Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Nutty, gooey, and absolutely irresistible–these Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies are loaded with melty pools of chopped chocolate and made with 9 simple baking ingredients. These bakery-worthy cookies will wow your taste buds!

I love classic chocolate chip cookies, and I especially love finding ways to add unique twists without just adding in any mix-in. Some favorites I’ve created are espresso chocolate chip cookies and chocolate chip sugar cookies. And my collection of cookie recipes wouldn’t be complete without these brown butter chocolate chip cookies!

The simple process of browning butter is an easy and sure way to guarantee maximum flavor! With a few other tricks, these easy bakery-worthy cookies are a favorite for any home baker to make (you’ll feel like a professional pastry chef!)

My Secret to the Best Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

The secrets out! There are four steps I’ve taken to give these cookies the wow factor they deserve:

1. Brown butter. Okay, this isn’t a secret, the title gives it away. But here’s the extra step I take: brown the butter until it’s a deep golden brown, even to the point where you think the butter has burned specks. I promise, your cookies will NOT taste burned, they’ll have TONS of flavor!
2. Dark Brown Sugar. The butter adds a nutty flavor, but the dark brown sugar adds a rich, caramelized note! I used to make these cookies with light brown sugar (which you still can), but the switch added a next-level flavor.
3. Chopped Chocolate. Skip the so-so grocery brand chocolate and grab a good quality chocolate bar. Because of stabilizers and fillers, regular chocolate chips and chunks hold their shape (and honestly don’t taste as good). But chopped chocolate creates pools of melted chocolate for a beautiful look and delicious taste and texture.
4. Chill the dough overnight. You need at least 2 hours, but chilling the cookies overnight adds even more flavor and improves their texture. It’s worth the wait!

Ingredient Notes

• Butter. Unsalted butter is my go-to for all my baking! If you use salted butter, reduce the salt amount to ¼ teaspoon.
• Eggs. Many people forget to bring eggs to room temperature for cookie recipes. It’s ideal to set them out for about an hour before baking so that they incorporate smoothly into your cookie dough. If you forget to set them out, just place them in a small bowl of warm water for 5-10 minutes.
• Vanilla. A good quality pure vanilla extract will give a lovely flavor. You can substitute with an equal amount of vanilla bean paste or scraped seeds from half of a vanilla bean.

Please see the recipe card below for the complete list of ingredients and measurements.

Step-By-Step Instructions

Step 1 - Brown the butter. Melt the butter over medium heat. When it starts to sizzle, I occasionally swirl the pan for even browning. Cook the butter until it turns a dark golden brown with burnt-looking specks throughout. You want to immediately transfer to a large bowl to stop the cooking.

Step 2 - Combine the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk everything together.

Step 3 - Combine the wet ingredients. Mix the sugars with the butter until thoroughly combined for a smooth texture. Then whisk in the egg, yolk, and vanilla.

Step 4 - Fold in dry ingredients. Use a rubber spatula to mix until just a few streaks of flour are left. Add in the chocolate and mix until just combined to avoid over mixing.

Step 5 - Scoop and chill. Scoop about 2 tablespoons (I use a 1.5-ounce scoop) of dough and arrange on a parchment-lined plate or small sheet pan (it’s okay if the dough balls are touching!). I love pressing extra chocolate into the top of each cookie.

Step 7 - Bake. Transfer the chilled cookies onto two parchment-lined baking sheets (3 inches apart is plenty!). Bake each pan for about 13 minutes. You’ll know they’re ready when the edges are lightly golden brown and the centers are puffed!

Tips for Making Perfect Cookies

• As a professional pastry chef, I always recommend using a kitchen scale to measure ingredients. It gives you accurate and consistent results (plus you can measure multiple ingredients straight into your bowl with less cleanup–my favorite!)
• Add the tiny shards of chocolate from your cutting board. When you chop chocolate, you’ll be left with all these yummy tiny pieces of chocolate that’ll melt right into your cookies.
• Parchment paper and light-colored sheet pans are your best friends. I always add a layer of parchment paper to my pans to prevent the cookies from sticking and encourage even spreading. Some people don’t know that dark, coated pans cause your cookies to bake too quickly, and the bottoms can burn. Aluminum pans are my go-to.
• Do not overbake! This is key. It’s better to have a slightly underbaked cookie than an overbaked one. Remember, your brown butter chocolate chip cookies will continue to bake once you remove them from the oven as they sit on the hot pan for a few minutes. Transfer your cookies to a wire rack to cool.

Storage & Freezing Tips

• Storage: These brown butter cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. They make the perfect sandwich cookies with vanilla ice cream!
• Freezer: I love freezing cookie dough to have last minute cookies available for my kiddo’s lunch box (without having to make a whole batch)! Scoop the dough onto a baking sheet and pop them in the freezer to harden. Then, transfer to an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. You can bake the cookies straight from the freezer, adding 2-3 minutes to your baking time.

More Brown Butter Recipes You'll Love

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Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

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• Author: Maria Pagiotas
• Total Time: 32 minutes + 2 hour chill
• Yield: 14 cookies 1x

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Description

Nutty, gooey, and absolutely irresistible–these Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies are loaded with melty pools of chopped chocolate and made with 9 simple baking ingredients. These bakery-worthy cookies will wow your taste buds!

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Ingredients

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• 170 g (¾ cup) unsalted butter
• 195 g (1 ½ cups) all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 150 g (¾ cup) dark brown sugar
• 50 g (¼ cup) granulated sugar
• 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 170 g semisweet chocolate, chopped

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Instructions

1. In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Continue to heat, while occasionally stirring, until the butter has brown specks throughout. Remove from the heat and transfer to a large bowl. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt.
3. Add the sugars, egg, yolk, and vanilla to the butter and whisk until smooth and combined.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and fold together until combined. Add the chopped chocolate and mix just until incorporated.
5. Line a small cookie sheet with parchment paper. Scoop the dough using a 1.5-ounce scoop–or about 2 heaping tablespoons–and arrange it on the cookie sheet (touching is fine). Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
6. Preheat the oven to 350°F/177°C and line two baking sheet pans with parchment paper.
7. Arrange the cookies on the baking sheets, spacing about 3 inches apart.
8. Bake, one sheet at a time, for 11-13 minutes until the edges are lightly golden brown and the centers are still soft and appear slightly underbaked.
9. Cool the cookies for 5 minutes on the hot sheet pan and then transfer to a cooling rack.

Notes

Make-Ahead:  You can make the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days in advance.

Storage:  Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Freezing:  Freeze unbaked cookie balls for up to 3 months.  When ready to bake, allow the dough to come to room temperature and bake as directed in the recipe.  If baking without thawing, allow for an extra 2-3 minutes of baking time.

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Chill Time: 2 hours
• Cook Time: 12 minutes
• Category: Cookies
• Method: Baking