Instructions

1. In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. It will melt, then foam, then turn clear golden and finally start to turn brown and smell nutty. Stir frequently, scraping up any bits from the bottom as you do. Don’t take your eyes off the pot as it seems to take forever (more than 5 minutes) but then turns dark very quickly. Once it is a deeply fragrant, almost nut-brown color, remove from heat and pour butter and all browned bits at the bottom into a measuring cup. Chill browned butter in the fridge until it solidifies, about 1 to 2 hours. The butter won’t get as solid as it is when it’s not browned, but it should be firm and no longer liquid.
2. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat.
3. Scrape chilled browned butter and any bits into a large mixing bowl. Add both sugars and beat the mixture together until fluffy. Add egg and beat until combined, scraping down bowl as needed, then vanilla. Whisk flour, baking soda and salt together in a separate bowl. Pour half of flour mixture into butter mixture and mix until combined, then add remaining flour and mix again, scraping down bowl if needed. Add coconut (and chocolate, if using) in two parts as well.
4. Scoop dough into 2-tablespoon-sized balls and arrange on a baking sheet, allowing room for them to spread. Bake for 12-14 minutes. They’re done when they’re golden-brown.
5. Cool cookies on baking sheet for 1 to 2 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Cookies keep for up to one week at room temperature. Extra dough can be stored in the fridge for several days or in the freezer for a month or more.