Brown Butter Chocolate Chippers
12-26-2021
Happy holidays, everyone! I just realized that it’s been ages since I last posted, even though I had this photo all lined up. BUT, I promised myself I’d post by the end of the weekend, so here we go.
This year has been the year of the chocolate chip cookie in our house, for some reason. I mean, it’s a fairly basic cookie, and there’s nothing wrong with the Tollhouse version. Yet for some reason, I find myself continuing to pin different variations on the recipe.
Everyone seems to have an opinion about what makes the best chocolate chipper. I usually prefer ones with a little chunk to them, ones that you can really bite into, not the thin, crispy variety. And they have to be buttery. Oh, and they should keep for a few days without losing their softness.
When I first saw Joy’s Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies with Pecans on the King Arthur site, I was intrigued but not sold. After all, the photos showed slim cookies, the type I usually bypass. But these had two things going for them that made me stop for a second: brown butter and pecans. I love the richness brown butter adds to cakes and frostings but never thought about mixing it into a cookie. The pecans were a bonus, not just for the crunch they’d add but because we have so many in our freezer waiting to be used up.
So I went ahead and made these. If you’re looking for a really quick recipe, this one isn’t it. Not that it takes a long time, but browning the butter is an extra step that those in a time crunch might not want to futz with. But believe me, it’s worth it. The nutty undertone the butter provides is a tasty partner for the pecans. The sprinkle of coarse salt at the end counters a bit of the sweet richness, so don’t forget that last step before baking (like I did with the first batch).
These are delicious and keep well. They also freeze well–I like to freeze them immediately after baking, then pull them out one or two at a time when we need a quick treat (they don’t take too long to thaw).
If you want to embark on a chocolate chip cookie exploration of your own, here are a few of my other favorites: