Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies are a simple yet elevated twist on classic chocolate chip cookies. The nutty, caramelized tasting brown butter adds a layer of flavor that perfectly complements and enhances the chocolate in these soft and chewy cookies.
Brown butter may seem intimidating to make, but I promise that it is not! You simply heat the butter until it starts to bubble and deepen in color. It adds so much flavor to these chocolate chip cookies with minimal effort. I also use brown butter in my Brown Butter Cookies!
If you're looking for more delicious cookie recipes check out my Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars, Butterscotch Cookies, or Peppermint Cookies!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- The brown butter creates a deep, almost caramel-like taste that brings out the sweetness of the chocolate and takes classic chocolate chip cookies to the next level. I also use it in these Brown Butter Donuts.
- These cookies have a slightly crunchy edge with a perfectly chewy chocolate center. Just like my Chocolate Chip Cookies without Brown Sugar.
- The use of brown butter makes these cookies seem fancy while still being so simple to make! My Lemon Curd Cookies have the same effect.
- The taste and smell of these cookies will make them a staple in your house! Just like my Fudgy Brownies.
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
- I prefer semi-sweet chocolate, but you can use whatever you prefer. If you’re wanting puddles of chocolate chop up a chocolate bar instead of using chocolate chips. Find the same delicious chocolate puddles in my Chocolate Chip Banana Bread!
- Baking soda and baking powder are used to give the cookies a bit of rise and help make them tender.
- I always make sure to use unsalted butter when baking because there is no “standard” for the amount of salt they can add to butter. So if you add salt to a recipe and then use salted butter you could end up with a very salty end product.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions and Variations
- Add toffee bits to the cookie dough to make Brown Butter Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies.
- Add oatmeal to the cookie dough to create Brown Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies. If you're an oatmeal cookie lover check out my Oatmeal Cookies.
- Cut this recipe in half or fourth if you're looking for a small batch vibe, but I promise you're going to wish you made more!
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
Step-By-Step Instructions
STEP 1: Melt the butter in a medium-sized saucepan. The butter will start to foam and you will see orangey-brown bits form at the bottom of the pan. This will take about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from heat and allow the butter to cool until it firms up a bit.
STEP 2: In a large bowl using a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer cream together the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing fully before adding the next. Pour in the vanilla and combine.
STEP 3: In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine.
STEP 4: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Be sure not to over mix. Mix in the chocolate. Do this until just combined. Cover the cookie dough. Chill for at least 30 minutes. If you love cookie dough you should try out my Edible Cookie Dough Recipe.
STEP 5: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees (F). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Make scoops of cookie dough about 1 ½ to 2 tablespoons in size. Place at least 3 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining cookie dough.
STEP 6: Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.
STEP 7: Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool on the cookie sheet.
Expert Baking Tips
- Chill your cookie dough. I know skipping this step is tempting (you want your cookies as quickly as possible and I can’t blame you for that!) but don’t do it! Chilling cookie dough prevents the cookies from overspreading. This can cause them to be thinner, and crispier, and change the overall flavor of the end product.
- Use an oven thermometer. Most ovens run either hot or cold. Using an oven thermometer ensures that you are baking your cookies at the perfect temperature.
- Don’t use cold ingredients. Ensure that all of your cold ingredients are at room temperature before making your cookies. The ingredients will combine much easier and you won’t have chunks of cold butter in your cookie dough, which can lead to greasy cookies.
- Weigh your ingredients. One of the most common baking mistakes that I see is measuring incorrectly, especially with flour. The best way to get accurate measurements every time is to weigh them with a kitchen scale.
- Use a cookie cutter to shape your cookies after baking. If you shake a cookie cutter around the cookies when they are fresh out of the oven they will be perfectly round and more visually appealing.
- Sprinkle the cookies with flaky sea salt before serving. Salt complements chocolate perfectly and will really bring out the flavor.
Recipe FAQ's
The butter was probably too warm when you baked the cookies. This is why I recommend resting the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes before baking.
You sure can! I recommend scooping the cookie dough while it is soft and then placing it in the fridge for up to three days or in the freezer for up to two months.
Room Temperature: The Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Refrigerator: If stored correctly in an airtight container the cookies will last up to 1 week in the fridge.
Freezer: I recommend scooping the cookie dough and freezing it on a baking sheet, then transferring them to an air-tight container. That way you can pull out one or two cookies whenever you’d like them. I leave them sitting out at room temperature for about 30 minutes and then bake them normally. The dough will last up to 2 months.
You can also bake the cookies and then store them in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Brown butter is unsalted butter that has been cooked down so the water in the butter evaporates and the milk solids in the butter turn brown. It gives the butter a nutty taste and smell. Adding brown butter to dishes in place of regular butter will amp up the flavor.
More Recipes You'll Love
If you tried these Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I so appreciate hearing from you!
Recipe
Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
For Cookies:
- 2 sticks (226 grams) unsalted butter
- 1 cup (198 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (213 grams) light brown sugar packed
- 3 large (150 grams) eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups (360 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups (255 grams) chocolate chopped or chocolate chips
Instructions
For Cookies:
- Melt the butter in a medium-sized saucepan. The butter will start to foam and you will see orangey-brown bits form at the bottom of the pan. This will take about 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool until it firms up a bit.
- In a large bowl using a hand mixer cream together the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing fully before adding the next. Add the vanilla and combine.
- In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix until just combined.
- Mix in the chocolate.
- Cover the cookie dough and chill for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees (F). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Make scoops of cookie dough about 1 ½ to 2 tablespoons in size. Place at least 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Repeat with remaining cookie dough.
- Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the cookie sheet.
Notes
- Chill your cookie dough. I know skipping this step is tempting (you want your cookies as quickly as possible and I can’t blame you for that!) but don’t do it! Chilling cookie dough prevents the cookies from overspreading. This can cause them to be thinner, and crispier, and change the overall flavor of the end product.
- Don’t use cold ingredients. Ensure that all of your cold ingredients are at room temperature before making your cookies. The ingredients will combine much easier and you won’t have chunks of cold butter in your cookie dough, which can lead to greasy cookies.
- Sprinkle the cookies with flaky sea salt before serving. Salt complements chocolate perfectly and will really bring out the flavor.
- The provided nutrition information is an estimate. The calorie accuracy is not guaranteed.
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