These brown butter chocolate chunk cookies are chewy, chocolatey, and such a delight.
Nothing brings food bloggers together quite like cookies!
This was my first year participating in the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap. (Since I missed the sign-ups last year, I was determined to join in the fun this year.) It’s so exciting getting treats in the mail.
I hardly get snail mail anymore and all the packages I receive come with email/text notifications and tracking numbers. With everything going digital, it’s so nice to find an unexpected box of cookies in your mailbox.
The best thing about this cookie swap (aside from getting three dozen delicious cookies from bloggers near and far) is being able to contribute to Cookies for Kid’s Cancer. Cookies for a good cause? You bet I’m in!
How do you make the quintessential chocolate chip cookie better?
You can’t go wrong with the classic chocolate chip cookie. It is the quintessential, universally loved cookie. It sure is my all time favorite cookie.
Over the years, I’ve done all sorts of additions and substitutions in attempts to make chocolate chip cookies better. And I think I’ve found THE ONE. The one chocolate chip cookie recipe to end all cookies.
Brown butter is the secret ingredient!
Brown butter chocolate chunk cookies with ground hazelnuts and Maldon sea salt.
Yes, the name is a bit much. And yes, it takes a little more work than the average chocolate chip cookie.
But, I believe that these chocolate chunk cookies are THE BEST cookies I’ve ever made.
Fresh from the oven, these chocolate chunk cookies are ooey-gooey and so addicting.
As hand model Alex demonstrates, the chocolate in these cookies stay melted even after cooling. While the edges of the cookie crisp up a little bit during baking, the center remains soft and chewy…which makes these cookies PERFECT for ice cream sandwiches… just saying.
I’ve made 10 dozen of these cookies (and counting) this holiday season and I’m still not tired of it. And as you’ve probably suspected, Alex and I have stopped counting how many of the cookies we’ve snacked on.
I’m so happy to share this recipe with y’all and I hope you enjoy them just as much as my friends and family do!
Notes on Tools and Ingredients Used:
These cookies were portioned using a size 40 cookie scoop, which is roughly 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough.
Use a food processor to uniformly grind the toasted hazelnuts. I have a large 14 cup food processor, but this smaller version works just as well for this application.
I recommend using dark chocolate that’s at least 60%. Although, 72% works best in this recipe. The bitterness of the dark chocolate pairs wonderfully with the sweet dough.
My favorite brands of chocolate are: Callebaut, Valrhona, and Lindt.
Brown Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies with Hazelnut and Sea Salt
Yield: about 2 dozen cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup lightly toasted ground hazelnuts
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup + 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 6 oz dark chocolate (72%), roughly chopped
- Maldon sea salt flakes, as needed for sprinkling
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, hazelnuts, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In medium sauce pan, melt ½ cup of butter over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, continue to cook. Swirl pan occasionally. Mixture will bubble and foam as it cooks. Continue to cook until butter smells nutty and fragrant. The milk solids in the butter will turn rich brown in color. Remove from heat and pour into a heat-safe bowl. Allow brown butter to cool for 30 minutes.
- Pour cooled butter into a mixing bowl. Add brown sugar and granulated sugar. Mix until sugars are moistened. Add remaining 2 Tbsp of softened butter and beat in until combined.
- Add egg yolks, egg, and vanilla. Mix until incorporated. Add flour mixture in three batches. Mix on low speed until there are no longer any streaks of flour. Use a sturdy spatula to fold in chopped chocolate. Transfer cookie dough to a large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour (up to overnight).
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Scoop tablespoon portions of cookie dough. Place cookie balls 2-inches apart on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 12 minutes, rotating pan midway through baking. Immediately sprinkle with Maldon sea salt. Allow to cool in pan for 2 minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.
These cookies are great for mailing because they travel well and they can be easily reheated in the microwave to get that fresh from the oven experience!
Ten dozen cookies?! You’re a machine. I bet your cookie recipients were the happiest food bloggers ever when they received these.
Alex, you have beautiful hands. She should be paying you for this.
Now it’s up to 12! I have a demanding family. lol, Alex gets paid in baked goods!
Yum! I like how there’s sea salt on top of the cookies, for that sweet and salty combination! Also these must be amazing if you made dozens without tiring of this recipe – I believe it, the pictures make me want one for breakfast, and lunch, and dinner, and dessert… :) Yum!
Thanks Sarah! I love that sweet and salty combo. It makes desserts more interesting! Cookies four times a day… sounds utterly divine :)
Brown butter makes everything better…I can only imagine how good these taste! I did the cookie swap too for the first time and really enjoyed it.
Thanks Andrea! Ever since I learned about brown butter it’s hard to make cookies without them! I can’t wait for the cookie swap next year :)
These look and sound like the best cookies ever. I need to sign up next year! I’ve seen so many wonderful cookies being exchanged for such a great cause! Pinning this for sure!
Thanks Jen! Yes, it’s so much fun- plus raising money and awareness for a good cause. Who knows maybe we’ll be matches next year! :)
Hey there , these sound amazing! Would love to try it , but was wondering if you had oz/gm measurements for the flour ( ap and hazelnut) , sugar , butter? Don’t do cup measurements and want to do these exactly the way you did them =) .
Hi! I was wondering if you can freeze this dough like your chocolate chip cookies? Thanks and I love your site. Your chocolate chip cookies are the best I’ve had!
Hi! Yes, this dough can be frozen and baked later. Just add a 2-3 minutes to baking time.
Made these tonight, as the March snow falls in western Massachusetts. They are amazing. Wish I’d made a double batch, as the plan was to give them away, but it’s hard to let them go!
Wonderful! Thank you for trying out the recipe! I totally understand… sharing cookies can be quite the struggle!
These look great. What size scoop did you use?
I used a size 40 cookie scoop. It’s about 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough.
Hi! When the browned butter cooled for 30minutes, is it suppose to be in liquid or solid form? Also, can I omit the toasted ground hazelnuts? (as I have nut allergies) Thank you! Looking forward to trying this highly raved recipe of yours! :)
The cooled brown butter will liquid in the center and starting to solidify around the edges. It is ready to use in the recipe once it is no longer hot. It will work regardless of whether the butter is liquid or solid.
If you omit the ground hazelnuts, I suggest substituting in flour. However, the hazelnuts are an integrally part of this recipe. The hazelnuts work with the brown butter to create a very rich warm flavor.
I just made today. There were delish!!! but really sweet. Possible to cut the sugar?
Also I have friends that are gluten free. Possible to swop almond flour for all purpose?
Thank you!
Hi! Thanks for trying out the recipe! Sugar helps to spread the cookies during baking. Changing the amount of sugar will alter the texture of the baked cookies. I have not tested this recipe using almond flour.