Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are a variation on the classic chocolate chip cookie.  Usually I can't see a point in tinkering with success, but I do love browned butter, so I thought it would be interesting to try.  This recipe does require some patience, first in watching that the butter browns but doesn't burn, and then because you have to refrigerate the batter overnight.  I think (but I don't know) that the overnight chilling has something to do with keeping the cookies from spreading too quickly on the pan, as regular chocolate chippers are apt to do.  [***I just read an article in Food & Wine about the best chocolate chip cookies in the country, and Jacques Torres (five NYC locations) has one that looks exactly like these.  He also refrigerates them overnight, which he says "allows the flavors to meld."]  So maybe that's it. Who knows?  Anyway, we all loved these when I made them two weeks ago, and they disappeared much to quickly, so I knew I had a winner.  So here goes.

BROWN BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

2 sticks (8 oz) unsalted butter
2 1/4 cups AP flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 large egg yolk
2 Tablespoons milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups (10 3/8oz) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped*

*Do not use chocolate chips.  You can chop up a bar, or sometimes you can find chocolate chunks in the grocery store.  I recently discovered that Amazon carries Scharffenberger chocolate chunks, so I ordered a dozen packages, which makes all of us extremely happy.

[Note:  I used a sauté pan rather than a saucepan so that you can better see the browning of the butter.  I do not recommend this because the butter will sputter all over your cooktop.  Oh, the sacrifices we make for our art...]

In a medium saucepan, cook the butter over moderate heat until it is browned and nutty-smelling, about 5 minutes.

It will start off looking like this:

Next, you may see some browning at the edges:

And, finally, when you cut through the foam you can see the milk fat solids at the bottom are a beautiful, golden brown:

It can take anywhere from 5 to 7 minutes, and you must not walk away, because butter goes from brown to a horrible acrid burned in seconds.  

Transfer the butter to your mixing bowl and let it cool to room temperature.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda.

Add the sugars (white and light brown) to the browned butter.  

Using the paddle attachment, beat the browned butter and sugars at medium speed until light and fluffy, 

scraping down the bowl halfway through, about 7 minutes.

Two things are happening with this long mixing time.  First, the butter is cooling off and incorporating the sugars, but second, you are introducing air into the mixture.  It is a much lighter mixture than the typical chocolate chip cookie for this reason.

Beat in the whole egg, egg yolk, milk and vanilla.

At low speed, beat in the dry ingredients, scraping down the bowl as needed.  

Remove from the mixer, and fold in the chopped chocolate.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.  The dough will get very stiff.

THE NEXT DAY:  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  

Line 3 large baking sheets with parchment paper.  Scoop 1/4-cup mounds of cookie dough onto each baking sheet.  Flatten them slightly with the palm of your hand.  There should be 6 cookies per sheet.

Bake one sheet at a time for about 14 minutes, until the cookies are just firm and golden brown on the bottom.  Transfer the sheet to a rack to cool.  

Repeat to bake the remaining cookies.  Recipe makes 18 large cookies.

Serve the cookies warm or at room temperature.

The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 1 month (as if they'll last that long!).

Here's a peculiar thing that we have noticed.  If you eat the cookies warm out of the oven (and who can resist?) they're delightful, but the dominant flavor is the chocolate.  When you eat them after they've been frozen, whether you eat them as is or warm them slightly in the microwave, the browned butter flavor is more dominant.  No idea why.