Prep Time
20 min
Cook Time
12 min
Servings
18 cookies
Difficulty
Easy
After years of testing, this is the definitive chocolate chip cookie recipe: browned butter for a rich toffee depth, a blend of sugars for chew and crisp, extra yolk for fudginess, and good quality dark chocolate chunks — not chips — for those gorgeous molten pools.
🧂 Ingredients
- 225g (1 cup) unsalted butter
- 200g (1 cup) light brown sugar, packed
- 100g (½ cup) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs + 1 yolk
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 280g (2¼ cups) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 300g dark chocolate (70%), roughly chopped
- Flaky sea salt for finishing
👨🍳 Instructions
1
Brown the butter: melt butter in a light-coloured saucepan over medium heat, swirling occasionally. Cook until it foams, then turns golden and smells nutty — about 5 minutes. Watch carefully. Pour into a large bowl and cool for 10 minutes.
2
Whisk both sugars into the browned butter until combined. Add eggs and extra yolk one at a time, whisking vigorously after each addition. Add vanilla. Whisk for a full 2 minutes until the mixture is glossy and ribbons off the whisk.
3
Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt over the wet mixture. Fold with a spatula until just combined. Fold in chocolate chunks, reserving a handful for the tops.
4
Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (overnight is better — the dough dries slightly, improving chew and flavour).
5
Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F). Line baking sheets with parchment. Scoop 50g balls of dough (about 2 heaped tablespoons) and place 6cm apart. Press a few reserved chocolate pieces on top.
6
Bake for 11–13 minutes until edges are set and golden but the centres still look slightly underdone — they firm up as they cool. Immediately sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack.