Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Take the classic chocolate chip cookie recipe to the next level with brown butter! These brown butter chocolate chip cookies are chewy, nutty, sweet, and oozing with melted chocolate.

The browning process helps extract the nutty flavor of the butter and really makes these chocolate chip cookies stand out.

And it is such an easy and cheap upgrade – you simply melt butter in a saucepan, stirring the butter constantly until it is golden brown. Then you cool the melted butter and add it to the dough. My cookies turned out not too thick, soft, sweet, and warm.

The most important thing to bake the perfect chocolate chip cookies is to let the dough rest. There is no secrets about this amazing recipe, but you do need to wait until the dough is chilled.

Love yourself a chewy cookie? Don’t miss out on my Mrs. Fields copycat recipe, my take on the Nestle Toll House recipe, chewy chocolate chip cookie recipe without brown sugar (just granulated sugar), or the ultimate Double chocolate chip cookies. I have plenty of cookie ideas, you will be spoiled for choice!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Easy recipe to make ahead a nice batch of thick, chewy cookies with a soft center.
• Brown butter and chunks of chopped chocolate bars are just perfect together! The flavors are amazing, and with a glass of milk, these cookies are a real treat.
• Perfect cookies for any occasion, potluck, and gifting.
• They are SO good, you will eat like 4 of these homemade chocolate chip cookies in one go. So maybe make a double batch…
• Not overly sweet. I only use brown sugar and real chocolate, so it has a deeper flavor rather than just plain sweet.
• I’ve made and tried SO MANY chocolate chip cookies in my life, and I can honestly say, these are one of my favorites.

Ingredients Notes

The recipe calls for just a few simple ingredients, most of which you already have in your pantry. For exact quantities, see the recipe card at the end.

• Unsalted butter is best to control the flavor profile, but if you only have salted butter, make sure to skip the salt in the recipe and taste before baking. I recommend stepping up from your regular butter and getting a really nice, premium butter.
• Light brown sugar or dark brown sugar for a deeper flavor. I don’t add white sugar in this recipe and use light brown sugar as it takes away less moisture, and I don’t risk getting dried-out cookies.
• Eggs. I don’t separate egg yolks and whites, I use the whole eggs. Make sure they are room temperature.
• Vanilla extract. Use pure vanilla extract for the best flavors.
• Flour mixture: All-purpose flour, baking soda, kosher salt. Baking soda is what makes the edges so crispy, guarantees chewiness, and makes little crackles on top of the cookies. Perfection! I don’t use baking powder (although you can add it for a more crumbly, cakey cookie).
• Instant coffee or espresso powder to enhance the chocolate flavor
• Chopped chocolate or semisweet chocolate chips. I prefer using chocolate bars here, get a really nice chocolate with 70 %+ cocoa solids to get nicely melted bits of chocolate inside your cookies.

Kitchen Equipment

• Baking sheet lined with parchment paper
• Saucepan
• Electric mixer or stand mixer
• Heat-safe bowl
• Rubber spatula (easy to mix the dough and fold in ingredients)
• Ice cream scoop (cookie scoop)

How To Make Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

1: Brown Butter

1. Melt the butter over medium heat in a medium saucepan. Stir continuously until it turns golden brown and releases a nutty aroma (about 4-5 minutes until all the water content from the butter is evaporated).
2. Do not leave it on the stove unsupervised; butter goes from browned to burnt and stuck to the bottom of the pan in seconds.
3. If you see some brown bits, don’t panic; those are natural milk solids that brown fast, and they have the best flavor. Warm butter also secretes more milk sugars.
4. Remove from the heat and transfer it to a large, heat-safe mixing bowl. Set aside to cool for approximately 10 minutes.

2: Mix Wet Ingredients

1. Add the sugar to the cooled brown butter and beat until smooth and creamy.
2. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
3. Mix in the vanilla extract and instant coffee.

3: Mix Dry Ingredients

1. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl. Then, slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until just combined.
2. Fold in the chopped dark chocolate.

4: Chill The Dough

1. Cover cookie dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (or up to 24 hours for enhanced flavor).
2. Freezing is not equal to chilling, please keep that in mind!

5: Bake

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. Portion 2 tablespoon-sized cookie dough balls onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Be sure to leave about 2 inches of space between each cookie for spreading.
3. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and the centers are slightly underbaked.
4. Cool baked cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
5. I like to sprinkle each cookie with a pinch of flaky sea salt while still warm.
6. Cookies may feel a bit greasy, it is normal!

Storage

Store chocolate chip cookies in an airtight container or ziploc bag for up to one week.

Reheat them for 1-2 minutes in the oven to get that same flavor of freshly baked cookies.

Freezing. You can freeze both the cookie dough and the baked cookies.

To freeze the dough, follow the steps till forming the balls of dough, including chilling it first, then move them to a freezer bag and store until ready to bake or up to 3 months. When ready to bake, simply let them sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes and bake as instructed.

To freeze baked chocolate chip cookies, let the cookies cool down, then freeze them stacked with parchment paper in between for up to 3 months.

Substitutions & Variations

• Chocolate. I prefer the rustic feel of chocolate chunks, but you can use milk chocolate chips, dark chocolate, or even white chocolate chips. You can use extra chocolate chips to press them on top of the cookies.
• Add chopped nuts, like walnuts or pecans, for added crunch and more nutty flavor.
• Use gluten-free flour to keep the cookies safe for everyone to eat.
• Use bread flour to make chewier chocolate chip cookies.
• Add milk or Greek yogurt to make softer, more moist cookies.
• Add extra egg yolks to make the cookie dough softer. Egg yolk helps to achieve a chewy texture.
• No-chill cookies. If you’re short on time, only add half of the baking soda and get cookies baked right away, without chilling.

Popular Questions

Does Brown Butter Change Cookie Texture?

Yes, brown butter can make cookies chewier and give them a richer taste because of the nutty flavor it adds. It can make cookies a bit drier as the browning process removes all the water content from the butter, so chilling cookie dough is crucial to keep the moist.

What Does Browned Butter Do To Cookies?

Browned butter gives cookies a deeper, nuttier flavor that makes them taste more special and delicious.

Why Did My Brown Butter Cookies Get Hard?

Cookies can get hard if you use too much flour or bake them too long. If using bread flour, you can also get harder cookies, so make sure to measure the flour correctly and better undertake them than bake for too long, as while cookies cool, they will get firmer.

How To Prevent Brown Butter Cookies From Spreading?

Chill your cookie dough in the fridge before baking so it holds its shape better, and don’t add too much butter or sugar because that can make cookies spread too much.

If you love this cookie recipe, you’re going to love these other cookie varieties, too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!

More Great Chocolate Chip Recipes

Chocolate Chip Cookies without Brown Sugar

Bakery-Style Chocolate Chip Muffins

Chocolate Chip Cookie Truffles

Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

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