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
Great recipe! I tweaked it a little, and wanted to share :). I halved the recipe and added 1/4 tsp almond extract. I also added an additional while egg because I used gluten free flour, and it look dry. i also added m & ms to make monster cookies, and they were delicious!
Hi, Kyra! Thank you so much for your feedback and sharing your tweaks for gluten-free version!
I found that the cookie doesn’t have a strong flavor to it best served with tea I think next time I bake this cookie I will use almond extract instead of vanilla
Hi, William. Thank you for your feedback. Yes, these cookies don’t have any particular flavor that stands out, so it makes it a perfect canvas for additional flavors. Almond extract sounds great!
Thank you for this delicious recipe. I don’t often have egg yolks left over, but I love these cookies. Can I make them with whole eggs?
Hi, Mary. So glad you enjoyed the cookies. Unfortunately, I didn’t try this recipe with whole eggs, so I can’t offer a good advice.
These are scrumptious and are so easy to make! I had two yolks from making swiss meringue so I had to cut down the recipe to a third but kept ratios and instructions the same, even baking time and temperature. I guess that means this is a pretty lenient recipe, perfect for beginners and busy people. My oven was busy by the time I was finished mixing the ingredients so I kept the pre shaped dough in the fridge for an hour before I baked. And just before I put them in the oven I couldn’t help but stick another handful of chocolate chips on them! They were so full of walnuts and chocolate and the cookie itself was so rich without being overly sweet. I really enjoyed this with a glass of oat milk. Thank you for this recipe! I might want to make them even if I wasn’t just using leftover yolks. Now I have to find a recipe to make leftover whites with haha!
Hi, Nona! So happy you tried these cookies and loved them! I loved reading your adjustments and everything, so helpful! Thank you! And I’ve got you covered for egg whites recipe, because I have PLENTY of them here. Just let me know if you need help choosing. 😉 Thanks again for your feedback, Nona!
I made these to use some extra egg yolks, and I was very happy with them. Rather than 6 egg yolks, I used 5 yolks (my left-overs) plus one whole egg, and instead of cream of tartar (which I didn’t have on hand), I used 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice, and it was fine. As described, the texture is somewhat cakey, and the taste was not too eggy for me–just a pleasantly light sweetness with some added flavor/texture from toasted pecans and chocolate chips.
Hi, Andrew. Thank you so much for trying my recipe and sharing your tweaks. Super helpful. And I’m glad you enjoyed the cookies.
can i freeze these cookies or its batter? how long can i freeze them and how long? and also how to thaw?
Hi, Aanchal. Yes, you can definitely freeze the cookies, or dough. I’d freeze dough balls on a baking sheet first, then once completely frozen, transfer the frozen dough balls into a freezer bag. You can freeze it for up to 3 months. You don’t need to thaw the frozen dough balls before baking. Just arrange them on a baking sheet and you’ll just need to bake them 1-2 minutes longer. Hope this helps. Let me know how you like them!
Thank you for confirming! also can I make these into double chocolate chip cookie? should I replace some of flour to cocoa powder ?
I haven’t tried chocolate version, but I think you’re correct with replacing some of the flour for cocoa powder.
Had spare egg yolks from making meringue and saw this recipe, tried it and it made lovely tasty biscuits (cookies). Will definitely use it again
Hi, P Yerbury. So happy you tried and loved the cookies. Thank you for your feedback!
I made them with lemon juice in place of cream of tartar….only made 9, think my portions were a bit big but worked anyway and was very tasty. Any idea on the calorie count ?
Hi, John. Glad you enjoyed the cookies! Your cookies must have been big, I get about 3 dozen cookies with this recipe, but each cookies are made with 1.5 tablespoons of dough. I just updated the recipe card with estimated nutrition info.
Just made these to use up egg yolks (I had them because I helped my grandson with a chemistry experiment that needed egg whites). They are very good. My husband loves macadamia nuts so these are a winner with him. I made them on the large side so it made 18.
Oops. The pandemic has done something to my basic math skills. It made 24 good sized cookies!
Thank you for your feedback, Patricia. So happy you all loved the cookies.
A really great recipe, very happy how the cookies turned out!!! My grandchildren love them!!!
Aww, so happy you tried and loved the recipe, Annie. Thank you so much for your feedback!