#1. Three words for softest, most delicious cookies: Melted brown butter.
Many cookie recipes (like this recipe for soft chocolate chip cookies) start by creaming room temperature butter and sugar. The creaming process incorporates air into the dough which gives cookies a light, firm texture.
But, to create cookies that are dense and chewy, with a gooey center, melted butter is where it's at.
To give these cookies even more flavor, I browned the butter first. More about that later but it raises the delicious factor by about 1000%.
#2. Brown Sugar adds flavor and chewiness.
Granulated sugar creates cookies that are thin and crisp. Brown sugar creates cookies that are thick and moist.
While creating this recipe, I tested several batches of cookies that used a mix of white and brown sugar. In the end, the cookies made with all brown sugar were the most thick and gooey.
Brown sugar also adds more flavor to the cookie dough, so it's a win-win.
#3. Huge cookies = extra gooey centers.
Three ounces of dough per cookie makes really big cookies. You could make these cookies smaller... but you won't get the same super gooey center.
#4. Use lots and lots (and lots!) of chopped milk chocolate.
I tested these cookies with various amounts of milk chocolate chips and chopped milk chocolate bars.
In the end, I preferred chopped chocolate bars over chocolate chips because it gives you a variety of sizes of chocolate pieces to fold into the dough. This means you'll get some small pieces of chocolate all throughout the dough and still have some larger pieces in there for those delicious pockets of melted chocolate.
I also used a whopping 11 ounces of chocolate in these cookies, which might seem like too much when you're mixing up the dough, but trust me on this - it isn't.
#5. Under-bake your cookies!
I over-baked batch after batch of these cookies, before realizing that just 12-13 minutes is the perfect amount of time to create cookies with a super soft, deliciously melty center.
You will think that it's a mistake to take them out of the oven after just 12 or 13 minutes. The cookies won't look done. Do it anyway.
They'll firm up a bit as they rest, but not so much that you'll lose that soft, gooey center.
Arrrggg. I know, I know that making cookie dough and then waiting for at least a day to bake them is super duper hard and I hate it.
Usually when I decide to make cookies it's because I want a cookie right now. But, let me tell you, allowing the cookie dough sit in the refrigerator for a while really, truly does make a better cookie.
Years ago, French Pastry Chef Jacques Torres revealed that allowing chocolate chip cookie dough to rest in the refrigerator for several hours was the secret to the best tasting cookies.
Since, then chocolate chip cookie recipes everywhere advocate for this technique for the simple reason that it works. Putting the cookie dough in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours actually does produce better tasting chocolate chip cookies.
Why does refrigerating the dough create more delicious cookies?
The super simplified answer is this: As the dough hangs out in your refrigerator, some of the proteins and starches begin to break down, creating enzymes that make for a more flavorful cookie.
Also, allowing the dough to rest hydrates the flour and redistributes the liquid in the dough. This helps the cookies bake and brown more evenly. It also gives the sugar time to absorb some of the moisture in the eggs. That absorption of moisture is part of what gives these cookies their deliciously dense, chewy center.
If you really can't wait (and who could blame you), do what I usually do and bake up a couple of cookies right after mixing up the dough, then put the rest in the refrigerator to bake in a day or two. It's the best of both worlds - immediate AND delayed gratification.
Recipe: Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies
This recipe was originally published on ofbatteranddough.com. For step by step photos and instructions, please see the original recipe: Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies
6 ounces (168 grams; about 1 ⅓ cups) chopped pecans
2 cups (240 grams) all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt
1 ¼ cup (266 grams) packed light or dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
11 ounces (311 grams) of milk chocolate, chopped
Brown the butter:
(See photos above for reference) Cut the butter into chunks and put it in a medium size light-colored saucepan. (Dark pans make it difficult to tell when the butter is browned.)
Set the pan over medium heat and, stirring constantly, cook until the butter is melted and begins to boil.
As the butter cooks, it will foam up, then the foam will recede. Right before the butter begins to brown, it will foam up slightly again. As you stir, pay attention to the color of the butter underneath the foam. The butter will take approximately 6-8 minutes to brown.
When it's done, the butter beneath the foam will be golden brown with dark brown specks on the bottom of the pan and will smell nutty. It will look a bit like a dark, foamy beer. Once browned, pour the butter into a small bowl and let cool until it's barely warm to the touch. (*See note below about how to brown the butter in advance.)
Make the cookies:
Add the chopped pecans to a large, dry skillet and set the skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the pecans are golden brown and smell toasted, about 6-8 minutes. Set aside to cool. Place the bowl in the refrigerator if you want the pecans to cool quickly.
Add the flour, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt to a bowl and stir with a wire whisk to combine.
Using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the brown butter, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, and almond extract (if using), on medium high speed for 2-3 minutes to combine. It will lighten in color.
Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed just until about 50% combined. Add the pieces of chopped chocolate and toasted pecan pieces and stir just until barely incorporated.
Scoop the cookie dough into a bowl, cover, and refrigerate for at least 12 hours and up to 2 days. (The longer the better. See note below about why.)
When ready to bake the cookies, heat the oven at 350 degrees F (176 degrees C). Cover a baking sheet or two with parchment paper.
Form the dough into very large balls that weigh 3 ounces each. (*See note below) Set the balls of dough on the cookie sheet, being careful to space them at least 3 inches apart.
Bake the cookies for 12 minutes. 20 min from frozen.
Recipe notes:
Brown butter will keep well in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. If you want to make it in advance, simply pour it into an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator until you're ready to make the cookie dough. Before making the dough, melt the browned butter gently on the stovetop or in the microwave. When you add the butter to the cookie dough, it should be melted, but not hot.
Refrigerating the dough for at least 12 hours and up to 2 days improves the flavor of these cookies significantly.
Can you use milk chocolate chips instead of chopping a chocolate bar? Yes, absolutely!
Can you use semi-sweet chocolate instead of milk chocolate in these cookies? Again, yes! Use any kind of chocolate you want in these cookies, even white chocolate.
These chocolate chip pecan cookies are meant to be large. Baking them as large cookies ensures an ultra-gooey center. Use 3 ounces of dough per cookie. This amounts to a generous 4 tablespoons of dough. We're not messing around here, people.
The centers of these cookies will stay soft and delicious for at least 3 days after baking. Store them in an airtight container at room temperature.
My favorite way to eat these cookies is warm from the oven. So, I like to keep 3-ounce balls of cookie dough in my freezer, ready to bake whenever the craving strikes. Simply shape 3-ounce balls of dough and pop them in an airtight container or freezer bag. The cookies can be baked straight from the freezer, no need to thaw the dough.
Bake frozen cookie dough in a preheated 350 degree F (176 degree C) oven for 20 minutes.
If you store these cookies in an air-tight container at room temperature, the centers of the cookies will stay soft and delicious for at least 3 days after baking.
But, my favorite way to eat these cookies is warm from the oven. So, I like to keep 3-ounce balls of cookie dough in my freezer, ready to bake whenever the craving strikes. In fact, if you were to glance inside my freezer at basically any time you'd be likely to find raw chocolate chip pecan cookie dough balls, these gourmet cookie dough balls, and balls of anything cookies stuffed with whatever ingredients I happened to have on hand when I made the dough.
Simply shape 3 ounce balls of dough and pop them in an air tight container or freezer bag. The cookies can be baked straight from the freezer, no need to thaw the dough.
Bake frozen cookie dough in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.
+ Check out Let's Get Lost, my Substack newsletter for more new and exclusive recipes in your in-box every month! As a full time traveler, living, working, cooking, and baking from a 5th wheel RV, it's also where I share our experiences of life on the road.
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