I’ve been baking cookies since I was 4 years old, but even now I’ll bake chocolate chip cookies with a tweak here or there, just to see what happens. Without a doubt this recipe has become my solid favorite. With brown butter, molasses and a touch of wheat flour I’ve created what I believe to be the most flavorful cookie you can bake. Adding a quality chopped chocolate bar instead of chips creates molten pools of chocolate and using all brown sugar guarantees a crispy edged, yet chewy cookie.
My Best Chocolate Chip Cookies
Dan: Dan
Serves: 35 cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened- 2 sticks
- 1½ cups light brown sugar- 330 grams
- 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon water
- 2 teaspoons molasses (not blackstrap)
- 1¼ teaspoons kosher salt (use ¾ teaspoon if using table salt)
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 eggs, cold
- 2¼ cups bread flour- 280 grams
- ⅓ cup whole wheat flour- 40 grams
- 10 ounces your favorite semisweet chocolate bar, roughly chopped
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, melt ½ cup (1 stick) butter over medium heat until bubbling and foamy. Swirl the butter as it sizzles and cracks. When the foaming subsides the butter will begin to brown- keep an eye on it so that it doesn’t burn. When the butter smells nutty and has become golden brown, carefully pour the liquid and brown bits into a shallow heat-safe bowl to cool for 20 minutes.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the browned butter, remaining ½ cup softened butter, brown sugar, vanilla, water, molasses, salt and baking soda. Turn the mixer on low to combine all of the ingredients and then raise to medium and beat for 1 minute until smooth. Stop and give your bowl a scrape and beat for another few seconds until completely combined. Add one of the eggs and beat on medium speed until combined, about 30 seconds. Add the second egg, beating again on medium speed. The mixture will resemble thin caramel sauce. Scrape down the bowl and paddle and add the bread flour and wheat flour to the bowl, mixing on low until the flour is completely combined. Take the bowl off the stand mixer and use a spatula to stir in the chopped chocolate.
- Scoop out 2 tablespoon portions of dough and arrange them on a large plate or sheet pan. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and allow to chill about 2 hours until firm, or up to overnight.
- When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 375*F and line two cookie sheets with parchment. Place the cookie dough portions 2” apart on the trays and flatten the dough balls just slightly. Bake for 11-14 minutes, until the edge are set and the centers have puffed. Cool on the cookie sheets.
Notes
-For maximum flavor development, plan to let the dough rest in the refrigerator overnight.
-To create an extra special presentation, reserve about ¼ cup of the chopped chocolate, adding a few pieces of chocolate to the top of each cookie before baking.
-If your oven runs hot or you like chewier cookies, you may want to bake your cookies for a minute or two less.
-To create an extra special presentation, reserve about ¼ cup of the chopped chocolate, adding a few pieces of chocolate to the top of each cookie before baking.
-If your oven runs hot or you like chewier cookies, you may want to bake your cookies for a minute or two less.
I can’t wait to try to make this! You’re recipe is well explains on the “how- to’s” and hair so helpful. So are the step by step pics! Thanku!
You will love them!!
Hi Dan
Giada promotes these choc chip cookies. They look amazing. What chocolate do you use?
Jo
Hi Jo, Thanks for the comment! I’m glad that Giada was able to share these. I like chocolate chunks and Hershey’s special dark chocolate bar. Use a chocolate that you like eating on its own! Happy Baking~Dan
what can you use to substitute for molasses?
Hi Ginny! The molasses provides a sweet smokeyness. I have made this recipe without molasses when I’ve run out and they are just as good!
But some substitutes could be golden syrup or dark corn syrup. Happy Baking! -Dan
Is bread flour a must or would you still get the same results with all-purpose flour?
Hi Hilda! Bread flour makes the cookies chewier, but they will be wonderful even with all-purpose. Let us know how you like them! Happy Baking – Dan
It calls gif 1 1/2 C of light brown sugar and then it says 330
What exactly do you mean by that
I will make them tomorrow
Hi Brenda. 330 grams is the weight of the 1 1/2 Cups brown sugar. Some bakers like to weigh their ingredients and some like to use cups, so the info is provided for each.
Enjoy! Dan
Made these today and they were so yummy! I didn’t have molasses so I subbed honey. I also used all purpose flour because I didn’t have bread flour. Will definitely be making these again next week for Thanksgiving!
Hi Ashley! I’m so glad you enjoyed them! Have a Happy Thanksgiving! ~Dan
Have you ever frozen the dough? I wanted to make about a week ahead of time and then bake the day of?
Hi Marissa- You certainly can portion the dough and then freeze it, just wrap them well. Maybe add an extra minute to the baking time. Enjoy! -Dan
Made these today and they turned out exactly how you said it would! This will be my go to chocolate chip cookie recipe from now on!! Thank you!
Perfect, Im so glad you enjoyed them Anne!
Dan, with the exception of using a hand mixer and using semi-sweet chips, I made them as written and they were absolutely delicious. I may add some fleur de sel on top for the next batch I bake off! Love the combo of the bread flour and whole wheat flour and the molasses and brown sugar combo is also wonderful. Thank you!!!
Hi Valerie! So glad you liked them! I’m a big fan of fleur de sel on cookies- sounds like a wonderful idea 🙂
Happy Baking! -Dan
Mine turned out dry and cakey. What did I do wrong? I was really looking forward to them.
Sorry to hear that Megan, but give them another try! Make sure you don’t over measure your flour (whisk the flour in the bag for a second to aerate it then spoon the flour into a measuring cup and level, don’t pack.) Also- bake the cookies for a minute or two less. Hope that helps! -Dan
Hey Dan – Curious if I’m lacking kosher salt and the store keeps running out of it, can I substitute regular table salt? If so, is the general guidance to use half as much? Thanks!
Hi Mike! Yes, definitely use half the amount if using table salt. That’s a good thing to point out. Happy Baking!
Hi Dan! I have tried this recipe like three times, my cookies don’t come out with those beautiful cracks or ridges like your images does. I use a cookie scoop, and when they go into the fridge to chill over night they have a beautiful look as if there going to present with those cracks and ridges. However it goes away when the cookies bake. I have even gone to the extent of weighing all my ingredients, and placed a thermometer in my oven to make sure the oven is to temp. I’m perplexed as to what I might be doing differently.
Hi Erin! What do the cookies look like after they’ve baked? Do they not spread enough? If so, you can flatten the cookie dough balls slightly before baking them. How do they taste? Let me know your thoughts and hopefully we can pinpoint a fix! -Dan
I finally did it (lol to my perfectionist standards) I finally got my cookies to look what you’d see in the bakery case! It’s possibly my oven, however I had to cook the dough at room temperature for them to flatten out but have a soft chewy center. When I cooked the dough chilled the center created its own mountain. Literally, a mound in the center, they looked funny, and not what I was hoping to achieve! As for the taste, hands down one of the best cookies I’ve ever made! Thank you Dan for humbly sharing this recipe with others and thoughtfully willing to work with everyone who commented. I can’t wait to see what’s to come from your blog. Thanks again! xox
Please how do I make them crunchy?
Hello
Try this recipe I have https://www.bakingwithdan.com/tates-chocolate-chip-cookie-copycat/
made half batch of these today with coconut sugar and they are yummy!!! I accidentally overbooked them by like 1 min or so but still very good 😀
Im so glad you enjoyed the cookies Sadia! The coconut sugar sounds great!