Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies with Sea Salt

Delicious chocolate chip cookies with a salty crunch

These are the most delicious chocolate chip cookie you will ever eat!  The secret ingredients are  the browned butter and the sea salt. These two ingredients transform the cookies into a treat like you have never eaten before.  I added roasted almonds to the cookies for a crunchy, nutty extra.  You need time when you want to make these cookies because you need to make the browned butter and then let it cool before making the dough.  Then, you need to chill the dough for two hours.  You can't skip this step or your cookies will be flat and visually unappealing.

To make the browned butter, place one cup of butter in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Watch it and stir it until it turns a deep chestnut color and it smells very nutty.  Immediately remove it from the heat and transfer to another bowl so it does not burn.  Let it cool for at least 15 minutes.

Combine the flour, salt, and baking soda in a small bowl and set aside.  Cream the butter and sugars until this mixture is light and fluffy.  Add the egg, egg yolk, yogurt, and vanilla.  Beat until well combined.  Add the flour mixture but do not over beat.  Add the chips and nuts.  Put the whole bowl into the refrigerator for 2 hours.  The dough needs to be very cold before baking.

Scoop the dough using a small ice cream scoop onto an un-greased cookie sheet.  Leave a generous space between cookies. Sprinkle the top of each cookie with a generous pinch of flaked sea salt.  I use Maldon sea salt because the flakes are big and add a nice crunch to finished cookie.  Bake at 350 degrees F for 9 to 11 minutes.  The edges should be golden brown and the middle should look slightly under cooked. Let the cookies stay on the baking sheet for a few minutes before moving them to wire rack.

Sit yourself down with a cold glass of milk and get ready to indulge in one of the most perfect treats you can imagine!

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Browned Butter Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies

yield: ~3 dozen  prep time: ~2 1/2 hours cook time: ~9 - 11 minutes per batch  
difficulty: Moderate  Oven temp: 350 degrees F

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon of flaked sea salt, plus more for sprinkling
• 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon plain greek yogurt
• 1 1/2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped roasted almonds

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Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and set aside. 
3. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. The butter will begin to foam. Make sure you whisk consistently during this process. After a couple of minutes, the butter will begin to brown on the bottom of the saucepan. Continue to whisk and remove from heat as soon as the butter begins to brown and give off a nutty aroma. Immediately transfer the butter to a bowl to prevent burning. Set aside to cool for a few minutes.
4. With an electric mixer, mix the butter and sugars until thoroughly blended. Beat in the egg, yolk, vanilla, and yogurt until combined. Add the dry ingredients slowly and beat on low-speed just until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips and roasted almonds.
5. Chill your dough for 2 hours in the refrigerator, or place in freezer for 30 minutes if   you are super eager.
6. Once dough is chilled scoop the dough into a ball. It doesn't have to be perfectly rolled. Place dough balls on cookie sheet, 2 inches apart and sprinkle each dough ball with a little bit of sea salt.
7. Bake the cookies 9-11 minutes or until the edges of the cookies begin to turn golden brown. They will look a bit underdone in the middle, but will continue to cook once out of the oven. Cool the cookies on the sheets and sprinkle with a little extra sea salt if desired. Remove the cooled cookies from the baking sheets after a few minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.