Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

*Drum roll* Welcome to the first recipe of 2012. 

Browned butter chocolate chip cookies. And it smells glorious.

Have you guys ever browned butter? It’s the best scent you’ll smell. 

Forget Febreeze, just brown some butter and place it around your house. Your guests will never want to leave. I will even go as far as to say it smells better than melting marshmallows on the stovetop for rice krispies. 

Browned butter has a note of caramel and toffee and toasted pecans. It smells glorrriousss. I almost wanted to drink an entire bowl.

If you made new years resolution to avoid sweets, make an exception for these browned butter chocolate chip cookies. The browned butter turned the classic CCC into an even better cookie with a deep caramelly flavour. You will not regret breaking your resolutions for one of these babies. 

Brown Buttered Chocolate Chip Cookies

note: my dough was a bit crumbly, probably because I used whole wheat flour. Also I think some of my butter evaporated, which reduced the amount of fat for tenderizing the cookies. 

Ingredients

1 c butter, at room temp
1/2 c white sugar
1 3/4 c brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 c all purpose flour
1 1/2 c whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt (omit if using salted butter)
1 c chocolate chips or chocolate chunks (you can use more if you please)

How To

1. Cut the butter into large pieces and place them in a skillet over medium heat.

2. Melt the butter and stir from time to time. Keep the butter on the skillet until it reaches a nice brown colour and smells ohh sooo good like toasted nuts. 

3. Once you reach that point, take the skillet off the heat and pour the butter into a bowl to refrigerate until it becomes solid again.

4. In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking and salt (if using).

5. In another bowl, cream the solidified browned butter and both sugars together until well mixed. Add eggs one at a time, incorporating the egg completely before adding the next egg.

6. Then splash in the vanilla and stir. 

7. Slowly add in the flour mixture. If you want softer cookies, do not overmix or else you will end up with tough cookies from the gluten.

8. Stir in the chocolate chips. 

9. Let the dough rest by refrigerating it for at least 30 mins.

10. Scoop the dough onto baking sheets and bake the cookies for 11-13 mins. I baked mine for 11 mins. Let cool slightly on baking sheet then transfer to cooling rack or stomach. 

source: adapted from The Little Red House