Brown butter adds a rich, caramel flavor to these chocolate chip cookies. A bakery-worthy snack with crispy edges and chewy centers!
These brown butter chocolate chip cookies are incredibly delicious. It features lightly crunchy edges, a perfectly chewy middle, and chocolate that melts with every bite. Best of all, using brown butter (plus extra brown sugar) gives it a toffee-like flavor.
I started making these blondies last year, but couldn’t get enough of them, so I went through a little brown butter phase. Around that time, I tried using brown butter in a classic chocolate chip cookie recipe. We devoured every last one of those cookies, but they didn’t have that toasted, nutty brown butter flavor I was looking for…
After a lot of testing and tweaking later, I’m so excited to share these Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies with you. It’s rich, salty, and caramel-like in tone, showing off brown butter best. It’s easy to make too. No mixer or cooling required! Be sure to try it the next time you want a bakery-quality snack. I think you will like them!
Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Ingredients
I adapted this recipe from these chocolate chip cookies (but they’re still a delicious option when you don’t want to brown the butter). Both recipes call for the exact same ingredients, but here we use slightly different ratios to emphasize the brown butter.
Here’s what you need to make this recipe:
- chocolate chips, of course! I like dark chocolate, but you can use semi-sweet chocolate chips or milk chocolate if you prefer. Chopped chocolate bars would also be great!
- all purpose flour – This recipe uses slightly less flour to account for the moisture lost when browning the butter. Level the measuring cup with a spoon to make sure you don’t overwhelm the flour.
- unsalted butter – Bake until brown to add savory depth to the cookies. You can use salted butter if you wish. In that case, reduce the salt by half.
- baking soda – Helps cookies rise and spread in the oven.
- Brown sugar and granulated sugar – I use a higher ratio of brown sugar to white sugar in these cookies than in a typical recipe. The molasses flavor of brown sugar enhances the toffee flavor of brown butter.
- Egg + Egg Yolk – The extra yolk completes the cookie’s chewy texture.
- vanilla extract – For a warm depth of flavor.
- and sea salt – To make every flavor stand out! One thing to note: I like to use a moderate amount of salt in my cookies to balance out the sweetness (think salted caramel). If you don’t like the taste of salt in your baked goods, halve the amount of salt.
Find the full measured recipe below.
How to Brown Butter
Step 1 of this recipe: Brown the butter! This technique looks cool, but it only takes a few minutes on the stovetop.
- Thinly slice the butter and heat in a small saucepan or skillet over medium heat.
- Cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or spatula, for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the butter smells fragrant and the milk solids at the bottom of the pan turn golden brown.
- To prevent burning, quickly remove the pan from the heat and transfer the butter, including any browned bits at the bottom of the pan, to a bowl to cool slightly.
That’s it! Find more tips and step-by-step photos in my guide on how to brown butter.
How to Make Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Once the butter is browned, the rest of this recipe is simple.
Start by making the cookie dough. Combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl and mix together wet ingredients in a large bowl.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined, then add the chocolate chips and mix until well combined.
Chilling the dough is optional here. For thicker cookies, keep them in the fridge for up to 2 days, or for larger spreads, bake them right away (and they’ll be ready to eat in less than 30 minutes…).
When ready to bake, scoop cookie dough onto two parchment-lined baking sheets. I use a 1/4 cup cookie scoop for this recipe instead of the usual 2 tablespoon scoop. Making the cookies bigger creates the perfect soft center!
Press more chocolate chips into the top of the cookie dough ball, then gently press the ball down to spread it in the oven.
Bake one sheet at a time at 350°F. This will take about 10 to 13 minutes, until the edges of the cookies are golden brown. Let cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
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Recipe Tips
- Brown the butter in a light-colored pan. This makes it easy to see if the milk solids at the bottom of the pan are golden brown.
- Is the dough too hard to scoop out? Let sit at room temperature for a few minutes. Once the dough has cooled and becomes too hard to scoop easily, let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes. It becomes soft with a spoonable texture.
- Remove the cookies from the oven if they still look undercooked. The soft and chewy center is the key! The cookies will continue to harden as they cool, so they should be removed from the oven before they appear fully baked.
How to store and freeze
Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Can I freeze brown butter chocolate chip cookies?
Yes, these cookies freeze well.
- To freeze baked cookies: Let cool to room temperature and then seal in an airtight container or freezer bag. Store frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or quickly thaw in the microwave.
- To freeze cookie dough: Divide the cookie dough into balls and freeze in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet until firm. Please put it in an airtight container or bag. Let frozen dough balls sit at room temperature for 30 minutes and then bake according to recipe.
More Cookie Recipes to Try
If you like this brown butter chocolate chip cookie recipe, try baking these cookies:
Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
serve 12
These Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies are a bakery-ready treat! The brown butter and brown sugar give them a slightly crispy edge, chewy center and a delicious toffee flavor. Melting chocolate fills you with every bite.
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Brown the butter. Melt the butter in a light-colored pan over medium heat. Continue cooking, stirring constantly with a spatula or wooden spoon, for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the butter smells fragrant and the milk solids at the bottom of the pan turn golden brown. The butter will bubble around the edges during the first few minutes of cooking. The foam will subside slightly before the butter is fully browned. Immediately pour the browned butter into a large heatproof bowl to prevent it from burning and allow to cool slightly.
In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
Add brown sugar and granulated sugar together with butter in a bowl and mix well. Add the eggs and egg yolks and beat until well combined and no whites remain. Whisk in the vanilla.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix with a spatula. Once the dry and wet ingredients are almost combined, add the chocolate chips and mix until well combined.
Bake the cookie dough right away, or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350°F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
Using a ¼ cup cookie scoop, scoop batter onto baking sheets, leaving at least 2 inches between cookies. Press more chocolate chips into the top of the cookie and lightly press the top of the dough to flatten it slightly. Bake one sheet at a time for 10 to 13 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies are golden brown but the tops still look slightly undercooked. The cookies harden as they cool.
Let cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
