Ingredients:

  • 1 cup (2 sticks) Unsalted Butter (Cold, then browned)
  • 1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
  • 1 cup Packed Light Brown Sugar
  • 2 Large Eggs
  • 1 Tbsp Vanilla Extract
  • 2 1/4 cups All-Purpose Flour (spooned and leveled)
  • 1 tsp Baking Soda
  • 1 tsp Fine Sea Salt
  • 1 1/2 cups Chocolate Chips or Chunks (mix of milk and dark recommended)
  • Flaky Sea Salt (for finishing, optional)

Instructions:

  1. Brown the Butter: Melt the butter gently in a saucepan over medium heat. Continue cooking, swirling frequently, until the milk solids toast and turn deep nutty brown. Immediately pour butter and all the toasted bits into a heatproof bowl.
  2. Cool the Butter: Allow the browned butter to cool for 15–20 minutes until it is mostly solidified but still pliable (like soft margarine).
  3. Cream Sugars and Butter: In a mixer bowl, beat the cooled brown butter with both sugars until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Scrape down the sides.
  4. Incorporate Wet Ingredients: Beat in the eggs one at a time, ensuring each is fully incorporated before adding the next. Stir in the vanilla extract.
  5. Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
  6. Mix Dough: Gradually add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing only until just combined. Do not overmix.
  7. Fold in Chocolate: Gently fold in the chocolate chips/chunks using a spatula.
  8. Chill the Dough (Crucial Step!): Cover the bowl and refrigerate the dough for a minimum of 30 minutes.
  9. Preheat and Prep: Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
  10. Scoop and Bake: Scoop rounded tablespoons of chilled dough onto the prepared sheets, leaving ample space between them. Gently press a few extra chocolate chunks onto the top of each dough ball and sprinkle lightly with flaky salt (optional).
  11. Bake: Bake for 10–13 minutes. The edges should be set and golden, but the centers should still look slightly soft.
  12. Rest and Cool: Let the cookies sit on the hot baking sheet for 5 minutes to set up, then transfer carefully to a wire rack to cool completely.