I have been loving our theme this month! Spending time baking my favorite cookie recipes – and checking out what creative baking Streusel has been up to, cookie-wise – has been great fun. For this week’s post, I baked off a batch of these crispy, chewy, nutty and caramel-y and – let’s be real – gorgeous batch of chocolate chip cookies. America’s Test Kitchen developed the recipe, which invariably means that they are (of course) fussier than this recipe, but are (I promise!) absolutely worth the effort.
I know everyone has been carrying on for a while about browned butter, but I so love regular butter that it never made me feel like I was missing out. Turns out I was wrong – WRONG! – and now I plan to spend all of my free time browning butter. Just the smell is amazing… and that it provides an amazing depth of flavor – sort of like caramel, but infused throughout the cookies – is like an extra bonus.
In sort, these cookies are terribly delicious, and absolutely worth the extra few minutes of effort.
I only made some very slight alterations to the recipe – I use regular brown sugar, since that’s what I have, and sprinkle a bit of kosher salt to the top each cookie before it bakes (that should not be optional!)
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Whisk flour and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside.
Heat 10 tablespoons butter in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until melted, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking, swirling pan constantly until butter is dark golden brown and has nutty aroma, 1 to 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and, using heatproof spatula, transfer browned butter to large heatproof bowl. Stir remaining 4 tablespoons butter into hot butter until completely melted.
Add both sugars, salt, and vanilla to bowl with butter and whisk until fully incorporated. Add egg and yolk and whisk until mixture is smooth with no sugar lumps remaining, about 30 seconds. Let mixture stand 3 minutes, then whisk for 30 seconds. Repeat process of resting and whisking 2 more times until mixture is thick, smooth, and shiny. Using rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture until just combined, about 1 minute. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts giving dough final stir to ensure no flour pockets remain.
Divide dough into 16 portions, each about 3 tablespoons. Arrange 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets, 8 dough balls per sheet. Sprinkle with kosher salt.
Bake until cookies are golden brown and still puffy, and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft, 10 to 14 minutes. Transfer baking sheet to wire rack; cool cookies completely before serving.
Strudel and Streusel are two friends living in different cities, sharing a love of baking (and butter) through this blog. With Streusel in Denver, and Strudel in Seattle, we've found our little site to be a great way to stay in touch, share recipes we love, and talk about experiences in our respective cities.