Best Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Wet:

• 3/4 cup + 1 TBSP (184g) unsalted butter (*see notes) 
• 1 TBSP nonfat milk powder (**see notes) 
• 1 tsp instant espresso (optional and you can reduce to 1/2 tsp. This will intensify the chocolate and you might taste the espresso in the dough batter, but you won't taste it after the cookie bakes) 
• 3/4 cup (155g) light brown sugar packed
• 1/4 cup (50g) granulated or cane sugar
• 1 whole egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste

Dry:

• 1 3/4 cups (210g)  all-purpose flour leveled and spooned (***see notes)
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/8 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt

Mix-ins: 

• 1 cup (6 oz) chopped chocolate (I used 4 oz 70% dark and 2 oz semi-sweet) 

Topping:

• flaky sea salt

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1. ‍Brown the Butter
   In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Cook, stirring frequently, until the butter foams and the milk solids turn golden brown and smell nutty (*see notes). Pour into a large mixing bowl and immediately stir in the milk powder(**see notes) and espresso powder if using. Let the brown butter sit for at least 10 minutes. It will be cool enough to touch.
2. ‍Mix the Sugars
   Add the brown sugar and granulated sugar to the cooled brown butter. Whisk for 1 minute until the mixture becomes smooth and glossy.
3. ‍Add Eggs and Vanilla
   Whisk in the whole egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste until fully combined.
4. ‍Add Dry Ingredients
   Add the flour (***see notes), cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Fold until a soft dough forms with some flour streaks remain. Add chopped chocolate
5. Scoop and Chill: 
   Scoop large portions of dough about a 1/4 cup (85 g / 3 oz) of dough per cookie and place on a cookie sheet and top each dough ball with a piece of chocolate for  bakery-style presentation. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour up to 48 hours for the best flavor. This step allows the flour mixture to hydrate and develops deeper flavor in the cookie dough. If you're short on time, the cookies can be baked right away, but chilling will give the best flavor (I personally prefer to bake these cookies after it's in the fridge for 48 hours).
6. Bake: Once ready to bake preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Place the cookie dough balls onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving several inches between each cookie. Bake for 10–12 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and the centers still look slightly underbaked and puffy. Sprinkle each cookie lightly with flaky sea salt. These cookies  will continue to bake and set as they cool. Leave the baked cookies on the cookie sheet for 5 mins and then transfer to a cooling rack for at least 30 mins.

Notes: 

*How to Brown Butter (The Right Way)

1. Place the butter in a light-colored saucepan over medium heat.
2. Let it melt completely, then continue cooking. It will foam, then quiet.
3. Swirl the pan occasionally. Watch for golden bits forming on the bottom.
4. When it smells nutty and looks amber, remove from heat.
5. Immediately stir in the espresso powder and milk powder.

You want golden, not burnt. Think toasted hazelnut, not coffee ash.

**Milk Powder
Milk powder deepens the brown butter flavor, giving it that bakery-style, toasted richness. It’s usually found in the baking aisle near evaporated milk or in the international foods section.

• If you can’t find it, you can skip it. Just add 1 TBSP room temp milk to the wet batter.
• The cookies will still be delicious.
• You’ll simply lose a little of that layered, nutty depth.

Think of it as a flavor amplifier, not a requirement.

***How to Measure Flour (Correctly)

Measuring flour properly makes a big difference in how your cookies turn out. For best results, use a kitchen scale and measure in grams. This ensures consistency and prevents adding too much flour, which can make cookies dry or dense.

If you don’t have a scale:

• Do not scoop flour directly with the measuring cup.
• Use a spoon to gently fill the measuring cup.
• Level it off with the back of a knife.
• Do not pack the flour down.

Too much flour is one of the most common reasons cookies don’t spread properly and your cookies can become dry and cakey.

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