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 love merengue cookies, but then needed to use the egg yolks. I am so glad I found this recipe. It is easy to make and really very delicious. Thank you!!!! I added choc chips but no nuts. After seeing other comments, I think I will try the cranberry and white choc chip. Or maybe cherries and white choc chips?
Yup, made them, added raisins and crushed almonds instead… easy, quick, tasty, done before load shedding. I am not a baker. Thank you
So happy you loved the recipe. Thanks for your feedback, Leo!
Great way to use egg yolks. Very easy, delicious! Next time will add dried cranberries.
Thank you so much for your feedback, Ann!!!
Loved this recipe. Regularly make friands and have egg yolks left over. This was easy to make and the cookies had a great texture. I’m in Australia and was unsure of the yield of a medium cookie scoop so used our standard tbsp measure (20ml), and also left in the oven a couple more minutes. I added cranberries and white choc chips – delicious! Will make again!
Yay, so happy you tried and loved this recipe. Thank you for your feedback, Ilka!
i had baked french macarons a few days ago and had so many leftover yolks. i’m so glad i found this recipe!! i didn’t even add any chocolate chips or other add-in’s, yet i really love how the cookies came out :)) thank you so much!!
Yay, so happy you tried and loved the recipe. Thank you for your feedback, Stefanie!
Just made these tonight. 1/2 recipe. Used coconut sugar instead ( and made into bars and not cookies. I did think they were on the dry side, but still good. Goes great with a cup of coffee or tea. Not to sweet. I added dark chocolate chunks. No nuts because I didn’t have them.
Thank you for your feedback, Kayla! I love dunking these cookies in my tea too!
Hi Shinee. I’m about to make your recipe. Do you have a weight for the amount of dough for each cookie? Sincere thanks
Hi, Cam. No, I don’t weigh the dough balls.
These cookies are amazing! My scoop was probably a little bigger it took 12 minutes to bake but wow the flavor I love them.
I had all the yokes from wanting an angel food cake so I did a double batch of this recipe and now I don’t even care about the angel food cake 😋
Hahaha great combo though!! I also make these cookies when I make angel food cake. 🙂 Thank you for your feedback, Jessica!
Great use of left over yolks!
Thanks, Caroline!
I tried this with gluten-free self-raising flour and my cookies turned out delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
Hi! I am having trouble finding cream of tartar; is there a substitute you recommend?
Hi, Allison. You may use a little bit of lemon juice instead.
Hello, I’ve just made these and I’m wondering if I can freeze them, and how long they will last?
Hi, Emma. Yes, you can totally freeze these cookies. Place them in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months.