Warm, gooey, sweet, chocolatey, salty– all of the best things in one. What began as a fun afternoon dessert became my calling card. My “Brown Butter, Chocolate Chunk, Toffee Cookies,” or BBCCTC, for short, are a gorgeous twist on a classic dessert.
Like most people in my family, I express my love and appreciation through baked goods, and these cookies are always a favorite. Whether it’s a Ramadan gift for Iftar or a birthday party, everyone always raves about these cookies. My favorite story about these cookies took place at the fire department. I’m a Junior firefighter with the Elmont Fire Department, and one day I wanted to make these cookies for the other juniors. Unfortunately, I had forgotten to preheat my oven, so I was running ten minutes behind schedule! As soon as I took the VERY HOT cookies out of the oven and put them in a container, I ran to the car. When we pulled up to headquarters at 7:01pm, I ran under the dusky sky, quickly placed the covered tray of cookies on the front table, and ran to gear up. A little cardio before a very physical drill, you know?
When we returned and I washed my hands, I noticed the severe lack of adrenaline-fueled teenagers running around. So, I made my way to the front, only to see a massive gathering of juniors and firefighters alike, distantly arguing, chattering, and laughing. I peered over the bustling shoulders to see my tray of cookies EMPTY. The final cookie was in the hands of a junior and firefighter, ripped apart and stuffed in both of their mouths. Overjoyed and filled with pride, I asked, “Who made cookies?” Muffled, cookie-filled mouths responded with a mix of “I don’t know,” and “I don’t care, they’re sooooo good!” After I reveled in their childlike enjoyment, I joked, “At least I won’t have to wash the dish!” As everyone laughed and showered me with endless compliments for the cookies, one of the firefighters asked if I could make the cookies for his wedding this weekend. I laughed, “Yeah, right.” “No, I’m so serious. I’ll pay you,” he responded. The sarcastic, joking smile faded as my jaw dropped. And after battling with my disbelief, I agreed. And that’s when I knew these cookies were special. And I would later learn about the difficulties of cooking a bakery-level order in a tiny kitchen, but that’s a story for another time.
For all of my desserts, I STRONGLY RECOMMEND using a DIGITAL SCALE. It is honestly my favorite tool in the kitchen. It makes baking much easier in terms of clean-up, and it ensures great accuracy in recipes! Remember, baking is a science, and precision and accuracy are a scientist’s best friends.
Inspired by Tessa Arias’s Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies, here’s my take on this coveted recipe:
Toffee:
- 113g unsalted butter
- 200g light brown sugar
- 1 tsp fine salt
Cookie Dough:
- 227g unsalted butter
- 100g granulated sugar
- 250g dark brown sugar
- 317g all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 tsp of instant espresso powder or coffee
- 2 large eggs + 1 egg yolk OR for an eggless option: 3 Tbsp cornstarch mixed with 8 Tbsp water
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 – 2 ½ cups of chopped 70% cocoa dark chocolate
- Chocolate Brands I Recommend:
- Tony’s Chocolonely
- Alter Eco Dark Chocolate – Sea Salt
- Beyond Good Pure Dark 70%
Flaky sea salt for topping (optional)
Toffee (Handle the Heat):
- Line a small rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. \
- In a heavy-bottomed small saucepan, begin melting the butter over medium heat. Add the sugar and salt to the partially melted butter and whisk vigorously for one minute until combined. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture looks like melted peanut butter and a candy thermometer reaches 295 to 305°F, about 10 minutes. (If you’re using European butter, it may take less time. I prefer the taste of European butter like Kerrygold. The only main difference is that the toffee will be a bit more greasy.)
- If the mixture separates at all, remove from heat and whisk vigorously until recombined. Return to heat and continue cooking.
- Immediately and carefully pour the hot toffee onto the prepared baking pan, allowing it to spread into an even layer. Let cool and harden for about 20 minutes.
- Place the sheet of toffee on a cutting board or in a zip top bag. Use a mallet, rolling pin, or heavy object to crack it into small pieces. You can also cut it into bits with a sharp serrated knife. This can be a really cathartic experience.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week or use immediately in these cookies!
Cookie Dough:
- Okay, so browning the butter is a DELICIOUS process. In a small saucepan set over medium heat, melt the butter. Swirling the pan occasionally, continue to cook the butter. The butter will go through different stages. It should become foamy with audible cracking and popping noises. Once the crackling stops, continue to swirl the pan until the butter develops a nutty aroma and brown bits start to form at the bottom. Once the bits are amber in color, about 2 to 3 minutes after the popping stops, remove from heat. Your entire house will smell like a bakery. It’s amazing!
- Put the sugars in a bowl and pour the butter over it. Set aside to allow it to cool.
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and espresso powder.
- To the browned butter mixture, add the eggs and egg yolk OR the cornstarch slurry, and vanilla and stir with a rubber spatula until combined. Slowly stir in the flour mixture until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chunks and toffee pieces. Reserve a few pieces of chocolate to place on top of the cookie dough balls.
- Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 24 hours but no more than 72 hours. Let dough sit at room temperature just until it is soft enough to scoop. I PROMISE that refrigerating your dough is worth the wait. It allows the flavors to meld and develop. Also, if you are using the eggless version of this recipe, refrigerating or even freezing the dough will help the dough keep its shape when it bakes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Divide the dough into 3-tablespoon sized balls and drop onto prepared baking sheets, leaving about 3 inches between each piece of dough to spread. Place a few pieces of the reserved chocolate chunks on top of the cookie dough balls. They’re great for presentation and create pools of warm chocolate in your cookies.
- Bake for 11 to 13 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool for 2 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely. It’s okay the cookies seem a bit under done. As long as it has a golden brown color around the edges, the residual heat will cook it through.
- As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, top with flaky sea salt. Even if you don’t have topping salt, any salt will work. It’s probably the part of the cookie I get the most compliments on— people love the contrast of the sweet decadence with a salty kick.
- And after taking a million and one photos of your masterpiece, enjoy!
