Chewy Choc Chip Walnut Cookies (with Browned Butter)

This is my latest recipe for chocolate chip cookies. My American partner says Australians can’t do cookies, so I’ve had to become her supply.

Again, I’m not a food blogger — I mostly put these down for my own records as I improve them or tweak them (updating them as necessary), and so I can share them with whoever asks.

I write recipes in metric units using weights because I’m really tired of American recipes with vague things like a “cup” (a metric cup isn’t the same as an imperial one… actually, there are even more definitions of a cup per Wikipedia!).

What makes this recipe special is browned butter and partially caramelised sugars.

I also make it a little less sweet than American recipes. We non-Americans just have less of an intensely sweet tooth.

Enjoy!

See here for a post on why I think people should learn to bake.

Ingredients

You’ll need scales for these. I just use my coffee scales. You also need a bowl and a pot, but you don’t need a mixer of any kind. Just use a hand whisk and wooden spoon.

• Browned butter
  • 200g unsalted butter
• Dry ingredients
  • 400g flour
  • 5g baking soda
  • 3 g salt
• Wet ingredients (+sugar)
  • 1 egg + 1 egg yolk
  • 12g vanilla (2 teaspoons, doesn’t have to be exact)
  • 1 tablespoon yoghurt (see my home-made Greek yoghurt recipe)
  • 150g brown sugar
  • 100g white sugar
• Mix-ins/garnishes
  • 200g chocolate chips (use either semi-sweet or a mixture of sweet and semi-sweet)
  • 100g crushed walnuts
  • Coarse salt to sprinkle on top

Method

I like recipes that boldface the individual ingredients — I do that, so you keep track of where they are!

1. Brown the butter and sugars: Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Keep stirring it until it has browned. Don’t burn it!

Melted butter

Butter when browned

2. Combine dry ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, and salt together.
3. Allow the butter to cool properly (while remaining liquid). It needs to be cooler or you’ll cook the egg (and maybe even melt the choc chips).
4. Beat the cooled browned butter with the wet ingredients: egg + egg yolk, vanilla, and yoghurt. Beat in the brown sugar and white sugar. You should end up with a creamy mixture.

5. Mix the wet and dry ingredients together.
6. Fold in the mix-ins (choc chips and walnuts)
7. Chill the dough: Chill for at least 2 hours, or up to 24 hours. For easier handling, optionally roll into balls before chilling.
8. Preheat and prepare: Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a mat.
9. Shape cookies: Roll them into balls. Space them well apart on the baking tray so they don’t melt into each other.
10. Bake: Bake for 9-11 minutes until edges are golden. The centres will look soft.
11. Cool and finish: Let cookies cool on the baking sheet, then sprinkle with sea salt. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.