Two techniques account for much of what makes a good chocolate chip cookie: using brown butter and chilling the dough. King Arthur Baking publishes both. This page summarises its 2024 Recipe of the Year and a related article about browning only half the butter. We have not baked these; amounts and times are the sources’.
Brown only half the butter
King Arthur’s article “A butter trick for better chocolate chip cookies†explains that browning removes water. Brown all the butter and the dough can turn gritty, and the cookies can come out greasy and crumbly. Browning half keeps enough water for the dough to come together while adding a toasty, nutty depth. The steps are: brown half the butter, cream the unbrowned half with the sugar, pour in the slightly cooled brown butter and beat another minute or two, and add it before the eggs and dry ingredients. The article suggests a generous hand with salt.
The Recipe of the Year: browned butter, tangzhong and a long chill
Supersized, Super-Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies makes 16 to 17 large (4-inch) or 28 medium (3-inch) cookies, with about 35 minutes of hands-on work and roughly a day in total, mostly chilling. It uses brown sugar, salt, 16 tablespoons (226 g) butter, ½ cup (113 g) milk, 2¾ cups (330 g) bread flour, 2 cold eggs, vanilla, baking powder, baking soda and 2 cups (340 g) chopped semisweet chocolate.
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- Cook the butter 5 to 7 minutes over medium-high heat, swirling, until dark golden with brown bits, and pour it over the sugar and salt.
- Whisk the milk with 3 tablespoons of the flour over low heat for 2 to 3 minutes into a thick paste (a tangzhong), then add it to the bowl. The page credits this starter and the bread flour for the soft, slightly bendy texture.
- Whisk in eggs and vanilla, stir in the rest of the flour and leaven, chill briefly, fold in the chocolate, then refrigerate covered for 24 to 72 hours to deepen the flavour.
- Let the dough sit at room temperature 10 to 15 minutes, scoop 85 to 90 g portions, and bake at 350°F for 18 to 22 minutes (15 to 18 for 50 g cookies) until the edges are set and browned. Cool on the sheet at least 15 minutes.
Tips from King Arthur
- Scoop after 1 to 2 hours of chilling, then keep chilling, to avoid scooping rock-hard dough.
- No time to wait? Spread the dough in a parchment-lined 9 x 13 inch pan and bake at 350°F for 34 to 38 minutes to make bars.
- Scooped dough can be frozen and baked from frozen in about 22 to 24 minutes. Baked cookies keep covered for up to 5 days.
- For a less sweet cookie, swap up to 1 cup of the semisweet chocolate for bittersweet.
The recipe page shows a 3.7 out of 5 rating from 571 reviews. For something quicker, try our summary of King Arthur’s blueberry muffins.
Sources
- King Arthur Baking: Supersized, Super-Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies
- King Arthur Baking: A butter trick for better chocolate chip cookies
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