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Brown butter chocolate chip cookies make the best chocolate chip cookies! Soft and chewy, with the perfect ratio of chocolate to cookie (hint: the more chocolate, the better!), these cookies are everything. Recipe makes 26 cookies.
Brown butter, plenty of brown sugar, rich chocolate, and a generous shower of flaky salt take the classic chocolate chip cookie to new heights!
Perfect Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Brown butter – Brown butter adds rich caramel flavor to these cookies! If you’ve never made brown butter, the process is simple. Melt butter in a saucepan until it turns golden and amber colored, with a nutty aroma (similar to the smell of toasted hazelnuts). Pour brown butter in a bowl and solidify to room temperature.
Brown sugar – Light brown sugar or dark brown sugar are both delicious in these cookies. If you opt for dark brown sugar, the cookies will bake up slightly darker from the additional molasses.
Chocolate – The secret to perfect chocolate chip cookies is to use a mix of semisweet chocolate chips and chopped chocolate.
Chocolate chips have stabilizers, meaning the chips soften during the baking process, but don’t completely melt, ensuring that the cookies don’t flatten out. Semisweet chocolate baking bars (I love Ghirardelli!) add plenty of rich, gooey chocolate to each bite – use a serrated knife to chop the chocolate bars into chunks.
Flaky salt – A shower of flaky salt enhances the rich chocolate and caramel notes of these cookies. Sprinkle the cookies with flaky salt as they cool.
Chill dough – Chill this cookie dough for 2 to 3 hours before baking. The chill time intensifies the flavors and ensures that the cookies don’t overspread in the oven.
Bake – Bake cookies for 11 to 12 minutes, rotating baking pans halfway through, until the edges and tops are golden and just set. Remove pans from the oven and let the cookies cool for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
Brown Butter Tips
- Learn how to make brown butter in my easy recipe tutorial with step-by-step photos.
- To brown butter, cook butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until it foams, turns clear, and then turns a medium brown, about 5 minutes.
- Pour brown butter into a shallow glass bowl or glass measuring cup and chill in the freezer until solidified, about 45 to 60 minutes. Once the brown butter is solid, transfer to your mixer and beat with the sugars until creamy.
- To make brown butter ahead: Once solidified, cover the bowl or measuring cup tightly with plastic and store overnight in the refrigerator. On baking day, bring brown butter to room temperature before using.
Make Ahead Tips
These cookies can be prepped ahead. Simply scoop the dough out onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze for 1 hour, then transfer the dough balls to an airtight container and freeze up to 2 months. Bake cookies directly from the freezer, adding 1-2 minutes to baking time.
How to Freeze Cookies
To freeze the baked chocolate chip cookies, let cookies cool completely, then transfer to an airtight container in the freezer. Rewarm cookies in a 350°F oven for 5 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with flaky salt and enjoy with a glass of milk!
More cookie recipes you’ll love:
- Salted Brownie Cookies
- Small Batch Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Salted White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies
- Nutella Stuffed Chocolate Cookies
- Graham Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Did you try this Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe? Let me know by leaving a comment below!
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Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours 42 minutes (includes chilling)
- Yield: 26 cookies
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
The BEST brown butter chocolate chip cookies! Filled with rich chocolate chips, you’ll love these soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies. Recipe makes 26 cookies.
Ingredients
Cookies
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1 2/3 cups flour
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup light or dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 3 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
Topping
- 3 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
- flaky salt
Instructions
- Cook butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until it foams, turns clear, and then turns a deep brown, about 5 minutes. Pour browned butter into a shallow glass bowl or glass measuring cup and chill in the freezer until solidified and the texture of room temperature butter, about 45 minutes to an hour.
- Whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Beat solidified brown butter and sugars in a large mixer bowl at medium speed until creamy; beat in egg, egg yolk, and vanilla until combined. Reduce speed to low and gradually add flour mixture; beat just until incorporated. Fold in chocolate chips. Cover dough and chill in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Form 1 1/2-inch balls of dough and place two inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Top cookies with chopped chocolate, pressing gently to adhere.
- Bake cookies for 11 to 12 minutes, rotating pans halfway through, until edges are golden and set. Sprinkle cookies with flaky salt and let cool 10 minutes on baking sheets, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 to 4 days.
Notes
Brown butter: Check out my full step-by-step recipe tutorial.
Chocolate: If you prefer to use only chocolate chips in this recipe, fold 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips into the dough, and use 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips to top the cookies before baking.
Cookie scoop: Use a medium cookie scoop which holds approximately 1 1/2 tablespoons of cookie dough.
Make ahead: Scoop the dough out onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Top with chocolate chips. Freeze for 1 hour, then transfer the dough balls to an airtight container and freeze up to 2 months. Bake cookies directly from the freezer, adding 1-2 minutes to baking time.
Freeze cookies: To freeze the baked chocolate chip cookies, let cookies cool completely, then transfer to an airtight container in the freezer and freeze up to 2 months. Rewarm cookies in a 350 degree oven for 5 minutes or until heated through.
This recipe sounds so yummy! I was wondering what is your favorite flaky salt to put on these cookies? Do you use Maldon Salt or what brand do you recommend.
Thank You.
Hi Debbie, I use and love Maldon salt. Happy baking!
Hi! Will it be okay if i refrigerate the dough overnight to bake them the next day?
Yes, the cookie dough can be refrigerated overnight. On baking day, remove the dough from the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for about 30 to 45 minutes (to warm up a bit) before rolling into balls and baking.
These cookies are great! They are soft (a big hit with family!) and I love the brown butter. They are really delicious and everyone should try them. Thanks, Laura.
So glad you tried this recipe, Ellen! 🙂