Name: Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 52 min
Ingredients: 113 g unsalted butter (1/2 cup) (melted); 100 g brown sugar (1/2 cup); 50 g granulated sugar (1/4 cup); 1 tsp vanilla extract; 1 large egg (room temp.); 156 g all-purpose flour (1 1/4 cups); 1/2 tsp baking soda; 1/4 tsp salt; 100-130 g semi-sweet chocolate chunks/chips

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These brown butter chocolate chip cookies are soft and chewy in the center, crispy on the edges and loaded with pools of melted bitter-sweet chocolate that compliments the sweetness of the cookies so well! Try it, and you’ll surely be coming back for more!

About The Recipe

What makes this chocolate chip cookie recipe different from the rest? The brown butter of course! It gives a rich and nutty flavor to the cookies, which combined with the chocolate just tastes DIVINE! If you’ve never browned butter before you should know that it’s super easy and makes everything taste so much more delicious.

This brown butter chocolate chip cookies recipe has the perfect balance of chewy, soft, gooey, and crispy. sweetness and bitterness. I found that many recipes out there just used way too much sugar, and on top of that they would add lots of chocolate, which makes delicious cookies, but you would not be able to eat more than one. But this recipe has the perfect amount of sweetness combined with the perfect textures!

The BEST part about this recipe is that it’s super duper easy, no mixer required, and can be made in minutes. The ingredients are also very basic and easy to find.

What You Need To Make This Recipe

Butter: use unsalted butter to control the amount of salt in your cookies. The butter does not have to be room temperature, because we’re going to melt it anyway.

Egg: use at room temperature for the best results.

Sugars: using more brown sugar than white sugar makes these cookies moist and chewy. Dark brown sugar is best, but light brown sugar will work as well.

Flour: I’ve only made these brown butter chocolate chip cookies using regular all-purpose flour.

Chocolate: The secret to gooey chocolate chunk cookies is to use a chocolate bar that’s roughly chopped instead of chocolate chips. I used dark chocolate (semi-sweet or bitter-sweet) as it balances the sweetness of the cookies. You could also milk chocolate or just chocolate chips.

How To Make Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Step 1: Brown the butter, this will take 5-8 minutes, keep the heat on medium or low. Transfer to a bowl and let it cool for 15 minutes.

Step 2: Add the sugars, egg, and vanilla extract into the cooled brown butter and mix.

Step 3: Sift in the dry ingredients and fold until almost combined.

Step 4: Add in the chocolate chunks and fold together until fully combined (save some for the top). Avoid overmixing. Cover and chill for 20-30 minutes.

Step 5: Scoop the cookie dough onto a prepared baking tray using a cookie scoop or spoon, leaving 2 inches of space between each cookie ball. Add some more chocolate chunks to the top and bake in an oven preheated at 180 °C / 350 °F for 12-14 minutes or until the edges are slightly brown. Once baked let the cookies cool completely before serving.

Storing / Freezing Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Store the brown butter chocolate chip cookies in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to a week.

To freeze the cookie dough: scoop the cookie dough onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper and freeze it for 2 hours. Then transfer the frozen cookie dough balls into a freezer-safe bag and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature and bake as usual.

To freeze baked cookies: wrap the baked brown butter chocolate chunk cookies in a layer of aluminum foil then store in a freezer-safe bag and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature and microwave for 30 seconds to warm up the cookie if you’d like.

Pro Tips

When browning the butter it’s important to be patient, do not leave it unattended, because when the butter does start to brown it does very quickly, so it can burn easily.
Don’t overbake the cookies, when the cooking time is over the cookies will look undone, and that’s exactly how they should look. The cookies will finish cooking while they sit on the baking tray for a few minutes.
Measure your flour correctly! Adding too much or too little flour will change the texture of the cookies dramatically. Spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it off using the back of the spoon.
Chilling the cookie dough is mandatory in this recipe otherwise the cookies will spread way too much. Cold dough results in a thicker cookie, so make sure to chill the dough for at least 20 minutes or even up to an hour.
Top the warm-baked cookies with some flaky sea salt for an extra kick of flavor!
If you have a convection oven (oven with a fan setting), reduce the temperature by 20 degrees.

FAQ’s

Can I make the cookie dough ahead of time?

Yes, you can make the cookie dough 2-3 days ahead, cover it with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until you’re ready to use it. It might be a little hard when it comes out of the fridge, so let it sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes to soften it up a bit. Then shape and bake them the same way.

Can I use a different type of chocolate?

Yes, you could, but I recommend that you don’t use milk or white chocolate for this cookie recipe because it will become way too sweet. The bitterness of the dark chocolate(or chips) balances the sweetness of the cookies which results in the perfect brown butter chocolate chip cookie! But if you prefer milk chocolate then do that, it’s totally up to you.

Do I have to wait for the brown butter to cool down before adding the rest of the ingredients?

Yes, this step is crucial, I found that using hot brown butter makes the cookies too crispy and causes the cookies to spread too much. So don’t skip this step.

If you love these brown butter chocolate chip cookies, you have to try my other irresistible cookie recipes! Indulge in Tiramisu Cookies, a delicious cookie version of the classic dessert, or satisfy your chocolate cravings with Double Chocolate Pistachio Cookies, stuffed with rich pistachio spread. For a cozy, spiced treat, try Biscoff White Chocolate Cookies, featuring chewy cookies filled with Biscoff spread and white chocolate chunks. And if you’re a red velvet fan, my Red Velvet Cookies bring the iconic cake flavor into a soft, chewy cookie!

Check out my YouTube Channel for more delicious recipe tutorials! Made one of my recipes? Tag me on Instagram, I would love to see your creations!

Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 12

Chill Time 30

Total Time 52

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 10 cookies

Calories 41 kcal

Equipment

1 small saucepan
1 Large bowl
1 Spatula
1 2 tbsp cookie scoop or just a spoon
1-2 baking sheets lined with parchment paper
Kitchen scale or measuring cups and spoons
Cooling rack

Ingredients

113 g unsalted butter (1/2 cup) melted
100 g brown sugar (1/2 cup)
50 g granulated sugar (1/4 cup)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg room temp.
156 g all-purpose flour (1 1/4 cups)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
100-130 g semi-sweet chocolate chunks/chips

Instructions

In a small saucepan melt and brown the butter on medium heat. This will take 5-8 minutes, the butter will have a strong nutty aroma and the browned particles will settle to the bottom of the pan. Transfer to a medium sized bowl and let it cool for 15 minutes.
In the bowl with the cooled brown butter add, brown sugar, granulated sugar, egg and vanilla extract. Whisk to combine.
Sift in all purpose flour, baking soda, and salt. Fold using a spatula until almost combined.
Add in the chopped chocolate (or chips), save some chocolate for the top, fold until fully combined. Cover and chill the cookie dough for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180 °C / 350 °F. Line two baking trays with parchment. Using a cookie scoop or spoon, scoop the cookie dough on to the prepared baking tray with at least 2 inches of space between each cookie. Add the remaining chocolate on top.
Bake for 12-14 minutes, the edges should has slightly browned. Let the cookies on the tray for 10 minutes, then transfer onto a cooling rack to cool completely. Enjoy!