Browned Butter Popcorn Chocolate Chip Cookies
Browned Butter Popcorn Chocolate Chip Cookies
Altered slightly from Joy the Baker
THE POPCORN
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoon coconut or vegetable oil (I like unrefined coconut oil for its flavor)
1/4 cup yellow corn kernels
1/4 teaspoon salt
THE COOKIE DOUGH
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup dark chocolate chunks (or chips)
coarse sea salt, for sprinkling
THE POPCORN
In a small sauce pan over medium-low heat, melt the butter slowly. As it heats it will start to fizzle and pop - this is the water cooking out of it. Once the fizzing and popping subsides it will begin the brown - swirl the pan every now and then and don’t leave it. Butter can go from melted to brown really quickly and then to burnt very very quickly. As the little brown bits begin to develop in the bottom of the pan, swirl again when it is a toasted deep golden color and begins to smell like toasted nuts, immediately remove it from the heat and pour it into a small heat-proof bowl. Set aside while you make the popcorn.
Put oil in the bottom of a medium saucepan over medium heat and has a tight fitting lid. When the oil is just beginning to smoke and shimmers, add the corn kernels in a single layer across the bottom of the pan. They should sizzle when you put them in. Cover the pot with the lid and take a tea towel across it to protect your fingers and keep the lid on. Begin to intermittently shake the pot every few seconds or so as the popcorn begins to pop. Listen to the popcorn - it will ramp up (shake), continue to pop (shake again) then begin to slow down (shake, shake, shake), and then almost immediately stop most of its popping.
Turn off the heat and remove the pot from the burner once the popping has subsided. Pour into a bowl and remove any un-popped kernels.
Drizzle the browned butter over the popcorn and sprinkle with salt. Toss to coat all of the popcorn and set aside to cool. You’ll have about 4 cups of popcorn (don’t worry about measuring it).
THE DOUGH
Place a rack in the center and upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 350 F. Line two baking sheets with silpats or parchment paper. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Beat on high until butter is pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract for another minute. Add in the flour, baking soda, and salt and mix on low, just until the flour disappears.
Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and use a spatula to fold in the chocolate chunks. Next, fold in the popcorn. It might seem like a lot of popcorn compared to the cookie dough and you might start to panic because you’re crushing popcorn- don’t worry! Keep folding until evenly distributed.
Scoop dough by the rounded palmful (yes, we are using our hands) onto the prepared baking sheets. Place dough balls approximately 2-3 inches apart. Sprinkle the tops of the cookies with the coarse sea salt.
Bake for 10 to 13 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the bake time. You’re looking for the edges and tops to be golden brown and cooked through.
Remove from the oven, allowing them to rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Enjoy with milk and a movie!
