Clarified Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies remind me of the Otis Spunkmeyer Chocolate Chip Cookies. I'll probably never make an exact clone of the Otis Spunkmeyer Cookies because they seem to use some kind of special baking fat available only to the food industry, but Clarified Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies are a pretty good stand-in.
Texture and Flavor
They have crispy edges and chewy centers and an overall handsome appearance. And yes, they do have a buttery flavor. That being said, if you don't feel like dealing with clarified butter and are okay with using shortening, just follow the recipe below but use ⅓ cup shortening and ⅓ cup butter. The texture of the cookies is actually better with shortening, but I know not everyone likes to use it.
Clarified Butter
Clarified butter is good in cooking and baking. It's great for sautéing since clarifying butter lowers its smoking point. Since I usually just need a few tablespoons for cooking, I make small amounts. For a tutorial on how to make it in larger amounts, here's a really good YouTube video by Chef Pierre. If you are just clarifying 1 stick for this recipe, it won't take nearly as much time as it does in the video.
Recipe Updates
You can bake the cookies at 350 degrees F if your oven runs hot, but 375 also works and the cookies might spread less. This really depends on your oven and whether or not you've chilled the dough. Chilling the dough makes the cookies better.. For the flour, the measurement is 1 ½ cups. I think the best weight is 204 grams for the flour rather than 190, so I've updated that. Also, the yield is about 20 cookies when measured with a medium size scoop, which is a good size for these cookies. They're also good made smaller.
Recipe
Clarified Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (205 grams)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 5 ½ tablespoons clarified butter or ⅓ cup shortening (75 grams shortening)
- 5 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature (75 grams)
- ½ cup firmly packed brown sugar (100 grams)
- ½ cup granulated sugar (100 grams)
- 1 large egg
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ⅓ cups extra dark chocolate chips
- ½ cup toasted nuts optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Have ready a couple of ungreased cookie sheets.
- In a bowl, thoroughly stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt
- In a mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, beat together the clarified butter (or shortening) and regular butter until creamy. Add both sugars and continue beat just until blended. Add egg and vanilla and beat just until blended. By hand, stir in the flour mixture. When blended, stir in the chocolate chips and nuts (if using).
- Scoop up measuring tablespoons of dough and arrange on the baking sheets spacing about 2 ½ inches apart. Alternatively, put the scoops on a plate, cover and chill until ready to bake. Chilling improves the dough. It makes the cookies browner and helps them spread more evenly.
- Bake on ungreased cookie sheets for 10-14 minutes or until lightly brown around the edges. Let cool on baking sheets for five minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
Laura
Fascinating. I just came across a recipe for ccc's on the clbb that had a good amount of coriander in it--I am thinking clarified butter plus coriander and call it an Indian chocolate chip cookie!
Caralyn @ glutenfreehappytummy
two words: holy yum!!!
Gloria
Those cookies look perfect-nice golden brown color. I am looking for a ginger cookies that is crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. I'll check out your posts!
Gianna
They look good. I'm trying to figure out how to make oatmeal cookies like archway lately 🙂
Jan Harris
I like Cooking for Engineers, I use their banana bread recipe. Clarified butter is also call ghee, is that right?
nora
Maybe Otis Spunkmeyer also uses that bakery flavoring? I've seen it at the King Arthur store online ... buttery sweet dough flavor.
Cookie Sleuth
Even though you couldn't replicate Otis Spunkmeyer, it sounds like you created a great recipe! I hope you are enjoying your holiday season!