Make Brown Butter In a large stainless steel skillet heat butter over medium-low until golden brown and foaming begins to subside, swirling pan occasionally, about 15 minutes. Pour into a large metal bowl; cool 15 minutes.
Prepare Dough Beat in both sugars with an electric hand mixer until combined. Add egg, water, and vanilla extract; beat until lighter in color and mixture begins to thicken, about 1 minute. Mix in flour, baking soda, and salt until combined. Stir in chocolate chips.
Scoop Cookies Line a baking sheet or tray with parchment paper. Using a 3 Tbsp. scoop, portion dough into twelve balls (dough may be slightly soft). Transfer pan to the refrigerator and chill at least 30 minutes or up to 48 hours before baking.
Bake Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Place no more than 6 dough balls on prepared pan, leaving lots of space for the cookies to spread. Sprinkle tops of dough balls with flaky salt.
Cool and Serve Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until edges are golden brown and crinkly and and tops of cookies are lightly puffed, set, and a bit soft in the center. Cool on pan on wire rack at 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire rack to cool completely.
