Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies + Coffee Ice Cream Sandwiches {recipe}

Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies {recipe}

based on a recipe by J. Kenji López-Alt at Serious Eats

makes a little more than 2 dozen cookies, depending on how accurately you measure out each cookie

INGREDIENTS

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons Kosher salt
¾ cup granulated white sugar
¾ cup dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups dark chocolate chunks
optional: flaky sea salt for sprinkling on finished cookies

DIRECTIONS

Make Cookie Dough: In a heavy-bottomed saucepan over low heat, melt 1 cup of butter. Turn up heat to medium and cook the butter, swirling the pan or stirring with a wooden spoon, until the butter "browns" and begins to smell nutty; it'll take about 5-7 minutes.

Remove pan from heat while still swirling or stirring (so butter doesn't burn) and allow to darken. Pour the browned butter into a heat-safe bowl and allow to cool to room temperature. On the countertop, this will take an hour. In the refrigerator, it will take about 20 minutes.

While the browned butter cools, sift together flour, baking soda, and salt into a bowl.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract. Mix on medium speed for about 5 minutes, until all the sugar has been incorporated.

Pour cooled browned butter into mixer bowl and mix on medium to medium-low speed until incorporated into the sugar/egg mixture.

Turn the mixer down to low. Add the flour mixture and mix for about a minute until most of the flour is incorporated.

Add chocolate chunks and mix on low until everything is well incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a wooden spoon (a regular rubber spatula never seems strong enough for me). Transfer the cookie dough to an airtight container or sealable plastic bag and refrigerate overnight (or up to three days - I have never been able to wait to that long).

Bake Cookies: Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Form dough into 1-ounce balls (about 1½-inches in diameter) and place balls on lined baking sheet at least 2-inches apart. Bake 11-13 minutes until golden brown, but still look JUST slightly underbaked.

Remove baking sheet(s) from oven. Sprinkle each cookie with a few flakes of sea salt, pressing the crystals into the cookies if needed. Allow the cookie to rest on the baking cheet for about 2 minutes, then gently remove to cooling rack. Allow to cool completely.

Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies and Coffee Ice Cream Sandwiches {recipe}

The Ice Cream Sandwich tastes great with pretty much any flavor ice cream, but I like coffee so there you have it.

INGREDIENTS

browned butter chocolate chip cookies (see recipe above!)
coffee ice cream or frozen yogurt (see recipe here!)

DIRECTIONS

Soften coffee ice cream or frozen yogurt by setting container on counter for about 15 minutes.

For each Cookie Ice Cream Sandwich, scoop ice cream into a ball, place the scoop on the "bottom" of one cookie, then place the other cookie on top, bottom-side down, pressing the two cookies together. If you need any more detail on how to do this, you probably shouldn't really be trying to make an ice cream sandwich in the first place because it's a sandwich for fuck's sake.

Eat right away, though if you must, the Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches can be wrapped individually in plastic, then place in sealable plastic bags and kept in the freezer for a few days.