Brown Sugar Chocolate Chip Cookies (Comfort Cookies)

Brown the butter. In a small skillet or saucepan, slowly over medium heat, heat 1 stick (½ cup) of butter and let it melt completely. While it melts, chop remaining ½ stick (¼ cup) of butter into small cubes. Turn the heat to low and stir the butter, scraping down the sides of the skillet to re-incorporate all the butter. Watch as the butter turns from yellow to light gold to amber, and some foam may appear. Continue stirring until you see little brown specs in the bottom of the skillet. Turn the heat off completely, remove the skillet from the heat, and stir in the cubed butter. Set this aside and let it cool to room temperature.

Combine dry ingredients in a small bowl: flour, baking soda, sea salt, and cinnamon. Stir in chocolate chips and set aside.

When the butter has cooled, mix the wet ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla extract until smooth. Working in batches, add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix after each addition until all the dry ingredients are incorporated. Cover the bowl tightly with a lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes, or until slightly firm.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a 2-ounce cookie scoop, scoop portions of the dough onto the baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap (reuse what you used before!). Refrigerate again for 40 minutes.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350ºF. Space the cookies with 2 inches between each portion on the baking sheet. Transfer the rest of the dough to a resealable bag or airtight container until ready to bake.

Bake for 9 minutes, then remove from the oven and place a few extra chocolate chips on top of each cookie, and place them back in the oven for 1–2 more minutes. The edges should be golden and the centers gooey. Let them cool completely on the baking sheet—this is where they finish baking, so don’t remove them before they’ve cooled!

Serve immediately, and store the rest in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. Remaining dough can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, or in the freezer for up to 12 months. Enjoy!