Mildly Interesting

I hear that people like US recipes because they don't use exact metrics and instead use spoons and cups and those are supposedly easier to scale. In baking I absolutely hate that. Give me metric units. I have no problems scaling those up or down as required. What's a cup? I have .2 liter cups and .4 liter. How the fuck is that supposed to be easier? And what's up with tablespoons of butter? Depending on how much you put on a spoon that can easily mean double/half as much butter. With grams and liters there is no doubt and no second-guessing.

This is very close to the "perfect" recipe I use from Tasty. But they add in a little bit of espresso powder. It's not enough to make the cookies taste like coffee, but it does make the chocolate flavor more intense. I really like this recipe, but now I want to try the ATK recipe and see which one is better because I swear by the Tasty recipe ever since I found it. Here it is if anyone's curious: https://tasty.co/recipe/tasty-101-ultimate-brown-butter-chocolate-chip-cookies

Edit: I am actually not sure about the amount of butter. Another table I found would give the amount as about 400g, which is insane. That would make this just butter with sugar and some stuff to keep it all together. But on the other hand that does sound very American.

The recipe translated for the mentally sane:

Perfect Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

INGREDIENTS

~150g unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
200g unsalted butter
100g granulated sugar
150g packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon table salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
100g semisweet chocolate chips
100g chopped pecans or chopped toasted walnuts (optional)

PREPARATION Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 190 degrees. Line 2 large (30-45cm) baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside.

Heat 150g butter in 25cm skillet over medium-high heat until melted, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking, swirling pan constantly until butter is dark golden brown and has nutty aroma, 1 to 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and, using heatproof spatula, transfer browned butter to large heatproof bowl.

Stir remaining 50g butter into hot butter until completely melted. Add both sugars, salt, and vanilla to bowl with butter and whisk until fully incorporated. Add egg and yolk and whisk until mixture is smooth with no sugar lumps remaining, about 30 seconds. Let mixture stand 3 minutes, then whisk for 30 seconds. Repeat process of resting and whisking 2 more times until mixture is thick, smooth, and shiny. Using rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture until just combined, about 1 minute. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts (if using), giving dough final stir to ensure no flour pockets remain.

Divide dough into 16 portions, each about 3 tablespoons (or use #24 cookie scoop). Arrange 5cm apart on prepared baking sheets, 8 dough balls per sheet. (Smaller baking sheets can be used, but will require 3 batches.)

Bake cookies 1 tray at a time until cookies the edges have begun to set but centers are still soft, 10 to 14 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking.

Transfer baking sheet to wire rack; cool cookies completely before serving.

I love you.

Well, it would be if i knew how much ml a cup is and how much gramm a tablespoon butter. Butter molds even have those 50g marks here, y'know?

Damn. That sounds excellent.

Just made these. They're amazing, except next time I think I'll use about half the chocolate chips.

For science!!

Probably that the control got some refrigeration. A lot of chocolate chip recipes call for an hour or so of chill time. It lets the flour get hydrated, firms up the fats, and that ends up controlling spread as well as giving improved texture

Control probably just refrigerated for one hour or so. Not sure how much difference it makes as i always chill it but i think i heard some people said the texture is different between non-refrigerated and refrigerated, and imo i can tell the difference between overnight and refrigerated for a few days, the latter is much more chewier.

To much flour though, and then you've got shortbread instead of a chewy cookie

Usually the recipe call for baking soda, i assume for this one they replace baking soda with baking powder?

my head canon: 100% baking powder with an image projected on it to look like a cookie

I freeze all my cookie dough and just grab a few balls to cook at a time. Doesn't matter if it's choc chips, sugar, whatever and it always bakes great.

More brown sugar to white sugar ratio i think, molasses helps with the chewyness of the cookie. I use 165g of brown sugar with 150g of white sugar and it still comes out chewy after the dough being frozen.