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Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies have crisp exteriors, gooey insides, and puddles of melty chocolate! Browning the butter takes mere minutes and adds incredible depth of flavor with caramely, nutty notes. Bonus – these cookies are practically effortless, with a short chill time and no mixer needed!
Table of Contents
Why you’ll love Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies:
- No Mixer – This recipe uses melted butter, so there’s no mixer required!
- Short Dough Rest – The dough just needs a short rest on the counter while you clean up and preheat the oven! However, you can also chill them longer (or make the dough ahead!)
- Packed with Flavor – Even though I’ve used some shortcuts to make this recipe simpler, we aren’t skimping on flavor! These are chock full of chocolate and nutty brown butter flavor.
Ingredient Overview:
As always, the full recipe with measurements & directions can be found at the bottom of this post.
- Butter – I always use salted buter for the best flavor, but feel free to use unsalted butter if you prefer. Be sure to let it come to room temperature before baking – creaming cold butter is not easy.
- All-purpose flour – Spoon your flour into the measuring cup, then level it with a flat utensil for best results, or use a scale. Scooping the measuring cup directly into your flour will lead to too much flour, and a potentially dry bake.
- Eggs – Use large eggs.
- Chocolate Chips – Use chocolate chips, chopped chocolate bars, chocolate chunks, or something like Guittard’s super cookie chips.
- Vanilla extract – Use real vanilla extract for best results.
Recipe Variations:
- Dairy-free – Use your favorite, trusted dairy-free butter and chocolate.
- Nuts – Add 3/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans if you like.
- Chocolate Variations – Use half semi-sweet and half dark chocolate, or half milk and half semi-sweet chocolate. It’s completely up to you!
- Other Mix-Ins – Swap out 1/2 cup chocolate for 1/2 cup of toffee bits, butterscotch chips, or m&ms.
- Speedy Version – Pinched for time? Make my Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars instead!
How to Make Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies:
Step 1: Brown the Butter. Melt butter in a medium saucepan, then continue cooking, stirring lazily, for 5 minutes or so, until foamy & golden brown.
Step 2: Make the Cookie Dough. Whisk together the butter, sugars, eggs, and vanilla. Then, stir in the dry ingredients – flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir in the chocolate last.
Step 3: Rest the Dough & Roll into Balls. Let the dough rest on the counter for 20 minutes, while your oven heats up. Scoop cookie dough balls 100 grams in size.
Step 4: Bake Cookies. Place 5-6 cookies on each cookie sheet, and bake one pan at a time for an even bake. Bake as directed in the recipe card below.
Serving + Storing:
Let the baked cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes, then dig in once they’re cooled just enough that you won’t burn your hands (or mouth, not that I’ve done that!)
These are best warm from the oven! I think cold chocolate chip cookies are just wrong. Unless they’re filled with cold milk, like my Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups!
Expert Success Tips:
- Oven Thermometer – An oven thermometer will tell you if your oven is actually running at the temperature you set it to. Your oven may not be accurate. Accurate oven temperature is crucial for most bakes, so I leave an oven thermometer in at all times to keep an eye on my oven’s calibration.
- Kitchen Scale – A food scale is the best way to make sure your flour is at the proper weight, since amounts will vary SO widely based on how you measure it, as well as the measuring cup you use, as they are not standardized.
What is Brown Butter?
Browned butter is butter that has been heated, or cooked, in a skillet on the stovetop until the milk solids are toasted (browned), giving the butter a caramely, nutty flavor that is absolutely delicious in almost any recipe.
When browning butter, it’s important to note that you will lose a bit of volume as some of the water in the butter evaporates. You generally want to add an extra 1 tbsp of butter for each 1/2 cup before browning.
FAQs:
Yes! Freeze dough balls on a lined baking sheet until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag or container and keep in the freezer for 1-2 months. Bake from frozen, adding 1-2 minutes. They will hardly spread at all, but the edges should appear and feel set when done.
Yes. Scoop dough into balls and store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days, baking off cookies as desired. They will hardly spread, and you may need to add 1 minute to the bake time. They’re done when the edges appear and feel just set.
Yes. Allow baked cookies to cool down to room temperature, then wrap pairs of two in parchment paper and seal in a ziploc bag or freezer container. Thaw cookies on the counter for 1-2 hours.
More Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes:
- Eggless Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Jumbo Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
- Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies
Did you make this recipe? Leave a comment & star rating!
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Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp salted butter, Start with 254 grams. You'll want 206 grams left after browning. See note below.
- 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed, you can use light or dark brown sugar! 163 grams
- 3/4 cup granulated or cane sugar, 156 grams
- 2 large eggs
- 1 and 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, spooned & leveled or weighed out, 390 grams
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups chocolate chunks or chips
- flaked sea salt, for topping
Instructions
- Brown the Butter: Add butter to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Melt the butter, stirring occasionally. Once it's melted, turn the heat to medium-low, and continue cooking the butter, stirring frequently. The butter will get foamy and bubbly, then turn a deep golden shade with a nutty, caramely aroma. (This will take about 4-6 minutes once the butter has melted.) Pour into a large bowl, making sure to scrape in the brown bits from the bottom of the pan, and allow to cool in the fridge until it's warm, not piping hot, while you gather the other ingredients. (See note about butter below.)1 cup + 2 tbsp salted butter
- Make Cookie Dough: Add the sugars to the mixing bowl of butter, and whisk to combine. Add the eggs and vanilla, and whisk until smooth and combined, about 30-45 seconds. Stir in the dry ingredients, then the chocolate chips or chunks last. Let the dough rest on your counter for about 20 minutes. Pre-heat your oven to 400℉ (yes, that's correct) and line a few cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats while you wait.3/4 cup brown sugar, packed, 3/4 cup granulated or cane sugar, 2 large eggs, 1 and 1/2 tsp vanilla, 3 cups all-purpose flour, spooned & leveled or weighed out, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 1/2 cups chocolate chunks or chips
- Scoop Dough Balls: Scoop the dough into balls that are 100 grams in size. This is about the size a large cookie scoop or an ice cream scoop will give you, or about 4.5 tbsp each.
- Bake: Place 5-6 cookies on each baking sheet, and bake one at a time. Bake for 4 minutes at 400℉, then turn the temp down and bake at 350℉ for 4 to 5 minutes, for a total of 9 minutes. This will give you a nice crisp exterior, while keeping the cookies soft and gooey on the inside. Immediately place a round cutter around the outside of each cookie once out of the oven, and swirl the cookie within it to "scoot" them into perfect circles. This helps keep them thicker.
- Serve & Store: Let cookies cool on the baking sheet on a wire rack for 5-10 minutes, or until cooled just enough to handle. Dig in while they're warm and gooey! Sprinkle with flaked sea salt if desired. Store cooled, leftover cookies in an airtight container for 3-4 days.flaked sea salt
- Freezing Cookie Dough & Make-Ahead Tips: Cookie dough can be balled, frozen on a sheet pan until solid, then transferred to a freezer bag or airtight container. Freeze for 1-2 months. Bake from frozen, adding 1-2 mins to the bake time. The cookies will hardly spread, but will be done when the edges appear and feel just set. Same goes if you refrigerate the dough balls (they keep 3-4 days in the fridge). Add 1 min or so to the bake time. They will not spread out of the fridge either.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Kid approved! These are delicious! The browned butter gives it a caramely taste that pairs perfectly with the soft gooey cookie.
So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe, Veronica!
Best chocolate chip cookies ever!!
So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe, Wendi!
This recipe was delicious so glad I found it and was introduced to this entire page can’t wait to try more cookie recipes ❤️ it also was super easy every one in my family loved them
So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe, Vanessa!
Best cookie recipe I have found! Made it twice already!! Y’all need to try this!
So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe, Sachi!
Omg !!!! I finally found a go to cookie recipe!!!!! Delicious
So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe, Monique!