Bougie Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are my best. It’s extra work, but it pays off.

If you really don’t want to roast the milk powder before you make the cookies, you can just put that milk powder in to the butter while you are browning it. The milk powder is the same stuff that you’re browning in the butter. I’ve had better results toasting the milk powder and browning the butter separately, but this shortcut does work.

Toasted Milk Powder

Toasted milk powder is good in basically any baked good that needs a bit more toasty caramel flavor. This recipe only uses two tablespoons, but you can’t really make a batch that small, so make a bunch and keep it in an airtight jar. To toast the milk powder, just pour some dry milk powder on a foil-lined baking sheet with sides. Place in the oven at 350°F, stirring every five minutes until the entire pan is deep gold and toasty. You can also do smaller batches in the microwave or a frying pan if you prefer. For the microwave, place the powder in a microwave-safe bowl, and heat in 30 second intervals, stirring well between. For the frying pan method, heat in a dry skillet, stirring often until deep gold. Be careful, it’s easy to burn!

Choosing your Chocolates

I use the following blend for these because I have tons of baking chocolate around from other baking projects, but purchasing big bags of baking chocolate just to make a batch of cookies is overkill for most of us.

• 6 oz Callebaut 811 Callets
• 5 oz Endangered Species 72% Bars, chopped
• 5 oz Endangered Species 48% Bars, chopped

Feel free to splurge, it will pay off. But don’t buy one-pound bags of chocolate if you won’t find a way to use what’s left. Grocery store brands will work just fine. Many grocers carry the Endangered Species bars, but the most important thing is that you use chocolate bars if possible. Chocolate chips will work, but chopped bars melt differently and make bigger “puddles,” of chocolate.

If using grocery store bars, steer clear of the Hershey’s bars, and opt for the fancier stuff. In total you want 16 oz of chocolate. Around 11 oz of dark chocolate (between 50-75% cocoa) and 5 oz of high-quality milk chocolate like Lindt, Ghirardelli, or Endangered Species.

If using baking chips, using quality brands like Guittard and Ghirardelli will yield better results, but Tollhouse will work just fine. Opt for 11 oz semisweet chips, and 5 oz milk chocolate chips.

These are also tasty with some white chocolate thrown in, and you can alter the proportion of dark to light however you please, just make sure you’re using 16 oz of chocolate total.

Ingredients

• 12 oz (3 sticks) Unsalted Butter
• 9 oz Brown Sugar
• 4 oz Granulated Sugar
• 2 large Eggs
• 8 oz All-Purpose Flour
• 4 oz Bread Flour
• 1 tbsp Cornstarch
• 1 tbsp Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 2 tbsp Toasted Milk Powder (see above)
• 1/4 tsp Freshly Grated Nutmeg
• 1 tbsp Vanilla Extract
• 16 oz Assorted Dark and Milk Chocolate (see “Choosing your chocolates,” above for specific recommendations)
• Optional - 1 oz Black Walnuts, chopped

Directions

1. In a saucepan, heat the butter over medium-low heat until melted. Allow it to continue cooking until it begins to foam, stirring often with a heat-proof flexible spatula.
2. Once the butter begins to foam, be vigilant. Scrape the bottom and sides of the pan to ensure none of the dairy solids from the butter are sticking. We don’t want them to burn, just brown. As you stir continuously the butter should go silent, but continue to foam. You should notice small flecks of gold in the butter. Keep stirring until the flecks turn the color of an almond skin and the butter smells nutty. You can keep browning it from here if you want a deeper toasted flavor, but be careful because it is extremely easy to burn this, and you will have to start over if you do.
3. When it is dark enough for you, remove the butter from the pan to a heat-safe container, making sure to scrape any bits stuck to the pan, and allow it to cool to room temperature.
4. In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment mix the butter, nutmeg, sugars, salt, and baking soda. Cream on medium speed until fluffy. 8ish minutes.
5. Whisk flour, cornstarch, and milk powder in another bowl.
6. Add eggs and vanilla to butter and mix until fluffy again. Scrape down bowl with a flexible spatula, repeat.
7. Add flour mix by hand with the spatula, mixing until only a few streaks of dry flour remain, then add the chocolate and stir to distribute.
8. Scoop out 1.5 oz portions and place in an airtight container to chill for 30 minutes or up to 48 hours, or bake immediately at 375°F for around 12:00 - 14:00 until golden at edges and still puffy in center for very thin cookies.
9. For extra fudgy cookies: bake directly from the fridge on a parchment lined baking sheet at 375ºF for 10-14 minutes. They should be deep gold at the edges, but still noticeably puffy and moist in the middle.
10. For more evenly baked cookies: bake directly from the fridge on a parchment lined baking sheet at 350ºF for 13-17 minutes. They should be gold at the edges, and steamy in the middle, but the surface should look mostly matte and dry.
11. Cool on pan for 5:00, then transfer to rack. Store in an airtight container at room temp for 3 days, refrigerate for two weeks, or freeze for six months.