Full of decadent flavor, these brown butter chocolate chip cookies are always a hit! Soft and chewy with crispy edges, these chocolate chip cookies are oh-so-satisfying. Seriously, you won’t be able to resist the combination of browned butter, chocolate chips, and brown sugar – it is seriously delicious!
I love all chocolate chip cookies (who doesn’t?!), but making them with browned butter is a game-changer! Seriously, these are my most favorite cookies EVER! If you have never used brown butter before, you must give it a go. This extra step in my brown butter chocolate chip cookie recipe is so worth it – plus, it is super quick to do! And once you realize how magical this ingredient is, you’ll be browning butter for everything.
If you have never browned butter before, making these browned butter chocolate chip cookies is the best place to start. To transform ordinary butter into brown butter, you must heat it in a skillet until the milk solids and butter fat begin to separate. It will eventually start to foam (this means it is browning); when this happens, do not take your eye off the pan!
Once your butter turns a golden brown color and smells nice and nutty, you’ll know it is done. You will have created an amazing flavor that you can use in this brown butter chocolate chip cookie recipe! Top tip: use a light-colored or stainless steel pan, if possible. This will make it easier to tell when your butter is that gorgeous golden color.
Why You’ll Love Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Every bite is full of chocolate! When making my browned butter chocolate chip cookies, we chop the chocolate chips up. This allows the chocolate to distribute more evenly throughout each cookie, ensuring every bite is full of chocolatey goodness.
- A yummy flavor profile. If you didn’t think chocolate chip cookies could get any better, you will be blown away by these brown butter chocolate chip cookies. The beautiful caramelized flavor from the browned butter adds a level of complexity (without any hard work!) that ordinary cookies just can’t match.
- Everyone will love them. Kids and grown-ups alike will love these browned butter chocolate chip cookies. Trust me; they won’t last long!
Ingredients For Browned Butter Chocolate Chips Cookies
- Butter
- Flour
- Baking soda
- Baking powder
- Salt
- White sugar
- Brown sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Eggs
- Chocolate chips
For the exact amounts needed, please see the recipe card below.
Instructions For Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- In a medium skillet (see note), melt cubed butter on medium heat, stirring occasionally. Butter will melt, simmer and then start to foam. Once the butter starts to become foamy, it is beginning to brown. DO NOT LEAVE IT!
- Check how brown it is by running a wide rubber spatula through the mixture. Once it is medium golden and has a nutty aroma, immediately transfer it into a heat-proof bowl.
- Place the browned butter in the refrigerator to cool while you prep the other ingredients.
- Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Once the butter has cooled to room temperature or a little warmer, combine it with the brown and white sugar.
- Add eggs, one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition.
- Add vanilla.
- Fold in dry ingredients until just combine and no flour streaks remain.
- Fold in chopped chocolate chips, being sure to add all the small flakes of chocolate that are created during the chopping process.
- I like these cookies bigger, so I use a scoop that is about 2 tablespoons and bake 8 to a standard size sheet tray.
- After you have portioned out the dough, refrigerate the sheet trays for 30 minutes (see note).
- After refrigerating, place in preheated oven and bake for 12-15 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and the centers are still soft.
Browned butter chocolate chip cookies are best stored in an airtight container at room temperature. These cookies will last for around a week when stored like this!
Cookies freeze extremely well, so yes, you can freeze these cookies! Store them in a freezer bag/airtight container, which will keep for around 3 months. To thaw, simply leave them out at room temperature until you’re ready to enjoy them.
Absolutely! Feel free to add chopped nuts, dried fruit, or even your favorite cookie spices. Before chilling the dough balls, I love topping each of them with extra chocolate chips or even larger pieces of chopped chocolate! Doing this creates a chocolate puddle when baking – which is just out of this world amazing. You can also sprinkle over some sea salt for a downright delicious flavor combination.
How do I stop my brown butter chocolate chip cookies from spreading?
If you have made cookies in the past and they have spread, you’ll know the frustration. When making my brown butter chocolate chip cookies, there are a few things you can do to stop them from spreading:
- Cool the browned butter once made (you don’t want to add piping hot butter to this brown butter chocolate chip cookie recipe!)
- Refrigerate the dough on the baking sheet for at least 30 minutes before cooking. This ensures both the dough and tray are nice and cool.
- Make sure you use the right amount of flour! The flour absorbs the browned butter when baking. If you don’t use the right amount, your cookies can spread.
With these points in mind, you shouldn’t have to worry about your cookies spreading again!
What else can I add browned butter to?
There are so many ways you can use brown butter! Swirl through creamy pasta, and add to pancake mix or your favorite dessert recipe. If you love these brown butter chocolate chip cookies, you must try my browned butter snickerdoodles next.
Also, believe it or not, browned butter makes the most indulgent beverages, too – like my butterbeer recipe (perfect for a Harry Potter theme night)! Basically, brown butter is an incredible ingredient to have at your disposal!
Looking for more delicious cookie recipes??
- The Best Snickerdoodle Cookie Recipe
- Browned Butter Snickerdoodles
- Snickerdoodle Bars
- Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Soft Almond Sugar Cookies
- Soft Sugar Cookie Recipe
- Chewy Oatmeal Cookies
- Homemade Brownie Cookies
- Soft Peanut Butter Cookies
- Molasses Ginger Cookies
- Soft Pumpkin Sugar Cookies
- The Best Pumpkin Cookie Recipe
- White Chocolate Chip Cookies
Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter 2 sticks, cubed
- 3 cups flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup chocolate chips roughly chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- In a medium skillet (see note), melt cubed butter on medium heat, stirring occasionally. Butter will melt, simmer and then start to foam. Once the butter starts to become foamy, it is beginning to brown. DO NOT LEAVE IT!
- Check how brown it is by running a wide rubber spatula through the mixture. Once it is medium golden and has a nutty aroma, immediately transfer it into a heat-proof bowl.
- Place the browned butter in the refrigerator to cool while you prep the other ingredients.
- Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Once the butter has cooled to room temperature or a little warmer, combine it with the brown and white sugar.
- Add eggs, one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition.
- Add vanilla.
- Fold in dry ingredients until just combine and no flour streaks remain.
- Fold in chopped chocolate chips, being sure to add all the small flakes of chocolate that are created during the chopping process.
- I like these cookies bigger, so I use a scoop that is about 2 tablespoons and bake 8 to a standard size sheet tray.
- After you have portioned out the dough, refrigerate the sheet trays for 30 minutes (see note).
- After refrigerating, place in preheated oven and bake for 12-15 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and the centers are still soft.
Alli says
Great twist on an old classic 🙂