Brown Butter Gooey Chocolate Chunk Scoopable Cookies

Wet:

• 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter (*see notes) 
• 2 tsp nonfat milk powder (**see notes) 
• 1/2 tsp instant espresso (optional and you can reduce to 1/4 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) 
• 1/2 cup (110g) light brown sugar packed
• 1/4 cup (50g) granulated or cane sugar
• 1 whole egg
• 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste

Dry:

• 1 1/4 cups (150g)  all-purpose flour leveled and spooned (***see notes)
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt

Mix-ins: 

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

Topping:

• flaky sea salt
• vanilla ice cream

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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 20 minutes. It will be cool enough to touch
2. Preheat and Prep
   Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and lightly grease an 8-inch pan
3. ‍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
4. ‍Add Egg and Vanilla
   Whisk in the whole egg, and vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste until fully combined
5. ‍Add Dry Ingredients
   Add the flour (***see notes), cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Fold until a soft dough forms with some flour streaks remain. Add chopped chocolate‍
6. Scoop Cookies: 
   Scoop large portions of dough about a 1/4 cup of dough per cookie and place in a 8-inch lightly greased pan and backed at ‍350°F (175°C) for 20 minutes until edges are golden but center is soft
7. ‍Cool and Serve: 
   Sprinkle flaky salt and let scoopable cookies set in the pan for at least 10 minutes to set. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream

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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