Brown Butter Chocolate Walnut Cookies

Is there anyone out there who doesn't enjoy a good chocolate chip cookie? If so, they should probably head to a doctor and get that checked out because I'm not sure that it's normal.

These cookies are truly something amazing. The brown butter gives them a distinctive nutty flavor that it further complemented by the crunchy walnuts. They are also incredibly chocolatey. I love the way the chocolate chips melt a bit in the warm dough to create scrumptious ribbons of chocolate throughout.

You certainly don't have to add the specialty chocolate squares on top of (or inside of!) the cookies, but it  really puts these delectable delights over the top. I used a milk chocolate bar that was mixed with bits of Christmas spice cookies that I found to really enhance all of the flavors, but I encourage you to play around with any chocolate bar that catches your eye! I think white chocolate would be heavenly, or you could even try a caramel-filled chocolate!

I find these cookies (like all chocolate chip cookies :P) are best eaten warm, when the chocolate is all melty, with a big class of cold milk- total bliss!

I also went ahead and stuffed the specialty chocolate into the center of 1/4 of the cookies for an ooey-gooey treat. They turned out more round and sphere-like, almost like ice cream scoops of delectable cookie!

Brown Butter Chocolate Walnut Cookies

makes roughly 3 dozen cookies

ingredients:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 2 cups chopped walnuts
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk
• 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 2 cups chocolate chips (I used 1/2 dark chocolate and 1/2 milk chocolate)
• optional: specialty candy bar separated into sections (I used a Milk Chocolate with Spiced Cookies Divine chocolate bar)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper; set aside.
2. In a small saucepan, brown the butter over medium heat. The melted butter should foam up and then subside. It will be a golden-brown color when done and smell nice and nutty. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
4. In the same pan that you browned the butter, toast the walnuts over medium heat. You'll be able to smell them when they are done; set aside.
5. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the warm brown butter and sugars on medium-high speed. Slowly add in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and beat until combined. The mixture should look very silky and brown. Slowly add the flour mixture in and beat on low speed until just combined. Stir in the walnuts and chocolate chips. The warm mixture should melt the chocolate about half-way so that ribbons of chocolate form throughout the dough.
6. Scoop 1-2 tablespoon sized balls onto prepared baking sheet. If using, press a square of the specialty chocolate onto the top of each dough ball. (Alternatively, you can press the square into the middle of the dough for a gooey surprise when you bite in!)
7. Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden (they may appear doughy still but they will be perfect when they set up). Let cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring to a rack to cool further.