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These are seriously the best Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies! Warm and toasty, packed with dark brown sugar and plenty of melty chocolate chips, these crisp-chewy beauties go way beyond your basic chocolate chip cookie.
I don’t want to say that my brown butter chocolate chip cookies are the best cookies of all time, but between you and me, these are definitely the best brown butter chocolate chip cookies of all time! Browning the butter first gives the cookies an incredible depth of flavor you won’t find in ordinary chocolate chip cookies (although my chewy chocolate chip cookies are a close second if you don’t have time to brown the butter). You’ll also finish the cookies with a little sprinkling of sea salt to take them over the top.
Why I Love These Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- The browned butter. You may not think that a simple step like browning butter will make such a big difference, but trust me, you want to brown the butter! It adds a caramelized flavor note you won’t get from regular butter.
- Easiest cookies ever. I love that you don’t need a beater for these cookies because you melt the butter first – just a whisk and a spoon are needed.
- Kid-friendly. If your kids are like my kids, they love any type of chocolate chip cookie, especially served warm. I’ll sometimes dust half the batch with sea salt and leave the rest plain to suit their younger palates.
What You’ll Need
Easy pantry ingredients plus butter and eggs are all you’ll need for these deep, dark browned butter chocolate chip cookies. Here are a few notes along with the ingredients list. You’ll find the full amounts and detailed instructions in the printable recipe card at the end of this post.
- Butter – Unsalted butter works best. No need to bring it to room temperature first because you’ll be melting it.
- Sugars – A combination of granulated sugar and dark brown sugar adds sweetness. You can use light brown sugar if needed.
- Eggs – Use large eggs plus 1 egg yolk, brought to room temperature so that they easily blend into the dough.
- Vanilla Extract – Pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste works well.
- Dry Ingredients – These include all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt.
- Chocolate Chips – For the best results use a good-quality brand of chocolate like Guittard, and keep them semisweet!
- Flaky Salt – For sweet-salty contrast, add flaky sea salt to the tops of the cookies.
How to Make Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
You’ll melt the butter until it’s deeply browned, but make sure not to burn it. I’ve given you a good idea of what this looks like below.
- Make brown butter. Melt the butter over medium heat, then keep cooking until it turns a deep golden brown, about 4-7 minutes, then cool to room temperature.
- Mix the sugars and butter. Combine the brown butter with the granulated sugar and brown sugar.
- Add eggs. Whisk in the eggs and egg yolk, then add the vanilla.
- Combine dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt.
- Combine. Gently stir the dry mix into the butter-sugar mixture.
- Add chocolate chips. Fold in the chocolate chips, then chill the batter for at least 30 minutes.
- Form the cookies. Use a cookie scoop or tablespoon to portion the dough, rolling each scoop into a ball.
- Bake. Place the cookies on lined baking sheets and bake at 350°F for about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with flaky salt if using.
The Trick to Browning Butter
The main trick to browning butter is watching it carefully while it’s cooking. The butter will start smelling nutty and turning a caramel color, which means it’s progressing nicely. Take the pot off the stove as soon as it starts to darken. You don’t want to cook it too long otherwise the butter will burn. Make sure to cool the butter completely before continuing with the recipe.
More Tips and Variation Ideas
- Swirl the pan. Another tip for browning butter is to swirl and shake the pan every so often. This will help it to cook evenly and not stick to the bottom of the pan.
- If it burns, toss it. If you cook the butter too long and it burns, throw it away and start again. DO NOT use burnt browned butter to make cookies (or anything else).
- Chill the dough. Make sure to chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. This step helps solidify the butter so that the cookies don’t spread too much during baking.
- Make a double batch of dough. This dough doubles great! You can bake off as many cookies as you want then freeze the rest. I like to form the dough into balls, place them on a cookie sheet, and freeze them until hard. Then I put the frozen dough balls in a freezer-safe container with parchment between any layers, and freeze them for up to 3 months. You can bake them off directly from frozen!
- How to serve browned butter chocolate chip cookies: These cookies are best enjoyed warm while the chocolate chips are still melty and have a soft and chewy texture. They’re also lovely with a caffe macchiato!
- Add nuts: I love adding 1-2 cups of chopped walnuts to browned butter chocolate chip cookies for crunch.
- Chocolate options: You can use milk chocolate chips rather than semisweet chips if you like a sweeter cookie, try a chopped bar of your favorite chocolate, or even swap white chocolate chips!
How to Store
If you don’t gobble up your chocolate chip cookies on the day they’re made – hard, I know – here’s how to store them:
- Counter – Place your cookies in an airtight container and keep them at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- Fridge – Store the cookies in their airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freezer – Transfer cooled cookies to a freezer-safe bag and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost the cookies in the fridge before serving.
Fun Cookie Recipes to Try
Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
These crispy yet chewy brown butter chocolate chip cookies are packed with dark brown sugar and plenty of chocolate chips in every bite.
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- pinch of sea salt
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- flaky sea salt, for finishing
Instructions
- Melt the butter. Place 2 sticks of unsalted butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once the butter melts, begin whisking occasionally. After a few minutes, the butter will start to foam. This process can take about 4-7 minutes.
- Brown the butter. Once the foam forms, whisk continuously, as it becomes harder to see what is happening underneath the surface. As the butter continues to cook, the milk solids will sink to the bottom of the pan. At first, these solids will be pale, but within a minute or two, they will begin to toast and turn golden brown.
- Continue to brown the butter. Stir continuously to prevent the solids from burning. The butter is ready when the solids reach a deep amber color and the butter gives off a rich, nutty aroma. At this point, remove the butter from the heat to prevent burning.
- Cool the butter. Carefully pour the butter into a glass measuring cup or heatproof jar, making sure to scrape in all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. These toasted bits add depth to the flavor. Let it cool to room temperature.
- Mix the sugars and butter. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooled brown butter with white granulated sugar and packed dark brown sugar. Use an electric mixer or whisk to beat the mixture until smooth and creamy.
- Add the eggs. Add two whole eggs and one egg yolk, plus the vanilla extract. Mix well until fully incorporated.
- Combine the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and sea salt.
- Combine the dry and wet ingredients. Gradually add dry ingredients to the wet mixture, stirring with a whisker until just combined. Be careful not to overmix, as this could make the cookies tough. The dough will be thick and slightly sticky.
- Add chocolate. Gently fold in 2 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips, making sure they are evenly distributed throughout the dough.
- Chill the dough. Cover the cookie dough with plastic wrap and chill it in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. This step helps solidify the butter, ensuring the cookies don’t spread too much during baking.
- Prep the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
- Shape the cookie dough balls. Use a cookie scoop or tablespoon to portion the dough, rolling each scoop into a ball. Place the dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches of space between them to allow for spreading.
- Bake. Bake the cookies for 10-11 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and the centers are still soft. They will continue to set as they cool. Avoid over baking to keep the cookies chewy.
- Remove from oven and cool. As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, sprinkle each one with a pinch of flaky sea salt to enhance the flavors. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Equipment
Nutrition
Calories: 259kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 35mg | Sodium: 56mg | Potassium: 119mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 264IU | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
Did you make a recipe? Leave a rating
These are so good. I love that nutty flavor that the brown butter gives the cookies.
The warm, toasty brown butter, dark brown sugar, and melty chocolate chips really take these cookies to the next level.
Might be my new favorite chocolate chip cookies! The browned butter and brown sugar add a lot of depth and flavor. We all loved them!
Oh these came out perfectly crispy and chewing! Absolutely delicious!
My new favorite chocolate chip cookies! I don’t do recipes with brown butter often, because I’m lazy, haha, but it’s really worth it to take the couple extra minutes to do it with these cookies – they are heavenly!