Rye Brown Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Chocolate chip cookies are probably the most divisive baked good. People like them in many different ways. Personally, I love crispy edges and a chewy center, and these cookies provide exactly that. The rye flour brings an exceptional earthiness to the cookie that balances the sweetness, and the brown butter helps this cookie spread and adds a butterscotch undertone. Finally, these cookies have big pools of dark chocolate since we are chopping our own chocolate. The sprinkle of flaky sea salt at the end ties everything all together—this is truly the best cookie you will ever have!
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 10 minutes plus chilling time
Yields: 20-24 cookies
Ingredients:
1 cup salted butter (2 sticks)
2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup cane sugar
2 large eggs + 2 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups rye flour (I recommend using King Arthur’s)
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt
8 oz bar of bittersweet or dark chocolate, roughly chopped
flaky sea salt for finishing
Method:
Melt your butter in a medium saucepan and stir constantly for 5-7 minutes, until the butter browns and smells nice and nutty. Pour into a separate bowl and allow this to cool completely.
Whisk the cooled brown butter and both sugars in a large bowl until well combined. Add the eggs, egg yolks, and vanilla and whisk until fully incorporated.
In a separate large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and kosher salt until combined. When measuring flour, spoon and scoop it into the measuring cup, leveling it out with the back of a knife. Never scoop flour with the measuring cup, as this packs it in and makes your cookies hard and dry. You should do this for every recipe unless it calls for it to be packed (like almond flour).
Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until a dough forms. Gently fold in the chopped chocolate until fully incorporated. Wrap the bowl in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
Remove the dough from the fridge and, using a 3 tbsp cookie scoop, scoop 20-24 cookie dough balls, rolling them together with your hands to smooth out any jagged pieces. Place the balls on a small baking sheet, cover them with plastic, and chill for 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.
Preheat your oven to 375°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Bake 10-12 cookies at a time, placing them 2 inches apart from each other. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. The middle may still look underdone, but they will continue to cook as they cool. Remove from the oven and smack the baking sheet on the counter 3 times to flatten the cookies. If you notice them puffing up again as they are cooling, smack the baking sheet down a couple more times until they are flat and crinkly.
Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and continue to let them cool on the baking sheet. Enjoy! You can store these in an airtight container for a few days at room temp, but I doubt they will last that long :)
