There are so many variations on chocolate chip cookies. I quite honestly pretty much like all of them. My favorite chocolate chip cookies, viral NYT chocolate chip cookies, and soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies are just a few of the ones I have posted. These browned butter mascarpone chocolate chunk cookies hold their own as a unique and delicious variation.
There are a few differences between these and your average chocolate chip cookie. The mascarpone in them gives them a crisp, buttery texture that almost reminds me of a pastry at the edges. The chocolate I left in relatively large chunks. This gives a really nice distribution of chocolate once it has melted when baking and cooled again. Browned butter is always a plus in a chocolate chip cookie so that is a no brainer here. I usually like to eat my cookies lightly warmed, but I actually found these most enjoyable slightly chilled.
If you have leftover mascarpone after this recipe, use it to make my roasted poblano mac and cheese or this mascarpone and roasted jalapeno pesto grilled cheese.
Browned Butter Mascarpone Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 stick unsalted butter browned
- 1/3 cup mascarpone
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 cups AP flour
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 2 cups dark chocolate chunks about 1/2 to 1 inch in size
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 and line baking sheets with parchment paper. In a small sauce pan on medium heat, brown the butter until there are golden flakes in the bottom of the pan, then pour into a mixer bowl.
- Whip the butter with a paddle attachment along with the vanilla, mascarpone and both sugars until smooth and fluffy, scraping the bowl as needed.
- Add the egg and blend on medium high until it is again light in color and fluffy.
- In another bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. Add to the mixer and mix until just combined. Add in the chocolate chunks and mix until combined.
- Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop out balls of dough (I did 9 per sheet) and round them gently with your hands.
- Bake for 5 minutes, then rotate cookie sheet and bake another 3-4 minutes or so until they are set on top and just lightly browning on the edges. The chocolate chunks will melt, so allow the cookies to cook fully on the sheet before moving them a cooling rack. Store at room temp or in the freezer.