Chocolate Chip Cookies (The Food Lab)

These cookies from J. Kenji López-Alt are deeply flavorful with nutty brown butter, gooey chocolate, and crisp edges. Chilling the dough develops a richer texture and taste—worth every minute of wait time. Source

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Yield: 28 cookies

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Ingredients

8 ounces (2 sticks; 225g) unsalted butter
1 standard ice cube (about 2 tablespoons; 30mL frozen water)
10 ounces (about 2 cups; 280g) all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon (3g) baking soda
2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt or 1 teaspoon table salt (4g)
5 ounces (about 3/4 cup; 140g) granulated sugar
2 large eggs (100g)
2 teaspoons (10mL) vanilla extract
5 ounces (about 1/2 tightly packed cup + 2 tablespoons; 140g) dark brown sugar
8 ounces (225g) semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped
Coarse sea salt, for garnish

Instructions

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat, swirling constantly, until browned and nutty-smelling (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat and swirl for 15 seconds more. Transfer to a bowl, whisk in ice cube, and refrigerate until fully cooled (about 20 minutes), whisking occasionally.
Meanwhile, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat granulated sugar, eggs, and vanilla on medium-high until pale and thick, about 5 minutes.
Switch to the paddle attachment. Add brown sugar and cooled brown butter to the egg mixture. Mix on medium for 15 seconds. Add flour mixture and mix on low until barely combined. Add chopped chocolate and mix on low until dough forms.
Transfer dough to an airtight container and refrigerate overnight or up to 3 days.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 325°F (160°C). Scoop 3-tablespoon-sized portions of dough and place on lined baking sheets (6–8 per sheet). Tear each dough ball in half and press back together with torn sides facing out for a craggy surface.
Bake for 13–16 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through, until edges are golden but centers are soft.
Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle with coarse sea salt. Let cool for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
Repeat with remaining dough. Once completely cool, store cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Tips

Brown butter gives these cookies their deep, nutty flavor—don’t skip it!
Chilling the dough overnight develops flavor and texture.
For best results, use a kitchen scale and measure ingredients by weight.
Dough can be frozen in portions and baked from frozen (add 1–2 extra minutes to bake time).