Ingredients
1cupunsalted butter,(2 sticks)
2½cupsall purpose flour
1tspsalt
1tspbaking soda
½tspcinnamon
1cupbrown sugar,packed
½cupwhite sugar
2large eggs
1tspvanilla extract
9ozmilk chocolate,or semisweet, or dark, roughly chopped into chunks, about 2 cups
1cupwalnuts,or pecans, chopped, optional
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Melt the butter in a medium-sized, thick-bottomed, stainless steel saucepan on medium heat. Continue to cook while the butter goes through various stages of bubbling up and releasing its moisture. Whisk frequently over several minutes.
When the butter starts to smell nutty, whisk aside some of the foam to see small browned bits at the bottom of the pan, remove from heat and pour them off into a bowl. Do not dawdle at this point as it is easy for the butter to go from browned to burnt.
Place the flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon in a bowl and vigorously whisk together.
Pour browned butter into the bowl of a stand-up mixer or beat by hand. Add the sugars and beat until smooth. Add the eggs, beating after each addition. Add the vanilla extract and beat for 3 more minutes.
Stir the flour mixture into the butter-sugar mixture ⅓ at a time. Stir in the chocolate chunks and the nuts, if using.
Line cookie sheets with Silpat or parchment paper or just lightly butter rimmed cookie sheets.
Spoon out heaping tablespoon hunks of batter onto the cookie sheets, separated by at least 2-inches, allowing room for the cookies to spread as they cook.
Bake in the preheated oven for about 12 minutes, the edges of the cookies should be just a little browned. Remove from the oven, let cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes. Then remove the cookies to cool completely on a rack.
Serve and enjoy.
