Who doesn't love fresh Brown butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies straight from the oven? If anything is going to brighten your day, cookies with melty chocolate definitely will.
These beauties have a base of pata parauri (brown butter) which gives the cookie dough a deep, nutty flavour that is hard to beat. Yes, there is a little more work but the process is beautiful and worth every moment.
More cookies:
These Gooey Cookie Pies are also amazing and use the same base recipe as this one. My White Chocolate Raspberry Biscuits are another delicious brown butter cookie.
Videography and photography by Sarah Henderson.
Brown Butter Chocolate Cookie Ingredient Tips:
- Butter: I always use salted butter in all of my recipes because of the superior flavour but if you enjoy unsalted, go for it.
- Pecans: I have added these as an optional mix in to the cookies as they bring a delicious texture and warmth to the cookies. Use them if you want, or not!
- Brown sugar: Adds a delicious caramel flavour and softness to the cookies.
- White sugar: Helps crisp up the cookies a little.
- Flour: Plain or high grade flour both work in this recipe.
- Chocolate: Mix and match the chocolate to your liking. There are no rules here so use all milk, all dark or a mix of both.
Expert Advice:
Do not turn up the heat too much when you are browning butter. A medium heat will slowly brown the butter and add a deep savoury note. If you need more tips, check out my How to Brown Butter post.
Adhere to the 10 minute cooling time of the pata paruari (brown butter) before adding the remaining ingredients, this will ensure that there is no unnecessary scrambled egg situation.
When the pata paruari (brown butter) and huka (sugar) are combined it can look separated but do not fear, once the hēki (egg) are added, it will bring it all together.
The pokenga (dough) is a quite soft after adding the chocolate, but five minutes of cooling in the fridge is all it takes to thicken it up. You can also keep it in the fridge a bit longer if you want to.
The cookies in the images are slightly different as I have altered this recipe slightly since then, they are slightly thicker and even better than before.
Step by Step Instructions for Gooey Cookies Pies:
Note: The full recipe card with the full list of ingredients, instructions and step by step video are found at the bottom of this page.
1. Preheat the Oven:
Preheat the oven to 165 °C.
2. Brown the Butter:
Add the chopped pata (butter) in to a medium sized pot or pan. Set over medium heat.
First, melt the butter, stirring occasionally. As the heat continues the milk fats will start to separate (these are the white, floaty bits). Stir occasionally here so nothing sticks to the bottom of the pot.
Keep it on the heat until the butter starts to foam. Stir it a little bit until the brown bits float to the top. It should smell nutty. (Use the pictures and video as a guide).
2. Brown the Butter:
From here, stir it a little for another 30 seconds or so, so the butter browns further. This may smoke a little but a little bit of smoke is ok.
Remove from the heat and pour it straight in to a bowl. Leave it to cool for 10 minutes.
Note: Don't use a glass bowl like I did in the video - I broke mine that way and yes, it was not a bright idea!
3. Make the Spiced Pecan Nuts (Optional):
Chop the nati pēkani (pecan nuts) in to small pieces.
Add them in to the same pan as the brown butter (no need to clean it). Toast them over medium heat.
Add the marahihi māpere (maple syrup) and hinamona (cinnamon) in to the hot pan.
Stir for 30 seconds on the heat and watch it sizzle.
Remove from the heat and set them aside to cool slightly.
4. Make the Cookie Dough:
Add the tote (salt), huka hāura (brown sugar), huka one (caster sugar) and iho hūperei (vanilla) in to the slightly cooled brown butter.
Mix together with a whisk for a minute. Don't worry if the mixture looks a little separated, the eggs will fix that.
Add one hēki (egg) and whisk for 20 seconds. The mixture will start to come together. Add the second hēki (egg) and whisk again for 20 seconds.
Add the puehu parāoa (flour), pēkana paura (baking powder) and pēkana houra (baking soda). Stir to combine.
5. Add the Chocolate:
Add the tiakarete to a papa tapatapahi (chopping board) and chop in to chunks.
Reserve a handful of chocolate to add to the tops of the cookies.
Add the rest to the mixture with the nati pēkani (pecan nuts), if you are using them.
Stir everything together.
6. Chill the Dough:
Put the bowl of mixture in the fridge for five minutes to thicken.
7. Make the Cookies:
Take a tablespoon of dough and roll each one in to a ball, making 25 balls in total.
Place them on the prepared 2 trays.
Add the reserved tiakarete (chocolate) on top.
Don't squash the dough down and make sure they have around 4 cm space between each one.
These would be delicious with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt too added just before they are baked.
8. Bake the Cookies:
Bake a tray at a time for 12 minutes.
You can shape them with a cookie cutter straight from the oven if you want or just leave them as they are!
Note: The cookies in the images are slightly different as I have altered this recipe slightly since then!
These will keep well in a sealed container for up to a week but I know they will not last that long.
Take a look at these
Biscuit Recipes
A little pihikete (biscuit) is a true friend to a hot drink.
DID YOU ENJOY THIS RECIPE?
It would be so awesome if you could please leave a review/comment by clicking the “leave a comment” section at the top of the page.
I love seeing you all make my creations, so send a whakaahua (photo) or kiriata (video) to my Instagram and show me what you made. Let me know if you have any pātai (questions) too, I would love to help.
Brown Butter Chocolate Chunk Chocolate Cookies - Pihikete Pata Parauri Me Te Tiakarete
Ingredients
The Brown Butter - Te Pata Parauri
- 210 g pata (butter, cut in to cubes)
Spiced Pecan Nuts - Nati Pēkani (optional add ins, skip if you want to)
- ⅓ C (50 g) nati pēkani (pecan nuts)
- 2 tablespoon marahihi māpere (maple syrup)
- 1 tsp hinamona (cinnamon)
Te Pokenga - The Dough
- ½ teaspoon tote (salt, fine)
- ¾ C (150 g) huka hāura (brown sugar)
- ⅓ C (65 g) huka one (caster sugar)
- 2 teaspoon (10 ml) iho hūperei (vanilla essence)
- 2 C (300 g) puehu parāoa noa (plain flour)
- 2 hēki (eggs, size 6)
- ½ teaspoon pēkana paura (baking powder)
- ¼ teaspoon pēkana houra (baking soda)
- 150 g tiakarete parauri (dark chocolate). Use whatever mix of chocolate you want - this is a guide.
- 100 g tiakarete miraka (milk chocolate)
Instructions
Preheat the Oven:
- Pre-heat the oven to 165 °C.
Brown the Butter:
- Add the chopped pata (butter) in to a medium sized pot or pan. Set over medium heat.
- First, melt the butter, stirring occasionally.As the heat continues the milk fats will start to separate (these are the white, floaty bits). Stir occasionally here so nothing sticks to the bottom of the pot.
- Keep it on the heat until the butter starts to foam. Stir it a little bit until the brown bits float to the top. It should smell nutty. (Use the pictures and video as a guide).
- From here, stir it a little for another 30 seconds or so, so the butter browns further. This may smoke a little but a little bit of smoke is ok.
- Remove from the heat and pour it straight in to a bowl. Leave it to cool for 10 minutes.Note: Don't use a glass bowl like I did in the video - I broke mine that way and yes, it was not a bright idea!
Make the Spiced Pecan Nuts (Optional):
- Chop the nati pēkani (pecan nuts) in to small pieces. Add them in to the same pan as the brown butter (no need to clean it). Toast them over medium heat.
- Add the marahihi māpere (maple syrup) and hinamona (cinnamon) in to the hot pan. Stir for 30 seconds on the heat and watch it sizzle.
- Remove from the heat and set them aside to cool.
Make the Cookie Dough:
- Add the tote (salt), huka hāura (brown sugar), huka one (caster sugar) and iho hūperei (vanilla) in to the slightly cooled brown butter.
- Mix together with a whisk for a minute. Don't worry if the mixture looks a little separated, the eggs will fix that.
- Add one hēki (egg) and whisk for 20 seconds. The mixture will start to come together. Add the second hēki (egg) and whisk again for 20 seconds.
- Add the puehu parāoa (flour), pēkana paura (baking powder) and pēkana houra (baking soda). Stir to combine.
- Stir everything together.
Add the Chocolate:
- Add the tiakarete to a papa tapatapahi (chopping board) and chop in to chunks. Reserve a handful of chocolate to add to the tops of the cookies. Add the rest to the mixture with the nati pēkani (pecan nuts), if you are using them.
Chill the Dough:
- Put the bowl of mixture in the fridge for five minutes to thicken.
Make the Cookies:
- Take a tablespoon of dough and roll each one in to a ball, making 25 balls in total.Place them on the prepared 2 trays.
- Add the reserved tiakarete (chocolate) on top. Don't squash the dough down and make sure they have around 4 cm space between each one.
- These would be delicious with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt too added just before they are baked.
Bake the Cookies:
- Bake a tray at a time for 12 minutes. You can shape them with a cookie cutter straight from the oven if you want or just leave them as they are!
- Note: The cookies in the images are slightly different as I have altered this recipe slightly since then!
- These will keep well in a sealed container for up to a week but I know they will not last that long.
Caroline
A delicious nice, easy recipe that my 2.5yr old son and I love making, almost every week!
Naomi Toilalo WhānauKai
I absolutely love that you and your son make this together - that makes me so happy!
Emily Cahill
These are my go to pihikete at the moment. Super addicting and the pata parauri makes them taste even better than any other chocolate chip cookie I've made.
Naomi Toilalo WhānauKai
Tēnā koe Emily and thank you so much for the awesome feedback, how good is brown butter right? It really does add another dimension to the cookies. Kia ora rā - thank you!