Zainab Storms’ Brown Butter Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies
Here, the sweet and salty combo combined with the rich nutty flavor of browned butter takes your regular chocolate chip cookie to the next level.
Makes24 cookies
Prep30 minutes
Cook20 minutes
This recipe is part of our Quarantine Cookies package, featuring 16 of our favorite bakers and their best cookie for 2020. Check out all the amazing cookies here, and sign up here to receive one cookie recipe per day, for 20 days, straight to your inbox.
This cookie deserves the honor of being the Cookie of 2020 because it has taken me through the challenging and uncertain times of the year. It’s the recipe I reach for when I need something sweet at a short notice — those nights after the kids are in bed and I need to finish working, because work-from-home now goes late into the night. This is the cookie I will make at 9:30 p.m. and have it ready to munch on in as little as 30 minutes.
The sweet and salty combo combined with the rich, nutty flavor of browned butter takes your regular chocolate chip cookie to the next level. It’s also the cookie I ate six of when I was mulling over the decision of sending my toddler back to in-person schooling. It’s the best cookie to bring you comfort in a time when we need it even more as we are separated from our support systems. If you’re looking for a simple yet delicious chewy chocolate chip cookie, try this brown butter caramel version.
Tester’s Notes
These are absolutely delicious. The recipe requires a few extra steps, like browning the butter and making salted caramel sauce, but those little touches are so worth it for the final product. The brown butter gives these cookies an amazing, nutty flavor that’s complemented perfectly by the caramel and those little flakes of salt on top. My roommate was especially obsessed with these — I had to keep a close eye on her! — Nicole Rufus, Assistant Food Editor
These cookies are pure decadence. The brown butter adds a wonderful nutty flavor but can sometimes make the dough a bit dry or crumbly. If that’s the case, just add a tablespoon of warm water to the dough to help make forming the cookies easier. Absolutely delicious! — Jesse Szewczyk, food stylist
Brown Butter Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies
Here, the sweet and salty combo combined with the rich nutty flavor of browned butter takes your regular chocolate chip cookie to the next level.
Prep time 30 minutes
Cook time 20 minutes
Makes 24 cookies
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- 2 sticks
(1 cup) unsalted butter
- 2 1/4 cups
all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon
baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon
kosher salt
- 1 1/4 cups
packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup
granulated sugar
- 1
large egg
- 1
large egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons
vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups
semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup
salted caramel sauce, at room temperature
Flaky salt, for sprinkling
Instructions
Cut 2 sticks butter into 16 pieces and place in a medium light-colored frying pan or skillet over medium heat. Swirl the pan occasionally to be sure the butter is cooking evenly. As the butter melts, it will begin to foam. The color will progress from lemony-yellow to golden-tan to, finally, a toasty-brown.
Once you smell that nutty aroma, and the butter is the color of graham cracker crumbs, take the pan off the heat and transfer the browned butter into the bowl of a stand mixer, making sure to scrape in any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Let cool to room temperature.
Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 350ºF. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Place 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt in a medium bowl and whisk to combine.
Add 1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar and 1/4 cup granulated sugar to the browned butter. Beat with the paddle attachment on medium speed until well combined, about 3 minutes. Add 1 large egg, 1 large egg yolk, and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, and beat on medium speed until combined.
Add half of the flour mixture and mix on low speed until just combined. Add the remaining flour mixture and mix until just combined. Add 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips and mix in by hand with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula.
Using a small cookie scoop or tablespoon, scoop 1 tablespoon dough. Press an indentation into the dough with your thumb, then fill the indentation with about 1 teaspoon caramel sauce. Place another 1 tablespoon dough on top, and press together to seal the caramel sauce inside. Place on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough and caramel sauce, placing 6 balls of dough on each baking sheet at least 2 inches apart.
Bake one sheet at a time: bake for 7 minutes, then rotate the baking sheet and bake until the edges start to turn golden brown, 5 to 8 minutes more. Let cool on the baking sheet for about 2 minutes, then sprinkle the cookies with flaky salt. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat baking the remaining cookies, reusing the parchment paper but letting the baking sheet cool completely between each batch.
Recipe Notes
Storage: The cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 4 days.
Make ahead: The cookie dough balls can be frozen solid, then stored in the freezer in a zip-top bag up to 2 months. Baked from frozen, they will take about 18 minutes total bake time.
Recipe originally published on Zainab Storms' blog, A Classic Twist.