Claire Saffitz Chocolate Chip Cookies

By The Cooking World, Editorial Staff

January 9, 2023

Claire Saffitz Chocolate Chip Cookies: One of the Best Cookies You'll Find on Youtube

We decided to do something different this week and dedicated this entire week to YouTube food channels. For today's recipe, we share Claire Saffitz Chocolate Chip Cookies.

This particular cookie requires a few steps along the way — browning some of the butter, using both milk and dark chocolate disks (not chips), and resting the dough in the refrigerator to improve both flavor and texture — but it's still eminently makeable (no mixer required!). The hardest part is letting the dough chill before baking.

PREP TIME

35 minutes

COOK TIME

18 to 22 minutes

serves

18 large cookies

Ingredients

226 g (2 sticks) unsalted butter
28 g (2 tablespoons) heavy cream, half-and-half, or whole milk
260 g (2 cups) all-purpose flour
6 g (2 teaspoons) Diamond Crystal kosher salt
6 g (1 teaspoon) baking soda
150 g (¾ cup packed) dark brown sugar
150 g (¾ cup) granulated sugar
100 g (2 large) eggs, cold from the refrigerator
15 g (1 tablespoon) vanilla extract
142 g (5 ounces) bittersweet chocolate disks, half coarsely chopped
142 g (5 ounces) milk chocolate disks, half coarsely chopped

Special Equipment

Small Saucepan
Large Bowl
Medium bowl
‍Measuring Spoons
Measuring Cups
Digital Scale

Instructions

Measure out 113 g (1 stick) of the butter and set aside in a large bowl. In a small saucepan, cook the remaining 113 g (1 stick) butter over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until the butter comes to a boil. Continue to cook, scraping the bottom and sides of the pan constantly with a heatproof spatula, until the butter sputters, foams, and eventually you see browned bits floating about, 5 to 7 minutes.
Add the browned butter to the bowl with the other butter, making sure you scrape in all the browned bits, then add the heavy cream (no need to stir). Set aside to cool.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda to combine. Set it aside.
To the bowl with the browned butter mixture (it can be slightly warm, just make sure it's not hot), add the brown and granulated sugars and whisk vigorously until the mixture is very smooth and thick, about 45 seconds. Add the eggs and vanilla and whisk until the mixture is satiny, about 45 seconds.
Add the flour mixture and whisk until the batter is smooth and well combined. It will look a little loose-this is normal. Switch to a flexible spatula to scrape down the bowl, folding to make sure everything is well incorporated.
Add both the chocolates and mix to combine. Set the batter aside for 5 minutes to firm up slightly.
Using a 2-ounce scoop or ¼ cup measure, scoop level portions of dough and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet as close together as possible. Cover the sheet tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 12 hours and up to 48 (if you're pressed for time, a couple of hours in the refrigerator will do-just note the baked cookies won't be as chewy or wrinkly-looking).
When you're ready to bake, arrange two oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 180 ºC (350 °F). Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
Place 6 pieces of chilled cookie dough on each of the prepared baking sheets, spacing them so they're at least 7 cm (3 inches) apart.
Bake the cookies on the upper and lower racks until they are dark golden brown around the edges, 18 to 22 minutes, switching racks and rotating the sheets front to back after 12 minutes. Allow the cookies to rest for 5 minutes on the baking sheets, then use a metal spatula to transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool.
Repeat the process with the remaining dough.