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. 
Dark chocolate truffles in cookie form? Um, YES!!! I’ll take a dozen for myself and another dozen for later, please.
Wow – these sound good! and I truly do not understand how people can just “not be into chocolate!” It is my favorite!
beantownbaker — May 8th, 2013 @ 8:26 pm
Yea, I really don’t get it either. Oh well, more for me!
Oh wow, chocolate truffle cookies sound divine! These look ridiculously good! Love that they’re salted too!
beantownbaker — May 8th, 2013 @ 8:27 pm
I have been sprinkling salt on all of my cookies recently. It makes them much more adult and less super-sweet.
Yum these look divine!
I’m always in need of a chocolate fix! I have several friends that claim they are not chocolate people, yet I find whenever I make something chocolate + salt, they are all over it!
beantownbaker — May 8th, 2013 @ 8:28 pm
I definitely find that people who claim they aren’t chocolate people rarely say no to any homemade baked goods. Chocolate or otherwise.
Oh my! These look divine 🙂 I’d love to make these babies soon!
these look amazing!! and how thick that batter is 🙂 love the sea salt!
beantownbaker — May 8th, 2013 @ 8:29 pm
The batter was basically ganache. You could have just made truffles from it directly.
I love any and all things dark chocolate. These look so decadent!
I’m curious to find out what blog platform you’re working with?
I’m having some minor security problems with my latest blog and I’d like to find something
more safeguarded. Do you have any suggestions?
beantownbaker — June 10th, 2013 @ 12:56 pm
I use WordPress
Wow! Those look so perfectly decadent! I’m practically drooling on my screen 😉
Just made these. Worried I didn’t bake them long enough… however they still tasted divine. Waiting to get the verdict from my husband on them.
beantownbaker — June 10th, 2013 @ 12:11 pm
I think underbaking these sounds like a great idea. I might have to do that next time.
Since I’m trying this recipe for the first time, can I halve the entire recipe?
beantownbaker — June 10th, 2013 @ 12:12 pm
Sorry for not getting back to you sooner. I didn’t see this comment until now! I don’t see why you couldn’t make a half batch of these cookies. Did you try it? How did they turn out?
These are the most amazing chocolate cookies I have ever made. Everyone with whom I have shared them have gone absolutly nuts and want the recipe. I do not wet my hands when rolling the cookies into balls—too messy. I just let my hands get sticky and rinse and dry them after making several balls. This is one of the best recipes on Pinterest.
beantownbaker — June 10th, 2013 @ 12:13 pm
Thanks for the kind words! So glad you enjoy these cookies. I was wondering if getting my hands wet actually helped with the messiness very much. Next time I’ll be sure to just go at it without dealing with the water.
Hey! I tried halving the recipe…but it melted while in the oven. Became runny & all of them just stuck together 🙁
I tried just one batch. Anything I can do to fix the remaining batter?
beantownbaker — June 18th, 2013 @ 4:01 pm
Interesting… How did you account for half of an egg? And is your baking powder past it’s expiration date?
Ohh! Looks like I’ve added a lil too much egg. Damn! Any way I can fix the batter? Add more flour perhaps? Plz help!
beantownbaker — June 19th, 2013 @ 7:12 am
I’d add a little more flour to see if you can balance out the extra amount of egg in there.
I added 1/4 cup more flour & a teensy bit of baking powder to my messed up batter & they came out wonderfully! They’re so gooey & yumm that my husband & son (who never eats chocolate!) finished six cookies at one go!
Amazing recipe!! Thank you so much for your help, I appreciate it !
beantownbaker — June 20th, 2013 @ 7:00 am
Oh GOOD! So glad you were able to make them work. Aren’t they divine?
U bet! They are sinfully delicious! Sent some in my son’s snack pack & I have mommies calling for these cookies!
I’m officially ur No.1 fan now! 🙂
beantownbaker — June 20th, 2013 @ 7:18 am
Aww Thanks! 🙂
Hi, I was wondering if I could put them in the freezer instead of the fridge for a shorter period of time? If so, how long should I put them in the freezer for instead of the fridge?
beantownbaker — June 27th, 2013 @ 8:06 am
Hm. You could definitely try it. I would think it’s still going to need an hour or so in the freezer since you want it to set up pretty well. Let me know how it turns out if you do.