America’s Test Kitchen Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe posted by Something Swanky Pin Share Tweet Email Jump to Recipe SomethingSwanky is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. With the craziness of the holiday season, I definitely dropped the ball on The Chocolate Chip Cookie Experiment for a few weeks. But you can dry your tears, I’m back to the grind and bringing you another famous chocolate chip cookie recipe today! Just a reminder– I’m attempting to find 52 different chocolate chips cookie recipes (theoretically, a year’s worth of recipes if I did one per week) and test them all out to find either the best chocolate chip cookie recipe already in existence, OR to use this experience to take the things I learned and loved about each of my favorite recipes and turn them into one super cookie! Today’s test subject: American’s Test Kitchen Chocolate Chip Cookies. Basically, the unique thing about these cookies is the use of browned butter. Browning the butter creates a deep, toffee-like flavor that I really liked and definitely sets these apart from other CC cookies I’ve tried. For me, the only drawback to these cookies is the texture. I felt like they were a little cake-y, and they didn’t spread all wrinkly and crinkly the way I like for a chocolate chip cookie to do. They stay quite thick and puffy. Although… it’s worth mentioning here: my cookies didn’t come out looking like the photograph in their book. I followed the recipe exactly, but I only made the one batch (so there was no repeat testing to be sure I got the correct results the first time). Their cookies look like they have crispier edges and more spreading. Not fat and puffy like mine. But my experience is really all I have to go on… so….. I’d say if that’s your kind of cookie, then this is definitely the recipe for you. Because, seriously, the browned butter flavor is out of this world. And the aroma— just omg. These have definitely been the best smelling cookies so far! That’s it for recipe #10! See ya next week for more chocolate chip cookies 🙂 Continue to Content America's Test Kitchen Chocolate Chip Cookies Yield: 2 dozen The unique thing about these cookies is the use of browned butter. Browning the butter creates a deep, toffee-like flavor that I really liked and definitely sets these apart from other CC cookies I've tried. Print Ingredients 14 tablespoons butter, divided 3/4 cup dark brown sugar 1/2 cup granulated sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 teaspoon salt 1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1 1/4 cup chocolate chips Instructions Preheat oven to 375ºF. Prepare to baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper. Melt 10 tablespoons over medium-high heat in a 10-inch skillet. Stir continually until butter is dark golden brown and the aroma has become toffee-like. Transfer browned butter to a mixing bowl. Add the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter and stir until melted. Whisk in the brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla, and salt until incorporated. Whisk in the egg and egg yolk, for about 30 seconds, until smooth. Let rest for 3 minutes Whisk mixture again for 30 seconds. Then repeat the process of resting and whisking 2 more times until mixture is thick and smooth. Use a rubber spatula to stir in the flour and baking soda, just until dough forms. Fold in the chocolate chips. Working with 3 tabelspoons of dough at a time, roll into balls and space 2 inches apart on the prepared sheets. Bake for 9-10 minutes until edges are golden brown. Cool on wire racks.
Love the idea of this experiment Ashton, and it’ll be interesting to see the results when you’re finished. But for these cookies, I tend to like the fat puffy cookies since they tend to be more chewy. Mine always tend to spread more so though (despite having an oven thermometer and chilling), so interesting to see yours didn’t. And I L.O.V.E. brown butter in chocolate chip cookies. Reply
I’ve made this recipe years ago. Actually in about 2012 or so, I made it quite a bit…or almost this recipe! See I would doctor it up and throw in a handful of oats or bit of PB (a 1/2 cup or so)…and my cookies would spread and flatten out but I always was tweaking and never following it down to the letter 🙂 Your cookies look wonderful to me and love this series! Reply
I’m with you on this one…a little crisper and less cakey is what I like. The photos look beautiful though. I WANT those napkins you have in the very first photo. They look gorgeous! Reply
So glad you posted these for today. On Monday I made the Martha Stewart recipe you had posted a good while back. I made the cookies in balls and froze them so I could cook a few whenever I wanted too. Last night I cooked 4 of them and 3 from another recipe I had made and froze also yesterday from another blog. They both spread thin and was nothing like the picture.I like a thicker chewy cookie. I used convection on my oven so not sure if that was it. I pulled up several reasons why cookies could spread. I never have that much of a problem when I make them with whole wheat flour. Strange!!! I like the looks of these cookies. Reply
Hmm, so weird! That Martha Stewart one is still my favorite so far! I will agree with you though– my stuff always comes out weird when I bake in my mom’s convection oven. I need to figure out adjustments for people who bake with convection… Reply
This are my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe in all the land! I’ve been making it for several years and people just go gaga for them. Yours look amazing but you’re right they do look different from ATK’s picture and from the results I always get. They flatten out really nicely but remain slightly thick with crisp edges and ultra chewy centers. The flavor has undertones of salted toffee that beats any CC cookie out there. I highly suggest you don’t give up on them and try them again, maybe this time weigh the ingredients; results will be more accurate. You’re gonna change your mind about the texture and they’ll most probably become your favorite too:) Reply
I’m definitely planning on trying these again- they come too highly recommended to give up on them just yet 🙂 Reply
I’ve been following your cookie experiment – love it! I was wondering if you’d be posting these. They’re my absolute favorite! They remind me of some I used to get at a little coffee shop that’s closed now. I’m surprised yours were cakey, though, as mine usually do flatten out some like it shows in ATK pictures, and have a crisp edge, but are soft and chewy on the inside. Either way, yours look great, too! Reply
I’m not convinced mine turned out quite right, although I’m not sure where I could have gone wrong! I may have to re-try these. The smell was too good to be disappointed by the texture! 🙂 Reply
I am a huge fan of their chocolate chip, oatmeal, dried cherry cookies (although I leave the dried fruit out and substitute with more chocolate!) I’m not a fan of this traditional recipe either… Reply
That is a lot of cookies! Yowsas. I usually love America’s Test Kitchen but I like mine more wrinkly and buttery and less cakey. I usually think it’s a flour thing. Though…too little flower and then you are up a creek again. I’m curious to see what your favorite cookies are at the end! Reply
