Chocolate Chunk Cookies

I realize I posted my Browned Butter M&M Cookie recipe just last week, and I realize this recipe is pretty much identical, but I definitely wanted to post it separately because this chocolate chunk version will absolutely knock your socks off.

Just make ‘em.

Just once.

Your life will be forever altered.

Melt a stick of butter in a medium skillet over medium heat.

Keep a close watch on it, and swirl the pan around regularly! It will bubble up and sizzle…

Then, a minute or two later, the foam will appear.

And when the foam appears, it isn’t long before the butter is nice and brown. Take the pan off the heat when it gets to this light golden stage.

Because it’ll keep browning even after you take it off the stove.

When it’s nice and deep brown—but definitely not burned/black!—pour it into a dish…

And let it cool completely. This is difficult to do when you have a hankering for warm chocolate chip cookies…but it’s a necessity! If you pour warm butter into the dough, your life will spiral into a series of unfortunate events and you’ll live to regret it.

Once the browned butter has totally cooled, start making the cookie dough! It starts with a stick of softened butter. This, as you can see, is room temperature soft.

Add brown sugar and regular sugar…

Then mix it until it’s all combined, scraping the sides at least once to make sure it’s totally mixed together.

Once the butter and sugars are all mixed together, it’s time to add the browned butter with the mixer on low. And I can not emphasize enough how important it is to add the butter very, very slowly and gradually. If you add it too fast, the mixture will be wet and soupy. So just take your time…

Stopping halfway through to scrape the bowl and make sure it mixes in nice and slow. (And be sure to get ALL the dark brown, beautiful solids in there. That’s where the flavor is!)

Add in 2 eggs, one at a time…

Again (broken record here), scraping and mixing along the way.

Next, a good amount of vanilla.

Yum!

For the dry ingredients, combine flour…

Baking soda…

Salt…

And instant coffee granules! Now, I know the coffee-averse among you are balking at this ingredient…but please pretty please believe me when I tell you that the cookies do not taste like coffee. The coffee simply adds a depth and richness of flavor, and to prove it: Marlboro Man has never had a cup of coffee in his life because he thinks it will taste bad. And he’ll polish off these cookies like there’s no tomorrow.

As long as I never tell him there’s coffee in them.

I just turn the mixer on low, and add scoops of the dry ingredients so they mix in gradually.

And yes…I’m a-gonna say it: Scrape halfway through!

For the chocolate, I used a couple of these babies.

Soooooo much better than chocolate chips.

You’ve gotta trust me on this.

Just unwrap ‘em…

Slice ‘em into sticks…

Then chop ‘em into chunks!

Throw them into the dough…

Then stir them in until they’re evenly distributed.

Use a scoop or a spoon…

To get the dough onto the cookie sheets. I used a baking mat, but you can use parchment…or nothing, if you’re feeling rebellious!

Totally optional here: I gathered up the extra bits of chocolate from the cutting board and sprinkled/pressed a few into each cookie.

Before I baked the cookies, I popped the pans into the fridge for about 15 minutes, just to firm them up a bit before they went into the oven

Then I baked ‘em until they were beautiful and golden!

Emphasis on beautiful. And golden.

Transfer them onto a cooling rack and let them cool for .3554 seconds.

Then dig right in!

Ahh…look at that luscious chocolate. To die for!

Here’s the handy dandy printable. Just like the M&M cookies from last week…but I like these even better. They’re a keeper!

Recipe

Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Prep Time: 30 Minutes Cook Time: 10 Minutes Difficulty: Easy Servings: 36

Print Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 Sticks) Salted Butter
• 1 cup Brown Sugar, Packed
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 2 whole Large Eggs
• 1 Tablespoon Vanilla
• 2 cups All-purpose Flour
• 2 Tablespoons (additional) All-purpose Flour (rounded Tablespoons)
• 2 teaspoons (heaping) Instant Coffee Granules
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 8 ounces, weight Good Semi-sweet Chocolate, Chopped Into Chunks
• 1/2 cup Finely Chopped Pecans (optional)

Preparation Instructions

***Note: The amount of instant coffee should have been 2 heaping teaspoons, not 2 heaping tablespoons. I apologize for this error in the recipe entry!

Add one stick of butter to a medium skillet over medium heat. Allow it to melt and bubble up for 3 to 4 minutes, swirling the pan to keep the butter moving around. When the butter is a medium golden brown, remove the pan from the heat (it will continue browning in the pan over the next 30 seconds or so!) Pour butter (and any solids in the bottom of the pan) into a heatproof bowl and allow it to cool completely, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, allow the other stick of butter to soften.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees*.

Cream the softened butter together with the brown sugar and regular sugar until it’s nice and combined. Add the eggs and vanilla, and beat until smooth, scraping the bowl if necessary to make sure everything is incorporated.

With the mixer on medium-low, very slowly drizzle in the cooled melted butter, making sure to add all the darker brown solids. Scrape the bowl the mix again for 20-30 seconds, until everything is combined.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, coffee granules, baking soda and salt. Stir together, then add it in 1/3 increments, mixing on low, until it’s totally incorporated. Scrape the bowl and beat for a few more seconds. Stir in the chocolate chunks and nuts, if using.

In batches, scoop by heaping teaspoon onto a baking sheet lined with a baking mat, Press extra chocolate chunks into the tops of each cookie, if desired. Refrigerate scoped cookies for 15 minutes, then bake for 9 to 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven, then transfer cookies to a cooling rack. Repeat with the rest of the dough. Serve cookies with a big glass of cold milk!

Posted by Ree | The Pioneer Woman on September 4 2014