Gooey Brown Butter Walnut Chocolate Chunk Cookies with Sea Salt! These cookies are a powerhouse of FLAVOR. So thick and chewy!
Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies
Happy Saturday!!! It’s the weekend, so I’m going to get straight to the point: you NEED these Gooey Brown Butter Walnut Chocolate Chunk Cookies with Sea Salt in your life!!!
Need more convincing? Here ya go! These cookies are:
- thick and chewy
- perfectly crispy at the edges
- loaded with gooey chocolate chunks
- made with brown butter (!!!)
- full of crunchy walnuts
- sprinkled with flaky sea salt
- perfect with a cup of milk… or coffee
- THE MOST DELICIOUS COOKIES I’VE BAKED ALL MONTH
True story: I brought a dozen of these cookies to some of my friends that work at our local deli and they all said they were the BEST cookies they’ve ever had. And I bake them A LOT of cookies 😉
Tips and Tricks for Recipe Success:
- If you’ve never browned butter before, don’t fret! It’s easy. You’ll need a saute pan, butter, and a touch of patience – that’s it! You’ll start off melting the butter; once the butter has completely melted, you’ll continue to cook the butter, on medium heat (or medium-low if your stove top runs hot), until it’s turned a golden brown and smells slightly nutty. Just be sure you stay stove side once the butter has melted; brown butter can turn into burnt butter very fast.
- You will need to bring your browned butter back to room temperature before incorporating it into the recipe. To do this, simply pour the butter into a heatproof bowl and place it in the fridge for about 45 minutes. You want it solid, but soft enough that when you gently press it with your finger it leaves an indentation.
- Don’t over bake! Your cookies should be set at the edges but still soft in the center.
- Be sure to allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a full 10 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. They need the 10 minutes to firm up so they don’t fall apart as your transfer them.
- If you’d like your cookies to look like the ones you see in my photos, press a few chocolate chunks and walnuts on top of each cookie right after they come out of the oven. Then sprinkle them with flaky sea salt!
Sweet, salty, crunchy and gooey… who says you can’t have it all!?
More Cookie Recipes:
If you try this recipe for Gooey Brown Butter Walnut Chocolate Chunk Cookies with Sea Salt, let me know what you think! Leave a comment below, and don’t forget to snap a pic and tag it #bakerbynature on instagram! Seeing your creations makes my day ♥
Gooey Brown Butter Walnut Chocolate Chunk Cookies with Sea Salt
Ingredients
- 14 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted until browned and brought back to room temperature (see post for more on this)
- 2 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (plus more ONLY if the dough seems to need it; adding one tablespoon at a time)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chunks
- 3/4 cup toasted walnuts, roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt, for sprinkling
Instructions
For the Brown Butter:
- Place the butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat and cook for about 3 minutes – stirring almost constantly – until the butter has browned. Pour the brown butter into a heatproof bowl, being sure to scrape all of the "toasted" bits into the bowl as well. Place the bowl in the refrigerator for 45 minutes, or until the butter is at room temperature. You’ll know the butter is at room temperature when you press a finger into the top and it makes a slight indentation. It should not be liquid at all.
- Once the butter is at room temperature, you're ready to get baking!
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees (F).
For the Gooey Brown Butter Walnut Chocolate Chunk Cookies with Sea Salt:
- In a medium-sized bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt; set aside.
- In a large bowl using a handheld electric mixer, or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine both sugars, vanilla, and browned butter; cream on medium-speed until light and fluffy; about 2 minutes. Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating for 15 seconds after each addition. Turn mixer off. Using a wooden spoon or sturdy rubber spatula, gently fold in the flour, stirring only until the flour begins to disappear. Fold in the chocolate chunks and walnuts.
- Roll 3 tablespoon sized scoops of dough between your palms to form a ball (they should be big; almost a 1/4 cup), then place on prepared sheet (make sure to leave enough room in between each cookie for inevitable spreading). Continue this process until all the dough has been rolled.
- Place baking sheets in preheated oven, one at a time, and bake for 9 to 10 minutes, or until golden at the edges but still soft in the middle. Repeat with all cookie dough.
- Sprinkle cookies with sea salt right when they come out of the oven. Let cookies cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Melissa says
I really want to try this recipe, but my friend is vegan. Can I substitute the butter (which I know kind of defeats the purpose of this recipe) or am I better off making your other chocolate chip recipe which uses coconut oil and is AMAZING?!
Sabien says
hi. This look really yummy. But one question, after we make the dough, do we need to chill it in the fridge for several hours before I start baking them?
Many thanks,
Sabien
bakerbynature says
Hi Sabien. No need to chill the cookie dough, however you will need to chill the brown butter before you begin making the cookie dough, which can take anywhere from 45 minute to an hour and a half in the fridge 🙂
Dee says
I’m not a big fan of walnut…what would be a good subsitute?
bakerbynature says
You could use pistachios, slivered almonds, cashews… or just leave them out 😉
Holly Roose says
I love your instagrams! This may be a dumb question but is there a way to take one of your recipes on instagram and save it on Pinterest? That way I could go to the recipes without having to search.
bakerbynature says
Hi Holly! You can’t pin directly from instagram, but you can click on the link in my profile that has all of my recipes, and you can pin the ones you like directly from my website. I hope that helps 🙂
Deli posts says
Wow, these look amazing … I have got to try these, they sound incredible!! Thanks for sharing such great recipe. May God bless you.
Andrea says
Thank you so much for this recipe! I have a question.
Should I use silicon or parchment paper?
Thank you
Kayle (The Cooking Actress) says
GIRRRRL these look perfect!!!!!!!!!
bakerbynature says
Thanks girl!!!
Peggy Miller says
I just made your Gooey Brown Butter Walnut Chocolate Chunk Cookies today. They are awesome!!!! Super rich and delicious. I, too, had trouble trying to find flaky sea salt. I ended up using fine sea salt. Tasted fine, but you couldn’t see it after it melted in. Thanks for sharing!
bakerbynature says
Hi Peggy! I’m SO happy you enjoyed them! They’re one of my favorite cookies. I’m going to add a link to the flaky sea salt in the post now 🙂
Natalie R says
Thees look so good and I can’t wait to make them!! I can’t find the baking temperature though, is it 350 degrees F? Thanks!
bakerbynature says
Hey Natalie! I’m so happy you’re going to bake these 🙂 It’s 375 degrees (F).
Maripat says
What brand of flaky sea salt did you use? Yours is a lovely flake in your images. For the last couple years, whenever I’ve ordered flaky sea salt, it’s turned out to be granular or rocky. I’d love to buy the brand you’ve used on these cookies. Thanks!
bakerbynature says
Hi Maripat! I used Maldon Sea Salt – I LOVE it. It’s so flaky and kind of melts in your mouth. Here’s an affiliate link if you’d like to check out 😉 http://amzn.to/2kG0TwD
CecÃlia almeida says
Hello! Always the same problem. For you, how much is a tablespoon of butter in grams?15?
bakerbynature says
Hi Cecilia. I did a quick google search and this is what I found:
1 tablespoon = 14 grams = 1/2 ounce
I hope that helps 🙂