I was always under the impression that everyone loved chocolate chip cookies.

Then, in college, I dated a guy who disliked chocolate so much that, as a child, he’d tell people he was allergic to it so he wouldn’t have to eat it. And I was friends with a girl who loved the cookie part of chocolate chip cookies… but would avoid the actual chocolate chips at all costs.

I’m not really sure what to do with that information. I can understand not liking the sad, dry commercial chocolate chip cookies available in packages at the grocery store or at fast food restaurants (although I would probably eat those, too), but a warm, freshly baked chocolate chip cookie? There’s not much better than that.

Since (almost) everyone loves a good chocolate chip cookie, there are quite a few recipes out there for the “perfect” or “best” version. I am pretty fond of the New York Times recipe, and these double coconut double chocolate chip cookies aren’t too shabby, either, if I do say so myself. But I was intrigued by the recipe for brown butter chocolate chip cookies in the Joy the Baker Cookbook (and the praise said recipe has received elsewhere).

You may be wondering what the heck “brown butter” is. I didn’t really explain it in my post about the brown butter waffles; I apologize. Brown butter is just regular butter that has been melted and then cooked a little bit longer so it turns brown. It has a lovely, toasty smell and slightly nutty flavor and makes lots of things — including these cookies — taste extra delicious. It’s not hard to make at all, but you do have to pay attention so the butter doesn’t burn.

But, since cookies (and many baked goods) get some of their structure and consistency from not-melted butter beaten with sugar, using only brown butter doesn’t work very well. The genius of Joy’s recipe is that it combines brown butter with the room temperature butter + sugar combination to create a cookie that is soft and chewy in the center while still crispy around the edges. It’s so good it may even convert the last remaining chocolate chip cookie holdouts.

Brown butter chocolate chip cookies (Makes 2 1/2 to 3 dozen cookies, adapted from the Joy the Baker Cookbook)
1 stick (1/2 cup) plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, for browning
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter at room temperature (or just set out on the counter for 30-45 minutes)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon molasses
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional — I used pecans)
1 cup bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate chips, or a combination of the two

To brown the butter, put the 1 stick plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter in a small or medium heavy saucepan (a light color is best but any color will do). Turn the heat to medium (or a little on the “low” side of medium) and let the butter melt. You can stir the butter or pick up the pan and swirl it a bit during this process to keep everything evenly melted. After it has melted, the butter will start crackling and foaming (if it doesn’t start doing that, the heat is too low, so turn it up a smidge). When you hear the crackling, make sure you keep an eye on the butter, because it will start turning brown pretty quickly. Once it’s a medium (not dark!) brown, take it off the heat immediately and pour the butter and any browned bits from the pan it into a heatproof bowl to cool for 15-20 minutes.

When the brown butter has cooled a bit, put the other stick of butter and the granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl and use a hand-held mixer (or put it in the bowl of a stand mixer and use the paddle attachment) to cream them together for at least three minutes — until the mixture is really fluffy and is very light colored.

Add the vanilla and molasses and beat to combine them with the butter-sugar mixture. Add the brown sugar and the (slightly cooled — not piping hot) brown butter and beat for a minute or two, until the mixture is very well combined. Add the egg and egg yolk and beat to combine.

Whisk the flour, salt and baking soda together in a medium bowl, and then add that to the butter mixture. Mix it on low speed just until the flour is incorporated, then use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to stir in the nuts, if using, and chocolate chips.

Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes, or overnight (preferred).

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375F. Take the dough out of the fridge and line two cookie sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. Use an ice cream scoop or large spoon and your (clean) hands to create balls of dough and arrange them on the cookie sheets about 2 inches away from each other.

Bake the cookies just until the edges are browned (the centers should still be soft), about 12 minutes. Take them out of the oven and let the cookies sit on the baking sheets for about 5 minutes before using a spatula to move them either to a wire rack to cool completely or to a serving plate.