Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Published on December 12, 2022
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Quick Summary
Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies-soft, chewy chocolate chip cookies with chocolate chunks, nutty browned butter, and a sprinkle of sea salt. This chocolate chip cookie recipe is guaranteed to be a family favorite!
You all know I LOVE a good cookie, especially a good chocolate chip cookie. Who doesn’t love a good chocolate chip cookie? They are everyone’s favorite dessert, especially when served warm, fresh out of the oven with a glass of cold milk.
But have you tried a Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie? The browned butter takes the cookies to a whole new level.
The cookies are soft, chewy, and the brown butter adds caramel and slightly nutty notes that give the cookies the BEST flavor.
Oh, and of course the cookies are loaded with chocolate. I like to use chocolate chunks so there are chocolate puddles throughout the cookies. Finish with flaky sea salt and you have the BEST chocolate chip cookie!
Table of Contents
Cookie Ingredients
- Butter– cut into tablespoon pieces so it is easier to brown. I use unsalted butter so I can control the amount of salt in the recipe.
- All-Purpose Flour– to measure flour, give it a nice fluff, spoon it into the measuring cup, and then level it off. NEVER pack the flour in the measuring cup. If you do, the cookies will turn out dry and puffy.
- Baking Soda– make sure it is fresh!
- Sea salt– for the dough and for sprinkling on top of the cookies.
- Sugars– brown sugar and granulated sugar. You do want to pack the brown sugar.
- Egg– use a large egg
- Egg Yolks– use 2 egg yolks, you can save the egg whites for something else. The egg yolks will create a super rich and chewy cookie.
- Vanilla Extract– always use pure vanilla extract for the best flavor.
- Chocolate Chunks– I like to use chocolate chunks because I love the melty chocolate puddles. Chop up your favorite chocolate bar. I like to use semi-sweet chocolate, but you can use dark or milk chocolate. If you prefer traditional chocolate chips, you can use chips instead of chunks.
How to Brown Butter
Making browned butter is simple, but the results are BIG! You will love the nutty, caramel-y flavor the brown butter adds to the chocolate chip cookies. This step is KEY for making this chocolate chip cookie recipe.
- To brown butter, put the butter in a small saucepan and melt over medium heat. Once melted, turn the heat to medium high. Continue stirring and look for small golden bits that will start to settle on the bottom of the pan, this should take around 3 to 5 minutes. Once this happens, take it off the heat and pour into a medium, heat-safe bowl.
- I like to use a light colored pan so it is easier to see the butter browning. Also, don’t walk away because when the butter starts to brown, it will brown quickly. You will smell the nutty aroma when it starts to brown. It smells AMAZING:)
How to Make Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Scroll down to see the full recipe with amounts and instructions.
- Let the brown butter cool to room temperature. You can put it in the fridge to speed up the process.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the browned butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. With the beater blade, mix until well combined. Add the egg, egg yolks, and vanilla. Mix until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as necessary.
- Turn off the mixer and add all the dry ingredients. Mix on low until just combined. Don’t over mix.
- Stir in the chocolate chunks (can use chocolate chips). Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill the dough for 2 hours. You can chill for up to 48 hours. You can also go ahead and scoop the cookies into balls and chill in an airtight container.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and remove the dough from the fridge.
- If you haven’t formed the balls, scoop the dough into balls when the dough has warmed up a bit, about 2 tablespoons per cookie, and place on a large baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper or a Silpat baking mat. Leave about 2-inches of space between each cookie.
- Bake for 10 to 14 minutes or until cookies are set around the edges, but still soft in the center. Don’t over bake!
- Remove from the oven and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely.
How to Store & Freeze
- Storing Baked Cookies: Store the baked cookies in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days. You can freeze baked cookies in a freezer container or bag for up to 2 months.
- Chilling the Cookie Cookie Dough: Covered tightly, the cookie dough will keep in the fridge for up to 48 hours.
- Freezing Cookie Dough: Place the cookie dough balls on a baking sheet or tray and freeze until balls are solid. Transfer the dough balls to a freezer container or bag and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to bake, remove the balls from the freezer and preheat the oven. Bake the cookies as directed but add a couple of minutes to the baking time.
More Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes
- Chocolate Lover’s Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
- Pudding Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Salted Malted Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Skillet Chocolate Chip Cookie
Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies-soft, chewy chocolate chip cookies with chocolate chunks, nutty browned butter, and a sprinkle of sea salt. This chocolate chip cookie recipe is guaranteed to be a family favorite!
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon pieces
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 1/4 cups light brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups chocolate chunks
- Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling on cookies
Instructions
- Place the butter in a light-colored medium saucepan and melt over medium heat, stirring often, until it foams, smells nutty, and browns. This will take about 5 to 7 minutes. Scrape the browned butter into a large bowl. Let cool to room temperature. You can put it in the fridge to speed up the process.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the browned butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. With the beater blade, mix until well combined. Add the egg, egg yolks, and vanilla. Mix until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as necessary.
- Turn off the mixer and add all the dry ingredients. Mix on low until just combined. Don’t over mix.
- Stir in the chocolate chunks (can use chocolate chips). Scoop the dough into balls, about 2 tablespoons per cookie, and chill the balls in an airtight container for at least 2 hours. You can chill the dough balls for up to 48 hours.
- When ready to bake, remove the dough from the fridge and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the balls on a large baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper. Leave about 2-inches of space between each cookie.
- Bake for 10 to 14 minutes or until cookies are set around the edges, but still soft in the center. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely.
Nutrition
Calories: 188kcal, Carbohydrates: 24g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 35mg, Sodium: 121mg, Potassium: 69mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 15g, Vitamin A: 218IU, Calcium: 18mg, Iron: 1mg
Have you tried this recipe?
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Oh how I adore your cookie recipes! Seriously, they are the BEST! I’m adding this one to my bookmarks, they look so soft and gooey, not to mention those big flakes of salt!
These sound amazing! I totally need to give them a try soon!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
These look amazing! Do you have or can you give the grams / weight measurements as well please? Xx
I just took my 1st batch of these out of the oven and they are amazing! I have never used brwon butter before so I did strain out the particles, but now I know for next time that it’s not necessary. And there will be a next time soon! Thanks so much for sharing your recipe!
Glad you liked the cookies. You don’t need to strain the brown bits, that is where a lot of the flavor is. Next time, keep them! 🙂
WOW! These cookies are sweet and salty perfection!
looking good
nice post
i like it
Maria these cookies were lovely. I have tried all kinds of recipes out there and these are the ones that did the trick. Perfect texture and taste. Thank you.
Hi! Can I replace the brown butter with melted ghee ? Thanks!!
I haven’t tried the recipe with ghee. Let me know if you try it!
THESE ARE HANDS DOWN THE BEST!!! THIS IS THE ONLY RECEPIE I NEED..❤❤❤
I made these cookies for Christmas giveaway. The cookies tasted wonderful, with the nutty, buttery flavor from the brown butter. But my cookies did not come out flat as shown in the recipe picture
Help, what did I do wrong. My cookies were little domes.!
When you measure your flour, don’t pack it. Fluff, spoon the flour into the measuring cup, and level. If they are still puffy, try 1/4 cup less flour. It could be a climate/elevation difference.
I just read Jodi’s reply about her cookies came out puffy. I did not cut the butter into pieces, I guess that’s why they came out puffy.
What brand of chocolate are you using? 🙂
I love Guittard! The super cookie chips are awesome!
I started the cookies before realizing the recipe called for chilling… I went ahead and made them anyways and they turned out well. Im Wondering though what the difference chilling the cookies makes? Thanks.
I’ve read chilling does 2 things: it intensifies the cookie’s flavour and it prevents overspreading. Hope that helps.
Hi! These were lots of fun to make and were very tasty however I cut the recipe size in half and my cookies were more puffy, not nice and flat like yours. Did I put too much flour maybe?
Hi Maria! If I’m buying chocolate bars, about how many ounces will I need for this Recipe?
Delicious cookies! I feel like something might be slightly off with the recipe though. My cookies were not flat looking at all – stayed quite puffed. I notice others have had this issue as well. I was careful to follow the recipe exactly as written – fluffed my flour and measured carefully. Meh – delicious regardless – just not a super nice looking cookie.
try lowering the baking tempurature, thats what i did and it came out better.
One on the BEST COOKIES I HAVE EVER MADE!! I get asked to make them all the time
They are SO good! Glad you loved them.
These are so yummy!!! Loved them!
Yay!
I followed the recipe exactly, but my dough was super dry and didn’t turn out well. Taste was good but it was a total bust and the cookies were much too dry
Sounds like too much flour. When I measure, I fluff, spoon, and level the flour. Never pack it. Try that or you can use 1/4 cup flour.
I made these cookies at Christmas. We did not share them with anyone, they were that good!
Like many others, mine also came out puffy. The batter was also really dry and was hard to keep together when scooping. I didn’t pack the flour and always use a scale when I bake to be exact, so not sure what went wrong. On the plus side, they were tasty, just not what I was expecting.
They have never been dry for me. Hmmm. You can try using 1/4 cup less flour next time. It might be a climate or altitude difference…or oven or brand of flour. So many factors when it comes to baking. I am glad you still enjoyed them.
What kind of scoop do you recommend for cookies?
I’ve made this recipe a few times and each time the dough is extremely dry. I spoon my flour when measuring so not an issue. Do you need to add water to compensate for the moisture loss when browning the butter?
Thanks!
Try 1/4 cup less flour next time. I never have a problem, but maybe there is a climate or elevation difference.
Does this recipe really need almost 2 cups of sugar? Seems most of my ordinary chocolate chip cookie recipes call for 1 cup and 2 cups flour. Looking forward to trying these!
That is how I make them:)
These are wonderful! I have baked a lot and these have a deliciously rich, buttery, chocolatey goodness to them! Thank you for creating them!
So glad you loved the cookies.
These taste great. But I’ve been making them and the dough turns out very crumbly. What could be causing that? Seems like I need more butter or less flour?
I fluff, spoon, and level flour when measuring. Never pack it. It might be too much flour. Try using 1/4 cup less.
Delicious cookies! I saw them in the Y magazine and will definitely make them again.
I followed the directions carefully, but since I couldn’t find flaked salt locally, so used regular in the cookies and kosher for the topping. Tasted a bit saltier than I like, but that’s no doubt due to my substitutions.
You often mention how altitude and humidity affecting baking. What altitude are you at? Are you in a dry or humid area? I’m in the Denver (mile-high city) area. While I wouldn’t describe my cookies as “puffy”, they were just a little fuller than yours, so I will try a little less flour next time.
Also, how long do you let the dough balls sit at room temp before baking, or do you toss them in the oven cold?
Thanks again!!!
Flaky sea salt is best for sprinkling because it won’t make the cookies too salty. You can reduce the flour by 1/4 cup if they were too puffy for you. You can remove the dough balls from the fridge while you preheat the oven or bake them chilled. If they are cold, it might take them an extra minute in the oven to bake. I am glad you liked the cookies.
Hi!
My dough is turning out grainy and hard once cooked, and doesn’t spread when cooking. This is my second batch and I reduced the flour this time around because my dough turned out dry and crumbly the first time. Do you have any idea why this might be happening??
It shouldn’t be dry and crumbly. Hmmm. I would suggest reducing flour, but you already tried that. Are you using enough butter? Are you adding the eggs? Are you over mixing? I wish I could bake with you to help!
I used 1 cup of butter + 1 egg and 2 egg yolks! I used an off-brand brown sugar that had “invert sugar” in the ingredients. Would that affect the dough?
I live in Salt Lake City so if you ever want to bake with my sister and I, we would LOVE that. We are perplexed by this dough and cannot figure out why it’s not turning out!
Weird, I am not sure about that sugar. Make sure you are mixing the butter and sugars together for long enough…so the sugar dissolves a little. It should be mixed in!