Looking for a delicious way to use up extra egg yolks? Try these egg yolk cookies! They’re rich and slightly cakey with just the right amount of chew.
I’m obsessed with meringue-based desserts like macarons and angel food cake!
But the problem is I always end up with extra egg yolks. Besides stocking up on pie crusts and ice cream, I wanted to try chocolate chip cookies!
I came across this cookie recipe and decided to give it a go. I made a few minor changes, and they turned out great.
Table of Contents
Why you’ll love this recipe:
If you’re an avid baker, you know that many recipes call for egg whites instead of whole eggs. Don’t throw out those extra yolks!
Chocolate chip cookies are a quick and easy way to use them up. These buttery cookies are …
- Light and chewy
- Easy to customize
- Perfect for freezing
- Made with pantry staples
Egg yolks cause the cookies to puff up for a rich but soft-baked chocolate chip cookie! They pair especially well with a cup of coffee with sweet cream cold foam!!! (Any Starbuck’s fans here?)
Key Ingredient Notes:
- Egg yolks – Egg yolks have a higher fat content than egg whites which creates a soft texture in chocolate chip cookies.
- Unsalted butter – Butter provides structure and makes the cookies tender and moist!
- Sugar – Along with sweetness, sugar encourages the cookie dough to spread.
- All-purpose flour – The thickness and texture of a cookie depends on the amount of flour it contains. The right ratio produces a melt-in-your-mouth cookie.
- Mix-ins – Chocolate chips and nuts are the ultimate cookie combo, but the sky is the limit. White chocolate, sprinkles, M&M’s, peanut butter chips, or chopped caramels are great options!
How to make egg yolk cookies:
Egg yolk cookies are easy to make, with no special equipment necessary. I used a stand mixer, but a hand-held electric mixer works great too!
1. Make the dough
- First, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. This process creates tiny pockets of air that puff up in the oven creating a chewy cookie!
- And in another small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and vanilla extract.
- Add the egg yolk mixture to the butter mixture. Beat until well combined. It’s important to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula to incorporate all the eggs.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix until well combined. Avoid overmixing the cookie dough! Overmixed dough can result in flat and dense cookies. Add the chocolate chips and walnuts.
2. Shape and bake
Using a medium cookie scoop, form cookie dough balls and place them onto a lined baking sheet.
Be sure to give the cookies space so they can spread. Flatten them a little before baking.
Tip
Cookie scoop helps to shape uniform sizes and makes the process super fast!
Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes. The edges should be set while the centers still look under baked. If the entire cookie looks done when it comes out of the oven, it’s overbaked!
Tips for Success:
- Make sure your butter is room temperature. If you forget to leave it out, microwave the cold butter in 5-second intervals until slightly soft.
- I encourage weighing the flour for accuracy to prevent dry dough, which is often caused by adding too much flour.
- The cookies will set up as they cool. Let them cool for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
- Resist overbaking the cookies. The centers will still look slightly wet or underdone when you remove them from the oven.
- Line the baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat to prevent the cookies from sticking. Silicone baking mats are reusable and easy to clean!
Make-Ahead Tips:
- While not necessary, feel free to make the cookie dough up to two days in advance. Store in the refrigerator then bake as directed.
- Freeze pre-scooped cookie dough balls for easy baking! Simply scoop the cookie dough onto a sheet pan then place it in the freezer. Transfer the frozen cookie dough to a freezer bag and freeze. Bake the cookies from frozen, 1-2 minute longer.
Storing Tips:
- Before storing the cookies, let them cool down completely.
- Store the cookies in an airtight container, at room temperature, for up to 4 days.
- Store baked cookies in the freezer too! Place the cooled cookies in a freezer bag and freeze for up to three months.
- Let the egg yolk cookies thaw at room temperature or microwave one cookie in 5-second intervals until warmed through.
FAQs:
There are numerous recipes that call specifically for egg yolks. Custard, ice cream, mayonnaise, carbonara, hollandaise sauce, coconut cream pie, chocolate pudding, crème brulee, and chocolate chip cookies are all great recipes to use those extra yolks!
No, you don’t need to chill the cookie dough. Chilling cookie dough prevents it from spreading too thin. These cookies are the perfect thickness already!
Cookies continue to cook and set up as they cool. If you leave the cookies in the oven too long, the cookies will harden too much. Cookies should look slightly underdone in the middle so they set up soft and chewy.
More ways to use egg yolks:
There are numerous recipes that you can use extra yolks! Try one of these delicious recipes next time you need to use them up.
Egg Yolk Cookies
Ingredients
- 6 egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 2 1/2 cups (310g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder Note 1
- ½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- ½ cup (60g) walnuts, pecans, or macadamia nuts optional
- ¼ cup (60g) chocolate chips optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven 350°F (177°C).
- In a small bowl, whisk egg yolks and vanilla extract. Set aside.
- In large mixing bowl with paddle attachment, or using an electric hand-held mixer, beat the butter and sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add the egg yolk mixture and continue mixing until well combined, scraping down the sides couple times.
- Stir in flour, baking powder and salt. Mix just until well combined.
- Add nuts and chocolate chips, if desired.
- Using a medium cookie scoop, form into 1.5-inch balls and place them on baking sheets with plenty of space to spread. Flatten the dough slightly before baking.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges are set.
Tips & Notes:
– Before storing the cookies, let them cool down completely.
– Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
– Store baked cookies in the freezer too! Place the cooled cookies in a freezer bag and freeze for up to three months.
Nutrition Facts:
Monica Ingle says
Kinda nice with orange zest. I was out of chocolate or nuts.
robert says
fantastic way to use up egg yokes, i tried all 3 ways and all are good but favor plain or nut add in’s the best, i rolled the batter into 1.5 balls and pressed them sorta flat and baked but fell short of 39 more like 30 per batter
Vivienne De Barr says
Delious a great way to use up left over egg yolk, I divided the mixture into 3 and added coconut to one, sultanas to another and dark and white chocolate chip to the last. Each batch made 6 cookies. Needless to say they didn’t last long!
Shinee says
So glad you tried and liked this cookie recipe, Vivienne De Barr! Thank you for your feedback!!
Orlando Soares says
These are excellent cookies! I did mine with 1/2 tsp lemon extract + 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, and replaced the nuts with shredded coconut and the chocolate chips with the zest of 2 limes. Family and coworkers loved them.
Thank you so much, this way I didn’t waste any yolks.
Shinee says
So happy you tried and loved these cookies, Orlando! Thank you for your feedback!
Trieu says
Hi Shinee,
Just wanted to say a quick TAHNK YOU!
I was searching for just the recipe for 6 egg yolks I had from making friands, and this is just the PERFECT recipe. I made them in three shapes, large and high like a traditional English scone, flat like a biscuit and small flat dome shaped like many traditional Italian biscotti. They are all scrumptious and I don’t know which shape I prefer. Just means I need to make a few more batches to decide. Right?
I read a few comments below, and to the one that said it was a dry recipe, to that I would say – Well yes, it is a biscuit. But it could also have something to do with how much fat is in your butter, or how dry the air is when you were baking and any number of other factors. But it is a biscuit, so it isn’t moist like a jam sponge. However, I note that my recipe did not spread out much, it stayed the circumference of dough I put on the baking tray. It did, however, rise up somewhat, so you do get that spongey feeling in the biscuit.
Oh, and I made mine just plain, I wanted to taste the recipe and not have nuts or chocolate diluting the flavour from all the beautiful organic ingredients I was using, especially the local farmyard eggs.
Once again, thank you and keep on testing recipes and posting them for us to try.
Cheers from a West Aussie
Trieu
Shinee says
Hi, Trieu! I so appreciate your thoughtful comment. And I enjoyed reading different shapes you’ve tried! I’ve never thought of making them like that. Now, I’m inspired!! Thank you for your feedback!
Donna says
I know that you used Cream of Tartar in your video but it’s missing from the printed recipe. No others commented on this so maybe it isn’t really needed?
Shinee says
Hi, Donna! Great catch! Previously, I used to put baking soda with cream of tartar. Since not everyone has cream of tartar on hand, I switched to baking powder, which is basically what baking soda + cream of tartar is. Hope this helps.
Stephanie says
I made them with pecans instead of walnut and they were AMAZING. Everyone loved them, thank you for the recipe.
Shinee says
Yay, so happy you tried and loved it, Stephanie. Thank you for your feedback!
Ann says
Can you use half granulated sugar and half brown sugar?
Shinee says
Hi, Ann. I’ve never tried this recipe with brown sugar. But I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. Let me know if you try it.
GiGi says
Many thanks for the recipe. My cookies turned out very tasty. I shared some with my neighbor and she loved them as well
Shinee says
Yay, so glad you tried and loved the recipe, GiGi. Thank you for your feedback!
Kylie says
These are brilliant! I needed a recipe to use up my egg yolks from making macarons all the time, these are perfect, thanks so much Shinee.
Shinee says
Yay, so happy you love these cookies. Thank you for your feedback, Kylie!!
Neemijay says
Great recipe to use up the leftover yolks. Had 12, so doubled the recipe. Added orange zest, besides mini chocolate chips and chopped walnuts. Outcome: Yum! Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Shinee says
Yay, so happy you tried and loved the cookie recipe!!! Thank you for sharing your experience, Neemijay!
Karisma says
These were surprisingly good, I don’t prefer a cakey cookie but I needed to use a bunch of leftover egg yolks. There were a few remarks on flavor so I doubled the vanilla and added some cinnamon and nutmeg but other than that idk how much flavor you’re getting out of a cookie. If they came out tough, it’s probably from over mixing towards the end.
Melissa says
Made into bars and they came out great. Not a powerful flavor but at least they are not dry. My daughter liked them. 10-12 mins at 350 degrees in a 9×13 pan.
Shinee says
How fun that you made it into a bar!! I should try that next time. Thank you so much for sharing, Melissa!
Susan says
Cookies really have no flavor..waste of ingredients
Mary says
Strangest cookies. Very dry and hard. Followed recipe exactly. Have been eating them with jam spread on them. Well, at least I used up the 6 yolks I had left after making spiced pecans which require egg whites mixed with Worcestershire sauce.
Shinee says
Thanks for sharing your feedback, Mary.
Am says
Maybe there was a mistake in how you made them? I am not a great baker and I made these and they were great!