Lauren’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

• 2 sticks unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream, half-and-half, or whole milk
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt (or 1 tsp of Morton’s crystal salt)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, cold from the refrigerator
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 5 ounces bittersweet chocolate disks, half coarsely chopped
• 5 ounces milk chocolate disks, half coarsely chopped

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (Before baking! Remember, this is a two day process!)
2. Brown the Butter: In a saucepan, cook the butter on medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until boiling. When the butter comes to a boil, lower the heat and continue stirring, while scraping the bottom and sides of the sauc op epan to prevent the milk solids from sticking and burning. Be careful not to burn; it takes seconds to go from perfectly golden to burned (this usually takes 5-7 min).
3. Pour the browned butter into a large bowl, making sure that you scrape in all the browned milk solids. Add the milk/cream.
4. In another bowl, add flour, salt, and baking soda. Whisk until well-incorporated and set aside.
5. Let the browned butter cool to room temperature. This can be done in an ice bath, BUT MAKE SURE TO STIR CONSISTENTLY. This prevents solid butter pieces from getting stuck in the mixture.
6. When the browned butter mixture has cooled down to room temperature (it can be lukewarm, just make sure that it is not hot), whisk in brown sugar, and granulated sugar until the mixture is smooth and thick for about 45 seconds. Make sure that the sugars are well-combined into the browned butter mixture. REMEMBER TO NOT OVERMIX. THIS MESSES UP THE TEXTURE BY INCORPORATING TOO MUCH AIR.
7. Slowly add the eggs, one at a time, and whisk until homogeneous. Ensure each egg is well mixed into the mixture before adding the next.
8. Add in vanilla and whisk until the mixture is smooth, making sure to scrape the sides of the bowl, with no unmixed eggs or vanilla.
9. Switch to a spatula and stir in the dry ingredients until barely blended (It’s easiest to do by hand by mixing in 1/3 of the dry mixture at a time). When things are still a bit floury, stir in the chocolate until all of the ingredients are just combined. This prevents overmixing the cookie dough. Dough should hold its shape, but also be a little loose (if the texture isn’t right, add more flour/milk to adjust)
10. Cover the cookie dough with cling wrap tightly to avoid the cookie dough from drying out and set in fridge for at least 12 hours, up to 48 hours. Cookie dough can also be frozen in the freezer for up to a month.
11. After resting for a day, divide the cookie dough into balls with an 2-ounce ice cream scoop or quarter cup measure. This can also be done before the actual refrigeration if there is space in the refrigerator.
12. Depending on the size of your baking tray, place 4 to 6 chilled/frozen cookie dough balls, spacing them at least 3 inches apart to allow space for them to spread.
13. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until dark golden brown on the edges, with a pale, slightly shiny interior. HALFWAY BETWEEN THE BAKING PROCESS (aka 10-12 minutes after), switch baking trays to ensure even cooking.(When taking them out of the oven, the centers will be puffed because of the eggs. They will settle as they cool.)
14. Let it cool on the baking pan for at least 5-10 minutes to set (Otherwise, the cookies will be too soft to move). Lightly sprinkle the top of each with sea salt while still hot if you’re feeling fancy.
15. Recipe creates around 16-18 cookies using the quarter cup measurement of dough.

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