Crisp on the outside, yet soft and chewy on the inside, these Chocolate Chip Cookies with Lavender are an elegant, aromatic twist on a classic recipe! Each bit of these decadent cookies is bursting with nutty brown butter, floral lavender, and smooth chocolate! If you love these, you will also love my classic Chocolate Chip Cookies, Mrs. Fields Chocolate Chip Cookies, Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies and Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies.
There are about 1001 ways to make a chocolate chunk cookie and I’ve made it my personal mission to find the perfect one. I need it warm, crunchy around the edges, chewy in the middle, and loaded with chocolate. Throw in a glass of milk and I’m in heaven y’all!
So, after years of searching and countless taste tests (hard work I know) I’ve finally found the one: the chocolate chunk cookie of my dreams! Straight out of Jesse Szewczyk’s latest collection of recipes, Cookies, today’s Lavender Chocolate Chunk Cookies are literal godsend.
Okay, maybe you’re thinking “lavender in a cookie? I don’t know about that” but I’m gonna need you to trust me on this one! On its own, lavender has a distinctive taste that’s floral with hints of mint and rosemary. The bright, unique flavor lends itself to the deep richness of the brown butter and chocolate in such a surprising way.
Trust me y’all, these rich rounds are nothing short of luxurious. What do you say we bake some cookies?
COOKIES: THE NEW CLASSICS
There’s a special kind of happiness that courses through my veins when I get a new cookbook. I don’t know if it’s the crisp pages or that new book smell but the experience is intoxicatingly joyous.
Today, I’m sharing my latest spectacular find: Cookies: The New Classics by Jesse Szewczyk. Bold, sophisticated, and approachable, Cookies moves beyond the same-old chocolate chip cookie and introduces a wide variety of brand new, boldly flavored recipes. Not only is Jesse’s newest release visually stunning but it’s brimming with unexpected combinations and epic flavors.
I am and always will be a cake girl but with cookies like these, I might just be considering a team switch.
CHOCOLATE CHUNK COOKIE INGREDIENTS
UNSALTED BUTTER is in its finest form when made into browned butter. Rich and nutty, brown butter adds a depth of flavor like none other.
DRIED LAVENDER can be found in the spice section of specialty grocery stores or sold in bulk in the tea section. If you’re going to order it online, be sure to check that the lavender is food-grade (meant for cooking).
LIGHT BROWN SUGAR offers a deeper caramelized flavor. Dark brown sugar can work in its place.
EGGS should be at room temperature for this recipe.
VANILLA EXTRACT adds flavor and aroma. Pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste produce the best result.
ALL PURPOSE FLOUR will need to be spooned into the measuring cup and leveled. This prevents the use of too much flour which creates dense cookies.
BAKING POWDER + BAKING SODA leaven the cookies and create structure. Be sure that both ingredients are fresh and active.
KOSHER SALT enhances flavor. If you’d like to add a little extra something to this recipe, top the cookies with a sprinkle of flaky maldon sea salt.
SEMISWEET OR BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE CHUNKS are the star of this show! These cookies are bursting with ooey-gooey chocolate, so be sure to choose your favorite kind.
HOW TO MAKE THE PERFECT CHOCOLATE CHUNK COOKIES
From start to finish, this recipe comes together in just about 30 minutes. You read that right! No waiting for butter to come to room temperature or chilling the dough overnight, just a straight up recipe for delicious chocolate chunk cookies.
To start, you gotta make brown butter. Stand by the stove, watching the butter as it bubbles and darkens. Walking away is a big risk, butter burns really quickly. You’ll know it’s done once it’s reached an amber brown color and small brown specks begin to form at the bottom of the pan. Go ahead and let that cool to room temperature.
Strain the brown butter, removing any of the small lavender bits. Combine the butter with the brown sugar and vanilla, then add in the dry ingredients. Just like that you’ve got a dough. Don’t you dare forget to eat a spoonful of that chocolate-filled goodness!
Scoop whatever you haven’t eaten onto baking sheets and bake for 13-16 minutes.
You’re looking for brown, crisp edges and a slightly browned soft middle. Allow the cookies to rest for a few minutes before tucking in!
MAKE AHEAD
If wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, the cookie dough can be stored in the fridge for several days before baking. Once removed from the fridge, the dough might be a little too firm to scoop. Just let it sit for 15 minutes at room temp and you’re good to go!
Alternatively, you can add an extra layer of plastic wrap or foil and freeze the dough for up to 3 months. If you pre-scooped the dough, bake from frozen. Otherwise, thaw the dough overnight in the fridge and then scoop n’ bake.
STORAGE OF CHOCOLATE CHUNK COOKIES
These cookies will keep in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Keep the container in a room temperature environment. If after a couple days you’ve noticed the cookies have gone a little stale, add a slice of sandwich bread to the container. The bread will release moisture and within a couple hours the cookies should soften.
GRANDBABY CAKES’ BEST COOKIE RECIPES
All out of cookies? Don’t sweat it, GBC has got recipes on deck for you!
Check out some of my FAVORITES:
- BUTTERFINGER BROWN BUTTER COOKIES
- NEAPOLITAN COOKIES
- KEY LIME PIE COOKIES
- OATMEAL CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Ingredients
- 16 tbsp unsalted butter 2 sticks
- 3 tbsp dried lavender lightly crushed with your fingertips
- 1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 3 1/4 cups spooned and leveled all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 8 oz semisweet or bittersweet chocolate roughly chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, melt the butter. Continue cooking, stirring often to prevent the bottom from burning, just until the butter starts to sizzle but does not brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, add the dried lavender, and let cool at room temperature for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F and set 2 racks at the upper-middle and lower-middle positions. Line 3 baking sheets (or as many as you have) with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats.
- Strain the butter through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl, pressing down on the lavender with a spoon to extract all the butter, and discard the lavender. Add the brown butter and the granulated sugar to the butter and whisk to combine. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and whisk until ribbony and smooth, about 1 minute.
- Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and stir with a rubber spatula just until a dough forms. Mix in the chopped chocolate.
- Using a large 2 1/3 inch (#16) cookie scoop or 1/4 cup measure, portion out the dough and roll into large balls. Place the dough balls at least 3 inches part on the prepared baking sheets (6 per sheet).
- Bake 2 sheets at the same time, swapping the top sheet to the bottom rack and bottom sheet to the top midway through, until the tops of the cookies are lightly browned, 13 to 16 minutes, then bake the remaining sheet on either rack. (If reusing one of the baking sheets, allow it to cool for 15 minutes before baking another batch on it.). Let the cookies cool slightly on the baking sheets, then transfer onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Such gorgeous chocolate chunk cookies! They sound absolutely amazing with the addition of the dried lavender. Yum!
Give me all the chunks with that hint of lavender. Yummy!
Chunks > chips ANY day. Love these cookies and that sprinkle of coarse salt is perfection!
These came out perfectly crispy outside chewy inside love this recipe
these cookies different. I am definitely making them again.