Giant Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Andrea Potischman
Sep 3, 2019
A friend of mine nicknamed these cookies the $10 cookie, honestly, he may be on to something. These are my rich, decadent, giant brown chocolate chip cookies and I am truly obsessed with them. In this recipe I went “giant” because I love cookies and let’s face it, one little bite-size cookie just doesn’t get the job done. But these babies, don’t disappoint.
Chocolate chip cookies are a true American obsession. Chef Ruth Graves Wakefield has been credited for inventing chocolate chip cookies in 1938 when she owned the Toll House Inn, in Whitman, Massachusetts. I think it’s fair to say everyone knows what a Toll House Cookie is and chances are, you’ve probably made them yourself.
To clarify, chocolate chip cookies are one of the most well-known and loved cookies of all time. Some say, these cookies even have additive qualities in them which makes having just one, extremely challenging. According to a CNN Health article by Lisa Drayer, titled “What Makes Chocolate Chip Cookies So Addictive?“, our love and relationship with these simple cookies is somewhat complicated.
What Causes Cookie Addiction?
- Emotions. Cookies are known to have an emotional connection, often to childhood.
- Addiction. Sugar is known to induce cravings comparable (at times) in magnitude to those induced by addictive drugs.
- Anandamide. Chocolate is said to contain small amounts of anandamide, a compound, a brain chemical that targets the same cell receptors as THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) responsible for its mood-altering effects, causing a “high“.
The article goes on to state that according to Gary Wenk, who is the Director of Neuroscience at Ohio State University and the author of “;” high-fat, sugar-rich cookies will raise the level of anandamide in our brains independent of what’s in the cookie because it’s our body’s response to eating such a tasty item. Wenk goes on to say that, “the fat and sugar combine to induce our addiction as much as does the anandamide,” Wenk said. “It’s a triple play of delight.” The takeaway, chocolate chip cookies (the really outstanding ones, like these) can be actually addicting. Maybe that’s how Mrs. Field’s fortune was made, playing on our weaknesses.
Science aside, I’m a cookie lover, and perfecting a chocolate chip cookie is goal-worthy. And these giant brown butter chocolate chip cookies are as perfect as I’ve come thus far. Although chocolate chip cookies have some “universally appealing qualities” that make them addictive, specific preferences vary. Soft, gooey, crisp, buttery, even the type of chocolate used is truly personal.
If you ask me, these decadent chocolate chip cookies touch upon almost all of the above. That is to say, they are soft, with a crisper outer edge, sweet with a salty finish, and two types of chocolate for flavor balance. To sum up, after all my hard work developing these cookies, I’m super curious to know what you think. If you make them, drop a comment, and tell me your thoughts, I’m dying to know if you find them as irresistible as I do.
Giant Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients:
- 16 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup semisweet baking disks
- 1 cup milk chocolate, roughly chopped
- flaky sea salt
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a small saucepan add the butter and place over medium heat and cook, while stirring, until it foams and then browns, about 6-7 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
- In a small mixing bowl add the flour, baking soda, and salt, and mix well to blend.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, such as a KitchenAid, fitted with a paddle attachment, add the brown sugar, regular sugar, and cooled browned butter. Beat on medium until well mixed. Add the eggs, one at a time, and the vanilla.
- Reduce the speed to low and slowly add the flour mixture and mix until blended. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the chocolate disks and the chopped chocolate. Allow the dough to rest at room temperature for about 20 minutes. Note: the dough will thicken as it sits.
- Since these are giant cookies, use a big generous scoop of cookie dough and place it on the prepared baking sheets. (For this recipe I make about 10 large cookies.) Sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Place in the oven and bake till beginning to brown and the edges are looking slightly crispy about 9-10 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool slightly before serving.
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