There is truly nothing quite like the aroma of butter browning on the stove. It’s that rich, nutty promise filling your entire kitchen, signalling that what you’re about to pull out of the oven will be special. Trust me, this small extra step is what separates a good cookie from the absolute best cookie you’ve ever had. We’re talking about the richest, softest Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies you can imagine. For me, baking is all about creating comfort and memory, and these cookies nail that feeling perfectly. They take that nostalgic classic and give it a little gourmet kick. If you follow my simple method, you will get those perfect, soft, chewy results every single time. If you want more tips on nailing that bakery-style result, check out my guide on how to bake perfect cookies every time.
Why You Will Love These Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
I really think this recipe is a winner, and honestly, once you try butter browned in your own kitchen, you might not go back to the old way! These are not just any chocolate chip cookies; they are the definition of an elevated everyday treat. You absolutely have to give them a try.
- Unbelievable Flavor Depth: Browning the butter unlocks deep, toasty, nutty notes that regular butter just can’t touch. It’s phenomenal!
- Perfect Texture Every Time: We are aiming for that ideal middle ground—crisp edges that give way to a ridiculously soft and chewy center, just like the best bakery cookies.
- Simple Upgrade, Massive Payoff: It’s only one slightly different step, but the result is so much more sophisticated. It makes these Homemade Cookies feel incredibly premium.
- Chocolate Chunks Melt Perfectly: I like using a mix of chunks and chips because the chunks create those glorious pools of melted chocolate throughout the cookie.
- They Smell Like Home: The smell while they bake is warm, comforting—it’s instant happiness that spreads through the whole house.
- Great for Freezing: This dough freezes beautifully, so you can have surprise Dessert Recipes ready whenever a craving hits! If you are looking for other easy recipes to prep ahead, you might love my Cowboy Cookies too.
Essential Ingredients for Perfect Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Alright, let’s look at what you need. For these Baking Recipes to shine, the quality and handling of these few ingredients really matter, so pay attention to the details! I always tell people that if you have a kitchen scale—use it! Weighing is the number one way to ensure success when we are aiming for bakery standards.
Here’s the rundown:
- Butter: We need 10 tablespoons of salted butter. Browning it makes the core flavor, so this is crucial!
- Flour: 1 ½ cups (215g) of standard all-purpose flour will do the trick.
- Leavening/Salt: ¾ teaspoon baking soda paired with ¼ teaspoon salt.
- Sugars: Be specific here! You need ⅔ cup of light brown sugar—and make sure it’s packed tight—plus ⅓ cup of standard white granulated sugar.
- Liquids/Flavor: One large egg, making sure it’s totally at room temperature, 1 tablespoon of milk, and 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract.
- Chocolate: This is important for the chew! You want 3 oz of dark chocolate, coarsely chopped into chunks, PLUS ½ cup of standard semisweet chocolate chips.
- Topping: A sprinkle of flaky sea salt at the end is totally optional but highly recommended for that gorgeous sweet/salty pop.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions for Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Listen, I know butter can be tricky. If you use a scale for the butter, you avoid any confusion about weights versus volume, which is always best. Also, about the chocolate—using those chunks instead of just chips is non-negotiable for that gooey texture. The chunks create those lovely pockets. If you don’t have dark chocolate on hand, feel free to substitute it with milk chocolate, but know that milk chocolate melts faster, so watch your baking time closely!
Step-by-Step Instructions for Making Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Okay, this is where the magic happens, and I promise, it’s straightforward once you see it through. We’re going from liquid butter to nutty perfection, then we chill, and finally, we bake those amazing Easy Cookie Recipes wonders. Don’t rush the cooling step, or you’ll end up with flat puddles instead of perfect little nests of deliciousness. If you want more ideas for simple baking, check out my guide on easy cookie recipes.
Mastering the Brown Butter Technique for Your Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
First up, we brown the butter! Put your 10 tablespoons of salted butter into a small stainless steel saucepan over medium heat. It’s going to melt, then foam up, and you need to stay right there watching it—don’t walk away! After about 8 to 10 minutes, you’ll see little brown specks forming at the bottom, and you’ll smell that incredible nutty aroma. That’s your cue! Immediately pour that glorious browned butter into a large mixing bowl to stop the cooking. Now, this is vital: let it cool down for at least 20 to 30 minutes. We need the butter to be just slightly warmer than room temperature, ideally between 90 and 93°F. If it’s too hot, it melts the sugar; too cold, and it won’t mix right. Patience here pays off big time for texture!
Mixing and Chilling Dough for Soft & Chewy Cookies
Once your butter is cooled, whisk your dry stuff—flour, baking soda, and salt—in a separate bowl. Now, combine the cooled brown butter with both the light brown and white sugars. Mix that gently with a spatula until it looks like thick, wet sand. If you’re using a mixer, just 20 seconds on medium speed lightly combines it. Next, add your room-temperature egg, the milk, and that vanilla extract. Mix until it’s creamy and uniform. Now introduce the flour mixture, mixing on low speed or folding by hand *just* until you see almost no white streaks remaining. Stop mixing right there! Add your chocolate chunks and chips, fold them in quickly to distribute, and then cover the bowl. You absolutely must refrigerate this dough. I recommend two hours, but up to four is even better. Chilling firms up the fat, which means these Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies won’t spread into thin pancakes when they bake.
When you’re ready to bake, preheat your oven to 375°F and line your baking sheets with parchment paper—never skip the parchment! Use a scoop to portion out 14 dough balls. Don’t worry about flattening them; they’ll relax in the oven nicely. Bake for just 8 to 10 minutes until the edges look set and golden, but the centers still look soft. Let them sit on that hot sheet for two minutes before moving them to a rack. A little sprinkle of flaky sea salt right on top if they are still warm makes these amazing Sweet Treats unforgettable!
Tips for Success When Baking Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
I’ve messed up batches of these cookies more times than I care to admit when I was first figuring out the rhythm! But now I know the little secrets that guarantee you great results. Trust me, avoiding these common snags makes all the difference between a good cookie and *this* cookie.
First, and I can’t stress this enough when dealing with fats: please weigh your ingredients if you can! Especially that flour. Scooping flour directly from the bag compacts it, and you end up using too much, which makes for dry cookies. I always recommend using a scale for accuracy.
Second, watch your oven temperature. Since we added that extra moisture from the brown butter, these cookies can sometimes look underdone if your oven runs cool. Use an oven thermometer if you’re unsure! They should look beautifully golden-brown around the edges but still a little pale in the middle when you pull them out.
Third, give them space on the baking sheet! Those 3 inches apart are important because the butter fat, even chilled, encourages spreading. If they touch, you just get one giant cookie, and we want 14 distinct, perfect beauties. If you love baking, you might enjoy my Chocolate Peppermint Bread for another fun holiday treat!
Storage and Reheating Instructions for Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
The hard part—waiting for them to cool—is over, but now we have to keep these beauties perfect! Luckily, because we used that lovely brown butter and plenty of sugar, these cookies are quite stable at room temperature. You want to keep that soft, chewy center intact, right?
For storage, just pop the completely cooled cookies into an airtight container. Seriously, that’s it! Keep them on your counter, away from direct heat or sunlight. If you store them well, they should stay just as fresh and soft for a solid four or five days. Never put them in the fridge unless you absolutely have to, because refrigeration tends to make cookies stiff and dry them out way too fast.
Now, if they somehow get a little less soft after day three or four, don’t worry! Reheating is the trick to bring them back to their just-baked glory. Pop one single cookie onto a microwave-safe plate and heat it for just 10 to 15 seconds. It only takes a few seconds for the chocolate to melt again and the butterfat to soften up, making it taste like you just pulled it off the baking sheet moments ago. Enjoy!
Serving Suggestions for Your Homemade Cookies
These Homemade Cookies are pretty much perfect all on their own, aren’t they? But why stop at perfect when you can achieve pure decadence? The rich, nutty warmth from the brown butter really pairs beautifully with the melted dark chocolate, so we want to complement that, not fight it.
My absolute favorite way to eat one of these cookies is when it’s still slightly warm—just out of the cooling rack—with a giant glass of cold milk. Seriously, the temperature difference between the warm cookie and the ice-cold milk is just heaven. That milk cuts through the richness just perfectly.
For an afternoon pick-me-up, nothing beats pairing one of these with a strong cup of coffee or an Americano. The slight bitterness of the coffee really enhances the toasted notes we worked so hard to bring out by browning the butter. It feels so cozy and grown-up!
If you’re serving these dessert recipes up after dinner, try melting a small scoop of high-quality vanilla bean ice cream right on top. Let it sit for just a minute until it starts to puddle around the edges. It’s decadent, I know, but you deserve it. If you happen to have leftover vanilla sauce from my Bread Pudding recipe floating around, that’s also an incredible drizzle option!
Frequently Asked Questions About Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
I get so many questions about these cookies! It’s because once you taste that deep brown butter flavor, you want them to be perfect every time. Let’s tackle some of the things I hear most often about these Easy Cookie Recipes.
Can I skip chilling the dough?
Oh, I really, really advise against it! Chilling is crucial for these Dessert Recipes because it lets the flour fully hydrate and solidifies the fat from the brown butter. If you skip it, you absolutely will end up with thin, greasy cookies that spread too much. Two hours is the minimum I recommend for the best chewy texture.
What should I do if my butter burns while browning?
Oops! It happens to all of us. If you see the beautiful brown specks start turning black or smell a distinctly acrid, burnt odor—stop immediately! You sadly can’t salvage it. The bitter chemical taste will ruin the whole batch. Just toss it and start over with fresh butter, keeping the heat a little lower next time. Don’t stress; it’s a learning process!
How can I make my Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies flatter or thicker?
This is an easy fix based on temperature and sugar! To get a flatter cookie, make sure your dough is closer to room temperature before baking (maybe only chill for one hour, or let it sit out for 15 minutes). To get thicker, taller cookies, make sure your dough is thoroughly chilled, add just a tiny bit more flour (maybe a teaspoon), or even chill the scooped dough balls again before they go into the oven. For other fast baking ideas, check out my Easy Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins!
Can I make this recipe without salted butter?
You totally can, but you must adjust the added salt measurement. If you use unsalted butter (10 tablespoons), make sure you still add that ¼ teaspoon of salt into your dry ingredients mixture. Salt is a flavor enhancer; it makes the chocolate taste richer and balances the sweetness, so please don’t skip it entirely!
Estimated Nutritional Information for Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Now, I know some of you are just here for the pure indulgence, but others want to keep track of what you’re eating! It’s important to remember that the nutritional breakdown for these amazing Homemade Cookies can change based on exactly what brand of chocolate or type of butter you use. So, please view this information as a helpful, general estimate based off standard calculations for the recipe as written.
Since we are using rich brown butter and plenty of chocolate, these are definitely meant to be eaten as a beautiful, satisfying treat! Here’s a rough idea of what’s in one cookie (based on 14 servings):
- Calories: Around 220 per cookie.
- Fat: It’s a bit higher in fat, which is where all that wonderful flavor comes from, hovering around 13 grams.
- Carbohydrates: Expect about 25 grams here.
- Protein: Generally around 3 grams.
Remember, these are rich, bakery-style Sweet Treats, so they are meant to be enjoyed fully! If you are extra concerned, weighing your ingredients (which we talked about earlier!) is always the best way to get the most consistent result, nutritional information included.
Share Your Experience Making These Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
I absolutely love hearing from you all when you try one of my recipes! Bringing these comforting, flavorful classics into your home kitchens is exactly why I started Sena Recipes.
So, once you’ve baked these incredible Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies and had the first warm, gooey bite, please come back here and let me know how they turned out for you. Did you fall in love with the brown butter flavor? Did you try chilling the dough for the full four hours or did you rush it a bit?
Take a minute to leave a star rating right below the recipe card—it helps other bakers know they can trust this recipe, too. If you made any special modifications, like swapping out the chocolate type or adding nuts, drop those details in the comments section! I always peek through the notes to see how everyone is making the recipes their own.
Baking, for me, is about connection and creating joyful moments around food. Thank you for letting my family’s favorite cookie become part of your kitchen stories. For more inspiration on the joy of cooking, you can always read a little more about my mission over at the Sena Recipes About Us page. Happy baking, friends!
Print
Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Total Time: 40 min
- Yield: 14 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Make rich, soft, and chewy chocolate chip cookies with a deep, nutty flavor by browning the butter first.
Ingredients
- 10 tablespoon (140g) salted butter
- 1 ½ cups (215g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅔ cup (145g) packed light brown sugar
- ⅓ cup (65g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon (15ml) milk
- 1 teaspoon (5ml) pure vanilla extract
- 3 oz (85g) dark chocolate, coarsely chopped into chunks
- ½ cup (85g) semisweet chocolate chips
- flaky sea salt for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Brown the butter in a 1-quart stainless steel saucepan for 8-10 minutes until brown specks form and a dense golden foam appears. Immediately pour the browned butter into a large mixing bowl.
- Let the butter cool for 20-30 minutes until it is just warmer than room temperature (between 90 and 93°F).
- Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl and whisk them together.
- Combine the cooled brown butter with both sugars in a large bowl and mix gently with a spatula until it looks like thick wet sand. Alternatively, mix with a stand mixer paddle attachment for 20 seconds on medium speed.
- Add the egg, milk, and vanilla. Mix until the mixture is well incorporated and creamy.
- Add the flour mixture and fold it in or mix on low speed just until mostly combined. Add the chocolate chunks and chips before all the flour is incorporated, then continue mixing until the chocolate is evenly distributed.
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate the dough for 1-4 hours; 2 hours is recommended.
- Preheat your oven to 375°F. Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Use a 1.35-oz cookie scoop to portion the dough into 14 balls (about 2 oz or 56g each) and roll them into smooth balls. Place them 3 inches apart on the prepared sheets. Press a few extra chocolate chunks on top if desired. Do not flatten the dough balls.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes until the tops are golden, the edges are browned, and the centers are soft.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before carefully transferring them to a wire rack to finish cooling. Top with flaky sea salt if you want to use it, and serve.
Notes
- For best results, weigh your ingredients using a kitchen scale.
- If you want taller cookies, you can adjust the baking soda amount; check specific instructions for adjustments.
- If your kitchen is cold, avoid overmixing after adding the egg, as the butterfat can firm up and stiffen the dough.
- Prep Time: 30 min
- Cook Time: 10 min
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 220
- Sugar: 18g
- Sodium: 150mg
- Fat: 13g
- Saturated Fat: 8g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 25g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 30mg
Keywords: Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies, Easy Cookie Recipes, Homemade Cookies, Baking Recipes, Dessert Recipes, Soft & Chewy Cookies, Sweet Treats