Recipe: Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies With a Sprinkle of Sea Salt

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The cozy winter months always turn me into a baking machine, and this year is no exception! During the holiday season, you’ll most likely find me cooking in the kitchen, dancing around to The Nutcracker soundtrack, and pretending my apron is a ballerina tutu. But let’s be honest, I’m a cookie monster all year round, and these chocolate chip cookies are an absolute staple in our house. Using brown butter instead of regular butter takes this classic recipe to the next level, giving them a caramelized, nutty note that always leaves us craving more. And topping them off with a sprinkle of sea salt is the perfect finishing touch, the cherry on top of a perfect dessert. They’re sweet, salty, and seriously addicting. These are the perfect cookies to leave out for Santa, to bring to your Christmas cookie exchanges, and to share with friends and family this holiday season.

The thing that makes this chocolate chip cookie recipe so good is the pinch of flaky sea salt on top. We use Saltverk, our favorite sea salt in the world, which is produced sustainably in the Westfjords of Iceland using only energy from geothermal hot springs. You read that right – 100% natural energy from the hottest Icelandic geysers powers the production of this incredible ingredient, and the whole process leaves zero carbon footprints on the environment. Seriously, does it get any cooler (I mean, hotter) than that?! A crunch of pure, crystallized saltwater is the perfect complement to the sweetness of the butter and sugar – that balance is what makes these cookies so addicting. But don’t trust us – try it for yourself! Saltverk is offering a 10% discount to our followers, just use the code ANDERSKAITLIN at checkout. (And for an even bigger discount, join our food club, The Hungries.)

And then, of course, the chocolate. I like to use a mix of two different kinds of chocolate (semi-sweet and milk chocolate) to add complexity in flavor, but you can feel free to choose your own adventure here! Chop up your favorite chocolate bar into pieces, use chocolate chips, or use a mix of both. Follow your heart, feel free to experiment with the recipe, and let me know what works best for you. Happy baking!

Looking for more recipes? Try Kaitlin’s Molasses Cookies!

Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks; 227 g) unsalted butter
• 2 cups (256 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup (packed; 215 g) brown sugar
• 1/3 cup (75 g) granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cups (270 g) chocolate of your choice, chopped or chocolate chips
• Saltverk Flaky Sea Salt

Instructions

1. Cook butter over medium heat in a saucepan until it begins to foam and turn brown with small flecks (about 8-10 minutes). Scrape brown butter into a bowl and let cool slightly.
2. Whisk together flour, baking soda, and kosher salt. Set aside.
3. Add both sugars (brown and granulated) to the bowl of an electric mixer, along with the cooled brown butter.
4. Add eggs and vanilla extract. Mix on medium until incorporated.
5. Once combined, add dry ingredients and mix on medium until combined.
6. Pour in chocolate pieces and mix by hand, with a spatula or spoon.
7. Refrigerate dough for at least 30 minutes or overnight, to allow dough to thicken.
8. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375°F (190°C), and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
9. Scoop dough into equally sized balls using a spoon or a scoop, and place on baking sheet.
10. Bake cookies until the edges start to brown, but the center is still soft (about 10 minutes).
11. Sprinkle generously with Saltverk Flaky Sea Salt.
12. Let cool 10 minutes, and enjoy with a glass of cold milk!

Notes

This recipe yields about 16 large cookies. If you don’t want to bake all the cookies at once, the dough can keep in the freezer for a month. I like to freeze them in balls so they’re ready to pop into the oven when those cravings hit. A freshly baked cookie is always just a few minutes away. 🙂

Did you try our chocolate chip cookie recipe? Leave a comment below and let us know how it went, or share a photo and tag us on Instagram!