Summer is so much sweeter with these delectable chocolate chunk cookies!

- Recipes by Chef Steph

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened, divided
• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon vanilla paste or vanilla extract
• 1 (4-ounce) milk chocolate bar, chopped (about 3/4 cup)
• 1 (4-ounce) white chocolate bar, chopped (about 3/4 cup)
• 2 (4-ounce) 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate bars, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups), divided
• 1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt

DIRECTIONS:

1. Melt 3/4 cup butter in a small saucepan over medium-low.
2. Cook, stirring occasionally, until butter starts to foam and turns brown, 10 to 12 minutes.
3. Immediately pour into a heatproof and freezer-safe glass bowl; cover and chill in the freezer until solidified, about 30 minutes. (Alternatively, chill in refrigerator 1 to 2 hours.)
4. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper, and set aside. Whisk together flour, kosher salt, baking soda, and baking powder in a medium bowl; set aside. If brown butter becomes hard after chilling, soften at room temperature.
5. Beat the softened chilled brown butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and remaining 1/4 cup softened butter in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
6. Add egg and vanilla; beat on medium speed until well combined, about 30 seconds. Reduce mixer speed to low; add flour mixture in 2 additions, beating until just incorporated before adding the final addition, about 45 seconds total.
7. Add milk chocolate, white chocolate, and 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of bittersweet chocolate; beat until just combined, about 15 seconds.
8. Preheat oven to 375°F. Portion and shape dough into 8 (6-ounce) balls (about 3/4 cup each); arrange dough balls about 3 inches apart on prepared baking sheets (4 balls per baking sheet). Gently flatten each ball to about 3 inches in diameter (about 1 inch thick), using the palm of your hand and smoothing the cookie’s sides. Chill cookies on baking sheets in the refrigerator until firm, about 15 minutes.
9. Evenly top cookies with the remaining 6 tablespoons of bittersweet chocolate.
10. Bake cookies in the preheated oven, 1 baking sheet at a time and rotating halfway through the baking time, until cookies are set (won’t leave an indentation when lightly pressed with a finger) and lightly browned around the edges, 12 to 13 minutes. (For more uniformly round cookies, while cookies are still hot, place cookies, 1 at a time, inside a 5-inch cookie cutter; use a swirling motion to move the cookie around inside the cutter to smooth cookie sides.) Smooth any unmelted chocolate on cookie tops using the back of a spoon, and sprinkle cookies evenly with flaky sea salt. Let cool completely on a baking sheet, for about 30 minutes.