Chocolate Chip Cookies with Brown Butter and Toffee

First and foremost, you need to know that a double batch of this recipe is the only way to go. These mouthfuls of everything good in life will disappear in nothing flat from your very hands. So, trust me when I say, do not even bother yourself with a single batch. I am tempted to give you the recipe written as a double portion because I know some of you will doubt me. However, I am going to trust you with the original amounts for that rare occasion you find yourself making cookies while living alone, in a remote hideout, under the government protection program.

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Before moving on, we need to have a little chat about browned butter. If you already incorporate this magnificent method into your cooking, then by all means carry on and skip to the next paragraph. Otherwise, stay right here for a hot minute as you gain the keys to the culinary heaven. Browned butter is the process of cooking butter to the point where it transforms into liquid gold. As the butter melts, the solids begin to brown and the most heavenly toasty hazelnutty goodness emerge. For all you geeky types, this process is technically know as Beurre Noisette. This melted golden butterliciousness will add depth of flavor to so many dishes coming out of your kitchen. For now, its going to take your cookies up a trillion notches.

Go ahead and get out all of your ingredients because this just makes sense when you want to minimize your scrambling, I mean cooking time. Also pull those eggs out of the fridge at this time. They will need to come to room temperature and no one will die! I promise. And please, for the love of Julia Child, we all need to use good quality butter. Here is my go to. Unsalted for this little number.

Now, let’s brown some butter.

Step 1: Melt It

Using a stainless pan, melt the butter on medium to medium high heat. You want to be able to see the color change in the butter solids so avoid using a dark colored pan.

Step 2: Separate It

Now this is where magic happens (actually it’s science but whatever). The solids (milk fat) begin to separate from the liquid (water). This will be a bit bubbly and foamy. Just stir it occasionally, it’s all good.

Step 3: Brown It

Once separated, the foam settles and the solids will begin to brown from the heat of the pan. Just stir or swirl the pan consistently throughout this part. This way you get even browning as your liquid gold is birthed.

Step 4: Cool It

As soon as those bits on the bottom of the pan reach that golden brown color, pour the melted butter into a glass or ceramic dish to cool. It is important to stop the browning process and allow the butter to cool a bit.

This browned butter process can take 3 to 10 minutes depending on how much butter you are using.

While the butter cools, do some measuring and chopping. Add both sugars to the mixing bowl of a stand mixer. Then stir all other dry ingredients, except chocolate and toffee, into a bowl. Chop your toffee and measure out your chocolate. See note below on chocolate and toffee.

Once your butter is cooled a bit, mix it together on medium speed with those sugars waiting in your stand mixer. Then add the room temperature eggs, one at a time and vanilla. Mix on high for a minute or two until it thickens and lightens in color.

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Slow that mixer down to low and add the dry ingredients… a little at a time… until just combined. Then gently mix in the chocolate and toffee pieces. Now, hear me out. This next step is required, so don’t fuss, just do it. Let the dough sit for 30 minutes. I know! That seems so unfair but the flour has to do its thang and completely hydrate. It’s for the good of all involved.

Once your dough is ready and your oven is pre-heated, use a 1.5 ounce ice cream scoop to dish up that dough into balls (just use your hands if you don’t have a scoop) onto a cookie sheet lined with a baking mat or parchment paper. Or you can use a baking stone which is the way I’ve cooked my cookies since the Pampered Chef craze back in the 90’s.

Give those balls of dough about 3 inches of room between one another. Do not flatten them. Just let them live their lives. They will flatten on their own good time in the oven. Sprinkle them lightly with sea salt then bake them at 375° for 9-11 minutes. Allow them to cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet. Then transfer to a wire rack for a smidge more cooling while you repeat with remaining dough: scoop, sprinkle, bake, cool, rest.

A note about chocolate.

As I have mentioned before, I use this for anything that calls for chocolate chips or chunks in baking. Click here to read why. My second choice would be Ghiradelli bittersweet chocolate chips. Using chocolate wafers or discs instead of chips will give your old cookie ways a big kick in the pants. Discs will create melted layers of chocolate that chips just are not cut out to accomplish.

A note about toffee.

The original cookie recipe called for 2 heath bars. Well folks, in the case of toffee, more is better! So I use three ish bars. Don’t judge. I have found that the bagged Heath bits o brickle do not produce the best toffee-like results. Just say no. I use actual heath bars or if you are really a cookie queen, skor bars, and chop them up. The bars take two minutes to chop and are well worth it.

XOXO,

Adapted from Bon Appétit’s recipe