Brown Butter Takes Chocolate Chip Cookies To The Next Level

There's no wrong way to enjoy a chocolate chip cookie, whether you prefer milk or dark chocolate, or lean toward crispy or chewy. Either way, the deliciousness of these cookies always ends with a smile — and, you know, maybe a hint of chocolate on your cheek. There's one ingredient that enhances the flavor of a chocolate chip cookie: butter. Butter not only gives your cookie its soft and chewy texture, but it also enriches the flavor. By browning the butter, you add a nutty depth to your cookies and a texture that will have everyone asking for your secret.

Browning butter before incorporating it into your signature chocolate chip cookie recipe introduces a toasted, nutty flavor to every bite — the process causes the water to evaporate, so the butter simmers and bubbles until it reaches a golden brown. Although butter loses some water in the process, most recipes compensate for this by adding water into the mix before baking. If your recipe omits this step, don't worry — you might end up with a crispy, Chips Ahoy-like cookie. However, for a chewy texture, add 1 tablespoon of water for every stick of butter specified in the recipe — after the butter is browned.

Chocolate chip cookies are a staple in many recipe books — but to impress those accustomed to the basics, elevate each bite with browned butter. Place your butter in a pan — preferably a light-colored one to monitor the browning process. As the butter cooks, it will bubble and turn golden brown. You'll recognize it's done when the room fills with the aroma of caramelization and toasty butter. Quickly remove it from the heat and transfer it to a bowl or cool container allowing the browning process to cease. If you see brown bits floating in the butter — don't panic — it's milk solids, which contain a majority of the toasty flavor you're after. Simply, add them with your mixture and they will blend with the dough seamlessly.

The batter, now elevated with browned butter, will have you eagerly licking the spoon and watching the oven as your batch bakes. With this simple yet transformative technique, your one-of-a-kind chocolate chip cookies will reach new heights of flavor and texture, leaving everyone craving more.