Home ยทย Recipes ยทย Desserts & Baking ยทย Cookies Brown Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies with hazelnut & sea salt Author: Maryanne CabreraPublished: Dec 15, 2014Updated: Mar 3, 2021 View Recipe19 ReviewsThis post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy. 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 No ratings yet How do you make the quintessential chocolate chip cookie better? Brown the butter, add in some hazelnut flour, and sprinkle Maldon sea salt on top. These chewy and super addicting chocolate chunk cookies will soon be your favorite cookie!Yield: about 2 dozen cookies Prep Time: 25 minutes minutesCook Time: 15 minutes minutesChill Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutesTotal Time: 2 hours hours 10 minutes minutes Servings: 24 Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe Ingredients▢ 1 ยผ cup all-purpose flour▢ ยฝ cup lightly toasted ground hazelnuts▢ 1 teaspoon baking powder▢ ยฝ teaspoon baking soda▢ ยฝ teaspoon kosher salt▢ ยฝ cup + 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter▢ 1 cup light brown sugar, packed▢ ยฝ 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 ยฝ 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 350ยฐ 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. NutritionCalories: 174kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 33mg | Sodium: 97mg | Potassium: 76mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 153IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 1mg Author: Maryanne Cabrera Course: DessertCuisine: American Did you make this recipe?Show us on Instagram! Tag @littleepicurean and hashtag #littleepicurean. 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!
Sarah @ SnixyKitchen says: December 15, 2014 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. Reply
Maryanne Cabrera says: December 17, 2014 Now it’s up to 12! I have a demanding family. lol, Alex gets paid in baked goods!
Sarah+@+Savoring+Spoon says: December 16, 2014 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! Reply
Maryanne Cabrera says: December 17, 2014 Thanks Sarah! I love that sweet and salty combo. It makes desserts more interesting! Cookies four times a day… sounds utterly divine :)
Andrea @ Cooking with Mamma C says: December 16, 2014 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. Reply
Maryanne Cabrera says: December 17, 2014 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 :)
Jen+@+Baked+by+an+Introvert says: December 16, 2014 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! Reply
Maryanne Cabrera says: December 17, 2014 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! :)
redpink says: December 20, 2014 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 =) . Reply
Nydia says: April 21, 2020 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!
Maryanne Cabrera says: April 23, 2020 Hi! Yes, this dough can be frozen and baked later. Just add a 2-3 minutes to baking time.
Margo Shea says: March 13, 2018 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! Reply
Maryanne Cabrera says: March 13, 2018 Wonderful! Thank you for trying out the recipe! I totally understand… sharing cookies can be quite the struggle!
Maryanne Cabrera says: December 20, 2019 I used a size 40 cookie scoop. It’s about 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough.
Dayna says: June 3, 2020 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! :) Reply
Maryanne Cabrera says: June 9, 2020 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.
Kathy says: January 10, 2021 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! Reply
Maryanne Cabrera says: January 21, 2021 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.