Make Ahead

Shauna Sever's Chocolate Chip Cookie Brittle

December 12, 2017
4
10 Ratings
Photo by James Ransom
  • Makes about 3 dozen 3-inch pieces
Author Notes

This chocolate chip cookie variant should get its own special bookmark in your brain right now, for the next time you need a last-minute party snack or cookie swap entry or a gift for pretty much anyone (including yourself). Conveniently, the brittle packs up well in a big jar for holidays, birthdays, and sugar-fueled road trips and plane rides. It's also quite friendly to swap-ins for the nuts and chocolate—coconut? chile? pretzels?—if you need a place to set yourself free. Adapted slightly from Real Sweet: More Than 80 Crave-Worthy Treats Made with Natural Sugars (William Morrow Cookbooks, 2015). —Genius Recipes

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (200g) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
  • 1 cup (200g) turbinado sugar
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup (90g) coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts
  • 3/4 cup (130g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips (60% to 70% cacao)
Directions
  1. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C), with a rack in the center.
  2. In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine the butter and sugar. Microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring between bursts, just until the butter is almost completely melted and the sugar has started to dissolve, about 2 minutes. (Alternatively, melt the butter and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat, being careful not to let the mixture come to a boil.)
  3. Whisk the mixture until the butter is completely melted. Let cool for 5 minutes. Whisk continuously until the mixture is thickened and smooth and no longer looks separated, about 1 minute. Whisk in the vanilla and salt until combined. Add the flour and stir until no streaks of flour remain, then stir in half of the nuts.
  4. Scrape the dough onto a rimmed 12 by 17-inch (30 by 43cm) baking sheet and pat it into a very thin, even layer with your hands. It won’t look like you’ll be able to fill the entire baking sheet, but you will! Just keep patting the dough to the edges. Use an offset or rubber spatula to smooth the top. Sprinkle the chocolate chips and the remaining nuts over the dough and press them down lightly with your hands.
  5. Bake until light golden brown and slightly firm to the touch all over, 22 to 25 minutes, rotating the baking sheet every 7 to 8 minutes. Let the brittle cool completely in the pan on a rack.
  6. Use a wide, thin spatula to loosen the edges of the brittle, then ease the whole slab of brittle onto the rack. Alternatively, if it looks like the slab might not come out cleanly, line a second baking sheet with parchment paper. Flip the brittle slab onto the paper and then immediately invert it right side up onto the rack, peeling off the parchment. Once completely cool, break into pieces—try to avoid smudging the chocolate chips. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • samanthaalison
    samanthaalison
  • kathleen greenwood
    kathleen greenwood
  • OnionThief
    OnionThief
  • Rhonda35
    Rhonda35
  • Leith Devine
    Leith Devine
Genius Recipes

Recipe by: Genius Recipes

84 Reviews

Kestrel December 24, 2021
As promised, easy and delicious, especially for those of us who love crunchy cookies!
 
Debbie February 10, 2020
Can you freeze the baked brittle?
 
Elizabeth January 19, 2020
This is such a good recipe, amenable to many iterations. Tonight I added a bit of orange zest....just enough of a subtle orange undercurrent. They always get gobbled up, which is a good thing or I would nibble at them incessantly.
 
Jean December 22, 2018
I ended up making about 6 batches of these -- for some teachers, a Christmas party, the office and the guys who were killing themselves working on the tile in our new house (a challenging installation!). Everyone loved them. The owner of the tile company asked if I would give him the recipe. I ended up baking them the full 25 minutes. I agree that chopping the portion of the nuts that is mixed in the batter a bit more finely will help integrate them into the batter but I would leave the other half in bigger chunks -- just my preference. I have never found them to be too greasy. I typically use Falfurrias butter for any Texans out there and it seems to work well. I also put them in the freezer to set the chocolate chips so they stay intact when I break it up. This is an easy, quick recipe that makes a great last-minute gift to bring to a party.
 
samanthaalison October 12, 2018
The first time I made this I baked for 22 minutes and it was burnt to a crisp. It was hard for me to see the visual cue that it was browned before then - I checked at 19 and it didn't seem much different, but at 22 it was way overdone. My oven thermometer read between 345 and 350, so I don't think that's the issue. I used a really crappy thin pan, so that may have contributed.

Second time I pulled them at 19 minutes and they were perfect, and the flavor is great. After about 10 minutes of cooling I popped the pan in the freezer, and once cold the whole thing popped off with no problem. I didn't find them too greasy at all. I love the caramel flavor from the turbinado sugar.
 
kathleen G. September 15, 2018
Just made this; not sure if anyone else has commented on the cooking time... less than 15 minutes in our oven that runs true. Also, next time I would chop the nuts more than coarsely. I feel like they did not integrate into the batter as much as they should have.
 
Mary July 22, 2018
Made this recipe Paleo by subbing 225gr. Cassava Flour 25gr. Almond Flour for the AP Flour. Coconut Palm Sugar for the Turbinado. Kept the Grassfed Butter but it will work with Ghee. Delicious! Paleo or as written in the original recipe.
 
Nancy February 19, 2018
This is very similar to Maida Heatter's "Dolly's Crisp Toffee Bars" which I love even though it took me awhile to get to that point. I was certain that they were just not my thing but then I found myself munching on them at will. My husband's co-workers kill for them!
 
OnionThief February 11, 2018
I subbed half of the butter with lard to get these extra crispy. So delicious!
 
Dot W. January 3, 2018
I loved this recipe...all the best bits of a chocolate chip cookie but so, so much easier to make!
 
Marlene B. December 22, 2017
PS--used turbinado sugar as recipe suggests, and that gave a wonderful depth of flavor to the brittle.
 
Marlene B. December 22, 2017
This came out great! I had no problems with it being greasy or not coming gout of the pan. I used mini chocolate chips, as another reviewer suggested. Amusingly, my husband looked at the cooling brittle and said, " Looks like you had an epic fail, assume you're tossing those? They are so dry!" I had to explain that they were exactly like they were supposed to be, and quite delicious, and that they weren't regular cookies!
 
Rhonda35 December 22, 2017
I'll probably be burned at the stake, but I don't think this recipe is "genius" recipe level. Don't get me wrong; it's tasty. Yet I found it incredibly greasy (yes, I used the exact amount of butter called for and it was high quality butter) and without the additional flaked sea salt I decided to sprinkle on top along with the chocolate chips and nuts, it would have been too sweet. Also, yes, you can bake it in a last-minute pinch, but it takes the chocolate chips a very long time to resolidify (mine needed an overnight rest after baking in the afternoon.) So, I'm not sure where the genius is in the recipe - except, perhaps, providing the general flavor profile of a chocolate chip cookie without the need to soften butter or scoop out individual cookie portions. Filing this under "good, not great" in my book.
 
RSVPPDQ36 December 22, 2017
You know, this recipe had consumers squarely in two camps in my circle. One group was “meh, okay”,the other was, “OMG. Can I have the recipe?” Nobody disliked it but some of us really liked it. I wonder if the name of it sets up expectations that aren’t met, I.e., it’s not a candy brittle. But boy, I was one of the ones who loved it!
 
Leith D. December 19, 2017
I had to hide some to have enough left to hand out for Christmas! I used all white sugar and chocolate chunks. Baked it on parchment paper and it came right off. Next time will add 1/2 brown sugar and pretzels. Great recipe!
 
Elizabeth B. December 19, 2017
I made this yesterday, it is quick, easy to put together. I put it in the center of the dinner table and let everyone have at it. The general consensus is that whereas it is tasty, it is a bit too greasy, maybe less butter? My husband did not care for it but thought a room full of kids would love it.
 
Tasha December 19, 2017
Any suggestions for a substitute for the nuts?
 
Kimberly December 19, 2017
I didn't use any nuts...my son and I just aren't fond of them. I noticed that someone added oatmeal in place of nuts. I'm making a second batch tomorrow and I'm totally up for trying round two with the oatmeal ! I'm going to use quick oats since the texture would be closer to chopped nuts.
 
Leith D. December 19, 2017
Pretzels...trying it with my next batch!
 
Kimberly December 18, 2017
Just got it out of the oven and it's cooling. It seems like a lot of better...has anyone tried making this with less butter? Maybe a cup or 1.25 cups of butter?
 
Coco December 19, 2017
Recipe calls for 3/4 cup of butter + 2 tablespoons. How much did you put in?
 
Kimberly December 19, 2017
That amount...don't get me wrong, this stuff is addictive ! Just wondering if it could be done with less butter. Otherwise, I'll have to put a cardiologist on speed dial : )
 
ellen February 7, 2019
It calls for 3/4 cup plus 2 TBSP of butter. Your suggestions of 1 or 1.25 cups are both MORE than the original recipe, not less...
 
Laura December 17, 2017
This is a new favorite! Trying it now with pretzels. Slides right out of the pan, no parchment or extra greasing necessary!
 
Tina December 17, 2017
Could you use coconut sugar?
 
Kristen M. December 17, 2017
I'm not very familiar with baking with coconut sugar myself, but based on Shauna's tips in this article, it sounds like it would probably work well and the brittle would stay nice and crispy. If you try it, let us know how it goes! http://www.foodandwine.com/blogs/all-your-questions-about-coconut-sugar-answered
 
Jeff A. December 16, 2017
Hi. I used dark brown sugar and nestles semi sweet baking choc, cut to different sizes and milk choc chips... Also mixed pecans and wnuts. Came right off the pan. And it's very awesome. Thanks!
 
Eileen Y. December 16, 2017
Eating it right now. Delicious. Has a caramel taste to it.
 
RSVPPDQ36 December 16, 2017
Not the expert here, but you’d be fine with it. I’d cut the sea salt back a bit to compensate, but don’t totally omit.
 
Kassidy December 16, 2017
T hank you
 
Kassidy December 16, 2017
Could I use salted butter or would it ruin the recipe
 
Jeannette P. December 16, 2017
If this recipe takes almost the same time (20-25minutes to process and bake) like an original choc.chip cookie, why bother?
 
RSVPPDQ36 December 16, 2017
Because it’s not the same at all as a ccc. Different product, just excellent.
 
Barb M. December 15, 2017
Would I ruin this if I use salted sweet cream butter vs unsalted butter?
 
Kristen M. December 17, 2017
You definitely wouldn't ruin it—just decrease the salt or omit it, depending on how salty you like things (I would still throw in a pinch).
 
Wendy E. December 15, 2017
Has anyone tried an AP flour substitute? I'm so excited to try this but will need to give it away ASAP b/c it looks like it could be habit-forming!
 
Kristen M. December 15, 2017
See my comment to Pamela below!
 
Alyson December 15, 2017
Anyone try this with plant-based (non-dairy) butter yet?
 
Kristen M. December 15, 2017
I haven't but Gena Hamshaw of the blog The Full Helping (and author of our Vegan cookbook) told me: "Earth Balance all the way :)"
 
Alyson December 27, 2017
Earth Balance worked perfectly well. I held back 2T based on comments, but am not sure it was necessary.
Also, I used crushed mini pretzels instead of nuts, per the intro.
The only catch I had was that even though I pressed them in as the instructions said, many of the chips + pretzels popped off the brittle when I broke it into pieces. 🤔
 
THEToughCookie December 14, 2017
Reporting from the field: I just finished cracking it and posted a photo on my Instagram feed. I used turbinado sugar and was rewarded with a rich, butterscotchy-caramel flavor. I also shackled my wrists so I would wait until it was COMPLETELY cool before getting out of the pan. Once unshackled, all it took was the flick of an offset spatula to start it off the pan. Easy peasy.
 
food52fan December 14, 2017
Good to know! Now I just might shop for the turbinado sugar. The butterscotch-caramel flavor is so tempting!
 
RSVPPDQ36 December 14, 2017
Just made this and love the flavour and the crunch. Didn't slide right off the pan though and I made a bit of a hash of it getting it off the pan. Next time I'll do the inversion onto a piece of parchment
 
food52fan December 14, 2017
Thanks so much for sharing your experience! Now I will know to do the parchment inversion. Glad you are enjoying the cookies!
 
RSVPPDQ36 December 14, 2017
Just made this and love the flavour and the crunch. Didn't slide right off the pan though and I made a bit of a hash of it getting it off the pan. Next time I'll do the inversion onto a piece of parchment
 
Kathleen December 14, 2017
Could I substitute almond flour for a gluten free recipe? I have done this with shortbread recipes for my gluten intolerant friends.
 
Kristen M. December 15, 2017
I haven't tried it—I'm not sure it would hold together as well, but what's the worst that happens? You either get cookie brittle or you get a delicious crumble!
 
Pamela December 13, 2017
Hi,
Do you know if anyone has tried this using an all-purpose gluten-free flour?
Thanks,
 
Kristen M. December 14, 2017
This is what Shauna said over on the article page: Thank you! I would feel really confident going gluten-free for this one, since there's really no structure or leavening issues. My favorite is Cup 4 Cup, I always feel like it's foolproof. If you try it for this recipe, report back!

 
Emily December 13, 2017
could a flour substitute be use you think?
 
Kristen M. December 14, 2017
Hi Emily, see my comment to Pamela above!
 
Sharol December 13, 2017
I'm definitely going to try this. Would love a recipe for brownie crisp!!
 
Denise T. December 14, 2017
Try Carla Halls Brownie cracker.

 
witloof December 13, 2017
Does anyone know how long this will stay crisp? Is it something that would keep for a few days?
 
Kristen M. December 13, 2017
Yes, it keeps well airtight—the original recipe mentioned keeping up to 5 days, but if you're not in a humid or hot environment, it will likely stay good and crunchy longer than that.
 
witloof December 16, 2017
Perfect! I have to bring a treat to a festival that won't be served until the last night. This will be wonderful. Thanks!
 
topangagirl December 13, 2017
Could the nuts be omitted without altering the texture and final outcome as there is a nut allergy in the house?
 
food52fan December 13, 2017
The intro to the recipe says you can use pretzels...would that work?!
 
topangagirl December 13, 2017
oops - would have been nice if I read the entire lead-in instead of hopping to the recipe. my bad - thanks for pointing that out.
 
Kristen M. December 13, 2017
Thanks, food52fan—yes, since these toppings are just sprinkled on top, you can use this base for all kinds of fun substitutions. But you can also just leave the nuts out and the brittle would still be excellent.
 
food52fan December 13, 2017
I'm not surprised you didn't read the whole lead-in...the recipe sounded too intriguing to not want to jump right in!
 
Leith D. December 13, 2017
Pretzels sound AMAZING...what a great idea. I'm using it!
 
barbara M. December 13, 2017
Where are the answers? :)
 
Kristen M. December 13, 2017
Working on it, Barbara ;)
 
Leith D. December 13, 2017
Would using white and brown sugar instead of turbinado change the texture too much? I don’t want to buy turbinado sugar just for this recipe. It sounds great and I want to try it!
 
Nanda G. December 13, 2017
She says in her book that she used to make it with white sugar, so that should work. She also mentions that brown sugar would "compromise crunch" so I wouldn't do that.
 
food52fan December 13, 2017
I just read an article about substitutes for turbinado sugar, since I don't want to buy it for just one recipe, either! I like the idea of using a mix of white and light brown sugar. Thank you, Nanda, for the tip about the crunch! If that wasn't a concern, I would sub light brown sugar for the turbinado, or use 1 T. of molasses per cup of white sugar to make my own light brown sugar (2T per cup of white sugar to make dark brown sugar). With this substitution, I can make this recipe now without having to run to the store!
 
Kristen M. December 13, 2017
The original version on Shauna's blog (and on the Today show) used white sugar and it's also delicious! Nanda, thanks for sharing her tip about the brown sugar—Shauna's book Real Sweet has all kinds of great intel on sugar swaps. Here's Shauna's original recipe: http://shaunasever.com/2009/07/a-really-bad-idea.html
 
Leith D. December 13, 2017
Thank you! I'm making it today and can't wait to see how it comes out. I'll use all white sugar...I don't want to lose that crunch! Thanks for the original recipe Kristin.
 
Leith D. December 13, 2017
With some sea salt on top, I think. Just in time for my Food52 food swap!
 
food52fan December 13, 2017
What?!! A Food52 food swap?!! I'm jealous!!
 
Leith D. December 13, 2017
For the holidays...sign-up was in November. You send a box of goodies etc., you get a box. I can't wait for mine! Sign up next year :)
 
food52fan December 13, 2017
Oooh, I will watch for that! Have fun with this year's swap!
 
Maddy December 13, 2017
Want to try this asap but wondering if I can lessen the sugar? Will it still get crisp?
 
Kristen M. December 13, 2017
I haven't tried it myself, but you certainly could try to decrease it a bit. On first try, I don't think I'd go below 3/4 cup.
 
food52fan December 13, 2017
This looks like a much tastier version of "cookie brittle" I've seen in stores...yum! I love the flavor of browned butter and can't wait to try your recipe! Can the baking sheet be lined with parchment paper before adding the dough, or would doing so not allow the brittle to form? Thanks for posting this recipe!
 
passifloraedulis December 13, 2017
I have the same question!
 
Karen L. December 13, 2017
Me too! Anything for easier cleanup. Could we use parchment or non-stick foil?
 
Sharon K. December 13, 2017
Would adding a couple teaspoons of vanilla upset the chemistry?
 
Kristen M. December 13, 2017
Hi all, I've tried doing this on parchment and gave up because it was sliding around too much as I pressed the dough in. Foil that doesn't tear too easily would probably be better. It's amazing how well it has worked in my experience though, just popping the whole layer of cooked brittle out of the pan, without any parchment or foil or extra greasing! (I credit the butter in the recipe, and the fact that it gets totally crisp.)
 
Kristen M. December 13, 2017
Sharon, adding vanilla should be fine!
 
Karen L. December 13, 2017
Thanks! I'm going to give this a try!
 
Sharol December 13, 2017
The recipe already calls for 2 tsp vanilla
 
Karen L. December 13, 2017
I just finished baking this and you are right! No greasing, foil or parchment needed. It popped right off of my nonstick cookie sheet and cleanup was quick and easy.