Now, I know. I’ve had bad luck with brown butter cookies in the past. So naturally I decided to do not just another brown butter cookie, but another Bon Appetit brown butter cookie recipe.
This one was from Rick Martinez, a man known as a cookie connoisseur. He explained that while his cookies are meant to spread a decent amount, the greasy, OVERspreading that can occur in brown butter cookies is most likely due to the flour not having enough time to “hydrate” with the rest of the dough. His recommendations? REALLY beat the eggs into the butter and sugar to develop structure and fluffiness, then let the dough sit for 30 minutes to thicken and do its thing.
I browned some butter, let it cool, then combined it with both granulated and dark brown sugar. We’re going for that nutty, toffee-ey flavor here. Then I beat the eggs and vanilla for a few, added the dry ingredients, and mixed in both chocolate chips and broken pieces of Heath bars. I know this is a unique add-in to the classic chocolate chip cookie, but if nuts are allowed, then toffee bits should be, too.
I ended up letting the dough “hydrate” for a little longer than 30 minutes…simply because I got sidetracked and then had to eat dinner. About an hour later, I popped them in the oven and baked until gooey yet crisp.
Let’s get right to the point: the ratings.
The Look: Because I let the dough sit for a little too long, my cookies actually ended up a little poofier than his. However, I actually REALLY enjoyed that factor. The cookies were golden, thick, and beautiful. 9/10
Crunchy Chew: Crispy on the outside, still gooey and chewy on the inside. I have to say, these performed well and exceeded my expectations when it came to texture; by far the best brown butter cookie to still achieve that “crunchy chew” factor! 9/10
Chip to Dough Ratio: there was a good amount of chocolate chip in here, as well as a good amount of toffee bits to really amp up the flavor. His recipe called for chocolate wafers to create BIGGER pockets of chocolate, and had I been able to replicate that (rather than just regular chocolate chips), I think it would have been perfect. 9/10
Overall Taste: Like I said, these were definitely the best brown butter cookies so far. Between the toffee, the chocolate, and the brown butter, they certainly packed a lot of flavor. However, after trying many brown butter and regular butter cookies, I think I genuinely prefer the taste of regular butter in chocolate chip cookies. Granted, there is a time and a place for both, but I think my ultimate cookie is more classic. 8.5/10
Wow Factor: Brown butter. Chocolate wafers. Toffee bits. Flakey salt on top. Enough said. 10/10
FINAL SCORE: 9.1/10
A pretty high contender! We’ll just have to see how it stacks up with the rest side by side.
ONE more cookie to test, then the FINAL showdown can commence!
Girl vs. Cake 