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.
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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
- 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.
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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
i baked these at 3 am after making meringues for my mom’s birthday today and i don’t know if they are supposed to be a little chewy on the inside but they are ok.
Thank you for your feedback! Happy Birthday to your mom!
I’m adding a star. After a couple of days we decided they’re pretty good as milk or coffee dunkers. May make them again when I have 6 leftover egg yolks.
Thank you so much for an update, Karen! So happy you enjoyed the cookies. Next time, you can confidently make your desired tweaks and create the best version for you and your family.
Surprisingly they came out good. I never have chocolate chip cookies raise up that high. This was great.
I accidentally used almond essence instead of vanilla, but delicious! Just like amaretti biscuits. Yum! Great easy way to use up yolks after making chocolate mousse!
That sounds delicious. I’ll try with almond essence too. Thank you for your feedback, Sarah!
I think they turned out the way they should have but I’m not a fan. Didn’t have chocolate chips so used 3/4 C chopped pecans. VERY bland. Maybe tomorrow they’ll be better. I like to make recipes the first time as printed but should have followed my instinct to add 1/2 tsp salt.
I tried these because I had leftover yolk. They came out really chalky. Maybe it was user error though but I measured and followed it exactly.
Hi, Sally. Bummer your cookies didn’t come out right. So many people tried and loved the cookies, and I didn’t hear anyone say they’re chalky. Did you measure the flour by volume or weight?
My three star rating is based on personal taste. The recipe is fine and I think they turned out the way they are supposed to – cakey and not too sweet. The ratio of butter/sugar to flour is less than most cookie recipes these days. Thats probably a good thing. Be prepared for a less sweet/rich end result. I like them, just not loving them.
Hi, Liz. Thank you for your feedback. I’m glad you found my description of the cookies accurate, as I try to do my best to describe the final result accurately to set proper expectations. 🙂
I should probably add that after I made them my husband declared them his favourite!
Oh that’s so awesome. Glad he enjoyed those cookies! 😉
Very easy recipe , next time I’m adding lemon zest, but original flavor delish.
So happy you tried and loved the cookies, Mara. Thank you for your review!
I had leftover egg yolks from making Sicilian almond cookies so this was a perfect recipe. I added Nutella an cut the butter and sugar to compensate. They came out great.
Hi, Ida. I love Nutella addition. Definitely trying that next time. Thank you for your feedback!
Oh wow, they are delicious. How many calories are there in this recipe?
Excellent recipe. I had to modify it slightly. I don’t use baking powder so I substituted with 1tsp bread soda. And I didn’t have any cream of tartar so I used 2tsp of lemon juice instead. I didn’t use nuts or choc chips only because I didn’t have any.. I did a third of the batch with no extras. Another third I used finely chopped crystallised ginger and the third batch I used raisins. They turned out great, all set for my small visitors today., Thanks
Yay, so happy you tried and liked the recipe. Thank you for sharing your adjustments and feedback, Niamh!