Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Some things in life are meant to be plain. As a lover of baking, I get frustrated when people take a recipe that, at its core, should be simple and turn it into some fabricated, overkilled, puffed up version of the real thing. Some things require straightforwardness and to alter that depreciates the value of the thing itself. 


I could be talking about any number of things but really chocolate chip cookies are what's on my heart today. I just find myself asking "why?" Why people? Why do we feel a constant need for over stimulation? Bright lights, loud noises, supersize me, 3-D movies, video games, iEverythings.... when will it end? What ever happened to an afternoon of running through the sprinkler and mom baking plain, ole' chocolate chip cookies? Why do we have to have chocolate chips cookies, layered with brownies, smothered in carmel, on top of Oreos, covered in sprinkles, frozen with ice cream, served with coolwhip? 


For the love of baking, STOP the madness! And just bake chocolate chip cookies. From scratch. With brown butter. 

Cookies

- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into chunks

- 1 cup brown sugar

- 1/2 cup granulated sugar

- 2 large eggs, at room temperature

- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

- 1 teaspoon baking soda

- 1 teaspoon salt

- 1 cup chocolate chips

- 1 cup chocolate chunks

1. To brown butter, melt butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Whisk frequently and heat until it's golden brown and giving off a nutty aroma. 

2. Remove from heat and pour into a heat-proof bowl; allow to cool to room temperature. This is important because if not cooled to room temperature, the warm butter can cause the cookie to be flat after baking.

3. Preheat oven to 350°F. 

4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, granulated sugar, and browned butter. Whisk in eggs and vanilla. 

5. Using a wooden spoon, stir in flour, baking soda, and salt until just incorporated. 

6. Fold in chocolate chips. 

7. Scoop onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 9-12 minutes. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then remove to cooling rack to cool completely.

- Eliz-