Brown Butter Halva Chocolate Chunk Cookies
The older, cooler cousin of the classic chocolate chip cookie — the caramelized brown butter creates a deeper flavor, swirled with the sweet, nutty halva, all studded with gooey pockets of milk and semi-sweet chocolate combines in a cookie that’s both chewy and slightly crisp.
Equipment
- Parchment paper
- Sheet pan
- Cooling rack
Measure Your Way
Use the button options below to toggle between metric and US customary! For the most accuracy in baking recipes, I recommend using metric (grams) measurements. Ingredients
- 141 grams unsalted butter
- 156 grams all-purpose flour (plain flour)
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅔ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 50 grams white granulated sugar
- 100 grams brown sugar
- 1 large egg (55 – 60 grams each with shell), room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 100 grams sesame-based vanilla halva, chopped
- 55 grams milk chocolate, chopped
- 55 grams semi-sweet (60%) chocolate, chopped
From my kitchen to yours, I hope you love this recipe. Tried it? Please leave a quick review to share your thoughts! 🖤
Instructions
- Brown the butter. Cut the butter into even cubes. Place the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook until the butter has melted, then continue to cook while stirring with a whisk or silicone spatula, until the butter foams, turns golden brown, and smells nutty. The time it take to brown varies but could take 5 - 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and immediately transfer it to a small bowl, scraping all the butter and browned bits from the pan. The brown butter should be 110 - 115 grams after done. If you have less, add water until you reach the range. Place the brown butter in the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes.141 grams unsalted butter
- Whisk together the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until evenly combined. Set aside.156 grams all-purpose flour (plain flour)¼ teaspoon baking powder¼ teaspoon baking soda⅔ teaspoon fine sea salt
- Beat the butter and sugars. After the brown butter is slightly chilled, in a large bowl, beat the brown butter, brown sugar, and white granulated sugar together on medium-high speed for 2 - 3 minutes until creamed and lighter in color. Scrape around the bowl with a silicone spatula so everything is incorporated.50 grams white granulated sugar100 grams brown sugar
- Beat in wet ingredients. Add the egg and vanilla extract. Beat on medium-high speed until combined.1 large egg (55 – 60 grams each with shell)1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Mix in dry ingredients. Add the previously set aside mixed dry ingredients from the medium bowl into the large bowl and mix on low until just combined. Scrape around the bowl with a silicone spatula so everything is incorporated.
- Add mix-ins. Stir in the halva chunks, milk chocolate chunks, and semi-sweet chocolate chunks until everything is incorporated evenly. Halva is very crumbly so it will partially crumble into the dough, but mix gently and do not overmix.100 grams sesame-based vanilla halva55 grams milk chocolate55 grams semi-sweet (60%) chocolate
- Chill dough (optional but recommended). Cover and chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour (up to 72 hours) for the best results. You can also bake immediately.
- Preheat the oven. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F / 180°C. Line large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Scoop and bake cookies. After the dough is chilled, scoop about 55 – 60 grams (~3 tablespoons) of dough per cookie and place at least 3 inches apart on the baking sheet. Optionally, chop additional chocolate and halva, and gently press chunks onto the top of each cookie. Bake for 11 – 13 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are golden. The centers will still look soft.
- Cool. Remove from the oven and allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, or eat while still gooey. Once the baking sheet has cooled, repeat with the remaining dough balls.
Notes
Other halva varieties. When developing this recipe, I used a Turkish sesame-based vanilla-flavored helva. You can use other flavors of helva / halva(h), such as pistachio or chocolate, in this cookie, however, I recommend sticking to sesame-based halva. This recipe hasn't been tested using other types of nut or grain-based halvas.
Chilling the dough. Chilling develops flavor and creates thicker, chewier cookies. It's worth the wait!
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