Brown Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Admittedly, this recipe was made out of desperation. I started making chocolate chip cookies and realized that my daughter had used up all but two eggs and all of the vanilla extract, so I had to pivot. Browning the butter adds a nutty, caramel element to the cookie, so you don’t miss the vanilla.
Tips:
This recipe can be halved, but use a scale to measure out 75 grams of flour.
Don’t walk away from the butter. It will go from foamy to burnt quickly.
These cookies are lacy and thin, which makes them a great candidate for ice cream sandwiches. I suggest freezing the cookies before assembling so they don’t break.
INGREDIENTS
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1¼ cups old-fashioned quick oats
3/4 pound bittersweet chocolate
Sea salt for garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line three cookie sheets with parchment paper.
In a medium saucepan, brown the butter over medium heat. Scrape the pan bottom frequently to prevent the milk solids from burning. This should take roughly 5 minutes.
Place the butter in a mixing bowl and add the brown sugar and granulated sugar. Whisk until the mixture is combined, about 3 minutes.
Allow the wet ingredients to cool, then add the eggs one at a time, whisking to combine. Scrape down the bowl.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and oats.
Add the flour mixture to the butter/sugar mixture using a rubber scraper. Mix until no white streaks remain, but don’t overmix! Stir in the chocolate chips.
Space six heaping teaspoons of the cookie dough evenly on each baking sheet.
Bake the cookies for roughly 10 minutes until the edges are browned and crinkly. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer them to the parchment paper on the counter to continue cooling and firming up.