I had the chance to try the famous Butterboy Brown Butter Choc Chip Cookies recently while I was in Manly, NSW. But at $6 per cookie, they were a bit spendy for my pocket. Admittedly, they were large cookies (the size of my palm) and so damn good. So here we are with my copycat version, with crispy crunchy edges and soft gooey centres which are near identical to the cookies Butterboy is famous for.
The following easy recipe is adapted from my other favourite Choc Chip Cookie recipe from Jacques Torres. The difference is the browned butter. It gives the cookies the characteristic nutty caramelly flavour which I love, and it also makes the edges crispier while retaining the soft centres.
What you need to make Brown Butter Choc Chip Cookies
- From the Fridge – Butter, Egg plus 1 Egg Yolk
- From the Pantry – Plain Flour, Baking Soda, Brown and Caster Sugar,Vanilla,Cornflour and Chocolate of your choice, Milk or Dark, even White Chocolate. Cinnamon adds a little bit of spice but is optional.
Easy does it..
For such a delicious cookie, it is actually very easy to make – you don’t even need a mixer.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan , stirring as you go, on medium heat until it turns golden brown about 5 to 8 minutes. It will be a bit foamy with bits of milk solids in the bottom. Remove from heat, then add brown and caster sugar and mix to combine. Set aside to cool.
- Sift the flour cornstarch and cinnamon into a mixing bowl. Whisk the egg and egg yolk into butter mixture, making sure the butter has cooled down or you’ll have scrambled eggs. Then add to the flour. Mix with a spatula to combine into a dough. Stir in the chopped chocolate or Choc chips. Form the dough into a log and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill in the fridge for at least an hour.
- Slice into about 12 portions depending on what size you want the cookies. Butterboy’s cookies were on the large side about 8cm in diameter. I made mine a bit smaller, but you decide. Just adjust the cooking times. Place the sliced cookie dough into a baking tray leaving space in between for spreading.
- Bake in a preheated 175°C oven for about 15 minutes or until golden and the edges are starting to crisp, turning the tray around at halfway mark. Remove from the oven and cool in the tray for about 10 minutes. The cookies will be soft and fragile when they come out of the oven,
- Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for about a week.
Variety is the spice of life..in this case White Chocolate & Macadamia
When we visited Butterboy, we tried 6 flavours and the hands down favourite was the Dark Choc Chips Cookies. Coming at close second was the Macadamia and White Chocolate, then Biscoff filled Snickerdoodle. I believe the cookie dough base was exactly the same, except for the add ons, to my taste anyway.
To make the White Chocolate and Macadamia, substitute the Dark/Milk Chocolate with 100g White Choc Chips and 100g (about 1/4 cup) roughly chopped Macadamias. If you notice that the recipe below calls for 180g of Dark Chocolate it’s because most of the Chocolate Block sold in Australia is 180g. If you have more feel free to make it 200g.
For this White Chocolate and Macadamia, it is easier to roll the dough into balls before chilling the dough, rather than rolling the dough into a log, then slicing them. (P.S. Do not skip the chilling process or you will end up with buttery puddles )This is because the macadamia pieces are harder to slice, unless you have a very sharp knife. You then end up with cookies that are domed on the top, very much like the Butterboy’s.
A note on Brown Butter..
Butterboy use the specialty cultured butter from Pepe Saya, which has a rich and tangy taste. The flavour is deepened by heating the butter to about 250F/120°C until the water boils off and milk sugar and proteins form brown pigments, resulting in the nutty aroma.
To brown the butter, heat the butter on medium heat, stirring the butter while it is cooking so that the butter browns evenly. First, the butter will melt, then turn foamy and finally turns into a deep golden colour. This takes about 5 to 8 minutes, depending on how much butter and the pan you are using.
Butterboy Copycat Brown Butter Choc Chip Cookies
12
servings25
minutes15
minutesCrispy Edges Buttery Centre’s Loaded with Choc Chips
Ingredients
200g Butter
1 cup Brown Sugar
1/4 cup Caster Sugar
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract or Vanilla Paste
1 Egg and 1 Egg Yolk
2 1/2 cups Plain Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
2 teaspoon Cornflour
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon (optional)
180g Dark or Milk Chocolate, roughly chopped or Choc Chips
Directions
- Heat butter in a small saucepan on medium heat and cook until butter is melted and turns into golden brown colour. This will take about 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat, then stir in the brown sugar, caster sugar and Vanilla. Set aside to cool down. Add egg and egg yolk to the cooled melted butter and whisk to combine.
- Sift flour, cornflour and baking soda into a mixing bowl. Add cinnamon (if using) and stir until well combined.
- Add the butter mixture to the flour and use a spatula to mix to form a dough. Stir in the chopped chocolate. Do not overmix. Form the dough into a log and wrap in plastic wrap. Place in the fridge to rest for about an hour or so.
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 175°C. Line 2 baking sheets with baking paper.
- Remove the log of cookie dough from the fridge and slice into 12 portions. If preferred, roll into balls for a rounder shaped cookies. Place the cookies in the prepared baking tray, allowing space in between for spreading.
- Bake until the edges start to turn golden, rotating the pan halfway thru about 15 minutes depending on your oven.
- Remove from the oven and cool in the tray for about 10 minutes before carefully transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in airtight container for about 1 week.
Notes
- Store in an airtight container room temperature for about a week.
