Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Have you seen the Friends episode where Monica is trying to figure out and re-create Phoebe’s grandmother’s secret chocolate chip cookie recipe? I feel like I have lived my life inside this episode trying to come up with the perfect quintessential cookie. A cookie that is slightly crunchy on the outside but soft and chewy on the inside. A cookie that has a rich buttery flavor in every bite. A cookie that allows the chocolate to accent but not overpower. Monica finally found her perfect cookie recipe on the back of a bag of chocolate chips….my search, however, has not been that simple.

I have tried every recipe imaginable from copycat “Mrs. Fields” recipes to the $500 Neiman Marcus recipe. I have tried recipes that combine low protein cake flour with high protein bread flour (which ends up creating all-purpose flour). I have ground whole grains into flour, tried malted barley, sugar syrups, you name it I’ve tried it. The recipe I have finally deemed “perfect” is not easy and does take prep work but it so incredible that it is worth every extra effort it involves. I promise this IS the best chocolate chip cookie EVER!!!

The first secret to this cookie is browned butter. If you have ever made madeleines you are familiar with browning butter and how it is a game-changer in baked goods. The deeper nuttier flavor it adds to a recipe heightens and enhances the flavor. Browning butter is easy, can be made ahead, and is well worth the time it takes. Combining sugars in this recipe creates the perfect texture. Brown sugar adds moisture, golden syrup adds chewiness, and the turbinado sugar adds a sweet crunch that retains its integrity even through the baking process. I have come to believe that corn starch is pure magic in cookies. Adding about 2 tablespoons for every cup of flour adds a softness to cookies that can’t be created any other way…not to mention the perfect crumb.

This recipe does take advanced preparation. After making the dough it needs to sit and mellow so the flavors infuse together. This may seem like a silly extra step but I have baked them right after mixing (when no one could wait for a fix) and I could taste the difference. My family has come up with a solution, we now freeze the dough balls. I recommend forming the dough into balls before freezing the dough. The dough is too hard to scoop after it is frozen plus you can take out the exact number you need without wasting precious dough.

I recognize that everyone claims to have the best chocolate chip cookie recipe. As much as I don’t want to disagree with Monica or offend anyone’s great aunt Ethel…this recipe is quite possibly the world’s most perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe ever!

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose white flour

1/2 cup oat flour

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 1/4 tsp. baking soda

1 1/4 tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt

1 1/4 cups browned butter

1 1/4 cups light brown sugar

1/2 cup pure cane sugar or turbinado sugar

1/4 cup golden syrup (brown rice syrup, malted barley syrup, Agave syrup, honey, etc.)

2 large eggs

2 tsp. pure vanilla

1 lb. chocolate chunks

Instructions:

1. Brown the butter in a light-colored saucepan over medium/low heat. As the butter melts it will begin to foam. Stir continuously to ensure the milk solids do not burn on the bottom of the pan. Cook butter until the foam is toasted brown in color and the milk solids on the bottom of the pan resemble coarse graham cracker crumbs. The butter will take on a nutty aroma as the milk solids caramelize on the bottom of the pan and the butter is fully browned.
2. Remove butter from the heat and pour into a heat-proof bowl. Cover the butter and let sit until solidified. You can do this at room temperature or in the refrigerator.
3. When the butter is solidified and at room temperature beat with the paddle attachment on medium speed until the butter is completely smooth.
4. Add brown sugar and turbinado sugar beating until light completely incorporated.
5. Break eggs into separate bowl ensuring no eggshells then pour into the mixture.
6. Add golden syrup and vanilla, beat on medium speed until light and fluffy.
7. In a separate bowl whisk together all remaining dry ingredients.
8. Slowly combine dry ingredients into wet mixture beating on medium-low speed until well combined.
9. Pour in chocolate chunks and beat until just incorporated.
10. Use a medium scoop (golf ball size) to make cookie dough balls and place on parchment-lined cookie sheets.
11. Cover the cookie sheets tightly with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 5 hours or overnight.
12. When ready to bake take the cookie sheets out of the fridge and remove the plastic wrap while preheating the oven to 350°.
13. Bake for 13 minutes, remove from oven and pound cookie sheet on counter to stop baking process. Allow cookies to cool completely on cookie sheets before removing.
14. Enjoy.

Tips:

• Cookie dough can be made ahead, scooped into balls, and stored in the freezer for up to 6 months.
• Turbinado sugar comes from cane sugar but is coarser, darker with a deeper flavor. Regular cane sugar can be substituted if turbinado cannot be found.
• Browned butter can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.