These Small Batch Egg Yolk Chocolate Chip Cookies are a brown butter chocolate chip cookie, filled with homemade salted caramel chunks. These Egg Yolk Cookies use two egg yolks, which gives an amazing chew to the cookies. This small batch cookie recipe only makes 12 cookies, and is the perfect recipe if you are looking for a fun way to use up egg yolks!
Small Batch, Brown Butter Salted Caramel Egg Yolk Cookies
Hi hi! I am just popping in to share the recipe for these Egg Yolk Cookies with you! They are another small batch situation. I have a whole bunch more small batch cookies coming at you over the next wee while and I can't wait to share them all.
These are a riff on my Brown Butter Salted Caramel Chocolate Chunk Cookie recipe, which is super popular on my site and a great addition to our chocolate chip cookie recipe collection. The recipe has a brown butter base, then is filled with chocolate and pieces of chopped caramel.
The recipe is great, but it makes loads of cookies, so I small batched it and re-worked it. This egg yolk cookie version uses egg yolks only instead of whole eggs, and is a small batch recipe, so only makes 12 cookies.
These cookies require no chill time, and no not need a mixer. I love the combination of the caramel chunks, the dark chocolate and the brown butter, all snuggled up in a chewy egg yolk cookie base. I love these and I hope you do too! If you are looking for a full size recipe, my soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies are a great place to start!
What does adding egg yolk to cookies do?
This Egg Yolk Cookie recipe uses egg yolks only rather than whole eggs. I want a recipe for my site that I can recommend to people when they ask how to use up egg yolks, and this is going to be the one. Often I will tell people to make custard or ice cream or pasta, but egg yolk cookies is going to be my new go-to.
Eggs are super important in baking, and the whites and yolks play different roles. Egg yolks are high in fat in relation to the egg white which is high in protein so often acts as a binder. Adding egg yolks to the cookies yields a super tender, chewy cookie. Egg Yolk Cookies are slightly richer in flavour from the additional fat from the yolk. I love all cookies, and these are a super fun way to use up any extra egg yolks.
When it comes to tweaking the recipe to use just yolks, it is not as easy as just subbing an egg for two yolks. There were some other recipe changes to make too - I had to play around with the moisture in the cookie in order to compensate for the loss of the white.
How to make homemade hard caramel
This Egg Yolk Cookie recipe has shards of homemade caramel throughout. The caramel I use in this recipe isa dry caramel, which means that it does not have water in it when you are making it. You make it simply by melting down granulated sugar.
Don't be intimidated by the process. Just take your time, and move the pan off the heat as needed until the sugar is melted. Have the baking pan you are pouring your caramel into ready to go. There are a few stages the caramel will go through.
If at any time you are worried, just take the caramel off the heat and stir. If it seems like it is cooking too quickly, turn it down. Making caramel is a learning process - If you're worried you've mucked it up, just start again. It's all part of the learning process!
Chopped Chocolate Vs Chocolate Chips in Cookies
There are a few options when you are making chocolate chip cookies in terms of selecting your chocolate. I much prefer chopping my chocolate by hand rather than using chocolate chips.
- Super melty pockets of chocolate - Chopping the chocolate gives you nice flat pieces, which then melt into pockets of chocolate. Chocolate chips are made not to melt, so they hold their shape in the cookies due to the stabilisers. Chocolate chips have a time and a place, but to me, that time and place is not in chocolate chip cookies.
- Shards of chocolate - When you chop chocolate, you get lots of little shards of chocolate which distribute themselves throughout the dough, giving you chocolate all through your chocolate chip cookies. It's the best. In these egg yolk chocolate chip cookies it works particularly well as you have small shards of caramel alongside the shards of chocolate.
- Giant Chocolate Puddles - Using chopped chocolate means that you can make massive puddles on the tops of your chocolate chip cookies. Pressing extra chocolate onto the cookies before baking means it melts down into perfect chocolate puddles. However, this is an optional step too - if you prefer your cookies without puddles, leave this step off.
Why are there two quantities of Brown Butter in the recipe?
Different butters will have different moisture levels, which affects the yield of brown butter. American style butter have a higher water content, so will produce less brown butter when the water is cooked off. European or New Zealand style butter, which is higher in fat than American butter, will have less water that needs cooking off, so you will end up with a higher yield of brown butter.
The quantity of the butter in the recipe is important here, so the best way to measure it is by using a scale. You start with an initial quantity of butter - in this case 165g, and then cook it down. You then re-measure the weight of the brown butter, and use 120g of that in your cookie recipe. I have accounted for the moisture loss from the initial quantity of brown butter in the recipe. The quantity of butter called for in the ingredient list is not the same as in the recipe - this isn't a typo.
I know that making brown butter can be intimidating. Don't be scared, I will hold your hand the whole way through in my post and you'll be nailing it in no time: Brown Butter 101: The Ultimate Guide
❤️ Made this recipe and love it? ❤️
I would LOVE for you to leave me a review and star rating below to let me know how you liked it! Also, please make sure to tag me on Instagram!
Answers to your baking questions
Over the years, many of you have asked me questions about:
- baking in grams
- adjusting oven temperatures
- what kind of salt to use
- and many more!
I've curated and answered them all for your easy reference in this frequently asked questions post!
Egg Yolk Chocolate Chip Cookies
Description
These Small Batch Egg Yolk Chocolate Chip Cookies are a brown butter chocolate chip cookie, filled with homemade salted caramel chunks. These Egg yolk Chocolate Chip Cookies use two egg yolks, which gives an amazing chew to the cookies.
Ingredients
Caramel Shards
- 120g granulated sugar
Egg Yolk Chocolate Chip Cookies
- 165g salted butter, cold from the fridge is fine
- 110g light or dark brown sugar
- 55g granulated sugar
- 2 egg yolks (about 45g)
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
- 135g all-purpose flour
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp (2g) salt - increase this if not using salted butter
- 100g dark chocolate (approx 72% cocoa solids), chopped, plus more for the tops of cookies if desired.
- Flaky Sea Salt for finishing, optional
Instructions
CARAMEL SHARDS
- Place a silicone mat on a heat resistant surface (I often use my counter) or onto a baking tray, and have nearby. Alternatively you can set the caramel into a non stick pan.
- Place the sugar in a medium saucepan, and place over medium low heat. Heat the sugar, stirring occasionally with a whisk, until all of the sugar has melted (the sugar will clump as you heat, but continue to stir - it will soon smooth out). Continue to cook the caramel until it is amber in colour and just beginning to smoke slightly. Immediately pour onto the prepared silicone mat, and leave to cool while you prepare the cookie dough.
EGG YOLK CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
- Preheat the oven to 350˚f / 180˚c. Line 2 baking trays with parchment paper
- Place the butter in a medium saucepan, and place over medium heat. Cook until the butter has melted, and then continue to cook, swirling the pan often, until the butter foams and turns golden brown and nutty - this should take 3-4 minutes
- Measure out 120g (see Notes section below) of the brown butter into a medium bowl. Leave to cool for 15-20 minutes so it does not scramble your eggs.
- Add the brown sugar, granulated sugar and egg yolks to the bowl with the brown butter, and mix to combine. Whisk well for 1-2 minutes, or mix using an electric mixer, until the mixture has lightened in colour and has thickened. Add the vanilla and mix well.
- Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix to combine with a rubber spatula until there are some flour streaks remaining - this is to ensure you do not over work the dough.
- Bash the caramel in the baking pan to break up, or carefully peel the caramel sheet off the silicone mat, and place onto the chopping board. Using a sharp knife, cut into coarse chunks. There will be some small shards, and larger pieces.
- Use caution as the shards will be sharp. Add the caramel shards to the bowl along with the chocolate, and mix briefly to combine with a rubber spatula until well incorporated.
- Using a two tablespoon scoop, scoop balls of dough (about 55g per dough ball) onto the prepared baking tray. I can fit 6 at a time but ensure that there is room for spreading. If desired, flatten each ball of dough, press more chocolate on top, and roll into a ball.
- Bake the trays one at a time for 10-11 minutes, or until the cookies are puffed up and set around the edges. Remember that they will continue to cook a little once you remove them from the oven. If the cookies have lost their round shape a little in the oven due to the caramel, you can use a round cookie cutter slightly larger than the cookie to scoot it back into a circular shape.
- Sprinkle each cookie with coarse sea salt, then cool on the tray for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Repeat the baking process with the remaining cookies. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature.
Notes
You may notice that there are two quantities of butter in the recipe - the initial quantity of butter, then a second measurement in the method which is the quantity of brown butter. The larger initial quantity is to account for water loss when browning - read more about that in my FAQ.
Please note that if you use the 2x button to double the recipe, this only doubles the quantity in the ingredient list and not the quantity within the method, so you need to weigh out 240g of the brown butter to make the cookies with.
Comments
caribou says
I love these! The salted brown butter is amazing 🙂
Abbie P says
This is the first cloudy kitchen recipe I ever made and boy did i realise what I was missing out on. Absolutely converted me to weight recipes ! Always have a batch of these in the freezer and I bulk prepped batches in both my pregnancies because they are just the most delicious cookies you'll ever make. The brown butter is so delicious. Everyone needs to try these !
stacy says
small batch is the best!!
Jess says
These are absolutely delicious!! Was looking for a recipe to use up excess yolks but this might just become my new favourite cookie recipe!!
Erin says
Ahh so so happy you love it!!
Abraham Morales says
The browned butter is one of the best smells known in this world!!
My dough came out a little greasy, even after letting the butter cool & measuring all ingredients to the gram/tsp. Was it a problem with the mixing or was butter still not as cooled ?
Erin Clarkson says
Yay! Did the cookies come out ok? It may be from not whisking the butter well enough with the sugar and egg!
LC says
That happened to me too. I did mix by hand but did so until it seemed pale bit definitely less power than with an electric mixer. My cookies kinda break apart when lifted and seemed greasy too. I will try again as the flavor profile was great and perhaps with less sugar too.
Karly says
Hello! This looks delicious and I have 6x egg yolks to use up😅 but was wondering if anyone has tried using a GF flour instead and whether they work? Cookies and gf flour seem to go wrong for me😭
Erin Clarkson says
Hi hi! Sorry I missed this - they look like they came out ok eventually! GF can be so sneaky x
Sophie W says
these are quite literally the best cookies i’ve ever made!! i just polished off the last one. i want to put hard caramel shards and brown butter in every cookie i make now… the little crunch from the caramel is amazing. i love the decision to use salted butter in the brown butter, it had the perfect amount of salt to contrast all the sweet and i didn’t add the flaky salt on top. can’t wait to make more some day!!
Savannah says
So yummy! Made for national ccc day 🙂
Erin says
So happy you love!
Divia says
So I followed the recipe but cut the sugar as I usually do with most cookie recipes. Unfortunately the dough turned out super greasy. Is that due to cutting the sugar?
I also found the addition of the 1/2 Tsp of salt too much.
I didn’t do the caramel shards either.
Would love your feedback!
Erin says
Hi! Yes sugar really affects the texture and reducing it would have meant the butter to sugar ratio is off. The salt is there to balance out the caramel so if you left out the caramel it would have been too salty. The caramel is very important for the structure of the cookie which explains why they were greasy and probably spread a lot too
Divia says
Ok got it. I ended up baking the dough in a muffin tin they didn’t spread and they are delicious! Next time I’ll be sure not to cut the sugar - the recipe was still delicious regardless! Thanks
Melizza R. says
Hi!
You mention setting aside 120g of butter to cool. What happens to the remaining 45g?
Thanks!
Erin says
Hi hi! There’s a section in the blog post titled “why are there two quantities of brown butter” where I’ve popped some info on this 🙂
Gab says
Hi Erin I have a question - my browned butter is still liquid after 15-20 mins of cooling (it's hot here). Is it okay to add to the mix as a liquid, or should I wait for it to solidify? Thanks!
Erin Clarkson says
Hi! So sorry just saw this! Yep you use it as a liquid 🙂
Ellen says
Erin, do you store leftover egg yolks? I always seem to have them left from making Swiss meringue buttercream and never know how to keep them or if I should just pitch them.
Christi says
Hi, I just made these cookies and they are currently cooling. I of course couldn’t wait so I’ve already tried them and I think they are great. I wasn’t able to make the caramel b/c I’m quickly baking during nap time. However, I used a locally made toffee covered in chocolate along with a high quality dark chocolate bar I chopped up. They are sort of flat like a bakery style cookie but are still soft on the interior and a little crunchy on the edges. I love the flavor too, they’re very complex due to the brown butter. I also sprinkled the tops with maldon sea salt which makes them delicious as well. I would absolutely make these again and am so glad to have also not wasted egg yolks.
Erin Clarkson says
Ahhh I am so happy you love! store bought toffee is one of my very favourite things x
Susan Oher says
Incredible! They are dangerous to have in the house. How many is too many in one sitting, asking for a friend.
Thanks for another wonderful well tested recipe.
Daniela says
I did this recipe because I had spare egg yolks… but little did I know, I would then have spare egg whites cause they are SOO good, my family wanted me to bake them every week!
They are rich and tasty and nutty because of the brown butter and the caramel shards are such a nice addition because they melt.
Thanks for sharing this delicious recipe
Michelle says
This recipe is sooooooo good! The flavors are so different - the browned butter, the egg yolk, and the hard caramel! Please take the time to make the caramel - it's super easy and break it up real fine. It's a game changer to the cookie flavor and texture! I left semi-big chunks of caramel in my cookies and they were good but I prefer it fine and scattered in every bite. Let me go make another batch here...
Nevada says
Do you think if I left out the caramel shards I could freeze the dough in balls Erin? 🙂
Erin Clarkson says
Probably! I haven't tried it though
Braydon says
Should bake time be longer if frozen ?
Erin Clarkson says
I wouldn't recommend freezing these ones, as the caramel will get a bit strange!
Kate K says
Great way to use up egg yolks from a meringue
Philippa says
This biscuits are awesome! I regularly have a batch pre rolled in the fridge ready for a post dinner snack. I don't share them with my children. That probably makes me a bad person but I don't care coz I LOVE THEM (the cookies I mean.)!
Donna says
Delicious, candy bar like cookie. They are at the top of our list for chocolate chip cookies. I didn’t have enough semi sweet chocolate chips so I added some white chips also. Still was so good.
Angel G says
Perfect blend of crunchy and chewy with pools of chocolate. I ran out of 70% so I added some semisweet to make up the difference and they are still delicious! Another 5 star recipe from Cloudy Kitchen!!
Fiona says
I’ve just made 2 batches of these cookies - 1x GF for the Coeliac and 1x regular. I made a double batch of the caramel and the brown butter, then measured out the butter into 2 bowls. I used the Edmonds GF flour at a 1:1 ratio, they did spread a lot more than the regular ones, so they’re flatter and slightly more delicate than the regular flour ones. However, they are still delicious and the Coeliac was very pleased with them.
The crunchy toffee pieces and flaky salt on the top, so good!
Jeanie F says
Making a double batch of this right now to use up some egg yolks. Can the baked cookies be frozen? Also, how long do the baked cookies jeep? Thanks 😊
Erin Clarkson says
I haven't tried freezing them sorry so i'm not sure! Baked they should keep about 5 days!
Lena says
I’m not sure if I did something wrong but mine were very crumbly. They didn’t really old together. Crumbled when I picked them or took a bite. It feels like I missed something that would bind them together. They taste delicious though. Love the browned butter!
Erin Clarkson says
Hmmm did you make the recipe by weight?
Liz says
I actually had the same issue. I weighed everything out. They also didn't flatten out as much as they should have.
Erin Clarkson says
have you checked your oven temperature and checked that it is running at the temperature displayed?
Fiona says
I made some Almond Tuiles so conveniently had 2 egg yolks to use up. I make these GF and the previous time they spread a lot, but this time they held their shape and spread the “regular” amount. Not sure exactly what change caused this as I added 8g extra flour, but I also baked them at our holiday house so a different oven, different elevation (500m higher here) and old baking powder and baking soda (lol). Whatever the cause, they look and taste amazing, and The Coeliac was stoked when he came in from painting the roof! The best cookies - thanks Erin!
Erin says
These are incredible! The first time I made them I said to myself that there was no way they were worth all the fuss compared to normal chocolate chip cookie recipes. I was wrong and am making them a second time. Something about the ingredient combo and texture make them so addicting, I couldn’t stop thinking about them. I also chose to freeze the dough and they still came out amazing
Elizabeth Jackson says
This is my go to chocolate chip cookie recipe!! I usually leave out the caramel but if I’m feeling fancy I’ll add it in. I literally use this recipe once a month at minimum.
Christine Jirak says
I made these. Absolutely delicious!!
Ally says
Such a yum cookie! I chose this recipe to use up the egg yolks after the Christmas pav and turned it into a bit of a hybrid— inspired by your other recipes I stuffed them with nutella and caramels and they absolutely slapped!