This is a copycat of Australia’s most famous chocolate chip cookie – Byron Bay Milk Choc Chunk Cookies. They’re big, crunchy, buttery and generous on the chocolate! At $3.50 for a single biscuit, they aren’t cheap – so save a ton by making them yourself!
BONUS: They stay 100% crunchy for 2 whole weeks! (Possibly longer – I caved).
Chocolate Chip Cookies – Byron Bay Copycat!
Australia’s most famous cookie are Byron Bay Cookies. They come in all sorts of flavours, and three of the most popular ones are White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies, Triple Chocolate Fudge and the chocolate chip cookies.
They’re sold at cafes all across Australia, and they are without a doubt the most well known cookie brand. While sometimes you find them individually packaged and sold at grocery stores for around $2.50 each, most cafes will charge $3.50 to $4 for a single cookie.
Which means a dozen of them cost $42…. or you can make them at home for around $7!!
These chocolate chip cookies stay 100% crunchy for 2 whole weeks!
What they taste like
These cookies are crunchy but it’s a soft, buttery crunch – sort of like Shortbread Cookies, except not as sandy/crumbly. The mouthfeel is what’s quite unique about these thick cookies – most crispy cookies this thick are noticeably rougher and drier (rice flour is the secret ingredient here that specifically achieves this).
There’s generous chunks of chocolate littered throughout, and the really great thing is that they stay 100% crunchy just like they’re freshly made for up to 2 weeks!!! (Probably longer, I just couldn’t hold out any longer).
Ingredients for Byron Bay Chocolate Chip Cookies
Here’s what you need to make these cookies. The ingredients are basically a replica of the ingredients disclosed on the Byron Bay Cookie packets, with minor tweaks to achieve the same mouthfeel and flavour using ingredients available to home cooks (eg. things like cultured dextrose, emulsifiers and soy lecithin that normal folk like us can’t get).
Just a note on a few ingredients:
Rice flour – this is the secret ingredient to give these crunchy cookies a sort of “velvety” mouthfeel which is unique to Byron Bay Cookies and one of the reasons people love them so much. You can substitute with more flour – the cookies still work out perfectly but the mouthfeel is “rougher” (still extremely delicious and this is what I use if I don’t have rice flour). Cornflour/cornstarch also works but the texture becomes more crumbly like Shortbread but the mouthfeel is drier than shortbread;
Yolks – we use 2 egg yolks in these cookies to give them richness.
Leftover egg whites – Here’s my list of what I do with them and all my egg white recipes can be found in this recipe collection;
Softened butter – you need softened butter for these cookies so they whip up creamy and smooth. If you’re like me and always forget to leave it out to soften, or if it’s so cold that it just never softens even if you leave it out all night, you’ll love this trick: microwave a jug of water for 3 minutes, then remove and put in a plate of diced butter and just leave it. The residual heat softens the butter perfectly. Never try microwaving butter to soften it – it doesn’t soften evenly, you will always end up with melted pockets which will affect the success of the recipe;
Brown and white sugar – each of these bring something different to the cookie. White makes them crispy while the brown sugar adds flavour and adds softness to the crunch; and
Chocolate – Byron Bay calls their chocolate chip cook “Milk Choc Chunk Cookies”, being that they’re made with a darkish milk chocolate. Good quality milk chocolate for baking isn’t readily availably, so I’ve taken the liberty of using dark chocolate instead. If anything, it makes them even BETTER with a more intense chocolate flavour! Use chips or chunks if you prefer.
How to make Byron Bay Chocolate Chip Cookies
And here’s how to make them – pretty standard really. We need the chill time to make the cookies sliceable and also to stop them from inflating when they bake (yep, tried to shortcut it and ended up with sumo cookies).
Cookie emergency? No beater?
No worries! Make these super easy Chocolate Chip Cookies instead (they’re soft and chewy, no chill time).👍🏼
Ahh, it’s a good moment when you pull them out of the oven.
I know, I know, you want to grab one right away while it’s hot and the chocolate is all melty and glistening but WAIT!! We have to let them cool on the tray so they become nice and crunchy. It’s worth it!!
Use the cooling time to think about the people in your life who will be lucky enough to put one in their gob. Think very carefully – there are only 12 of them, which makes them exponentially more valuable than most cookies that make a couple of dozen in a single batch. These are very, very special Chocolate Chip Cookies! 😉 – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Byron Bay Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 175g / 12 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter , softened (6.2 oz, Note 1 – softening tip!)
- 1/3 cup brown sugar (light or normal, not dark)
- 1/3 cup white sugar , caster / superfine
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 2 egg yolks , at room temperature (Note 6 for using leftover whites)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract/essence
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup rice flour (sub with plain/all purpose flour, Note 2)
- 1 1/2 cups flour , plain/all purpose
- 200g / 7 oz dark or semi-sweet chocolate block , chopped into pretty small pieces (Note 3)
Instructions
- Place butter, salt and both sugars in a bowl. Beat on speed 5 for 1 minute until it’s soft, creamy and fluffy.
- Add yolks and vanilla – beat for 1 minute until well incorporated.
- Add baking powder, rice flour and half the plain flour. Beat until you can’t see flour anymore, then add remaining flour and beat again until incorporated.
- Mixture will be fairly clump and thick, but if you press between your fingers, it should stick together (rather than being dry and crumbly).
- Use a wooden spoon to stir chocolate through.
- Tip out onto a work surface then press together into a 22cm / 9″ log. Wrap in cling wrap or paper, twisting to seal the ends.
- Refrigerate 1.5 – 2 hours (Note 4).
Baking:
- Preheat oven to 200°C/390°F (180°C fan).
- Line 2 trays with baking/parchment paper. Put one shelf in the middle of the oven, and the other underneath.
- Remove from fridge, unwrap.
- Use a serrated knife to slice into 1.75cm / 2/3" thick slices. Saw carefully through choc chunks. If it falls apart on edges, just press if back together, no big deal. Place 6 on each tray.
- Bake 10 minutes. Turn oven down to 170°C/340°F (150°C fan), switch trays (Note 5)
- Bake for a further 15 minutes until surface is light golden and edges are a bit golden.
- Remove from oven and cool completely on trays – this makes them crunchy.
- STORAGE: Keeps for at least 2 weeks in an airtight container – they stay 100% crunchy, just like they’re freshly made.
Recipe Notes:
- cut into 1 cm cubes (or for US sticks, slice 1/3″ thick) and place in single layer on small plate
- place 2 cups water in a microwave proof jug or bowl. Microwave on high for 2 – 3 minutes until just before boiling
- working quickly, remove jug, put plate in microwave and shut door, DO NOT TURN MICROWAVE ON! Leave for 10 minutes – the residual heat in the microwave will soften the butter perfectly!
- if still not soft enough (eg cut too big, microwave has lower power), then just repeat (but for round 2, check after a few minutes)
Nutrition Information:
For Cookie Monsters
Life of Dozer
“Everybody” thinks I bundle Dozer up in jumpers just because I’m a crazy dog lady / for my own amusement. And while both these hold true, the main reason is because it holds in his fur and sand which means marginally less littered all over the house.
Honestly, I seriously reckon it reduces sweeping by almost half. You should see how much fluff/sand poofs out when I pull the jumper off him (outside of course!!!)
Can I freeze this cookie dough?
I know it’s an international audience, and I know it’s petty, and I know it’s just a word, but the word ‘cookies’ is incongruous to me here in Australia…go!
I would love to make these for Easter. I have bunny and carrot cookie cutters – would this recipe be suitable.
I don’t bake very often – any tips would be appreciated from any commenters. TIA !
These are exactly the choc chip cookies I’ve been craving. Perfect texture and sweetness.
These cookies were amazing. I haven’t tried the original but I preferred to make a change from the usual soft cookies. The texture is velvety and crunchy with a great taste.
Tried these today after a bit of research. I normally much prefer crunchy, crumbly cookies that you often get in the British coffee shops here, as opposed to the soft, chewy American variety of which there are no shortage of recipes for! But this recipe is PERFECT!! I wasnt sure what to expect with the rice flour in the mix because Ive been looking on the back of the packets and ingredients list for what makes them so crumbly and never come across rice flour. I figured youve tested this a thousand times and know what youre talking about 🙂 so just went with it and its exactly what I was looking for. Even my 5 yo went for seconds and that child doesnt eat cookies like that normally! Its got the perfect “mouth feel”; a bit more crumbly than Sablé biscuits but crunchier and just as moreish as shortbread. Thank you sooooo much for sharing this 🙂 I also added malted milk to the recipe and oh my word YES. I imagine it can be made with a variety of different flavours like matcha, chocolate and tea with exactly the same texture.
Very tasty.
Mine are collapsing and smooshing out flat, and then cooking irregularly.
They don’t look like the picture at all.
My guess is my oven is too hot. I’ve tried lowering it for my second batch, with a similar problem. I’ll try lowering it again.
Hey Nagi, these cookies look AMAZING 🤩. I was just wondering if I could substitute the rice flour with plain flour. I’m planning on making these as a treat for my whole family but I don’t have any rice flour handy to use in this recipe. Thanks- Harrietv 😊😊
Hi,
Probably already noticed it after all this time but in Note section Nagi says you can substitute with plain flour.
Hope that helps,
Sophie
I have made these cookies many times and delicious and perfect with different chocolates and dried fruit. Can glutinous rice flour be used to substitute the rice flour? Thanks
Fabulous recipe, thank you. We cooked them gluten free with ‘Well and Good’ GF plain flour. We’re travelling in our caravan so my husband kindly creamed the butter and sugar for me.
The cookies a nice balance of crunch and softness and taste wonderful!
Fantastic recipe. Only they didn’t last 2 weeks because they got gobbled up too quickly!🤣 You won’t be disappointed!
Recipe works perfectly from frozen dough. I made 6 batches of dough (with different types of chocolate) and then froze. Then defrosted in fridge, cut and baked – perfect!
Delicious. Made 6 batches of dough (with different types of chocolate) and then froze. Then defrosted in fridge, cut and baked – perfect!
Tried these cookies and it was so simple recipe! And they turned out so so so delicious!! 😊
My son loves Byron Bay cookies but they are a rare treat as they are so expensive. We tried this recipe and he has declared them ‘better than Byron Bay’. Looks like I’ll be making these from now on. I tried them too and they were absolutely delicious!
I’ve made these twice. The first time, I didn’t have rice flour so I substituted the equivalent amount of LSA and ended up with the most divine, wonderfully textured, crunchy yet gooey inside choc chip cookies I’ve ever had. Last night, I followed the recipe properly with the rice flour this time and have to say that the LSA version was so much nicer, flavour-wise and texture-wise. Definitely not a fan of the rice flour but everything else was fabulous in a delicious sort of way!
These are my absolute favourite crunchy biscuits to make!
I double the batch and cook for 15 mins at 175 (1 batch at a time). Delicious!
I amend the recipe and added walnuts and cranberries to it, no adjustments necessary to the other ingredients, which is great!
I cut up 15 cookies and could not bake at the recommended time for fear of burning them. After 8 min I lowered the temp because the edges were medium brown already. I then baked for another 8 min then pulled them out of the oven for fear of burning them. They were not crunchy. They were soft but still tasted good. Next time I would bake at 350 all the way so I can bake longer without fear of burning them.
The texture on these is really bizarre. It takes on a powdery like feel. I suspect it has something to do with the rice flour. Recipe might need a refresh.
Hi Nagi, we made this for the first time and loved it! Just wondering if you’ve tried making smaller cookies eg. 32 instead of 16, and what changes to the baking time and temperature you would recommend? Thanks in advance!!
The notes tell you how to adjust for smaller cookies.