Are there too many chocolate chip cookie recipes in the world?

It is true there are a TON of chocolate chip cookie recipes out there. I was perfectly happy with my own contribution when my husband showed me a popular recipe for brown butter toffee cookies he wanted to try. I went out and tracked down the Skor bar, fancy chocolate and flaked sea salt the recipe requested and was prepared for my life to change as the recipe warned would happen. It was a disappointment for both of us. Sure, it was tasty but I couldn’t help think of all the aspects I would change to make it MY perfect cookie. So into the kitchen I went…

After many trials, I finally created my dream cookie. I have discovered everyone is different when it comes to their ideal chocolate chip cookie. Could my cookie be your cookie too? Maybe! Let’s go over the finer details.

Chocolate - Large pools of melted chocolate are all the rage in the Pinterest chocolate chip cookie scene. Personally, I think it takes away from the flavor of the cookie itself. If I only wanted to taste chocolate I would just eat…chocolate? I stick to a reasonable amount of high quality chocolate, chopped into bite sized pieces.

Texture - I love a thick, soft baked cookie. Unfortunately, most soft baked cookies are under baked. This means they have a great texture but are lacking the sugar caramelization that gives a cookie that deep caramel/toffee flavor. I enhance the caramel flavors by using dark brown sugar, browned butter and toffee bits. Additionally, the size of the cookies in my recipe allows for caramelization of the edges while maintaining a soft center.

Size - These are undoubtedly large cookies. A bigger cookie means multiple textures in one cookie - soft insides and crisp outsides. Due to the size, you will begin baking the cookie at a low temperature then increase the heat to get some light browning.

Brown Butter Toffee Cookies

Thick, chewy chocolate chip cookies with deep caramel and toffee notes

Makes: 12 large cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon sized pieces
1 1/2 cups (187.5 grams) all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup (133.3 grams) dark brown sugar
1/3 cup (66.6) granulated sugar
1 egg + 1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 ounces high quality semi sweet or dark chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup toffee bits

Instructions:

Brown the butter - Add the butter to a medium skillet over medium low heat. Stirring frequently, allow the melted butter to foam. Once foaming, stir constantly. The butter will start to form light brown bits and develop a light golden brown color and a nutty smell. Remove from the heat and immediately pour into a medium bowl. Allow to cool while the rest of the ingredients are prepared
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl
Add the sugars to the browned butter and stir to combine
Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla to the butter mixture and whisk to combine
Add the butter mixture to the flour and stir together with a wooden spoon until the flour is mostly incorporated, be sure not to overmix
Stir in the chocolate and toffee bits. The last of the flour should get incorporated at this point
Cover the bowl and place in the fridge to chill for 3 - 4 hours
Once the dough is chilled, preheat the oven to 325 degrees
Scoop the cookie dough into 3 tablespoon sized balls (I use a cookie scoop). The dough will be hard from the fridge but the warmth of your hand should help shape them if necessary. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat, spaced about 2.5 inches apart
Bake the cookies for 6 minutes at 325 degrees and increase the temperature to 375 degrees and finish baking for approximately 4-6 minutes. Pull the cookies from the oven when the bottom and tops of the cookies are VERY lightly browned. Every oven is diffrent so keep an eye on the color for the final few minutes of baking
Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the cookie sheet for a couples minutes then transfer to a cooling rack until cool
Note: Flavors and texture are best when the cookies are cooled