Egg Yolk Cookies

4.56 from 102 votes

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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.

A plate full of chocolate chip cookies.


 

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.

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

  1. 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!
  2. And in another small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and vanilla extract.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
4 step by step images of making the cookie dough.

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.

Side by side images of dough balls and flatten cookie doughs on a baking mat.

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!

Chocolate chip cookies on a cooling rack.

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:

What can I do with unwanted egg yolks?

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!

Do I need to chill the dough?

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!

Why do my cookies get hard after they cool?

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.

Watch How to Make This Below!

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A plate full of chocolate chip cookies.
4.56 from 102 votes

Egg Yolk Cookies

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.
Prep: 15 minutes
20 minutes
Total: 35 minutes
Servings: 39 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

Note 1: You may substitute 1 teaspoon baking soda + 1 teaspoon cream of tartar for baking powder.
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. 

Nutrition

Servings: 1 cookie
Calories: 88kcal
Carbohydrates: 12g
Protein: 1g
Fat: 4g
Sugar: 5g
Sodium: 30mg
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American

Hi, I’m Shinee!

Welcome! I’m so happy you’re here! I believe anyone can cook restaurant-quality food at home! And my goal is to help you to become a confident cook with my easy-to-follow recipes with lots of tips and step-by-step photos.

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214 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I was looking for a way to use up the egg yolks after a recipe that only used the whites. Yummy! I admit to using a Tbs of vanilla instead of a tsp – but that’s my usual procedure as I love vanilla. I also added a little nutmeg. Making these as gifts for friends who are gluten free so I used the King Arthur Measure for Measure flour and they were great

    1. That’s awesome, Meg. So glad you liked these cookies. These are sure a great way to use up leftover yolks! And thank you for sharing your changes!

  2. 5 stars
    I just made these. I had egg yolks left from a white cake I made yesterday and looked for recipes to use them. So glad I found this recipe. The cookies are wonderful. I love that they are not overly sweet. The caky texture is perfect in my opinion. For those who like a sweeter cookie, a drizzle of glaze would be all you need.
    Thank you for the recipe.

    1. Hi, Debbie. Thank you for sharing your feedback. So happy you loved these cookies!! And glaze is a great idea to add an extra touch of sweetness.

  3. 5 stars
    Thank you for this recipe. I had leftover eggs yolks and did not want to throw them away, and i needed to make chocolate chip cookies so – double header!!!

  4. 4 stars
    Makes delicious cookies, quickly. You may wish to skip the salt if you’re British; maybe a sign that our diets have less salt in them these days. There’s a linger of salt after eating. Otherwise, texture is lovely .

    1. I did not have unsalted butter when i made these. I used regular butter and did not add salt. You might try that in the future with these. I thought my cookies turned out very well. I did not notice any after taste of salt.

  5. 4 stars
    Thank you for the recipe- a great way to use up egg yolks. Loved the cakiness, I didn’t have any choc chips so added raisins. Will definitely use this recipe again. 

  6. 3 stars
    I made these cookies a few weeks ago. The recipe worked well, yielding a somewhat cakey texture, but the cookie was tasteless. I may use this recipe again, but if I do, I will add more flavoring like the original recipe calls for. The tiny note at the bottom of the recipe states that this was adapted from a recipe on food.com, essentially just leaving out flavorings. Not a good change IMO.

    1. Hi, Anne. Thanks for your feedback. Yes, definitely try the original recipe. I just didn’t really care for those additional flavors when I tried.

      1. 2 stars
        I have left over yolks and saw this recipe of your. But the outcome doesnt look good. I followed all the procedures and amount of ingredients. It doesnt flat out, wish i could show you how it looks like to know what goes wrong.

    1. Hi, Karyn Foo. What do you mean by “cookies doesn’t separate out”? Did you mean they didn’t spread and flatten on its own? If so, did you flatten the cookie dough balls slightly before baking?

    1. Thank you, Matt! I’m so glad you like my blog. 🙂 I love these cookies. Definitely give it a try!