These Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies are chewy with crisp edges and have the perfect amount of toffee-like flavor from our browned butter. Make this twist on the classic cookie for anytime you need a sweet treat!
There's something about a classic, chocolate chip cookie that everyone loves. With this recipe, we elevate the flavors to add in a nutty, aromatic caramel taste from browned butter. Serve these beauties with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt for the perfect sweet and salty combination.
The Coined Breakdown
- Total Cost per serving (3 cookies): $0.40
- Total Cost (about 28 cookies): $3.69
- Those Other Guys: $6.99 per serving
Ingredients
- Brown Butter - This is a process where we cook cubed butter until the milk solids caramelize. The flavor intensifies, and you get a nutty, almost toffee-like flavor that lends well to desserts like my brown butter banana bread. It only takes 10 minutes, but really adds some oomph to a classic cookie recipe!
- Brown & White Sugar - A combination of brown and white sugar (more brown than white) gives us a perfectly chewy texture with a crispy edge.
- Eggs - Two eggs give richness and more moisture to the cookie dough. Get them to room temperature before mixing.
- Milk - You can use dairy or non-dairy milk. Because we lose moisture when browning the butter, a couple tablespoons of milk keep our cookie dough nice and moist.
- Vanilla Extract - Used in almost all dessert recipes. For these cookies in particular, the vanilla flavor pairs really well with the caramel tones from the browned butter.
- All-Purpose Flour - To stabilize the cookie dough and bring all the ingredients together.
- Baking Soda - A leavening agent that helps the cookie dough rise well and helps get that chewy texture we want.
- Salt - A teaspoon of salt helps balance out the sweetness of the other ingredients.
- Chocolate Bar - I love using "special dark" or dark chocolate, but use your favorite kind! Chopping up a chocolate bar as opposed to using chocolate chips disperses the chocolate throughout the dough more evenly.
Variations and Substitutions
Browned Butter Chocolate Pecan Cookies: Stir in some chopped pecans or walnuts into the batter before chilling.
Browned Butter M&M Cookies: Instead of chopped chocolate, fold in mini m&ms into the dough.
Chipless Chocolate Chip Cookies: It may sound weird, but it's actually my favorite way to make these cookies - with no chocolate at all! The caramelized flavor from the brown butter makes a delicious cookie that can stand on its own.
How to Make Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Step 1: Start by adding your chilled brown butter to a mixing bowl with the brown and white sugars.
Step 2: Mix well until combined. You can use a wooden spoon or a hand mixer.
Step 3: Add the eggs, milk, and vanilla extract. Mix well until silky smooth.
Step 4: Sift together the dry ingredients. Gently fold in the dry mix, a little at a time, to the wet ingredients.
Step 5: This is what your dough should look like! It'll be a little stiff; that's okay.
Step 6: Stir in the chopped chocolate (and any other mix-ins) at this step. Sometimes I add chopped nuts or pretzels.
Step 7: This is where you chill the dough for 1.5 hours in the fridge. Chilling helps prevent the cookies from spreading too much, and the flavors meld together perfectly during the process.
Step 8: Portion out dough balls and bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes. I recommend slightly underbaking the cookies, as they will finish cooking outside of the oven. That's it!
Recipe Pro Tips
- The chilling is mandatory. We chill twice in this recipe: refrigerating the browned butter until solid, and then chilling the dough before baking. Both steps are really important! To avoid the cookies spreading too much, and to intensify the flavor of the cookies. Don't skip either of these steps.
- Don't forget the milk. When we brown the butter, we cook down a lot of the natural moisture and that actually dries out our dough just a bit. A little touch of milk (can be dairy or non-dairy) helps replenish that moisture in the cookie for a perfectly chewy finish.
- Salted vs. Unsalted Butter? My recipe calls for unsalted butter, and then we add a teaspoon of salt to the dough later. However, I've made this recipe tons of times with salted butter because that was all I had. I say, if you're not purposefully watching your sodium content, use whatever you have!
- Chocolate Bar...or Chocolate Chip? I think using a chopped chocolate bar looks better in the final presentation and distributes the chocolate better. However, chocolate chips are definitely classic. Use whatever you prefer!
- Slightly Underbake. I never bake cookies until they are done in the oven. Take your cookies out when the edges are set, and the middle is slightly underdone - the cookies will finish cooking outside of the oven and remain soft and chewy for days.
- Get Instagram-ready cookies! To get those bakery-style ripples in your cookies, remove them from the oven and bang the pan on the stovetop a few times right after baking. So cute!
Recipe FAQs
Make sure you've chilled the brown butter before assembling the dough, and chill the dough for at least 1.5 hours. You also want to properly measure your flour. If your cookie dough is loose/silky, you've messed up!
You can make these 1 - 2 days ahead of time (it actually helps develop the flavor to let the dough rest in the fridge!), and I've kept a covered bowl of dough cool for up to 4 days. Anything after that, I recommend freezing your dough to preserve it.
Yes - after chilling the dough, scoop into balls and freeze until solid on a parchment-lined pan. Then, add them to a freezer-safe bag.
When you're ready to bake, simply add another 1-2 minutes to the cooking time.
Other Cookie Recipes You'll Love!
If you tried this Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe, or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you! Thanks for visiting!
Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Equipment
- Light-Bottomed Pot
- Silicone Spatula
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Wooden Spoon
- 1.5 tablespoon Cookie Scoop
- Parchment Paper
- Baking Tray
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1 ¼ cup dark brown sugar firmly pack into measuring cups, about 235 grams
- ¼ cup granulated white sugar about 40 grams
- 2 count eggs room temperature
- ½ tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled into measuring cup, about 300 grams
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 8 squares dark chocolate bar chopped, about 60 grams
Instructions
Browned Butter
- Start by slicing the butter into even pats, about 1 tablespoon cubes.
- Add to a saucepan with a light colored bottom and cook over medium heat, consistently stirring, for about 10-15 minutes.
- The butter will bubble and foam at the top, and will turn a golden brown color with a nutty aroma. Small brown specks of milk solids will form at the bottom; continue to stir so they don't stick to the pan.
- Once that's done, immediately transfer the browned butter to a heat-safe bowl, cover, and chill in the refrigerator until solid.
Cookie Dough Assembly
- To a large mixing bowl, add the solidified brown butter, dark brown sugar, and white sugar. Stir until completely combined, using an electric mixer or a wooden spoon (and a bit of arm strength!).
- Mix in the eggs, vanilla extract, and milk until well combined.
- In another bowl or container, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, ⅓ of the bowl at a time, folding gently until just combined. Be sure to scrape the edges and the bottom of your mixing bowl.
- Finally, pour in the chopped chocolate and distribute.
- Cover and chill the dough for 1.5 hours.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Use a cookie scoop/spoon to measure out your dough and place it on the parchment-lined pan. Use your hands to form dough balls. Leave space between each one to allow for spreading.
- Bake for 9-10 minutes, until they are just golden brown (the middle may still be a little underbaked; that's ok.)
- Remove the pan, and bang it on the stove for those bakery-style ripples on top.
- Let the cookies rest for 5 minutes; they will finish cooking during this time. Enjoy!
Courtni says
These won a Christmas cookie contest at work! I was wondering if the extra step of browning the butter really made a difference from my go-to regular chocolate chip recipe, but oh my goodness! The browned butter really adds a nutty, almost toffee-like flavor that is so addictive. I'm making extra this weekend for my family!
Shani W. says
Yes! So glad you (and the office) loved these cookies, Courtni! Thank you for trying and commenting. And happy holidays!