Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Brown butter is the secret ingredient that helps give these Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies their nutty flavor and ooey gooey melt in your mouth texture! They’re littered with chunks of chocolate making them simply irresistible!

In today’s post we’re going to be learning how to make what I think are my best cookies yet! The goal was to come up with an easy cookie recipe that is soft and chewy, tastes incredible and (I know this is vain) has that cookie puddle look. That’s exactly the recipe I’m giving you today!

A cookie that’s delicious with a melt in your mouth chewy center and slightly crispy outside. The star of the show is the browned butter which gives these cookies a delightfully nutty, almost toasted flavor. I love adding some chunks of chocolate on top as soon as they come out of the oven because it melts and looks even chocolate-ier! A light sprinkling of sea salt flakes helps elevate the flavors making them simple addictive!

I have loads of great cookie recipes on the blog. I can’t go past my Brownie Cookies, my Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies or my Chocolate Amaretti Cookies!

The Magic That Is Brown Butter.

What Is Brown Butter? – Brown butter is regular butter that has been cooked on a low heat until the milk solids in the butter cook away into little golden specs. It’s used in recipes where you want to add a slight nutty flavor.

How To Make Brown Butter – Browned butter is made by melting butter in a pan and cooking it until it turns golden brown in color.

Tip: it’s important to cook your butter to golden perfection on a really low heat. If the little specs go dark or black, they’ve burned and will give your cookies a very bitter, almost sour flavor.

Use good quality ingredients!

In this cookie recipe, using really good quality ingredients is key to getting great results! Things like pure vanilla extract and browning your butter help give the cookies their delicious flavor. The use of both brown and white sugar keep the cookies chewy in the center and slightly crisp on the outside. And hey, don’t forget about those cookie puddles! As these cookies cool from the oven, they deflate slightly giving them a puddle look. It doesn’t change how they taste, but they look so cool!

Ingredients You Need To Make Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe uses a few simple ingredients but relies heavily on good quality ingredients. It makes a good cookie, GREAT!

• Butter – I used unsalted butter. Make sure you brown your butter ahead of time and give it enough time to cool down before adding to the cookie dough ingredients.
• All-purpose flour – also known as plain flour.
• Baking powder and bicarb soda – help lighten the cookies texture and rise a little as they bake.
• Salt – I used fine salt for the cookie dough and sea salt flakes to sprinkle on top. Totally optional, but it makes the cookies nicer.
• Brown sugar – this helps give the cookies their deep flavor and chewy texture.
• Caster sugar – also known as superfine sugar helps give the cookies a slightly crispy exterior.
• Eggs – I used large eggs. Make sure they’re at room temperature. The addition of an egg yolks helps give these cookies a softer texture.
• Chocolate – I used chopped up Lindt Chocolate bars in my cookies. I prefer it because of the flavor. It melts into the cookies and doesn’t burn as they bake because the cookies bake for a short period of time. Tip: when using chopped chocolate, the little pieces that come off the chopped chunks will make your cookies look a little darker and speckled. If you don’t want that look, add only the larger chunks of chocolate to the cookie dough and get rid of the chocolate crumbs.

How To Brown Butter

Add the butter to a medium sized saucepan on low heat. Let it melt. At first, it will begin to bubble, then it will begin to foam. You can begin gently stirring at this stage to see if the bottom has golden flecks.

Once you see the golden flecks at the bottom of the pan, take it off the heat and carefully transfer to a heat proof bowl immediately. If it stays in the saucepan, it will continue cooking and could burn. Let this cool completely without solidifying before using in the cookie dough.

Making and Baking the cookies

• Combine the dry ingredients in a medium bowl.
• Add both sugars to a seperate large mixing bowl.
• Chop up your chocolate (get rid of chocolate crumbs and keep larger chunks if you want cleaner looking cookies with no little chocolate specks throughout.)
• Add the cooled butter and whisk. Then add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla extract to the sugar and mix until well combined.
• Add the dry ingredients and chocolate chips and use a spatula to mix until a dough forms.
• Scoop your cookies out onto a baking tray. Cover with plastic wrap. Let them chill for 2 hours.

• Once they’re chilled, add 6 on a half sheet baking tray lined with baking paper. Bake for 10 minutes.
• Once baked, use a round cookie cutter, slightly larger than your cookies and shuffle it around gently to round out your cookies.
• Finish by adding some more chopped chocolate on top, and some sea salt flakes. Allow to cool completely before serving.

Chilling The Dough For 2 Hours.

I know most of us want instant cookies, and some recipes allow for that, but there are very important reasons why these cookies need the dough to be chilled before cooking.

• Texture – chilling the dough for 2 hours gives these cookies a better texture. Almost smooth and fluffy.
• Spread – chilling the dough prevents these cookies from baking too flat and wide. Because the dough is chilled, it takes a little longer to spread and by the time it’s melted, the edges are cooked, and the cookies have already formed their shape and size.

Tips and Tricks For Recipe Success!

• Measure out using kitchen scales – measuring ingredients out by weight and not cups is the best way to get consistent results every time! I wrote all about this in my post about using digital kitchen scales!
• Using an oven thermometer will also help you get the most accurate reading of what’s happening inside your oven. Because if your temp is too high, your cookies will burn on the outside and stay raw in the middle. Too low, you end up with gloopy cookies that didn’t get activated by a heat high enough to bake up fluffy and chewy.
• Don’t skip the chill time! – this helps give the cookies their height and nice fluffy and chewy texture. It also helps develop the flavor of the cookie.
• Portion the cookies before chilling! – the dough is way too stiff if you do it after it’s chilled. I used an ice cream scoop to do this which is about 3 tbsp in volume.
• Add more chocolate chips on top for an ultra-decadent cookie!
• To make your cookies round – Use a round cookie cutter slightly larger than the cookies and shuffle it around the cookies as soon as they come out of the oven to get them nice and round.

Let’s Talk Sugar

In my recipe testing, I found that sugar plays a HUGE roll in the texture of the cookies. My very first recipe used 180g of brown sugar which made them insanely sweet really crispy on the outside and they baked flat. I reduced the sugar to 165g and it fixed all issues. Not overly sweet, slightly crispy on the edges but still fudgy and cooked in the center. They also baked a little taller.

Frequently Asked Questions about Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

How to store your baked cookies.

Room temp: store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. To freeze: freeze on a flat tray lined with baking paper and allow to completely freeze before placing in a zip lock bag. Allow to thaw for 10 minutes before baking!

Can I freeze the cookie dough?

Yes! You can easily freeze the cookie dough and then bake fresh cookies whenever you like. Simply freeze on a flat baking tray for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a zip lock bag. To bake them, let them thaw for 10 minutes and then bake as normal.

Can I make these gluten free?

I haven’t tested using gluten free flour, but I don’t see why that wouldn’t work. Just check the package instructions of the brand of gluten free flour you use to understand how much to use.

What size scoop did you use?

I used an OXO medium sized ice cream scoop which holds about 3 tbsp of cookie dough. It gives you the best fudgy center and a crispy edge.

What happens if my browned butter has black specks?

If your butter has black specs instead of golden brown it means your butter has burned. Throw it out and start again. Watch it closely.

Why is this recipe is in grams and not cups?

The short answer is accuracy! It is far easier, more accurate and you get more consistent results when you measure ingredients by weight, especially in dessert and bread baking! I wrote all about this in my post about using digital kitchen scales!

Gave this a go? Don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below! Hungry for more? Join me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and TikTok for more great recipes!

If you loved this recipe, check these out!

• Brownie Cookies
• Chewy Chocolate Cookies
• Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies  
• Chocolate Amaretti Cookies
• Linzer Cookies

Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @thescranline on Facebook and Instagram!