Browned Butter Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies
Oh chocolate chip cookies. There are SO MANY recipes out there for chocolate chip cookies. After growing up eating the Nestle Tollhouse recipe with only have the chips (my dad made us make them with half the chips – seriously!), I thought I had found the one with Alton Brown’s The Chewy.
But since finding that recipe, I’ve tried quite a few other chocolate chip cookie recipes (even some with bacon, molasses, and pretzels baked into them!). And there are still tons out there to try. Instead of settling for just one go-to recipe, I’ve opened my mind to trying as many as I feel intrigued by… I figure some day I’ll whip something up that takes my favorite aspects of a few different recipes to come up with an ultimate chocolate chip cookie recipe. But until that day, I’ll keep trying new ones, and remaking old ones.
Every chocolate chip cookie recipe I’ve tried has had something to love. This recipe is no exception. It’s similar to other recipes that I’ve made, since it uses melted butter. Instead of just melting the butter, you take the butter to it’s delicious nutty browned butter state. Browned butter will definitely be in my ultimate chocolate chip cookie recipe.
The dough also rests in the fridge overnight. I love doing this with cookie dough for two reasons. One, it gives me a chance to whip up the batter one night and just cook the cookies the next day. Two, chilled cookie dough holds it’s shape better. So when you use a scoop you get nice round cookies, which I love.
These are BIG cookies. I used the ice cream scooper that I use to portion cupcakes. I’ve decided that I’m using that scooper for all cookies from now on.
I decided to add a sprinkling of sea salt just before baking them. I’m a firm believer the salt should be used to enhance flavors. Desserts are no exception to that rule. I actually forgot to sprinkle sea salt on the first tray, even though it was sitting on the counter. Hubby and I agreed the ones with sea salt were much much better. Even if you don’t try this recipe, I suggest trying a sprinkle of sea salt on your next batch of cookies.
I took these cookies to a party and they were a huge hit. This was no surprise. Hubby has always claimed that he’d rather eat cookie dough instead of a baked cookie. Not these puppies. He couldn’t keep his hands off of them.
One Year Ago: French Macarons – Chocolate with Espresso Buttercream and French Macarons – Hazelnut with Chocolate Ganache
Two Years Ago: White Chocolate and Macadamia Nut Bars and Chocolate Almost Candy Bars
Three Years Ago: Crockpot Pulled Pork
Four Years Ago: Lemon Curd Cookies
Browned Butter Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies
Browned butter, cream cheese, and a sprinkling of sea salt take these chocolate chip cookies to the next level!
Yield: 2 dozen large cookies
Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
4 oz cream cheese, softened
3/4 cups brown sugar
3/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
3 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups chocolate chips
sea salting, for sprinkling (optional)
Directions:
Melt the butter in a saucepan until brown and set it aside to cool.
Cream the butter, cream cheese and both sugars together with an electric mixer until smooth.
Add the eggs and beat until combined.
Turn the mixer on low and mix in the flour, salt and baking soda until just combined.
Add the chocolate chips and mix until just incorporated.
Cover the dough and refrigerate until chilled, several hours or overnight.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line a few trays with baking paper.
Roll 1/4 cup size balls of dough and place them on the trays. Flatten slightly. Sprinkle with sea salt.
Bake for 9-12 minutes, until the edges are golden.
Recipe adapted from Becky Bakes
I am Jen the Beantown Baker. Engineer by day and baking maven by night. Hubby serves as my #1 fan and official taste tester. We got hitched back in 2006. Barefoot. In the sand. With the waves crashing behind us. It was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. 
Mmmm amazing! I love all of the different flavors in each part of the recipe! Perfect for the 17th…maybe even with a drop of green food coloring =)
I’ve been wanting to make a version of htis for awhile and almost did this weekend. Now my plan is tackle them for St. Pat’s. Thanks for reminding me to do this.
My husband and his Army buddies LOVE these cupcakes! I get requests for them almost weekly!
sounds so good!! I could go for one now 🙂
Well I love Irish Car Bombs so in dessert form I know I would love it even more!
Wow – I am dying to try these. They look amazing!
Wow these look amazing. That looks like the perfect amount of frosting, too.
I made these for a friend’s birthday last month and absolutely fell in love with them. They are the perfect St. Patty’s day cupcake. Or any day really. My friends proclaimed them the best they had ever tasted. Yours look fantastic!
What a wonderful recipe! And just in time for St Pats 😀
BB
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http://www.brisbanebaker.blogspot.com
Mmm, they look amazing and are so perfect for St. Patty’s Day – yum!
Wow these are some fancy looking cupcakes! Great job 🙂
I’m still in the process of making these…(Have yet to Ice and taste) But My ganache didn’t come out right…I stayed runny even when completely cooled and I can’t figure out what I did wrong 🙁
Shayna – So sorry to hear the ganache didn’t set up. Did you try putting it in the fridge? I’ve never had that issue…
I am ready to make these but I do not have enough bittersweet chocolate for the ganache. Can I use semi-sweet or unsweetened chocolate? Will it still taste okay?
beantownbaker — March 16th, 2013 @ 2:49 pm
Sorry I didn’t get back to you sooner. Semisweet would work ok, I wouldn’t use unsweetened.
Have you ever made these into a cake? I have made them multiple times and love them but was hoping to make this into a cake for a birthday. Any thoughts?