I’m turning the big 24 this Saturday. Do you think it’s normal to celebrate by eating cookies for the ENTIRE WEEK? 

Of course… because you know the world is supposed to end Friday or whatever. So I’m suggesting we all eat cookies this week (good excuse, right?).

But seriously, these cookies are essentially a mini, delicious birthday present to myself.

It occurred to me that this really couldn’t be just ANY cookie though; it had to be incredible. Kinda like those Nutella-stuffed cookies. Wait, what about the Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip cookies?  Or those sensational Brown Butter Snickerdoodles? Clearly if a man wants to know the way to my heart, it’s through cookies made with brown butter.

What? Baking your way to love is TOTALLY a thing you know.

Okay, enough about brown butter and man bait and such. Let’s talk cookies because that’s why you are really here. 

These cookies! Ugh I think I want to live in them. Do you think it’s possible for me to make a house out of cookies and snuggle next to chocolate chips every night? A girl can dream.

And alright, I’ll admit that I claim every cookie on this blog is fantastic, and  they are or I wouldn’t give you the recipe! BUT  you’re probably wondering what’s so special about these cookies…

Well of course there’s that brown butter (best thing ever), but there’s also the addition of brown sugar toasted almonds. These are almonds that have been toasted on the stovetop then caramelized with brown sugar and sprinkled with a tiny bit of sea salt. The almonds end up coated with the perfect sweet and salty crunch. I know, I know… how good does that sound right now?

The second part that’s a bit different in regard to these cookies is the brown sugar ratio. There’s more dark brown sugar in these cookies, which provides a lovely caramel flavor that makes me want to eat about seventeen at once. No big deal… except it’s kind of a big deal because I like fitting in my pants.

Lastly the cookies are simply perfect with dark chocolate; it gives each bite an intense,deep velvet flavor. Imagine dark chocolate and almonds, then add a buttery, chewy rich cookie topped with sea salt. Just try to wrap your brain around how delicious these are. I should note that these cookies are baked at a lower temperature of 325 degrees so that they develop a perfect crisp edge and a chewy, soft middle. The dough also needs to be chilled for two hours, so plan ahead!

I devoured them straight out of the oven, and I suggest you do the same. Hey the end of the world may be Friday, but at least we’ll have these End-of-the-World Insanely-Good Chocolate Chip Cookies.

P.S. I love you!

Brown Butter Brown Sugar Toasted Almond Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies with Sea Salt

 

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Prep time

2 hours 20 mins

Cook time

12 mins

Total time

2 hours 32 mins

 

Brown butter + brown sugar elevate a classic chocolate chip cookie. The dark chocolate and toasted caramelized almonds make it sensational.

Author: Monique of AmbitiousKitchen.com

Recipe type: Cookies

Serves: 24 cookies

Ingredients

• For toasted brown sugar almonds:
• 3-4 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon butter
• 1 1/2 cups sliced almonds
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• For the cookie dough:
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
• 2 teaspoons milk
• 1 1/4 cups dark chocolate chips (I used Hershey’s, otherwise used chopped dark chocolate)
• Sea salt, for sprinkling

Instructions

1. Place almond slices and butter in a large pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Shake the pan a bit while nuts are heated and begin to toast. After a few minutes, sprinkle brown sugar over the nuts and continue to stir with a wooden spoon. You will notice the sugar will begin to melt and caramelize. Keep stirring to coat the nuts and reduce heat to medium low. Once you notice the almonds turning a golden brown and the sugar caramelizing, turn off the heat, sprinkle with sea salt and place almonds spread out on parchment paper to cool. There will be clumps of almonds but that is fine and will provide a good crunch for the cookies.
2. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. The butter will begin to foam. Make sure you whisk consistently during this process. After a couple of minutes, the butter will begin to brown on the bottom of the saucepan; continue to whisk and remove from heat as soon as the butter begins to brown and give off a nutty aroma. Immediately transfer the butter to a bowl to prevent burning. Set aside to cool for about 5 minutes.
3. With an electric mixer, mix the butter and sugars until thoroughly blended. Beat in the egg, yolk, vanilla, and milk until combined. Add the dry ingredients slowly and beat on low-speed just until combined. Gently fold in all of the dark chocolate chips and add the almonds. You may need to use your hands to help incorporate the almonds into the dough.
4. Wrap your dough in plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours in the refrigerator, or place in freezer for 30 minutes if you are super eager, although I cannot promise the same results if you do this. Seriously, it’s crucial to cool the dough.
5. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Once dough is chilled measure about 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough and roll into a ball. Place dough balls on cookie sheet, 2 inches apart and flatten the top a very tiny bit with your hand. (Seriously, only a tiny bit!!)
6. Bake the cookies 10-13 minutes or until the edges of the cookies begin to turn golden brown. They will look a bit underdone in the middle, but will continue to cook once out of the oven. Cool the cookies on the sheets at least 2 minutes and sprinkle with a little sea salt. Remove the cooled cookies from the baking sheets and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough.

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