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Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from Cooks Illustrated

I'm into browned butter these days, on popcorn, on sauteed green beans, in just about any recipe that calls for melted/cooked butter.  I found this recipe on the Cooks Illustrated website but I didn't have brown sugar so I used honey and, since I was already making substitutions, I thought I would go a little further and use browned butter and add some wheat germ.  They turned out quite good.  So here's my version:

Makes 1 1/2 dozen 3-inch cookies

Ingredients:

2 1/8    cups bleached all-purpose flour (about 10 1/2 ounces)
1/2        teaspoon table salt
1/2        teaspoon baking soda
12         tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks)
1/2        cup honey
1/2        cup granulated sugar (3 1/2 ounces)
1            large egg
1            large egg yolk
1            tablespoon vanilla extract
1 - 2      cups chocolate chips or chunks (semi or bittersweet)
1/4        cup wheat germ (optional but hey, who says cookies can't contain at least a modicum of nutritious ingredients?)
1            cup toasted, chopped nuts (optional)

Instructions: 

1.  Prepare two cookie sheets (preferably lipless) with parchment paper or silicone baking liners.  Don't preheat the oven just yet.  Adjust oven racks to upper- and lower-middle positions.

2.  In a small sauce pan, heat the butter over medium heat until it turns a golden brown (watch out that it doesn't burn!).  Set aside to cool. 

3.  Whisk flour, salt, wheat germ (if using), and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside.

4.  Either by hand or with electric mixer, mix butter, sugar and honey until thoroughly blended. Mix in egg, yolk, and vanilla. Add dry ingredients; mix until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips and nuts (if using).

5.  Put cookie dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.  Meanwhile, preheat oven to 325 F. 

To shape: Form scant 1/4 cup dough into ball. Holding dough ball using fingertips of both hands, pull into two equal halves. Rotate halves ninety degrees and, with jagged surfaces exposed, join halves together at their base, again forming a single cookie, being careful not to smooth dough’s uneven surface. Place formed dough onto one of two cookie sheets, about nine dough balls per sheet. Smaller cookie sheets can be used, but fewer cookies can be baked at one time and baking time may need to be adjusted. (Dough can be refrigerated up to 2 days or frozen up to 1 month—shaped or not.)

6. Bake, reversing cookie sheets’ positions halfway through baking, until cookies are light golden brown and outer edges start to harden yet centers are still soft and puffy, 15 to 18 minutes (start checking at 13 minutes). (Frozen dough requires an extra 1 to 2 minutes baking time.) Cool cookies on cookie sheets. Serve or store in airtight container.

You can also freeze the cookies after baking.