Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies from Cook's Illustrated

Nate found these on Pinterest and they are awesome.  They take a while to make, and you must follow the recipe EXACTLY.  The browned butter give them a toffy lie flavor.  Delish.

Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yield: 16 cookies

From Cook's Illustrated

Make sure to use an non-coated skillet to brown the butter. If you use a coated pan you won't be able to tell when your butter has browned. The butter goes from brown to black pretty quickly (especially if you're trying to take pictures at the same time - the perils of food blogging!) so be careful.

The recipe calls for semi-sweet chocolate chips (or chunks), but I think I would have preferred bittersweet. Go with whichever you generally prefer. You can use light brown sugar, but the dark brown sugar gives it a deeper flavor and you can't argue with that. Either way, make sure the brown sugar is fresh and not dried out or your cookies will be drier.

If you're curious about what tweaks Cook's Illustrated made and how those changes affected the outcome, make sure to check out the original recipe page that shows the full rundown.

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (8 3/4 ounces)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 14 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 3/4 sticks)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar (3 1/2 ounces)
• 3/4 cups packed dark brown sugar (5 1/4 ounces)
• 1 teaspoon table salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 1/4 cups semisweet (or bittersweet) chocolate chips or chunks
• 3/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts, toasted (optional)

Instructions

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees F. Line 2 large (18- by 12-inch) baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside.
2. Heat 10 tablespoons butter in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until melted, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking, swirling pan constantly until butter is dark golden brown and has nutty aroma, 1 to 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and, using heatproof spatula, transfer browned butter to large heatproof bowl. Stir remaining 4 tablespoons butter into hot butter until completely melted.
3. Add both sugars, salt, and vanilla to bowl with butter and whisk until fully incorporated. Add egg and yolk and whisk until mixture is smooth with no sugar lumps remaining, about 30 seconds. Let mixture stand 3 minutes, then whisk for 30 seconds. Repeat process of resting and whisking 2 more times until mixture is thick, smooth, and shiny. Using rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture until just combined, about 1 minute. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts (if using), giving dough final stir to ensure no flour pockets remain.
4. Divide dough into 16 portions, each about 3 tablespoons (or use #24 cookie scoop). Arrange 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets, 8 dough balls per sheet. (Smaller baking sheets can be used, but will require 3 batches.)
5. Bake cookies 1 tray at a time until cookies are golden brown and still puffy, and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft, 10 to 14 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking. Transfer baking sheet to wire rack; cool cookies completely before serving.