Brown Butter Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes about 24 large cookies.

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, browned

1 cup white sugar

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

1 tbsp espresso powder or cacao powder (optional)

1 tbsp vanilla extract

3 large egg yolks

1 cup sourdough discard

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

First, brown the butter. Over medium-low heat, melt the butter until it begins to turn golden brown. It will get foamy a few times, then you will notice brown flecks starting to appear. Turn the heat off as soon as you see the brown flecks and let the butter cool for 10-15 minutes.

In a stand mixer or using a hand mixer, combine the cooled brown butter, both sugars, and espresso powder or cacao powder if using and mix until combined. Add the vanilla extract and egg yolks and mix until combined. Add the sourdough discard and mix until thoroughly combined. The dough should look lights brown and creamy at this point.

Add in the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda all at once and mix until it just begins to combine. Add in the chocolate chips and mix until you can’t see any flour.

Using a large cookie scoop (about 3 tbsp), scoop the dough onto a baking sheet. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350F. Place 6 cookie dough balls at a time on a lined baking sheet (the cookies will spread and you don’t want them to touch each other). Bake for 15 minutes, or until the tops of the cookies are just beginning to brown.

Top the cookies with flaky sea salt as soon as they come out of the oven and enjoy!