Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
I’ve been tweaking this recipe for years and I’ve finally locked it in and make it at least twice a month. The main thing: I brown the butter and make a roux with some of the flour, then dissolve the sugars into it while it’s still warm. You end up with a caramely, browned-butter base that gives the cookies a stronger flavor and chewier texture than anything I’ve gotten from a standard recipe. No mixer, no chill time, and they come out consistent every time.
Ingredients
| Ingredient | Volume | Grams |
|---|---|---|
| All-purpose flour (King Arthur) | 2 1/4 cups | 280g |
| Baking soda | 1 tsp | - |
| Cornstarch | 1 1/2 tsp | - |
| Salt | 1/2 tsp | - |
| Unsalted butter, browned | 3/4 cup (1.5 sticks) | 170g |
| Packed brown sugar | 3/4 cup | 150g |
| Granulated sugar | 1/2 cup | 100g |
| Egg + egg yolk, room temp | 1 large + 1 yolk | - |
| Vanilla extract | 2 tsp | - |
| Semi-sweet chocolate chips (Guittard) | 1 1/4 cups | 225g |
Instructions
Brown butter roux
- Brown the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly. Keep your attention on it the whole time.
- Once browned, add 1/4 cup of the flour directly into the butter and stir to make a roux.
- Add both sugars while the mixture is still warm. Stir until completely dissolved, no clumps or granules. You’ll end up with a smooth, caramely mix.
- Let it cool to room temperature.
Wet mix
- Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla to the cooled roux mixture. Mix until combined.
Dry mix
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining 2 cups of flour, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt.
- Add the dry mix into the wet mix, stir until just combined. The dough will be dense and oily. Fold in the chocolate chips by hand, a stand mixer will struggle with how thick the dough is and the chips tend to fall out. You can also press extras into the tops of the prepped dough balls right before they go in the oven.
Bake
- Preheat oven to 325F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Scoop the dough into medium-sized balls and press down to about 1/3 inch thickness. You can make them any size or shape and they’ll be consistent all the way through.
- Bake for 5 minutes, rotate the tray, then bake for 5 more minutes.
- Tap the tray firmly on the counter at the halfway rotation and again when you pull them out. This collapses the cookies so you get a dense, bumpy-with-chips surface instead of a puffy rise.
- Let them set on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes. They’ll be gooey when they come out but will firm up into a nice cookie crust with a soft center.
Tips
Check early. Start watching the cookies about 2 minutes before the end of the bake time. If they aren’t looking right at 10 minutes, you can leave them another minute.
Parchment, not silicone. Always use parchment paper. Better edges, less spreading.
No chill required. Unlike most chocolate chip cookie recipes, you can bake these immediately. You can chill the dough, but let it come back to room temperature first since the roux and dissolved sugars leave less moisture in the dough. It’ll be crumbly if it’s too cold.
Storage. Airtight container on the counter. They also freeze well.
Salting the tops. Optional, but if you want to, add the salt about 2 minutes before the end of the bake.
FAQ
Do I need to chill this cookie dough?
No. Unlike most chocolate chip cookie recipes, you can bake these immediately after mixing. The browned butter roux and dissolved sugars give you a dough that's already at the right consistency. You can chill it if you want, but let it come back to room temperature before baking, otherwise it'll be crumbly.
Why brown the butter and make a roux?
Browning the butter develops nutty, caramel notes that plain melted butter can't match. Adding flour to the warm butter to make a roux, then dissolving the sugars into that roux, locks the sugars into the fat instead of relying on the dough to dissolve them in the oven. You end up with a smoother, more uniformly chewy cookie with stronger flavor.
Can I freeze these cookies or the dough?
Yes, both freeze well. For baked cookies, store in an airtight container in the freezer. For the dough, scoop into balls and freeze on a tray, then transfer to a bag. Bake straight from frozen, adding a minute or two to the bake time.
What chocolate chips should I use?
Guittard semi-sweet are my go-to. Better chocolate and ingredients than most grocery store brands. Dark chocolate chips work well mixed in. Milk chocolate is too sweet for a cookie that already has plenty of sugar.
Do I need a stand mixer for this recipe?
No. The dough is too thick and oily for a stand mixer to handle well; the chocolate chips tend to fall out when you mix them in. Fold the chips in by hand instead.
Why measure flour in grams instead of cups?
Volume measurements for flour vary wildly depending on how you scoop. A kitchen scale gives you exactly 280g every time, which is the difference between a chewy cookie and a dry one.
Should I use parchment paper or a silicone baking mat?
Parchment. Silicone mats cause more spread and worse edges. Parchment gives you cleaner, slightly crispier edges around the chewy center.
Why tap the tray on the counter while baking?
Tapping the tray collapses the cookies, so instead of a puffy, smooth top you get a denser cookie with a bumpy, chip-studded surface. Tap once at the rotation halfway through and again when you pull them out of the oven.