Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Browned butter gives these cookies crispy edge and gooey center along with a delicious depth of flavor that is perfectly complemented by the chocolate chips. These are my go-to cookie, a favorite to keep on hand or serve at parties!
This post may contain affiliate links from which, at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission to keep this site running. Only products I myself would or do use are recommended.
This recipe is special to me. It’s one of the last recipes I made to show how big baby Brooklyn was before she was born. I was super pregnant and trying to just take some time to rest before she came (and I’m so glad I did—she was a handful as a newborn). So I opted out of baking elaborate desserts and instead made my favorite simple cookie and measured out how many cookies long she was. Only I had no platter long enough to hold them, so here’s my super pregnant belly holding a plate of 18ish inches worth of cookies.
Why this recipe works
It’s a pretty simple recipe, based off of the Nestle Tollhouse cookie recipe (all my Friends fans know what’s up). But I’ve always adjusted the sugar a bit, feeling it needed a bit more brown sugar. Which then forced me to use a bit more flour. I perfected those ratios in my Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies, but when I decided to experiment with browning the butter, I had to adjust the rations again. This is because browning the butter removes around 15% of the water content, depending on the type of butter you use. I’ve experimented and found that European butter is vastly superior in flavor and texture, as it browns beautifully and doesn’t burn or reduce too much. To account for the reduced butter, I use slightly less flour to create my favorite go-to cookie recipe.
Key ingredients
Flour. Spoon then level it so you don’t pack in too much flour.
Salt. I like to use finely ground sea salt, but table salt works, too.
Baking soda. Be sure it’s fresh so the cookies rise.
Butter. Use European, if possible, as it has less water and makes a smoother dough.
Sugar and brown sugar. I use more brown sugar than regular, as the brown sugar deepens the caramelized flavor and keeps these moist for days.
Eggs. Be sure they’re room temperature.
Vanilla. Use pure vanilla extract.
Chocolate chips. Measure with your heart, my friend! I wrote the recipe with the typical two cups, but I usually use closer to three. Don’t go beyond that, or the cookies won’t hold together.
How to make brown butter chocolate chip cookies
1. Brown your butter. This will take about 10 minutes over medium heat. Be sure to use a medium to large pan, because the butter will bubble up to about 10x its original volume. Learn from my greasy, buttery messes and use a larger pan than you think you’ll need! Once the bubbling starts to calm down and you see brown streaks as you stir and smell a nutty aroma, it should be cooked. Let cool completely (it will become opaque).
2. Sift and whisk dry ingredients. Sifting is technically optional, but I think it helps prevent over mixing.
2. Beat butter and sugar. You want the sugar slightly dissolved and the mixture to be light and fluffy, so mix at least 3 minutes.
3. Add eggs and vanilla, one at a time. Beat until well-blended each time, about 30 seconds on medium.
4. Mix in dry ingredients. Mix on low until almost fully combined.
5. Stir in chocolate chips. You can use up to 3 cups chocolate chips, but don’t use more, as the cookies will start to fall apart.
6. Chill. I like to chill my dough at least overnight, but a minimum of 1 hour and up to 3 days. This is optional, and simply helps the cookies keep their rounded shape better during baking. You can also freeze them for 10-20 minutes after shaping and placing them on a cookie sheet.
7. Form into balls. I like using a cookie scoop so I can just place the dough onto my baking sheet, but you can use a spoon then roll it into a rough ball. You’ll want about 1.5 tablespoons worth of dough. Place cookies 2” apart on your prepared cookie sheet.
Optional: you can freeze the shaped dough for about 1-2 months, if well-sealed. Bake straight from the oven.
8. Bake. Bake until no longer matte in appearance and the edges begin to darken.
9. Let cool on pan then on cooling rack. You don’t want them to keep cooking once you take them out of the oven, so only keep them on the pan 5-10 minutes.
Enjoy!
Tips and FAQ’s for this recipe
How do I brown butter?
This is actually pretty simple! You’ll just cook it over medium heat in a medium/large saucepan, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula (be sure to get the bottom and sides). It’ll start to bubble then foam. Once this starts to calm down a bit, you’ll start to smell a nutty aroma and notice some golden streaks coming through as you stir (you may not be able to see the bottom). This means you’re almost done—keep stirring until the entire thing starts to take on a golden color, but watch carefully and stir constantly, as the bottom is always darker than what you see on top.
Can I make these ahead of time?
Yes! The dough will last up to 3 days in the fridge or at least a couple months in the freezer, depending on how well-sealed they are. I like to scoop my dough out, place it on a cookie sheet and let it freeze for an hour, then place the frozen cookie dough balls into freezer safe bags. Be sure to label the dough with the date so you don’t keep them too long.
Do I have to use European butter?
Personally, I think it makes a huge difference. It’s creamier and has a very different consistency than sweet cream butter. It also browns much better than regular butter (also called sweet cream butter). Since you only have a few ingredients here, you want to make sure each one is of the highest quality. But don’t worry—you can often find it at places like Costco on sale!
Do I need to brown the butter?
Technically, no, but then you won’t have browned butter cookies, just plain chocolate chip. Browned butter cookies are chewier and don’t dry out as easily. Additionally, the ingredients here have been adjusted to account for a reduced amount of butter (browning reduces the butter by about 10-15%). If you don’t brown the butter, the cookies are likely to spread too thin or be too crispy, so I recommend using this plain chocolate chip recipe instead.
Spoon then level your flour
Don’t scoop your flour! I never knew this until I started blogging, but it seriously makes a big difference. You will end up with roughly 25% more flour than the recipe called for if you just doonk (official baking term right there) your measuring spoon into the flour container and scoop. Gently spoon your flour into your measuring cup then level it off with the back of a knife. Trust me! It makes a difference.
Help! My cookies spread too thin
This is one of the more sturdy cookie recipes, so this typically isn’t an issue. Be sure to measure the ingredients correctly. Too much or too little of either can lead to either dry, bread-y cookies or thin cookies that spread out and break easily. As well, be sure to chill the dough before shaping it then freeze after, so they are the right temperature for baking.
How do I know when the cookies are baked?
Since this is a dark dough, it’s hard to tell when the cookies are baked. You’re looking for a matte appearance throughout. Even if they’re a little underdone, they’re still delicious!
What kind of chocolate chips should I use?
I always stick with classic semisweet, partly because we’re never without the Costco bag of them. But milk chocolate would actually give a more “hot cocoa” flavor, while dark would make a deliciously rich cookie. Use what you prefer!
My tools
Here are my must-have tools I use for making these cookies. Affiliate links provided.
Mesh sieve (helpful to get the clumps out of the cocoa)
Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- prep time: 15-20 minutes
- chill time: 2 hours
- bake time: 10-12 minutes
- total time: 2 hours, 30 minutes
yields: about 3 dozen cookies (depending on size)
Ingredients:
- 1 cup (227g) unsalted European style butter*
- 2 ⅓ cups (316g) all-purpose flour**, spooned then leveled (see note)
- 1 teaspoon (5g) baking soda
- 1 teaspoon (6g) sea salt (reduce to ⅛ teaspoon if using salted butter)
- 1 ⅓ cup (266g) brown sugar, packed
- ⅓ cup (67g) granulated sugar
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon (13g) pure vanilla extract
- 3 cups (510g) semi-sweet chocolate chips (or your favorite kind)
Instructions:
- First, brown the butter in a medium saucepan (deeper than you’d think you need) over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and nutty in flavor. It will bubble and fizz for a bit then start to brown underneath all of the foam, so stir in order to see to the bottom.
- Add browned butter to the bowl of your stand mixer (or large mixing bowl). Let cool until semi-soft, about the consistency of softened butter. It’ll be a little looser and shinier than softened butter. This will take at least an hour on the counter or about 30 minutes in the fridge–but be sure to stir every five minutes or so. Either way, stir occasionally to help speed up the cooling process. You can also do this ahead of time and refrigerate it until ready to use, letting it soften on the counter about 30 minutes.
- Next, whisk together your flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a large bowl, using a hand whisk), beat the browned butter on high until smooth, about 30 seconds.
- Add the sugars and beat on high for 3-5 minutes, until it gets lighter and fluffier and the sugar starts to dissolve. Scrape the bowl as needed, at least once during this time.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat on medium until well blended, about 30 seconds. Add the vanilla and beat on medium until blended.
- Add the flour mixture and beat on low until nearly combined. Don’t worry if there are some streaks of flour, as the next step takes care of that.
- Using a sturdy spatula or wooden spoon, stir in the chocolate chips.
- Now chill! Ideally, cover and chill the dough at least an hour or up to 3 days. I found that chilling overnight was perfect. Chilling isn’t necessary, so if you’re in a rush you can bake them right away or even scoop them onto a tray and freeze it for 10 minutes before baking.
- Once the dough is chilled, preheat oven to 325F/165C and line a cookie sheet (or sheets) with parchment (or use a silicone mat to help reduce your carbon footprint!). Use a spoon or cookie scoop to form the dough into balls about 1 to 1 ½ inches in diameter. If the dough seems really soft, freeze the dough for 10-20 minutes before baking to prevent them spreading too thin.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the tops of the cookies are no longer shiny (or there’s just a tiny bit of shine around the chocolate chips).
- Let cool on the pan about 10 minutes, then either enjoy or remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
Enjoy!
Store leftovers in an airtight container on the counter.
*European butter is best! It has less water and makes a better cookie, especially in this recipe.
**Be sure to spoon then level the flour into your measuring cup OR weigh it to prevent packing it in and ending up with too much.
Note about making these ahead: you could optionally chill the dough until it’s no longer sticky and thus easier to form into a ball. Form into single cookie balls and place on a cookie tray and freeze for 10 minutes. Once firm, you can transfer the dough balls to an airtight, freezer safe container or bag and keep frozen for up to 2 months. You can bake them straight from the freezer!
