Browned Butter and brown sugar come together to create the chewiest, gooiest chocolate chip cookies you’ve ever had! Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies have the best buttery, crisp edges and soft, chocolatey middles!
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Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
I could eat a chocolate chip cookie every single day from today to the end of my life. I really mean that. The experience of eating a warm, chocolatey, chewy chocolate chip cookie straight out of the oven is the closest a person can get to heaven on this earth.
When I’m feeling fancy, or I just need to switch up my cookie game, I start whisking up a batch of brown butter. Browned Butter Chocolate Chip cookies are like the elegant cousin of the traditional chocolate chip cookie. Nutty, buttery, chewy, and rich, these easy to make cookies are the perfect midnight snack or midday treat!
How To Make Browned Butter
Brown butter is heat-treated butter that allows the milk solids in the butter to caramelize. It’s known for a deep amber, light brown color and a noticeable nutty scent.
I use brown butter to elevate my dessert recipes and add dimension to my food with minimal effort. It takes only a few extra minutes, and is almost foolproof.
Here’s how you do it:
- Place your butter in a small non-stick saucepan and turn the heat to medium-high.
- Once the butter has begun to melt, stir it with a wooden or silicone spoon. A whisk will also work just fine.
- Allow the butter to keep cooking. First, the butter will begin to bubble and then a foam will form at the top. Next, a nutty scent will start to waft up and there will be tiny brown bits floating to the bottom of the pan.
- Remove the pan from the heat. Transfer the butter to a heat-safe bowl and allow it to cool completely before using.
TIP: When browning butter for the first time, it’s important to keep your eye on it. Use your senses, and smell the butter. Use a light colored saucepan so you can see the color. It should be a deep caramel color. If you’re unsure, err on the side of a lighter caramel as brown butter can easily burn.
Ingredients
This is a simple recipe. All you need are the same things you’d need for a regular chocolate chip cookie recipe:
- Unsalted butter
- All-purpose flour
- Cornstarch
- Salt
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Granulated sugar
- Brown sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract
- Chocolate chips
See? Nothing you probably don’t already have in the cupboards! Be sure to use active baking soda and baking powder. Eggs should be at room temperature.
Either light or dark brown sugar will work. Dark brown sugar will produce a chewier, deeper flavored cookie. High quality vanilla extract goes a long way with chocolate chip cookies.
Use chocolate chips, chunks, or whatever the heck else you’d like! I like to chop up a fresh chocolate bar when I’m feeling fancy.
Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
I’ve had success with swapping the all purpose flour in this recipe with a cup for cup gluten-free variety. Keep in mind, the lack of gluten will slightly alter the texture of brown butter cookies but they’ll still be delicious!
How To Make Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Outside of gathering the ingredients and developing enough patience to actually chill the dough this time, there’s not much active work in this recipe. At least least not any more than your typical chocolate chip cookie recipe.
Sure, making browned butter adds a little extra time but the flavorful result is like none other. If you’re not into it, try swapping out the brown butter for room temperature unsalted butter. Either way you’re eating some darn good browned butter chocolate chip cookies!
Here’s the really big secret to this recipe: you absolutely have to chill the dough. This not only helps to develop rich flavors but it also determines texture. A chilled, firm dough will produce a cookie that slowly spreads during baking and becomes cracked and chewy after being cooled. It’s the perfect cookie.
How To Store Leftover Dough
This recipe makes a large batch of cookies, so if you’d like to save some dough from later you won’t get any lip from me. I recommend splitting the dough in thirds or quarters. Each portion will fill up about one cookie sheet. The rest you can either refrigerate for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
To refrigerate or freeze homemade chocolate chip cookie dough: wait until the dough has had its first rest before rolling out the individual rounds. Place the dough balls on a parchment lined baking sheet, then place it in the fridge to harden before transferring into a large freezer bag. Whenever you’re ready to bake, just follow the instructions provided in the recipe!
How Long Do Baked Cookies Last?
Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies should be stored in an airtight container at room temperature, where they’ll stay fresh for up to 5 days.
Baked cookies will keep in the freezer for up to 3 or 4 weeks. After baking, allow cookies to cool completely. Place them in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet to freeze them, then store them in a freezer-safe zip-top storage bag labeled with the date.
More Delicious Chocolate Chip Cookies
Love this recipe? Try out a few more of my chewist, gooiest, and most glorious chocolate chip cookie recipes:
- Chocolate Chunk Cookies
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies
- The Best Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Brown Butter Butterfinger Cookies recipe
- Mrs. Fields Chocolate Chip Cookies
Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
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Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 2 large egg yolks at room temperature
- 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, add butter and melt over medium heat. Once the butter has fully melted, white foamy bubbles will begin to appear over the top of the butter. Watch carefully as the butter’s color changes to brown and the smell of the butter becomes somewhat nutty.
- As soon as the butter is an amber brown color, remove from heat and pour it into a small bowl where it will cool to room temperature. Cover the bowl and refrigerate until the butter comes back to solid but is still malleable.
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, salt, baking powder and baking soda and put aside.
- In the bowl of your mixer, add butter and both granulated and brown sugars and cream together for 3-4 minutes on high until light and fluffy.
- Next add in eggs one at a time beating until incorporated. Then add in pure vanilla extract and beat until smooth.
- Turn down your mixer to low and add in flour mixture in three intervals, beating after each addition until well-combined. Lastly, add in chocolate chips.
- Place dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
- Scoop cookie dough in balls the size of a tablespoon and place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet at least 1 1/2 inches apart. Place the baking sheets into the refrigerator for another 30-90 minutes. The longer the better.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake 10-13 minutes then allow cookies to cool for at least 4-5 minutes then serve.
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I always love the depth of flavor brown butter adds to cookies. It just gives them a richness and depth of flavor regular butter can’t match. So good!
I have to agree, brown butter makes cookies taste yummy. These would disappear in a flash. Great for bake sales and taking to parties.
The perfect chocolate chip cookies. Love that sprinkling of sea salt on top!
Haven’t made these yet because the amount of granulated sugar needed is missing. Looking forward to trying these once I know how much to use.
Your recipe for Browned Butter Chocolate Cookies only calls for brown sugar in the Ingredients list. But the instructions say to mix in the brown and granulated sugars. Is an ingredient left out?
Yes thanks for catching that. It has been updated. 1/2 a cup of granulated sugar.
Brown butter always takes thing up a notch, and it is not a surprise these chocolate chip cookies are a cut above the usual cookies.
Traditional chocolate chip cookies are my favorite but I love how they get taken up a notch with the addition of browned butter. It really adds a wonderful flavor to a classic cookie.
The extra step of the browned butter is totally worth it. It puts these cookies over the top!
Delicious yet simple recipe that the whole family loved. Can’t wait to make it again!
I’ve never tried brown butter cookies before. I imagine that extra few minutes makes a big difference. I’m going to try these with my daughter this weekend!