Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

An addictive cookie with a secret ingredient: brown butter. These brown butter chocolate chip cookies are thick, chewy and bursting with a rich caramel flavor. And the best part? No mixer required!

I’ve been playing around with brown butter recently, falling in love with the deep, rich caramel flavor it brings to baked goods, like brown butter white chocolate blondies and brown butter chocolate chip cookie cake. Taking the few extra minutes to brown the butter is well worth the effort, and soon you’ll find yourself adding brown butter to everything just like me!

While it may seem intimidating, browning butter is absolutely nothing to fear and is much easier than you might think. This recipe is easy to make and requires no mixer or chilling before baking.

What is brown butter?

So you’ve probably heard of brown butter, but what is it exactly?

Brown butter involves heating butter to the point where you caramelize the milk solids. This creates a nutty, caramel flavor in the butter and adds amazing flavor to whatever it’s baked or cooked with.

How to make brown butter

The first, and second, and even third time I attempted to make brown butter I burned it. It’s only a matter of seconds between brown and burnt, but practice makes perfect. So if you burn your butter on the first try, don’t be discouraged!

Here’s how to make it:

1. Heat the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Keep the flame low to avoid burning the butter.
2. Watch the butter as it continues to heat on a low flame. You’ll notice after several minutes, small brown bits appear on the bottom of the saucepan – these are the toasted milk solids.
3. Once you notice the butter has a nutty aroma and appears with many brown bits, turn off the heat.

How to make brown butter cookies

1. Sift together the dry ingredients, including the flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt.
2. Brown the butter. Once your butter is browned, remove from the heat and immediately pour the melted brown butter into a large bowl and allow it to cool slightly.
3. Add the sugars. Pour the brown and granulated sugars into the butter and whisk together.
4. Add the egg and vanilla extract.
5. Pour in the dry ingredients. Fold in gently with a rubber spatula. Do not overmix.
6. Combine the chocolate chips. Mix together just until the chocolate chips are fully incorporated.
7. Portion. Drop rounded balls of dough onto a prepared baking sheet, about size of 1.5 tablespoons each (I love using this ice-cream scoop).
8. Bake. Bake the cookies for for 10-12 minutes, until the cookies just begin to brown at the edges, but the center is still soft.
9. Cool. Allow the cookies to cool before devouring.

Baker’s tip: Feel free to add a few handfuls of toasted walnuts or pecans for added texture and flavor.

Tips for making perfect brown butter chocolate chip cookies

• Keep an eye on the butter. As you brown the butter, don’t walk away. It can quickly burn, so keep an eye on the butter as it browns. Turn off the heat as soon as you notice small bits of brown specks on the bottom of the saucepan and smell a nutty aroma.
• Don’t overmix the cookie dough. This will make your cookies more tough and dense. To ensure they’re soft and chewy, only mix the dough until the ingredients come together.
• Use good quality chocolate. You can certainly use chocolate chips, but I actually prefer to use good quality chocolate bars cut up into chunks. They have a better flavor and are more melty in the cookies because they don’t contain stabilizers.
• Don’t overbake your cookies. The key to soft, gooey cookies is underbaking them slightly. Pull them out of the oven as soon as you start to see a hint of browning. The cookies will continue to bake as they cool.

More chocolate chip cookie recipes

• Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies: An entire chocolate chip cookie with a whole Oreo cookie inside.
• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies: The perfect fall cookie.
• Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies: Made with sweet bananas and tons of chocolate chips.
• Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies: Extra thick and chewy.
• Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies: When you want a perfect chocolate chip cookie on the fly.

5 from 2 votes

Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 12 mins

Total Time: 27 mins

YIELD: 20 cookies

 

Incredibly soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies made with nutty brown butter for an amazing caramel flavor.

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Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons (260g) all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch (optional, makes the cookies softer)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup (170g) unsalted butter
• 2/3 cup (135g) light or dark brown sugar
• 1/3 cup (65g) granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
• 1 1/4 cups (200g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips or chunks

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

2. In a medium bowl whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

3. To brown the butter, place butter in a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat and melt. Keep heating just until small golden bits start to appear at the bottom, and the butter smells nutty and caramely. Watch it carefully because the butter can burn quickly at this point. Remove from the heat and immediately pour melted butter into a large bowl and allow it to cool slightly.

4. Add brown sugar and granulated sugar and whisk until well blended. Add egg and vanilla extract and whisk until combined. Stir in flour mixture, mixing just until combined. Don’t over mix. Fold in chocolate chips.

5. Drop rounded balls of dough onto prepared baking sheet, the size of 1.5 tablespoons each (I use an ice-cream scoop). Bake for 10-12 minutes, until cookies just begin to brown at the edges, but the center is still soft. Allow to cool in pan for at least 10 minutes or until the cookies are easy to transfer without breaking. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

6. Store cookies at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months, then thaw overnight in the fridge.