Description
Delicious walnut chocolate chunk cookies featuring a rich browned butter base, studded with dark chocolate chunks, dried cranberries, and crunchy walnuts, finished with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt. These cookies are crispy on the outside and chewy in the middle, perfect for a sweet snack or dessert.
Ingredients
Butter and Sugars
- 170 g unsalted butter (1 ½ sticks / 6oz)
- ½ cup light brown sugar (100g / 3 ½oz)
- ½ cup white granulated sugar (100g / 3 ½oz)
Dry Ingredients
- 260 g plain flour (all-purpose flour) (2 cups / 9 ¼oz)
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda (bicarb soda)
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
Eggs and Flavoring
- 1 large egg (room temperature)
- 1 egg yolk (from a large egg, room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Add-ins
- 1 cup dark chocolate, chopped (140g / ~5oz)
- ¾ cup dried cranberries (105g / ~3 ½oz)
- ¾ cup walnut halves, roughly chopped (70g / 2 ½oz)
Finishing
- Sea salt flakes for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C fan forced) or 350°F. Line two large baking sheets with baking paper to prepare for baking the cookies.
- Brown the Butter: Place the butter in a small saucepan over low to medium heat. Swirl the pan as the butter melts and begins to bubble. Continue to cook, swirling occasionally, until the butter is foamy and amber brown in color, taking care to hold back any blackened solids. Pour the browned butter into a large mixing bowl and allow it to cool for at least 10 minutes.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the plain flour, baking soda, ground cinnamon, and salt until well combined. Set aside.
- Combine Sugars and Butter: Add the light brown sugar and granulated sugar to the cooled browned butter and whisk until thoroughly combined. Then add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract, whisking until smooth and uniform.
- Incorporate Dry Ingredients: Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and fold gently with a spatula until about 90% incorporated, avoiding overmixing to keep the cookies tender.
- Reserve Some Add-ins: Set aside a couple of tablespoons each of the chopped chocolate and dried cranberries for topping the cookies after baking.
- Add Chocolate, Cranberries, and Walnuts: Fold the remaining chopped chocolate, cranberries, and chopped walnuts into the dough until evenly distributed.
- Scoop Dough: Using a 3-tablespoon sized cookie scoop, portion dough balls onto the prepared baking trays, spacing them about two inches apart to allow for spreading.
- Add Toppings: Sprinkle a little flaky sea salt on top of each dough mound and press the reserved cranberries gently into the tops. Save the reserved chocolate chunks to add after the cookies finish baking.
- Bake Cookies: Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for approximately 10-11 minutes until the edges start to turn golden.
- Top with Chocolate: While the cookies are still hot from the oven, place a few of the reserved chocolate pieces onto the top of each cookie so they melt slightly for a rich finish.
- Cool and Serve: Let the cookies cool on the baking trays for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack. Once completely cool, they will be crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, ready to enjoy.
- Feedback: Don’t forget to leave a comment and rating to share your experience with this recipe – it’s greatly appreciated and helpful.
Notes
- Room temperature eggs help to achieve a smooth and even dough texture.
- Be careful not to burn the butter while browning it; amber brown color indicates perfect browning.
- Do not overmix the dough to keep the cookies tender and chewy.
- If you prefer a nut-free version, walnuts can be omitted or replaced with pecans or another preferred nut.
- Using high-quality dark chocolate chunks will enhance the flavor of the cookies.
- Sprinkling flaky sea salt on top balances the sweetness and deepens the flavor.
- Cookies are best stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 11 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
