I love to bake but it’s hard to avoid eating too much of whatever treat is coming out of the oven.  That’s why I always seize the opportunity to bake for friends.  It’s always appreciated and I think it shows that you care when you take the time to make something from scratch.  My friend had a birthday this weekend so I tried a new cookie recipe this weekend.  Brown butter lends a rich nutty aroma and flavor to these chocolate chip cookies and by chopping chocolate by hand you are guaranteed little flakes of chocolate all through the cookie.  Whip up a batch for the weekend to give to a friend but be sure to save a few to enjoy!  Visit me at www.scalingbackblog.com for more recipes!

Brown butter chocolate chunk cookies

Ingredients:

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

14 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 ¾ sticks)

½ cup granulated sugar

¾ cups packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

1 ½ cups bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1 teaspoon fleur del sel

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.   Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk flour and baking soda together in a medium bowl; set aside.

Heat the butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat until melted, and then continue to cook, swirling the pan constantly until the butter is dark golden brown and has a nutty aroma.  Remove skillet from the heat and transfer the butter to a large heatproof bowl.  Let cool slightly and then refrigerate for 15-20 minutes until the butter is slightly solid but not hard.

Add the cooled butter along with both sugars, salt and vanilla to a stand mixer and mix until light and fluffy 3-5 minutes.  Add egg and yolk and mix until the mixture is smooth.  Add the flour mixture until just combined.  Stir in the chopped chocolate.

Measure out 3 tablespoons of dough onto the prepared parchment sheet, you should have enough for roughly sixteen cookies.

Bake cookies 1 tray at a time until cookies are golden brown around the edges but still slightly soft in the center, 10-12 minutes.  Sprinkle the tops of the cookies with a pinch of the fleur del sel.  Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cook completely before serving.