Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Prior to my discovery of these cookies, we had only one staple chocolate chip cookie recipe in our house.  They were the super delicious Malted Milk Cookies.  Well now, we have 2 staple cookie recipes.  I made about a dozen of these cookies the first go around.  I made them and set them out on the counter to cool.  When I went back into the kitchen a while later, there were only 3 cookies left.  

"Jeremy!  Did you eat 9 of these cookies?!"

*sound of Jeremy laughing in the other room

followed by..."oww, oh I shouldn't laugh.  My stomach is too full and it hurts!"

That's what you get when you eat 9 cookies.  Ridiculous.  

But they really are that good.  They look like just a normal batch of chocolate chip cookies.  But they're not.  They have brown butter in them, and it makes all the difference.  I also added some candied pecans in the batter, and they add a touch of crunch and saltiness.

Brown butter.  Have you made this stuff?  It's wonderful.  It's nutty and dense and delicious.  It gives the cookies an extra little oomph.  It takes a little while to make though, and it's weird, because it feels like you are burning the butter.  But you're not. You just have to trust the butter. 

and trust me when I say, that these cookies are among the best of the best of chocolate chip cookies.

Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

adapted from In The Little Red House

2 sticks butter, softened at room temp

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 3/4 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

3 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

1 lb chocolate chips

1 cup chopped candied pecans (I used trader joes candied pecans)

For the brown butter:  Heat up a little saucepan over medium heat.  cut butter into pieces and melt in pan. stir continuously.  butter will bubble and foam up.  After the foam subsides, small brown flecks will appear at the bottom of the pan.  continue stirring until the butter turns nice and brown and smells nutty.  Turn down the heat.  And stir once more.  Pour into a bowl, and set in the fridge to let it solidify. (this takes a while - I made my butter early on in the day, and it was ready to go later on.)

for the cookies:  cream the solid brown butter with the sugars until well combined.  Continue mixing and add in the eggs one at a time, making sure each is combined well before adding the next.  Add the vanilla.   Mix until fluffy.  combine the flour, baking soda and salt in another bowl and whisk together.  slowly mixing the butter/sugar mixture, gradually add in the flour mixture.  Mix just until combined.  fold in chocolate chips and pecans.  

drop by spoonfuls onto parchment paper-lined cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 for 11-13 mins.

enjoy!