Brown Butter Oat Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies, are you surprised? If you know me, you know I’m not too worried about intolerances, simply because I don’t have any. Is that a bit daft of me? Yes, it is. Usually, I only cater to the traditional side of baking because it is what I think tastes best. It’s also just an area I feel more comfortable baking within. However, I have been approached by multiple people questioning me about gluten free recipes. I have been able to direct people to other recipe developers whose recipes I trust, but I started feeling bad. These people could easily look up recipes online, but they have been coming to me because they trust me and want my recipe. So I gave in.
I developed these Brown Butter Oat Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies, and they’re actually one of my favorite recipes I have ever created. Gluten free or not, these cookies are impeccable and delicious, and I will be making these again and again.
Brown butter oat flour chocolate chip cookies sound great, but many of you have never browned butter before, and that is okay! I’ll tell you all about how to brown butter.
How do I make Brown Butter?
In simple words, to brown butter all you have to do is add butter to a saucepan over medium high heat. But, it is a little more complicated than that. When you heat butter, it will go through many different stages before the milk solids actually brown. First, the butter will melt, and it will be a milky yellow-white color. As the heating continues, the mixture will begin to boil. There will be large bubbles that pop very loudly, and the milk solids will begin to separate into smaller pieces. The boiling is the part when the water is evaporating, and it will be a very loud stage. After a couple of minutes, a frothing will begin to occur. The frothing is much quieter. The yellow of the butterfat will be very evident and you will clearly see the milk solids floating on top.
It helps to stir it a bit at this stage to knock the milk solids down to the bottom of the liquid. This lets the milk solids come into contact with the bottom of the saucepan and brown faster. Eventually, the frothing will die down. At this point, you will see all of the milk solids at the bottom in a pool of yellow butterfat. This is when the milk solids really begin to brown. Be careful at this stage not to burn your butter. The milk solids will change from golden to burnt within a couple of seconds, so keep an eye on it. Once the milk solids at the bottom of the pot achieve the caramel brown color that you want, transfer the butter to a cool, clean bowl. This will stop the heating and prevent the burning of your milk solids.
If you want to read more about the science of brown butter, check out this page in my Let’s Get Sciencey section where I talk about the food science of browning butter!
What is oat flour?
Oat flour is just ground oats. You can purchase it from the grocery store or make your own using a high powered blender or food processor. If you make your own, make sure you are measuring the 2 cups of oat flour AFTER you convert oats into flour. If you only pulverized 2 cups of oats, you will not have enough oat flour for the recipe.
Brown Butter Oat Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups Oat Flour
- 3/4 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 cup Unsalted Butter
- 1/3 cup of Granulated Sugar
- 2/3 cup of Brown Sugar
- 1 Large Egg
- 1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 1/2 cups Chocolate Chips
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- In a medium sized bowl, add your oat flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk together to combine. Set aside.
- Add the butter to a saucepan and put on a stove over medium-high heat. Heat the buter until the milk solids brown. For more detailed instructions on browning butter, see the paragraph "How do I brown butter" from above.
- Once the butter is brown, transfer it to a bowl. Add the granulated and brown sugar to the butter, it is okay if the butter is still liquidy. Whisk until smooth and fully combined. The mixture should be warm but not hot at this point. If it is still hot, put it in the refrigerator for a couple minutes to cool off, we want to make sure the egg doesn't cook when you add it to the mixture.
- Add the egg and vanilla to the warm (not hot) butter and sugar mixture and whisk until smooth.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and use a rubber spatula to combine. Once all of the dry ingredients are incorporated, put the dough in the fridge for 10 minutes, covered.
- After refrigeration, add the chocolate chips to the batter, mixing in with the spatula. Use a cookie scoop or a tablespoon to portion out dough balls. Place on a cookie sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before enjoying!
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