What’s better than a gluten free chocolate chip cookie? How about a brown butter chocolate chip cookie with smoked sea salt. And, of course, it’s gluten free. Some of my favorite flavors come together in a bite sized morsel of goodness. Bet you can’t eat just one. Jump Straight to the Recipe
GLUTEN FREE BROWN BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
It’s that time again, when we turn to our vintage cookbook and create something new, and hopefully spectacular. This month, after a year of working our way through the old one, Christianna has selected a new book.
We have moved on to The Second Ford Treasury of Favorite Recipes From Famous Eating Place. How’s that for a mouthful? And, we’re remaking a total classic, the Toll House Cookie. Of course, my mind went wickedly wild at first. I have pushed the envelope on some of these vintage recipe swaps- making donut vodka during the potato donuts, sopapillas with drunken berries during the taffy apple swap and a bacon and escarole custard to revamp hot slaw.
This time, I thought about doing frozen cookie dough truffles, but then I remembered last year when I made candy cane truffles. I was cursing my friends, my kitchen, my chocolate, and the world. NO TRUFFLES! Then I thought about a bacon, bourbon, and chocolate chip cake. While I still might keep that cake in my back pocket, I remembered that this is cookie season. If we’re remaking the classing Toll House cookie, I’m sticking with a cookie.
The question is, how do you improve upon a chocolate chip cookie? Bacon? Yes, and I almost went there. But then, my brain went to brown butter- the best liquid aside from vintage champagne FACT- not opinion. Of course brown butter alone does not a cookie make- fleur de sel? A quick search showed that theses had sooo been done. So, I reached a little deeper- (actually I walked over to my open panty) and pulled out smoked sea salt and mesquite flour. What resulted is a truly magical chocolate chip cookie.
I hope you’ll enjoy it. I hope you’ll eat a bunch. I hope you’ll bake them for someone you love. Eat them with a glass of milk. Even better? Eat them with a glass of port. Even better than that, eat them with someone you like a whole lot. Speaking of liking a whole lot, please check out my fellow swappers; the list is below!
- INGREDIENTS
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- 8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter- browned, then chilled
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup gluten free flour blend (I used Cup4Cup)
- ¼ cup mesquite flour
- 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon smoked sea salt + more for springing
- 1 1/4 cups chocolate (I used a mix of 72% and 61%) chopped into varying sized pieces
- INSTRUCTIONS
- To make brown butter, cut butter into chunks, and heat in a heavy stainless steel skillet over medium heat. It will bubble and spit, and make lots of noise. Don’t be afraid, but do be patient. Eventually, your butter will turn light golden brown, and then voila, dark amber, nutty brown. That’s right where you want it.Pour your brown butter (plus all the good brown bits from the pan) into a bowl and pop into the freezer for at least 15 minutes. It needs to firm up so you can scoop it with a spoon.
- Adjust the oven rack to the top 1/3 of the oven and preheat to 350º and ine a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Beat the sugars and butter together until smooth. Mix in the egg and vanilla. Stir together the flours baking soda and salt, then mix them into the batter. Add chocolate chunks and stir to incorporate.
- Scoop the cookie dough into balls and place 9 balls on each of the baking sheets. Smoosh the dough balls on cookie sheet and freeze for at least 15 minutes or up to overnight. Bake for 12 minutes or until light golden brown (if fully frozen, they will take longer).
- Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle hot cookies with smoked sea salt. Allow to cool on cookie sheet for five minutes, then transfer to cool completely on a wire rack.
love that browned butter. what a great idea.
Wow what a creative twist on the original recipe. I love the idea of your mind going wickedly wild 🙂 I have never thought of making brown butter and then chilling it. What a great combination with the smoked sea salt!
What a combination of unique ingredients. I am sure these cookies taste divine!
Smoked Sea Salt in a cookie is a great idea! I actually just tried smoked sea salt for the first time a few weeks ago and thought it was such an interesting flavor. Mix it with sweet and voila! Great post and great idea
I made some brown butter chocolate chip cookies a couple of months ago and I'll never go back…they were, in a word, the BOMB. Just adds such a luscious flavor from such a simple task. No not just yummy, yummalicious. 🙂
Okay these are incredible. The pic of the dough on the cookie sheet just about did me in. Loving this one to bits.
These sound amazing Sabrina! I would totally dig these…I love browned butter! I'm bookmarking. Mmmm
Oooh I haven't attempted brown butter baked goods yet. These cookies look too good to pass up though. I have some black sea salt I could use too. Thank you for sharing!
Ooh, I love mesquite flour and have two bags that I'm slowly chipping away at. Don't know why I didn't think to use them in this swap! Give me browned butter and mesquite flour and I'm loving everyone I'm eating them with! Great recipe – happy holidays!
Oh boy oh boy oh boy we were totally on the same wavelength with brown butter and smoked salt. Absolutely heavenly in chocolate chips [or blondies, for me]. I must try this recipe soon!
Sabrina- yes, there is nothing like browned butter chocolate chip cookies. I love the addition of sea salt. I have a difficult time with eating just one of delicious cookies like these:)
I love that you used mesquite flour! It is a favorite of mine. I love the ingredients of these cookies too. Your mention of bacon made me think of some muffins I made last year with mesquite flour, bacon, chile-chocolate bits; we are of like flavor mind! Hope you are enjoying your holiday season!
wow!! what an incredible flavor combination! I would have never thought of making a cookie with those flavors and now I'm just blown away by your creativity!
thanks for such an amazing entry in this months swap!
You really do push the envelope and I love what you come up with! I also really love reading about your thought process for coming up with your swap recipe – that might be the best part.
I've got to get my hands on some of this mesquite flour! I keep hearing about it and it sounds like it'd make a to-die-for cookie, especially with all the other yummyness you put in there!
I totally agree with Rachel, the thought that goes into this is fabulous – lovely post.
I so agree with you, brown butter and champagne are the two best liquids. As always, you bring such a fun voice to the recipe swap. Love (LOVE) your cookies. I just wish I could eat one of them.
He, he, I also thought of incorporating bacon in my cookies, as my girls are bacon fiends:) Love your photos – they really invite you over for a bite (or a sip:) Mesquite flour? Smoked sea salt? How big is your pantry? Now I definitely have to hunt those two as you have me intrigued. And I know I can trust you:)
Mesquite flour!!! Love! I love your posts. You're such an adventurous spirit; I'm so grateful you are a part of the swap. I can't wait to see what you invent for the next one!
Wow! This looks insane in a good way. Very delicious !
Have you seen the smoked sea salt from TJ's?? I bought some and it's just SITTING in my cabinets… I think you just gave me the PERFECT way to try it!
Mmmmmm….love this "mature" version of chocolate chip cookies…fabulous!
That mesquite flour definitely intrigues me! Well done with the vintage cookie recipe =)
Oh goodness; I think this remake was a success!! ANYTHING with brown butter, please!
Mesquite flour? Oh, wow, where did you get that? These cookies sound amazing– I am over the moon for anything that combines smokiness with chocolate!
do you use raw or roasted mesquite flour? i am guessing roasted.
i love browned butter and homemade ghee. i use homemade ghee for baklava, and eat the browned solids as a cook's treat.
if i only have all-purpose flour on hand, any suggestions for using that instead of the mesquite and whole wheat [i assume you prob adapted a recipe that used all-purpose]
thanks.
You can use all purpose flour, for sure. I took a basic cookie dough ratio to make the recipe, so it will work. I believe the mesquite flour is roasted. It definitely has a smokey quality. I buy it it bulk, so I can\’t say for sure. I hope you enjoy the cookies!
I don't know where to find the Mesquite flour, would it be at a local heath store in Bellflower perhaps?? They look soo divine!