The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

This chocolate chip recipe is the best.  Trust me, it is.  That's the only way to describe them, the best chocolate chip cookies ever!  The brown butter combined with the dark brown sugar gives the cookies a rich, almost caramel-like taste to it.  They are delicious.  My cousin in-law makes these cookies and I finally snagged the recipe and made some over the weekend.  The recipe is from Cook's Illustrated (they always seem to know what they are doing, don't they?).   

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 t baking soda

14 T unsalted butter

1/2 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 t table salt

2 t vanilla extract

1 large egg

1 egg yolk

1 1/4 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips or chunks (I used dark)

3/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Whisk flour, baking soda together and set aside.  Heat 10 tablespoons of butter in skillet. Cook while swirling pan constantly until butter is dark brown and nutty. You'll see little brown specks throughout. Remove from heat and pour into a mixing bowl, Add remaining 4 T of butter and stir untill completely melted.  Add both sugars, salt, and vanilla to bowl with butter and whisk untill fully incorporated. Add whole egg and 1 egg yolk. Whisk until mixture is smooth with no lumps remaining. Let mixture stand for 3 mins, then whisk for 30 secs. Repeat process of resting and whisking 2 more times untill mixture is thick, smooth and shiney. Using spatula or wood spoon add flours mix until just combined, about 1 min. Add choco chips and nuts.  This recipe makes 16 large cookies.  With ice cream scoop, scoop 8 mounds of dough on to baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silicone pad.  Bake at 350 for 10-14 minutes.