Treat Yo’self: Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

I normally try to eat fairly healthy, and the recipes on this blog have reflected that for the most part (alright, except for the bacon mac and cheese). But sometimes, in the words of the ever so wise Donna Meagle: you gotta treat yo’self. And what better day to treat oneself than one’s birthday?

Yes, I’m a year older. Not sure if I’ve gotten any wiser. I’m definitely feeling the fact that I am well into my late 20s though. Instead of going out and drinking, I came straight home after work, had a quiet dinner with my best friend, and came home to bake for myself.

This recipe uses brown butter, which is a real treat if you’ve never had it before. Brown butter is basically toasted butter, and it’s nutty and adds a whole new depth of flavor to your food. You can use it in baking, or make a simple brown butter sauce for savory dishes, like pasta.

You will need:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter (two sticks)
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 package semisweet chocolate chips

First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a flat baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Combine your dry ingredients in a medium bowl (flour, salt, and baking powder).

Brown your butter! Get a medium saucepan and throw your butter in over medium-low heat. Keep an eye on it, and whisk constantly. This process is quick, and only takes about 5 minutes. You don’t want to burn your butter, because it will get bitter and gross and you’ll be super bummed. It should smell nutty and delicious, and your end product will be a deep golden brown color.

Put your brown butter directly into a large mixing bowl, and add both the brown and granulated sugar.

Give it a good whisk. It will be kind of chunky–that’s fine.

Once you add your eggs and beat them in, your mixture will smooth out:

Now the dry mixture! Add a little bit at a time, it’s easier to mix that way.

Now you should have a velvety smooth, golden brown cookie dough mixture:

Now add your chocolate chips and make sure they’re evenly dispersed in the dough.

I like to make my cookies on the larger, flatter side, so I get a heaping tablespoon of dough at a time, roll them into a ball, and then flatten onto the sheet.