Brown Butter Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies

Both crunchy and chewy, these brown butter walnut chocolate chip cookies are truly out of this world. The brown butter also adds some delicious nutty flavors. Like a chocolate chip cookie, but even better!

For years, I have been obsessed with these hazelnut chocolate chip cookies (and I still am), a recipe I’m so proud of. Since I moved to Vancouver, I developed another obsession around some walnut chocolate chip cookies I find in a local coffee shop. These cookies are always fresh from the oven, still warm, and they have an irresistible crunchy bite, with a soft, chewy center, and a very addictive nutty flavor. So of course, I decided to recreate them!

These walnut chocolate chip cookies are prepared with real walnuts, both walnut pieces and ground walnuts, bringing some chewiness to each bite. They’re also prepared with brown butter and brown sugar. Together, they help create some deep, nutty flavors, enhanced by the dark chocolate chunks.

Why you’ll love brown butter walnut chocolate chip cookies:

• Because they’re cookies! Duh! ✔
• They’re irresistibly crunchy and crispy on the outer shell… ✔
• … And deliciously chewy inside ✔
• They’re packed with delicious nutty flavors ✔
• The brown butter adds some additional nutty and smoky flavors ✔

A very nutty cookie!

Brown butter walnut chocolate chip cookies are prepared with walnuts, two ways. You use pieces of walnuts the same way you use chocolate chips or chocolate chunks. And you also use ground walnuts in the cookie dough. I used this little trick before in my hazelnut version and was hooked immediately.

To make ground walnuts, simply pulse walnuts in a food processor a few times. Walnuts should be ground, but with still some texture in it. If you pulse for too long, you’ll start to make nut butter, which you do not want for this recipe.

How to measure the brown butter properly?

If you’re new to brown butter in baking (and even if you’re not), make sure you read the following instructions carefully before making the recipe.

The recipe calls for ¾ cup (180g or 180 ml) butter at the beginning of the recipe. However, the process of making brown butter out of it, meaning melting the brown butter in a saucepan until slightly brown in color, will result in the evaporation of part of the liquid. This means you will have less butter than when you started with. This is why it is very important you measure the butter a second time after the browning process (I use a measuring cup), and adjust the quantity of butter by adding small pieces of butter and let them melt in the hot brown butter until you reach this ¾ cup (180g or 180 ml) level. You should always have this exact amount of butter for this recipe, it will guarantee the right texture.

Tips to baking walnut cookies to perfection

It is not a myth. Cookies are very sensitive to baking. If you bake them for too long, they become dry and dense; if you don’t bake them long enough, they collapse. Brown butter walnut chocolate chip cookies are supposed to have a crunchy and crispy bite with a soft, chewy center. In order to get the right texture, here’s what you should keep in mind when it comes to baking.

• While making the cookie dough, respect the right ratio of each ingredients and in particular the ratio granulated sugar / brown sugar (don’t try any substitute). This has an impact on the final outcome of the cookies.
• Always chill the dough in the refrigerator before using.
• Shape the cookies into balls a little taller than wide, and space them out onto the baking sheet, keeping in mind that the cookie dough will spread out a little while baking.

• Monitor the baking yourself. You can set a timer (highly recommended) but rather than following it to the T, I recommend you stay close from the oven after 5 minutes baking. Depending on your oven and the size of your cookies, they can be ready sooner or later. These cookies should be set on the outside but very slightly under-done on the inside. Because these walnut chocolate chip cookies are on the crispy side, make sure you bake them long enough to ensure this crispy outer shell.
• When removing from the oven, let the cookies cool onto the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.

And voilà, you now have perfectly crispy and chewy walnut cookies ready to eat. Pour yourself a glass of milk, and enjoy!

Other nutty (and naughty!) cookies you’ll love:

• Hazelnut Chocolate Lava Cookies
• Pecan Bourbon Chocolate Chunk Cookies
• Hazelnut Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Best Hazelnut Chocolate Chunk Cookies
• Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies (Flourless, No Butter)

Brown Butter Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies

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• Author: Delphine Fortin
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 10 mins
• Total Time: 25 minutes
• Yield: 15 cookies 1x
• Category: cookies
• Cuisine: American

Both crunchy and chewy, these brown butter walnut chocolate chip cookies are truly out of this world. The brown butter also adds some delicious nutty flavors. Like a chocolate chip cookie, but even better!

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Ingredients

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• 1 ¾ cups (210g) all-purpose flour
• 1½ teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 pinch of salt
• ¾ cup (180g) unsalted butter, melted + extra butter
• ¾ cup (135g) light brown sugar
• ⅓ cup (70g) granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 yolk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ cup (55g) walnuts, ground
• ½ cup (75g) walnuts, chopped
• 1 cup (150g) dark chocolate chip or chocolate chunks
• Sea salt, to serve

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Instructions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
2. To make brown butter, melt the butter in a small pan over medium heat until browning, swirling the pan as needed. Pour the melted brown butter into a measuring cup and add a little bit more butter to reach the ¾ cup level (180 ml). Brown butter has evaporated a little while melting and this is why you need to adjust the quantity as needed. It should melt instantly or almost.
3. Pour brown butter into a medium-sized bowl. Add in the brown sugar and granulated sugar and whisk vigorously until no sugar lumps remain. Whisk the egg, yolk, vanilla extract and ground walnuts.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ones and mix together with a spatula. Fold in the chocolate chips/chocolate chunks and the chopped walnuts. Cover the dough and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours minimum. Take the dough out and allow to soften at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before using it.
5. Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C) and line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper. Roll the dough into balls so that balls are taller than wide and place on each parchment paper, leaving enough space in between each of them.
6. Bake each batch for about 12 minutes, then remove from the oven.*

Notes

* Tip: Do not worry if they look a bit under-baked at first, they will continue to bake on the baking sheet out from the oven. Leave on the baking sheet for 10 minutes and transfer to a cooling rack.

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