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
Omg this is my first ever trying to bake cookies. 😭 I’m a beginner in baking, my first time using electric mixer. I managed to make this and it tasted so good I’ve never complimented my own cooking this much. Thanks for the recipe 😭.
Yay, so happy your baking journey started with a success!!! Thank you, Damian, for choosing my recipe and sharing your feedback!
Had 12 yolks so doubled, and it went well. Yes, it is a little drier than “regular” choc chip cookies… but that is to be expected when you are only using yolks. Just don’t over bake and go slow with that last half cup of flour, and stop when it seems right. Only things I did different were not purposely. Mini choc chips which is what I had, and went fine. However, I had to refrigerate them and bake them later. Not sure if that changed the bake but do NOT copy me unless you want an arm workout!! That dough was intense cold. Will make again.
Hi, Caitlin. Thank you so much for sharing your feedback and experience!! It’s super helpful! And I’m so happy you loved the cookies!
Easy to follow recipe, taste amazing, i added some Almond and little more Vanilla they were gorgeous
Yay, so happy you tried and loved the recipe, Denise. Thank you for your feedback!
We had four yolks left from making Pavlova. We made 40 cookies using 2/3 of the ingredients (except more chocolate chips) and a number 70 portioner. We’re so happy to have found this easy recipe. Rich, yet delicate, satisfying to eat without overeating. This is definitely a keeper.
Yay, so happy you tried and loved these cookies, BeckE!
Had egg yolks to use up and found your recipe. I used all chocolate chips and will know next time to flatten more before baking because they don’t spread. Happy with the taste will make again its a great way to use up egg yolks
Hi Veronica. So glad you liked the cookies. And you’re right, these cookies don’t spread as much. That’s why I instructed to flatten them before baking in step 7.
I made a Baked Alaska for my husband’s birthday the other day, so I had about 10 egg yolks to use up. Found this recipe. I used all 10 yolks, figuring that the extra 2 wouldn’t make much difference. I only had salted butter, so used that and added slightly less sea salt (didn’t have any kosher). I measured the flour after sifting and then added a little extra because of the extra yolks. Skipped the chips, as we don’t like chocolate, but added pecans. The dough was very stiff, so I added 2 Tbsp 1/2 & 1/2 cream (because I had some) 1 Tbsp at a time. The dough became very, very sticky. I put a few on a baking sheet and pressed them down using a fork dipped in cool water. Put them in the oven and after 10 minutes, and they look and taste great! We prefer a touch of sweetness, but not over sweet. With chocolate chips, it would likely taste sweeter. Going to go ahead now and make more. Thank you for the recipe!
Yay, so happy you tried and loved these cookies, Donna. Thank you for your feedback!
Tge salt listed in the ingredients is not in the instructions.
Do you add this or not?
Maybe if you use salted butter, it is unnecessary?
Thanks for letting me know. I updated the recipe. Salt goes in with dry ingredients in step 5. And yes, if you’re using salted butter, omit the salt.
This recipe was amazing. My mom made angel food cake and we had extra yolks and then I looked up a recipe and I told her and she said let’s try it out and we have 13 yolks and I said one extra yolk can’t hurt Then it turned out amazing. Also I am only in 5th grade and I thought this was easy.
Hi, Kayliegh!!! How fun!!! So happy you tried and loved the cookies. Thank you SO much for sharing your feedback. It sounds like you have a lot of fun in the kitchen with your mom!!
We made meringue cookies yesterday, and set the tolls aside. Today I found this recipe. Being that I never do anything the way someone tells me to, I decided to try and turn this cookie recipe into a chewy bar recipe with Maple and Walnut. I intentionally beat the recipe to make them dense, and poured them into a pan as if I were making brownies. I would warn you to make sure that you do not overcook yours, because I almost burnt mine and they ended up crunchy not chewy. I’m curious was anyone was able to make them chewy?
Thank you so much for this recipe. I’m the same way, hate to waste. The cookies turned out delicious. I did however, just like I do with all cookies. Add flour a little at a time, to get the perfect texture. Had no problem. Very good 👍
Thank you so much for your feedback, Dana. Glad you liked the cookies!