Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

These classic Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies are crispy on the outside and chewy inside. They are irresistibly delicious, made with nutty brown butter and finished with flaky sea salt. The cookie dough can be made in advance, making them the perfect cookie for entertaining or an afternoon snack.

There is nothing like a good old-fashioned chocolate chip cookie with crispy edges and a chewy center. I especially love the brown butter chocolate chip cookies from Whole Foods. 

They conveniently place them right next to the check-out stand, and I rarely resist an opportunity to snag one. I decided I had to try making them at home, and this is the best Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe I have ever made. 

Browning butter was initially intimidating; however, a regular chocolate chip cookie will never taste the same after trying it. The delicious warm toffee and caramel flavors from toasting the milk solids are incredible. The flavor profile completely changes, and it truly becomes addicting. Try this recipe for the best brown butter chocolate chip cookies you have ever tasted!

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What is Brown Butter?

Brown butter is butter (either salted or unsalted) that has been melted and slowly simmered in a pan until the milk solids are toasted and golden brown. The flavor and aroma transform into sweet, nutty caramel. Both sweet and savory dishes use brown butter.

How to Brown Butter

Melt the butter over medium to medium-low heat in a light-colored medium skillet. Stir the butter with a wooden spoon until it smells like toffee and the milk solids become golden brown (about 3-5 minutes).

Be careful not to burn butter as it happens quickly. Once the butter becomes golden brown, immediately remove the heat so it does not continue to cook.

Ingredients

• All-Purpose Flour - Regular all-purpose flour is preferred for this cookie dough. Gluten-free flour will also work as a substitute.
• Salted Butter - If using unsalted butter, add ½ teaspoon of salt to the cookie dough batter. I recommend using either Land O Lakes or Challenge if using salted butter.
• Brown Sugar - I prefer dark brown sugar; however, light brown sugar is also interchangeable in this recipe. Dark brown sugar will produce a softer, chewier chocolate chip cookie. 
• Granulated Sugar - This recipe calls for both granulated sugar and brown sugar for balance. Using a higher brown sugar ratio to white sugar keeps the cookies moist. 
• Baking Soda - Baking soda helps neutralize the acid in the brown sugar and allows them to rise. 
• Eggs - When baking, if a recipe does not specify the size of the eggs, it is a general rule of thumb that it calls for "large" eggs. 
• Semisweet Chocolate Chips - Use any chocolate chips you desire. Chocolate chunks, peanut butter chips, and butterscotch chips work great here. The sky is the limit here, so use your imagination!
• Pure Vanilla Extract - Only use "pure" vanilla extract. Many brands of vanilla use artificial flavoring and have no natural vanilla added, so choose carefully. My favorite brand of vanilla extract is Neilsen-Massey.

How to Make Perfect Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

1. Melt the butter in a light-colored medium skillet over medium to medium-low heat. Stir the butter slowly and constantly until it starts to brown and smells like toffee (about 3-5 minutes). Be careful not to burn the butter as it happens quickly.
2. Once the butter becomes golden brown, take the pan off of the heat. Carefully pour the browned butter into a heat-proof bowl and refrigerate for about 1 hour. The butter should be solidified but still spreadable. 

3. Next, use a fine mesh sifter to add the flour and baking soda to a medium bowl. Once sifted, combine with a whisk and set aside. 
4. Add the room temperature brown butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cream the brown butter and sugars together on medium speed for about five minutes. 

5. Once the butter-sugar mixture is light and fluffy, add the vanilla extract and mix on low until combined. 
6. Add the eggs and mix on low until just combined. 

7. Next, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in thirds. Mix on low until just combined, then add a little more of the dry ingredients. Continue until all the flour mixture is fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl if needed. 
8. Next, remove the bowl from the mixer, add the chocolate chips and fold with a spatula. 

9. Using a one-and-a-half tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop the cookie dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover with plastic wrap, refrigerate and chill the dough for at least four hours or overnight for best results. 
10.  Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the oven rack in the middle position, and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the cookie dough balls on the baking sheet at least two inches apart. You may have to work in multiple batches depending on the size of your oven. 

11. Bake the cookies for 11 -12 minutes until the edges start to turn golden brown. Remove the cookies from the oven and tap the tray once on the counter for flatter cookies. Top with flaky salt if desired. 
12.  After five minutes, transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Variations and Substitutions

• Use a mix of semisweet chocolate chips and chocolate chunks.
• Add butterscotch chips, peanut butter chips, or white chocolate chips.
• Use gluten-free flour as a substitute for all-purpose flour for gluten-free brown butter chocolate chip cookies. 
• Use unsalted butter and add ½ teaspoon of kosher salt to the cookie dough batter along with the dry ingredients. 

Tips For This Recipe

• Butter Temperature - The brown butter must come to room temperature to solidify. It should be solid but still warm enough that it is spreadable. This texture is key to ensuring the butter and sugar cream together correctly. 
• Creaming Butter And Sugar - Once the butter has solidified, you must cream the butter and sugars together. This process takes about 4-5 minutes on medium speed with an electric mixer. The butter will turn a light color, making the mixture fluffy and creamy. If you skip this step, the cookies will likely turn out flat and dense. 
• Brown Sugar Brands - Make sure you use a brown sugar brand with small sugar crystals. For example, Whole Foods 365 brown sugar has enormous sugar crystals. Large sugar crystals do not dissolve in cookie batter resulting in an unpleasant and inedible cookie. Stick to the trusted C&H brand. 
• Overmixing the Batter - Once you add your eggs to the cookie batter, be careful not to overmix it. Change the speed to low and only mix until each egg is just incorporated. Overmixing cookie batter results in a very spongey and cakey texture. Once the flour is incorporated, switch to a spatula to fold the chocolate chips to prevent overmixing. 
• Chilling the Dough - If you want the perfect cookie, you NEED to be patient. The dough does need to be refrigerated. The colder the dough, the less it spreads in the oven. If you chill it for just 1 hour in the refrigerator, the outside may seem cold; however, the inside will be warm, and you'll end up with flat little cookie disks. Make sure you chill your dough to ensure this does not happen. 
• Oven Rack Placement - Ensure your oven rack is in the center of your oven to ensure the best results.
• Measure Flour Correctly - You do NOT want to dump the measuring cup into the bag of flour and scoop it out. It is essential to measure flour correctly to avoid dry and tough cookies. There are two methods for measuring flour correctly. 
  • Method 1: Fluff the flour with a fork, then carefully scoop it out with a spoon and gently place it in the measuring cup. Do this until the measuring cup is full, and level it off with a butter knife. 
  • Method 2: Use a food scale to accurately measure your flour by weight in grams. Using a food scale is my preferred method as it helps achieve the most accurate results. Food scales are inexpensive and the best way to achieve consistency. Here is my favorite food scale, which I use almost every time I bake. 

FAQ's

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