Remember this delicious recipe for Brown Butter Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Cookies? The complexity of the brown butter and cinnamon elevate the flavors beyond that of a typical chocolate chip cookie, and it has been my go-to chocolate chip cookie ever since I discovered it.

Until today, when I came across Bigger Bolder Baking’s recipe for her Best Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies. The science behind her recipe made sense and addressed a couple of frustrations I had with the first brown butter recipe. So I decided to try my hand at combining the two. The result was cookies that are chewy, buttery, and chocolatey, with a touch of cinnamon that gives them that special something!

These are my new go-to chocolate chip cookie!

One of the things I learned from Gemma was the Pan Bang! What is a pan bang, you ask? When you first pull your cookies out of the oven, bang the pan down on the counter a couple of times. This will collapse the air out of the cookies, giving them a chewier texture once they cool. I’m going to try that trick on every cookie I make from now on!

In her recipe, Gemma recommends using a chopped up chocolate bar instead of chocolate chips. Instead, I chose to use Guittard’s Super Cookie Chips. I think they provide a happy balance between ease of use and Gemma’s recommendation of chocolate chunks vs chips. (I also appreciate that Guittard doesn’t use soy in their chocolate.) However, feel free to use whatever chocolate chip/chunk/bar you wish.

NOTE: Gemma believes in the importance of aging your cookie dough, so don’t skip this step and plan accordingly. Let this dough rest in the fridge for at least 1 hour, but overnight is even better! But note, if you do let it rest overnight, you’ll need to give the dough 30 or so minutes on the counter to become scoopable again before you bake them.

UPDATED Brown Butter Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Cookies
(Original recipe: Bigger Bolder Baking)

1 C (8 oz/225g) butter
1-1/4 C (7-1/2 oz/212g) light brown sugar
3/4 C (6 oz/170g) white granulated sugar
2-1/2 C (12-1/2 oz/354g) all-purpose flour
1-1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 C (12 oz/340g) bittersweet chocolate chunks

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon together. Set aside.

In a small sauce pan, melt the butter. Allow it to gently simmer until it starts to form brown bits on the bottom. Be careful not to let it burn. Once browned, turn the heat off and allow it to cool for 10 minutes.

While the butter cools, pour both sugars into a large mixing bowl. Once the brown butter is ready, pour it on top of the sugar mixture and beat together for 1 minute. Beat in the eggs one at a time, until everything is well combined. Lastly stir in the vanilla.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet and use a spoon or spatula to fully combine. Gently stir in the chocolate chunks. It’s okay if the dough seems soft at this point.

Cover your dough with cling film and allow it to age and chill in the fridge for a minimum of 1 hour, up to overnight. (if you do let it chill overnight, you’ll need to give the dough 30 or so minutes on the counter to become scoopable again before baking.)

After your dough has chilled, preheat your oven to 375F. Use a 1/4 cup-sized cookie scoop to place balls of cookie dough on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Be sure to leave some space between the cookies, as they spread during baking. Bake for about 14-15 minutes, or until the edges are set and the cookie is beginning to turn golden brown throughout. It’s okay if it still looks doughy in the middle.

Once you pull the cookie sheet out of the oven, bang the hot pan on the counter a few times to collapse the air from the cookies and create crinkles on the top. Allow the cookies to cool on the sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Or if you like your cookies chewier, let them cool completely on the parchment paper.

Store the baked cookies at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days. You can also store the cookie dough in the fridge for up to 7 days, or freeze the dough to use later!