-
Prep time
1 hour 20 minutes
-
Cook time
30 minutes
-
Serves
12-14
Author Notes
There have been many arguments over the years over who makes the best chocolate chip cookie, what the true science behind the infamous treat is, and why it seems to be on everyone's favorites list. I don’t have all the answers, but I can tell you one reason why you’ve never met anyone who doesn’t love (and yes, I mean love) a chocolate chip cookie is because of its versatility. It can be flat and chewy. It can be fluffy, tall, and cloud-like. Underbaked. Overbaked. Dense. Oat-accompanied. But ultimately, each of these varieties allowed us to go a step further and create a chocolate chip cookie cake. This one in particular is made with brown butter and maple syrup.
Brown butter is an incredible ingredient that doesn’t get as much credit as it deserves. If you’ve never had the pleasure of baking with brown butter, know that you’re in for a treat. Browned butter adds an exceptional toasty, nutty, and caramelized flavor to any recipe it’s used in. Browning butter might seem tricky at first, but as long as you don’t venture too far away from the stove, you should be fine. The key is to keep a close eye on it and stir, stir, stir. As soon as you see those beautiful little golden-brown specks forming in the bottom of the pan, that’s a sign that you’re nearly there (this is the browning of the milk solids). When this happens, remove the pot immediately, because the browning can easily burn.
I also added maple syrup to enhance and accompany the caramel flavors of the brown butter in the cookie dough. This deep-dish cookie cake is meant to serve a crowd, which makes it the perfect dessert for a special occasion. —Nea Arentzen
Continue After Advertisement
Watch This Recipe
Brown Butter Cookie Cake With Salted Maple Buttercream
Ingredients
- Cookie Cake
-
1 cup
(226 grams) salted butter, plus more for pan
-
2 1/4 cups
(270 grams) all-purpose flour
-
1/2 teaspoon
baking powder
-
1/2 teaspoon
baking soda
-
1/4 teaspoon
kosher salt
-
3/4 cup
(160 grams) packed dark brown sugar
-
1/2 cup
(99 grams) granulated sugar
-
2 tablespoons
pure maple syrup, plus more for drizzling
-
1 teaspoon
pure vanilla extract
-
2
large eggs, room temperature
-
1 1/2 cups
semisweet chocolate chips, plus 1 tablespoon chopped for garnishing
-
Coarse salt, for sprinkling over top
- Salted Maple Buttercream
-
1/4 cup
salted butter, softened
-
1 cup
loosely packed powdered sugar
-
3 tablespoons
pure maple syrup
-
1/2 teaspoon
pure vanilla extract
-
1 pinch
kosher salt
Directions
- Cookie Cake
-
To brown butter, begin by melting the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it begins to foam at the top and sizzle around the edges. At this point, continue stirring until butter turns golden-brown and smells nutty, reducing the heat if browning too quickly, 5 to 7 minutes. Immediately pour the browned butter into a heatproof bowl and chill in the refrigerator, stirring occasionally, until it reaches the consistency of softened butter, 20 to 25 minutes (or longer, if necessary).
-
Heat the oven to 350ºF with a rack in the center position. Line the bottom of an 8-inch springform cake pan (or any cake pan with a removable bottom; both preferably light in color) with a parchment paper round. Grease the sides with butter. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
-
In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the browned butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Whisk on high speed, scraping down the sides a few times as needed, until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes (mixture may look curdled, but it will come together). Whisk in the maple syrup and vanilla until just combined. Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated.
-
Remove the bowl from the mixer. Fold in the dry ingredients with a wooden spoon or spatula. When the mixture is almost fully incorporated, fold in chocolate chips. Transfer the cookie dough to the prepared cake pan, spreading dough evenly to the edges (a small offset spatula works well).
-
Bake for 28 to 30 minutes or until puffed and light golden around the edges and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean. The cookie center should look set but not too firm. (If the center still jiggles, it needs a few more minutes in the oven.) Sprinkle with desired amount of coarse salt, then let cool completely on the counter.
- Salted Maple Buttercream
-
In a medium bowl, use a hand-held electric mixer to beat the butter on high speed until smooth and creamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the confectioners’ sugar, maple syrup, vanilla, and salt, mixing slowly to combine to start. Increase the speed to high and beat until light, fluffy, and almost doubled in size, 3 to 4 minutes.
-
Once the cookie cake has cooled, remove from pan and discard parchment. Transfer frosting to a piping bag with your desired tip. Pipe the frosting onto the edges of cake. Sprinkle frosting with chopped chocolate chips.
See what other Food52ers are saying.