Infused with richly flavorful brown butter, these brown butter chocolate chip cookies are chewy and soft, and a little thick just the way they should be. They’re indeed the very BEST cookies you’ll ever eat. No chill time or mixer needed.
I sometimes wish I hadn’t invented these cookies. When they’re in the house, they last only a day or two, no matter how many batches I make. Warm, right out of the oven, sink your teeth into one of these little guys and it won’t be the last one you’ll have.
There’s something magical about these brown butter chocolate chip cookies: oh-so flavorful from the toasty brown butter bits, the dark brown sugar that adds subtle molasses notes, and the gooey chocolate chips that bring everything together. Not to mention the texture…let’s be honest, it’s all about the texture. They’re soft and chewy, a bit crispy on the outside, and thick in all the right places.
For all the cookie monsters out there, it doesn’t stop here. Try my Edible Cookie Dough so you can eat the dough right out of the bowl.
Table of Contents
- The Best Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Watch Me Make Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Ingredients for Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- How to Make Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Tips for Making the Best Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- Can I Freeze Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough?
- More Cookie Recipes You’ll Love!
- Best Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
The Best Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Brown butter is a fabulous thing. Butter is good but brown butter is awesome – and it takes chocolate chip cookies from good to awesome too.
And it’s not just the brown butter that makes these cookies amazing. You don’t need a mixer to make them and there’s no dough chill time (yes, I tested this and the dough is NOT better after chilling). Therefore they’re also the easiest brown butter chocolate chip cookies on the internet!
So if you’re into soft, chewy, perfectly thick, richly flavorful, super easy brown butter chocolate chip cookies, then you’ve found the recipe of your dreams.
Watch Me Make Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients for Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- All-purpose flour – flour is the base for cookies!
- Unsalted butter – butter because we are making brown butter cookies! Brown butter adds a deep, nutty, toasty flavor that’s reminiscent of caramel and toffee. Yum.
- Dark brown sugar – dark brown sugar plays off the caramel notes of the brown butter, adding deliciously deep flavor and hints of molasses.
- Granulated sugar – granulated sugar helps the cookies spread.
- Eggs – eggs add structure. Keep them cold!
- Vanilla extract – vanilla adds flavor.
- Salt – salt adds flavor too!
- Baking soda – baking soda helps create the perfect soft, chewy texture.
- Baking powder – baking powder has a similar role as the baking soda.
- Chocolate chips – you can use whatever kind of chocolate chips you like. I like semisweet the best!
- Finishing flake salt (optional) – like the salty-sweet thing? I do too!
How to Make Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Learn how to make easy brown butter chocolate chip cookies! Full instructions in the recipe card; this is just an outline!
- Dry ingredients.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Whisk flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder in a medium bowl.
- Brown butter.
Brown butter in a skillet over medium heat until nut/mahogany brown (5-15 minutes).
- Cool.
Pour into a heat-safe bowl, add granulated and dark brown sugars, stir, and cool for 10 minutes.
- Add.
Add cold eggs and vanilla extract to the butter-sugar mixture. Mix well.
- Mix.
Combine the flour mixture with the butter mixture. Stir until just combined.
- Fold.
Fold in chocolate chips. Dough will be soft.
- Scoop.
Scoop 2 tbsp-sized balls onto a parchment-lined or greased baking sheet, 2 inches apart.
- Bake.
Bake for 10-14 minutes until just set and light golden.
- Finish.
Sprinkle with flake salt if desired.
- Cool.
Cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack or enjoying. Repeat for other batches.
Tips for Making the Best Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Measure the flour correctly: use the spoon and level method by gently scooping flour into a dry measuring cup and leveling it off with a knife.
- Watch the butter browning carefully: Browning times can vary based on the brand of butter and your stovetop heat. Keep a close eye on the butter as it browns to avoid burning. The goal is a nutty, mahogany-brown color.
- Scrape the brown butter pan well: Scrape the skillet well to ensure you capture all the flavorful brown bits.
- Butter cooling time: Allow the brown butter and sugar mixture to cool for 10 minutes. This helps prevent the eggs from scrambling when added to the warm mixture.
- Use cold eggs: Adding cold eggs helps control the temperature of the dough.
- Choose the right chocolate: use high-quality chocolate chips or chunks! Bittersweet chocolate is more intense, semisweet is somewhere in the middle, and milk chocolate is lighter and more delicate.
- Consistent cookie size: scoop uniform-sized cookie dough balls to ensure even baking.
- Optional chilling: chilling the dough will change the results a bit. I recommend not chilling the dough for more than hour for the most consistent results. Chilling the dough for longer could yield slightly thicker cookies.
- Perfect baking time: Bake the cookies just until they are set in the middle and have a light golden color around the edges. Avoid over-baking to maintain a soft and chewy interior!
- Cooling Process: allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack. This helps them set without breaking.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
They’re soft and chewy, a little crispy on the edges, and thick but not too thick!
The culprit is likely an incorrect flour measurement (too much flour). Use the spoon and level method by gently scooping flour into a dry measuring cup and leveling it off with a knife.
Brown butter is ready when it’s nut or mahogany brown. When butter starts to brown, swirl it around in the pan for even browning. Pour the brown butter into a heat-safe bowl right away to stop the butter from continuing to brown and then burn.
Brown butter adds rich, irresistible caramel and toffee notes!
You can use regular melted butter for these cookies if you preferred, for regular chocolate chip cookies.
Yes, you can! The cookies will have a lighter, more delicate flavor.
Yes, you can either chill the dough for 1-2 days in the fridge, or you can freeze the dough. However for the absolute best results, I recommend chilling the dough for not more than an hour. Longer chilling might cause the cookies to have a thicker texture!
Store brown butter chocolate chip cookies in an airtight container once cooled completely, for 4-5 days. Refresh and warm in the oven or microwave if desired!
Can I Freeze Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough?
You can absolutely freeze the cookie dough! Form 2 tablespoon-sized dough balls and place them in a freezer-safe bag. Remove the frozen dough balls right before baking them off. Place them on a parchment-lined or greased baking sheet and bake as normal (adding a minute or two extra to the bake time).
More Cookie Recipes You’ll Love!
Best Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Equipment
- Large heat-safe bowl
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, cold
- ½ tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup chocolate chips, I like semisweet
- Finishing flake salt, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder until well combined.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, add butter. Butter will melt and then brown in 5-15 minutes (very dependent on the brand of butter so watch carefully). Once you start to smell and see brown butter begin to form, swirl the butter around in the pan for even browning. Brown butter is ready when it’s nut/mahogany brown.
- Immediately pour the butter into a large heat-safe bowl, scraping down the pan to scoop out any brown bits. Add the granulated and dark brown sugars. Stir.
- Let brown butter and sugar mixture cool for 10 minutes.
- Add cold eggs and vanilla extract. Mix well.
- Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Stir until just combined.
- Fold in chocolate chips. Dough will be very soft and malleable.
- While you can chill your dough for up to an hour, there is absolutely no need to (I actually like the cookies just as much or more without chilling the dough). Scoop 2 tablespoon-sized balls on a parchment-lined or greased baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Tip: keep bowl with dough in the fridge between batches.
- Bake cookies for 10-14 minutes until they are just set in the middle and light golden around the edges. Don’t over-bake!
- Sprinkle with flake salt if desired. Let cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely or enjoying warm! Repeat for other batches.
Video
Notes
- Important: make sure to measure flour correctly! Use the spoon and level method by gently scooping flour into a dry measuring cup and leveling it off with a knife, ensuring accurate and consistent results every time.
- While cookies are in the oven, keep dough in the fridge between batches.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
