In an attempt to add more interest to the beloved traditional chocolate chip cookie, I drew inspiration from my friend Karen, who once told me she had a chocolate chip with rice cereal in it. Intrigued, I recently set out on an adventure to make some for myself. 

What makes a chocolate chip cookie great? I think we’ll get a lot of answers if we did a poll. My husband is a purist — he likes simple chocolate chip, period. I like to vary tastes, textures.. So I am always doing more. Neither is wrong. It’s about what you like. 

Before we begin, keep these Tips, Tricks & Modifications in mind: 

• You don’t absolutely *have* to brown the butter. In a rush or don’t want to? Simply melt the butter in 30 second intervals in the microwave and let cool. 
• Hate oats or rice cereal? Omit and make sure your total flour weight is now 300 grams 
• Feel free to play with the base recipe — sub mix-ins with white chocolate, nuts, dried fruit, etc. for endless flavor options! 
• Depending on what you prefer the texture of the cookie to be, you can modify the baking temp AND time. Bake at a higher temp for a shorter amount of time for a crisp edge and chewy interior. Lower the temp and bake longer for a chewier cookie throughout. Play with it. 
• Portion your cookie dough based on your preference. Some of us prefer larger cookies, some prefer smaller. Don’t forget to adjust baking time based on size. Use a Cookie Scoop.

Recipe: Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Crisp Cookies

Yields 14-15 large, 4-inch cookies

Watch our YouTube video– it will help!!

Equipment:

• Large mixing bowl
• Large spatula
• Small sauce pan
• Stand Mixer or Hand Mixer
• Aluminum Cookie Sheet ( I LOVE Nordic Ware)
• Silicone baking mats or parchment (buy our brand HERE!)

Ingredients:

• 1.5 american sticks salted butter (or 6 oz), browned (we’ll discuss in Step 1)
• 225 grams all purpose flour (approx. 1 and ⅓ cups)
• 200 grams dark brown sugar (approx. 1 packed cup)
• 110 grams granulated white sugar (approx. half cup)
• 60 grams oats (approx. half cup)
• 25 grams crisp rice cereal (Honestly.. I could have done with a bit more- 30 grams if I’m doing it next time)
• 1 to 1.5 cups chocolate chips (but measure with your heart here lol)
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp baking powder (this will get it a bit more rise than just baking soda alone)
• 2 eggs (room temp)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• 1 TBSP ground coffee of choice (complete optional)
• ½ tsp salt (more on top if you’re into that!)

Method:

1. Brown the butter. So here it is about browning butter– it adds some nutty flavor to your cookies, but as I’ll talk about in the Tips/Tricks/Modifications section, not absolutely necessary. Place your butter in a small sauce pan over medium heat and let it boil, until it turns brown. About 10 minutes or less on a simmer. Make sure you wash the vide on how to do this– don’t let it turn black and burn, it can’t be salvaged. 
2. Let your butter cool. At least half an hour.
3. Combine your cooled brown butter with sugars, mix.
4. Add in eggs and  vanilla, mix will with a spatula until it resembles a caramel.
5. Add in all your dry ingredients and mix-ins at once (this should be the rest of your ingredients!) 
6. Portion with a scoop (I like to use a ¼ cup scoop for these cookies), freeze or place in the fridge for minimally half hour up to 3 months in the freezer – this allows the dough to rest and flavors to combine– the longer you leave it in the freezer, the moisture evaporates a tad and you’ll get a less wet cookie 
7. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F when ready to bake. Get an oven thermometer and make sure it’s actually 350. Best $10 you’ll spend if you bake a lot!
8. Bake for approx. 15 minutes, rotating halfway. This gives you a pretty soft baked cookie. Bake longer or at a higher temp for crisp-around-the-edges cookies..

Enjoy your Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Crisp Cookies and would love for you to tag us @borderlandsbakery if you make these!!