Clarified Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Chocolate chip cookies with soft centers and crisp edges.
Servings 12 large cookies
Cost 5
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (205 grams)
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 5 ½ tablespoons cool or cold clarified butter (weight after clarifying**) (75 grams)
- 5 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cut into chunks (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 large chocolate chips, like Ghirardelli bittersweet
- ½ cup walnuts or pecans optional
Instructions
- 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 cooled clarified butter and cold butter until creamy. Add both sugars and continue to beat just until blended. Add egg and vanilla and beat just until blended, scraping the side of teh bowl thoroughly.
- By hand or using lowest speed mixture, stir in the flour mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips and nuts (if using).
- Scoop out big gobs of dough to make 12 large heaps (about 3 oz each) 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.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Have ready a couple of ungreased cookie sheets or hold off and chill the dough.
- Bake on ungreased cookie sheets for for about 13 to 15 minutes or until lightly brown around the edges and cracks appear in the center. The bake time is going to depend on the temperature of the dough, so if you chilled the dough and it is very firm and cold, it may take longer.
- Let cool on baking sheets for five minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
- An optional step which I like to do for thick cookies is to freeze the cookies while still slightly warm, then let them thaw again so that they are room temperature but the chocolate is solid. If you prefer your cookies gooey and warm with melty chocolate, definitely skip that step!
Notes
For this recipe, you’ll need to start with a stick (½ cup 4 ounces/114 grams) of unsalted butter to make ⅓ cup (2.3 ounces/75 grams) clarified. Melt the butter over medium heat until it starts to separate. Skim any whey that's risen to the top, then pour into a bowl and let cool. As it cools, the milk solids sink. Pour off the clear butter. Save the milk solids for something else or discard. To use, weigh 75 grams of clarified butter. You can use it while it's still liquid or let it solidify, cut it into chunks and beat until creamy.