Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Brown butter chocolate chip cookies are flavored with brown butter, vanilla, bittersweet chocolate, and flaky sea salt. They are the perfect balance of chewy and crispy and are very addictive.

Ingredients for Chocolate Chip Cookies

• Brown butter – Brown butter is butter that has been cooked to the point that the milk solids brown and take on a toasty, nutty flavor. It is the star of the show!
• Brown sugar: Brown sugar adds sweetness, chewiness, and a more complex molasses flavor.
• Granulated sugar: Granulated sugar sweetens the cookies and helps promote crispiness on the outside.
• Eggs: Be sure your eggs are at room temperature for easy creaming.
• Vanilla extract: Vanilla extract adds a great flavor to these cookies.
• All-purpose flour: Be sure to level off the flour when measuring. I like to use the back of a knife.
• Baking soda & baking powder: Both are used as leavening agents. Baking soda helps the cookies spread and causes the cookies to brown and baking powder helps the cookies rise.
• Salt: Salt enhances the flavor of the cookies.
• Bittersweet chocolate chips – I love using Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate chips in this recipe. You can also use semisweet chocolate chips or chop a chocolate bar.
• Flaky sea salt – A touch of flaky sea salt can be sprinkled onto the warm cookies for extra flavor and contrast from the sweetness.

How to Make Brown Butter

Brown butter is simple to make and adds great flavor to the chocolate chip cookies. Here are the steps to make brown butter.

1. Place the butter in a medium-sized pan and melt over medium-low heat.
2. Continue to cook the butter stirring occasionally. The butter will start to foam.
3. The milk solids in the butter will start to turn a golden brown color. Continue mixing so the milk solids do not burn.
4. Once you achieve a nice, medium brown color, remove the brown butter from the stove and transfer to a heat-safe bowl.
5. Allow the brown butter to come to room temperature. Then, transfer to the refrigerator to firm up the butter. We are looking for a soft, peanut butter-like texture.

How to Make Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Now that you have your soft, brown butter, it is time to make the cookies. I recommend using an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment to make the cookie dough.

1. Combine brown butter, brown sugar, and sugar and cream on medium speed until light and fluffy.
2. Add in eggs and vanilla extract. Continue to mix until well combined.
3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine.
4. On low speed, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until just combined. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.
5. Add in chocolate chips and mix on low speed or fold in using a spatula.
6. Portion the dough using a cookie scoop or kitchen scale. I recommend 2 ounces per cookie.
7. Chill the portioned out dough in the refrigerator for at least an hour or overnight. Be sure that you cover the cookie dough in plastic wrap or store in an airtight container.
8. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and line baking sheet trays with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
9. Place cookie dough on the baking sheet trays allowing space in between the dough for spreading. Bake for approximately 12 minutes. Be careful not to over bake.
10. Remove cookies from the oven and immediately sprinkle with flaky sea salt if desired. Cool the cookies on the baking tray for about 2 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

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Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Prep Time 1 hour hr

Cook Time 12 minutes mins

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

2 dozen

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Brown butter chocolate chip cookies are the only chocolate chip cookie recipe you will want to make! Brown butter gives these cookies a nutty flavor, bittersweet chocolate chips add a deep chocolatey bite, and flaky sea salt enhances the flavors! They are crispy and chewy and unbelievably addictive!

Equipment

• Stand mixer or electric hand mixer

Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

• ▢ 1 ¼ cups unsalted butter
• ▢ 1 ¼ cups brown sugar
• ▢ ½ cup sugar
• ▢ 2 eggs room temperature
• ▢ 2 tsp vanilla extract
• ▢ 2 tsp baking soda
• ▢ ¼ tsp baking powder
• ▢ ½ tsp salt
• ▢ 2 ¾ cups flour
• ▢ 10 oz semisweet chocolate chips or chunks
• ▢ ½ tsp flaky sea salt

Instructions

Brown Butter

• Place butter in a medium pan on the stove over medium heat.
• Continue to heat butter until it is fully melted.
• Once the butter is melted, gently stir the butter with a spatula and continue to cook.
• The butter will begin to turn a brown color and foam. Continue to mix.
• Remove from the heat and carefully pour into a heat proof bowl.
• Allow butter to cool to room temperature. Once the butter is at room temperature, place in refrigerator to chill. Chill until the butter is soft but solid.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

• Preheat oven to 375° F. Line a baking tray with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
• In a mixing bowl, combine brown butter, brown sugar, and sugar. Using an electric hand mixer on medium speed, cream butter and sugars together until light and fluffy.
• Add in eggs and vanilla extract and continue to mix on medium speed until fully combined.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
• Add in dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined with the wet ingredients.
• Add in chocolate chips. Mix on the lowest speed until combined or fold into the cookie dough until dispersed.
• Portion the dough into 2 oz balls. Do not roll the balls.
• Place the dough balls onto a baking tray and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
• Place chilled cookie dough balls on cookie sheet well spaced. I typically do 6 to a pan (2 rows of 3).
• Bake in oven for about 12 minutes. Cookies may appear to be slightly underdone.
• Remove from oven. Immediately sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Allow cookies to cool on the tray for 2-3 minutes.
• Remove cookies from the tray using a spatula and transfer to a wire cooling rack. Allow cookies to cool completely.

Notes

Brown butter chocolate chip cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days.

Metric conversions are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.

 

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