Brown butter chocolate chip cookies are on a whole different level. The nutty richness from the browned butter adds depth to every bite, making them extra indulgent and, dare I say, sinfully delicious.
It's like regular chocolate chip cookies got a serious upgrade-slightly toasty, a little more complex, and in the words of Zoolander "really, really, ridiculously good."
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This recipe was updated on March 21st, 2025, to condense redundant information and make the content more user friendly.
Recipe at a Glance
- Bake Level: Even with making the brown butter (if you've never done this before), it's still a very simple and easy recipe to make.
- Bake Time: From making the batter to chilling the dough and baking the cookies, this will take you about 2 hours.
- Taste: Buttery, nutty, chewy, chocolatey, sweet, and addictive. Very, very addictive.
- Swaps and Subs: Swap the flour with 1:1 gluten free flour. If you REALLY don't want to brown butter, simply use room temperature butter. Do NOT swap the sugar, the sugar is measured the way it is for a reason, and is important for more than just sweetness.
- Best Paired With: These are amazing as a dessert option for any party, along with serving a variety of desserts like my cookies and cream cookies, a classic tiramisu, chocolate peppermint cookies, or my infamous kitchen sink cookies.
Tried and True Tips
- Adding enough flour - Weird as it sounds, adding more flour actually HELPS give the cookies the thickness and shape we want when we think about a classic chewy cookie.
- Chill time - Putting the cookies in the fridge to chill helps eliminate any unwanted extra spreading as the cookies bake. I've tested these cookies several times with and without chilling before baking, and I can guarantee, the chill time makes a world of a difference.
- Using enough brown sugar - The brown sugar has molasses in it, giving the cookies their color, but also the chewiness we think of when it comes to a classic "soft and chewy" cookie. We use a full cup of light brown sugar, as opposed to using more cane sugar.
Important Ingredients
- Brown Butter - Brown butter is essentially butter that has been cooked down until all the milk solids are evaporated, leaving just the golden liquid. There is an entire process to making brown butter, which I outline below.
- Vanilla Extract - Vanilla always helps bring out the flavor of the other ingredients.
- Cane Sugar- Cane sugar helps to give the cookies moisture, texture, and of course, a sweetness.
- Light Brown Sugar - The light brown sugar in cookies gives the chewy, soft, delicate texture we want when biting into a cookie.
- Chocolate Chips - I measure chocolate chips with my heart, not a cup. For reference, we use around one cup of chocolate chips.
Be sure to check out the recipe card at the end of this post for more information about quantities, measurements, and specific cooking instructions.
Step by Step Directions
Browning Butter
To make the brown butter, add cubed butter to a light-bottomed medium pan and let the butter melt. Bring the heat to just above a medium flame. It will begin to sputter and foam.
Continue to stir the butter and keep on a medium heat, ensuring the solids do not burn at the bottom, approximately 5 minutes.
When the butter begins to smell nutty, turn off the heat and pour into a bowl, setting it aside until cool to the touch.
Cream Butter and Sugar
In a large bowl (or in a standing mixer bowl), pour in the cooled brown butter with the cane and light brown sugar. With a hand mixer or with the stand mixer paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until the sugar is fully incorporated and the mixture is light and fluffy, approximately 4-5 minutes.
Add in the Eggs
Crack in the eggs and pour in the vanilla extract, then continue to mix until incorporated.
Add the Dry Ingredients
To the wet ingredients, pour in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk until just combined.
It's Chocolate Time!
Pour in a generous helping of chocolate chips. Using a spatula, fold in the chocolate chips until the cookie dough forms.
Roll the Dough
Using a cookie scoop, form cookie dough balls, roll evenly between your hands, then place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Chill in the fridge for up to an hour.
Once the cookies are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350º and bake the cookies in batches of 6-8 for 11-12 minutes, letting them cool for 15 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to fully cool.
Perfecting Brown Butter
- Moving the pan - keep stirring, whisking, and moving the pan about so that the butter doesn't stick to one spot in the pan. Brown butter can get burnt quickly, so keep your eyes on the pan frequently.
- Act fact - when the butter is browned, transfer from the heat source and move to a bowl immediately. This will stop the butter from overcooking.
- Watch the color - the color of the butter will quite literally go from a yellow to a deep yellow, then lean towards amber. When it becomes the amber color, and you can SMELL a nutty aroma coming from the pan, the butter is brown and it's time to take it off the heat.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I store these cookies? Can I freeze them?
You can store any cookies in a plastic or glass container and can be left on the countertop for up to 5 days.
Freeze the cookie dough in an air tight freezer storage bag and be sure to label the date in which the dough was formed. Also, indicate the bake time and temp: bake at 325º for 18 minutes. Freeze the cookies in cookie dough balls rather than in a clump of dough. It's a lot easier to place on a sheet and bake this way.
Can I make these ahead of time, store in the fridge, and bake in the morning?
Yes! If you want to let them chill overnight, place the dough on a baking sheet (pre-rolled) and cover. Be sure to wrap the cookies so that they don't absorb any other odors or flavors from sitting in the fridge. Weird, but true.
Can I use other types of chocolate? What about adding in other ingredients?
Feel free to add in chopped nuts like pecans, walnuts, almonds. I like to use semisweet chocolate chips but you can use white chocolate or dark chocolate too.
Is it possible to make this cookie recipe into a skillet or a cookie cake?
This is totally doable in a cookie skillet. Plus, if you are doing a skillet or cookie cake, you do NOT need to chill the dough! Simply add the dough to a greased cast iron skillet and bake for 30 minutes.
Hungry for More?
Here are some other yummy cookie recipes to round out your baking!
Did you love this recipe? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ If you're just as in love with this recipe as I am, please share a comment below and rate it! Better yet, share this recipe with family and friends!! Thank you!
Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Equipment
- 1 hand or stand mixer
- 1 whisk
- 1 large bowl
- 1 medium bowl
- measuring cups and spoons
- 1 spatula
- 2 baking sheets
- parchment paper
Ingredients
- 300 grams all purpose flour 2 ½ cups
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking salt
- 1 cup butter browned (2 sticks)
- 50 grams cane sugar ¼ cup
- 200 grams light brown sugar 1 cup
- 2 whole eggs room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Instructions
For the Brown Butter
- Add cubed butter to a light-bottomed medium pan and let the butter melt. Bring the heat to just above a medium flame. It will begin to sputter and foam.
- Continue to stir the butter and keep on a medium heat, ensuring the solids do not burn at the bottom, approximately 5 minutes.
- When the butter begins to smell nutty, turn off the heat and pour into a bowl, setting it aside until cool to the touch.
For the Cookies
- In a large bowl (or in a standing mixer bowl), pour in the cooled brown butter with the cane and light brown sugar.
- With a hand mixer or with the stand mixer paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until the sugar is fully incorporated and the mixture is light and fluffy, approximately 4-5 minutes.
- Crack in the eggs and pour in the vanilla extract, then continue to mix until incorporated.
- To the wet ingredients, pour in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk until just combined.
- Pour in a generous helping of chocolate chips. Using a spatula, fold in the chocolate chips until the cookie dough forms.
- Using a cookie scoop, form cookie dough balls, roll evenly between your hands, then place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Chill in the fridge for up to an hour. Once the cookies are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350º and bake the cookies in batches of 6-8 for 11-12 minutes, letting them cool for 15 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to fully cool.
Sharon Roberts says
I can't say enough great things about this cookie recipe. SO easy to follow, and the cookies were exactly how Morgan said: chewy, thick, and tastes of yummy brown butter. I had never made brown butter before, but I will be doing this many times now!
Jeanie says
There are an INSTANT HIT for my family tonight!!! The brown butter was a first for me, but everyone raved about these and the texture. I found my new favorite cookie recipe thank you!!!!!!
Whitney says
Delicious and easy to follow recipe! Was my first time browning butter and Morgan’s cue on it will smell “nutty” was just what I needed to know when my butter was ready!! Also love the option to double or triple the recipe!!
Tacy says
Delicious! The browned butter adds amazing flavor. Simple recipe, I had everything in my pantry that I needed. These stayed nice and thick while baking, didn’t spread out too much. Will be using this as my go to cookie recipe.