The Modern Nonna

Brown Butter
1 In a light-colored saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter while stirring constantly. It will foam, then the milk solids will turn golden brown and smell nutty. This takes about 5–7 minutes.
2 Tip: Don’t overcook the butter, as it can burn. ⁠You will know when the brown butter is ready because it will foam up and “pop” and the moment the butter goes “quiet” take it off the heat immediately and pour into a heat proof bowl to cool.
5 Check the smell of the butter: Nutty, toasty, caramel-like: perfect! Acrid, bitter, or burnt popcorn: it’s scorched, and that burnt flavor will carry into the cookies. If that happens, it’s best to start over.
Add Water 
8 Once the browned butter is cooled, stir in 1 tablespoon of water to replace the moisture lost during browning. Be sure to cool butter completely before adding in the water. Additionally, you can add a tablespoon of milk or cream to add moisture back in too.
9 Note: This step is crucial, as most brown butter recipes skip it. Replacing the moisture keeps the cookies soft and chewy.
Wet Ingredients
11 To the cooled brown butter, add the brown sugar, white sugar, and mix well. Add the vanilla, egg, and mix again until you have a smooth batter. Feel free to use a whisk or hand mixer if you have one.
36 Whisk until smooth and glossy, about 1 minute.
Dry Ingredients
13 In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir into the wet mixture until just combined. Do not overmix, and make sure the baking soda is not expired.
15 Stir in your chocolate chips or chunks until evenly distributed. I prefer to use a 70% dark chocolate bar but feel free to use anything you enjoy. 
17 Scoop the cookie dough with a small ice cream scoop making sure to scoop firmly ralong the side of the bowl. Place them on a tray or plate, cover, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
18 This helps the cookies hold their shape and develop flavor.
37 Tip: Scoop and shape first, then chill. Here’s why: Shaping cold dough is harder (it stiffens). Pre-scooped dough chills evenly and is ready to bake straight from the fridge or freezer. You also get more consistent spreading when each ball chills the same way.
Bake
20 Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
21 Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the chilled dough balls spaced apart.
22 For small cookies (about 22 total): bake 9–11 minutes.
23 For larger cookies (about 12 total): bake 11–13 minutes.
24 Bake until the edges are golden and the centres look slightly underbaked, as they’ll firm up while cooling.
Cool
26 Let cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
27 Finish with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt on top for the perfect touch.