The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies & Pancakes Share A Secret

Chocolate chip cookies and pancakes rank at the top of the list of the best comfort foods. Whether you devour a stack of flapjacks for breakfast or snack on cookies around mid-day, you'll experience the same indulgent feeling from these tasty classics. It's no surprise that these sweet treats have a lot in common. Both call for simple ingredients, like flour, butter, sugar, and eggs, to create their signature flavors and textures. And although cookies have a crunchy outer coating and a chewy center while pancakes offer a fluffy pillowy bite, they both bring joy and can satisfy a craving for something sweet. But there's one secret these starch-based goodies share: They can both be elevated with brown butter.

Pancakes often call for melted butter while cookies typically require the room-temperature version. Either way, if you brown the butter before using it in the respective recipes, you'll set yourself up for an extraordinary plateful of yummy treats. The brown butter imparts a unique toasty or caramel-like flavor to your goodies that keeps everyone coming back for more. And the best part is that it only takes one extra step of heating your butter until it's brown.

Brown butter is a modified version of regular butter that's made by cooking the fat until the milk solids caramelize and form an attractive brown hue. The French call it "beurre noisette," which directly translates to "hazelnut butter." It's a befitting name because once browned, the butter acquires a nutty aroma and taste that's similar to hazelnuts. During heating, the water in the butter evaporates, which concentrates the flavor even further.

Making brown butter is pretty simple — just keep your eyes on the pan to avoid a burnt disaster. Start by getting the best butter you can afford at your grocery store. Cut it into small, equal pieces so that they cook evenly. Place the butter pieces into a light-colored pot or pan (so you can see the color change) and put on top of the stove.

Heat the butter over medium heat while stirring regularly to prevent scorching the bottom. The butter will start foaming, then you'll notice tiny brown specks settling at the bottom. This takes about two to seven minutes depending on how much butter you're heating. Immediately switch off the stove and transfer the butter to a heatproof bowl or jar. Don't let the butter linger in the hot cooking pan, as it will continue cooking and can burn the butter — which will result in an unpleasant, bitter taste.

Once your butter is melted and well browned, let it cool before adding to your pancake batter to make the richest flapjacks yet. For the best chocolate chip cookies, leave the butter on the countertop to come to room temperature before adding to the dough. Note that once the butter solidifies, the tiny browned milk solids will settle at the bottom. So, remember to scrape them out of the bowl and into the dough since they carry the most flavor.

Beyond pancakes and chocolate chip cookies, brown butter is a perfect butter substitute that elevates a variety of other dishes. For example, the sweet notes in various baked treats pair perfectly with the toasty flavor of the browned butter. Cakes, brownies, pastries, muffins, and even bread can be transformed from regular to extra special. 

Additionally, some savory dishes also stand to benefit from this butter swap. Just think of any dish you usually prepare with butter — from irresistibly savory mashed potatoes to roasted vegetables and fish filets. You can also use it as a sauce. Once the butter has acquired that nutty aroma and earthy hue, drop in some add-ins like nuts, herbs, and spices. This combination will upgrade your sauce even further and when you drizzle it atop a plate of pasta or filet, you'll be amazed by its familiar, yet intriguing, flavor.