Brown Butter Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies
This recipe is an attempt to make the best chocolate chip cookies ever. I've included a recipe to make a simple homemade toffee. You can skip this step and purchase toffee. Just chop it up to use. Try to locate the very best chocolate and butter you can. These cookies are pushing the envelope on how good chocolate chip cookies can get. Make an extra batch to portion out and freeze for another day.
Servings 28 cookies
Equipment
- 1.5oz = #40 ounce heavy-duty cookie/ice cream scoop
- baking sheet pan
- non stick parchment paper or Silpat
- non reactive mixing bowls (preferably stainless steel)
- measuring spoons
- stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment
- candy thermometer (for making homemade toffee)
- heat resistant spatula
- Plastic wrap
Ingredients
Toffee
- 6 tbsp butter, unsalted (Preferably at least 85% + butterfat like Strauss, Lurpak, Kerrygold or Plugra)
- ¾ cup dark brown sugar
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Cookie Dough
- 4 cups butter, unsalted browned (Beurre Noisette), and reset over a salted ice bath (Preferably at least 85% + butterfat like Strauss, Lurpak, Kerrygold or Plugra)
- 3½ cups sugar, brown, or muscovado
- 1⅔ cup sugar, granulated/caster
- 2 tsp espresso powder (Brands like Pure Espresso Powder, Medaglia D’Oro Espresso)
- 1 tsp salt, kosher, or sea salt
- 1 ⅔ tsp baking soda
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- 4¼ cups cake flour (You can substitute with the same amount of both flours with all-purpose flour )
- 3¾ cups bread flour (You can substitute with the same amount of both flours with all-purpose flour )
- 6 whole eggs, room temperature
- 3 ea egg, yolks room temperature
- 4 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 lb chocolate, good quality in fèves or rounds rough chopped (I'm using Valrhona Nyangbo Fèves 68% Cocoa)
- ⅔ cup toffee, chopped or crushed
- ¾ tsp flaky sea salt, like Maldon (optional garnish)
Instructions
Toffee
- Prepare a medium or standard half sheet pan with non-stick parchment or Silpat.
- Combine butter, sugar, salt, and water in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly until the butter and sugar melt together.
- Continue to cook over medium heat, stirring gently. Add a candy thermometer and cook the mixture until it reaches a temperature of 285-295°F/145°C. Remove from heat and add the vanilla extract. Stir to incorporate.
- Pour onto a prepared sheet pan. Thinly spread the toffee out with a heat-resistant spatula. Allow the toffee to cool until safe to handle. Once cooled, break down with a clean meat tenderizer or rolling pin. If you wish, you can place the toffee in a gallon Ziplock freezer bag to contain the toffee while it breaks up. Alternatively, you can place broken-up chunks in a food processor and pulse the toffee to suit your needs. Reserve.
Cookie
- To prepare the Beurre Noisette/brown butter, slice the butter into large slices and add to a medium saucepan or sauté pan over low to medium-low heat until the water has evaporated. Turn the heat up to medium. (This step will help the butter keep from popping and splattering.) Swirl the butter around to help the butter melt. The brown butter/Beurre Noisette will form quickly after a few minutes. Watch for the butter to foam once the butter foams are removed from the heat and poured through a fine-mesh strainer into a cool bowl set over another bowl containing an ice bath. Discard the solids in the filter. Allow the butter to cool for 10-20 minutes until reset before using. Reserve.
- Prepare the dry mix. Add the espresso powder, kosher salt, baking powder, baking soda, and both flours to a mixing bowl. Using a whisk, incorporate the dry mix. Reserve.
- Add the reset browned butter to the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, beat the butter and both sugars on medium until creamed. About 3-4 minutes. With the mixer back on medium, add 1 egg (room temperature) at a time and allow for incorporation. Add the vanilla extract. Add the dry mix on medium-low, ⅓ cup at a time, and allow to mix in. Once all of the dry mixes have been added, mix until all the dough has just come together.
- Add the chocolate and toffee chunks. With the mixer on low, mix just long enough to bring everything together and stop.
- Turn the cookie dough out onto a work surface and roll it into a log. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap, twisting off the ends (or place in a gallon Ziplock). Refrigerate for 24-72 hrs before baking.
Baking the cookies
- Take the cookie dough out of the refrigerator. Allow the cookie dough to sit out at room temperature for 1-2 hrs before baking. (The cold butter in the cookie dough will have hardened.) Break off enough cookie dough to form a ball. If available, use the cookie scoop to portion the size of the dough.
- Preheat an oven at 375°F/190°C
- Line a baking sheet pan with non-stick parchment paper or Silpat.
- A standard half sheet pan can accommodate 6 cookies. This will give enough room for the cookies to spread out. Using your thumb, press down gently on the dough and add a small pinch of sea salt. If the cookie dough breaks apart slightly, reform the shape.
- Place the cookies on the center rack and bake for 18 minutes at 375°F/190°C. (If you make a larger-sized cookie, add a little more time.)
- Remove from the oven and set the sheet pan on a cooling rack. Do not move or touch the cookies yet! They need to cool off to room temperature on the baking sheet. Hot cookies will fall apart. Note: some of the cookies may ooze some toffee. This is ok. Don't try to push it back into the cookie while it is hot. After a while, the toffee will become solid again and be quite edible. Try to preserve the shape of the cookies. Keep the cookies on the sheet pan until set and cooled. Serve right away or keep in an airtight container for 2-3 days.