffy texture

Useful Kitchen Tools Used in This Recipe

Baking sheets

Parchment Paper

Rubber Spatula

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Looking for more chocolate chip cookie recipes? Look no further! Check these out:

• My Best Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Nut-free Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Jacques Torres Chocolate Chip Cookies

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