Thousand Layer Cookie

I’m not a newlywed anymore, (and honestly, I did not cook like this ten years ago…) but I was intrigued as soon as I found this recipe online. I figured that if this book had awesomeness between its covers like this, it would certainly be worth borrowing from the library 🙂 Up until a couple of weeks ago, I had no idea that this kind of cookies existed. This website has great pictures of step by step of how these amazing cookies are created and they’re worth the extra effort! I love that the chopped chocolate instead of chips because you get chocolate in every single bite – powder,  shards and chunks all in one awesome cookie. They bake up slightly crisp but chewy in the centers; and the flaky fleur de sel leaves a pleasant, salty zing on your tongue. I have never used that salt until today, but I can’t wait to use it in other recipes to see what the fuss is all about. These are the best chocolate chip cookies I have ever had. Period. End of story. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Thousand Layer Cookies – adapted from The Newlywed Cookbook

  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 3/4 cup packed dark-brown sugar (150 g)
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar (150 g)
  • 4 large egg yolks, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface (280 g)
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt or table salt
  • 9 ounces bittersweet chocolate
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  • 1/4 teaspoon fleur de sel

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.
  2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and both sugars on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in egg yolks, two at a time; add vanilla and mix to combine.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low, add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Scrape down sides of bowl and mix to combine.
  4. Divide dough into three equal portions. Wrap each portion with plastic wrap and transfer to refrigerator; let chill for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, using a serrated knife, coarsely chop chocolate into thin shards. Set aside.
  5. Unwrap one portion of chilled dough and place on a lightly floured work surface. Sprinkle with half the chocolate and top with a second portion of chilled dough. Sprinkle with remaining chocolate and top with remaining portion of dough.
  6. Lightly dust with flour and gently roll out dough to a 9-by-6-inch rectangle, about 1 1/2 inches thick. Using a 2-inch-round cutter, cut out 10 rounds of dough. Gather scraps and lightly pat into another 1 1/2-inch-thick rectangle and cut out remaining cookies. Place on prepared baking sheets about 3 inches apart and brush with beaten egg. Sprinkle with fleur de sel, if desired.
  7. Transfer cookies to oven and bake until cookies are set, 12 to 15 minutes, switching baking sheets from top to bottom halfway through baking. Let cookies cool slightly on baking sheets, about 3 minutes, before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Advertisement

Browned Butter CCC

This is my first time making brown butter, but it seems like a very popular flavor among food bloggers. The browned butter smells nutty and caramely, so it’s pretty safe to assume it will add that to the flavor of these cookies. Plan accordingly if you are going to make these…I read through the instructions after I finished the butter, only to learn that the batter needs to sit in the fridge overnight. Upon discovery of this “minor” detail, I coyly sent a text to the husband who already anticipated cookies for dessert tonight – “you’re not going to like me”. He’s pretty bummed, and honestly I’m not crazy about having to wait longer for these, but in the interest of all things yummy – I will wait! 😉

In case you’ve never browned butter before, here are some helpful tips and instructions. If you have one, it’s best to brown the butter in a stainless pot or pan so you can be sure of the color. Also, it’s fairly easy to go from perfectly brown to burnt, so start slow so you don’t waste your butter. Mine took nearly 20 minutes to get to the color I was comfortable with. Now that I’m pretty confident with this new skill I’ll be sure to search for recipes or I might even try brown butter for dishes we love already.

Verdict: These cookies are slightly chewy, with nice, crispy edges; and flavor of these is buttery, nutty and caramely! I know that last description isn’t a real word, but you know what I mean 😉 Thanks for reading, enjoy!

 

Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies – adapted from The Curvy Carrot

  • 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter
  • 2 and 1/4 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
  • One bag semisweet chocolate chip cookies

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and cook, swirling the pan occasionally, until it is frothy and browned, about 15-20 minutes or so (the browning process goes quickly once it starts so watch it carefully.)

2.  Transfer the butter to a small bowl and let cool to room temperature.

3.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda.

4. In the bowl of your standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the browned butter and both types of sugar, until smooth and light, about 7 minutes.

5. Add in the whole egg, the egg yolk, milk, and the vanilla.

6. Decrease the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients.

7. Gently fold in the chocolate chips.

8. Cover the cookie dough tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

9. The next day, let the dough come to room temperature.  Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

10. Using a small cookie dough scoop, place the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart.

11. Bake each cookie sheet (one at a time) until the cookies are golden brown on the bottom, about 8 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Let cool on the baking sheets set on wire racks for 3 to 5 minutes or until set. Transfer the cookies to the wire rack to cool. Makes about 36 small cookies.