Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Brown butter chocolate chip cookies are rich, chewy, and full of flavor with crisp golden edges and soft, gooey centers. The nutty brown butter adds a deep toffee-like taste with just the right hint of salt, making every bite irresistible. Loaded with melty semisweet chocolate chips, they’re the ultimate upgrade to a classic cookie.

Love More Chocolate Cookies? Try My Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies or this Chocolate Lava Cookies next.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

These cookies strike the perfect balance of crispy edges and soft, gooey centers, with the rich toffee-like flavor that only brown butter can bring. They’re made with simple pantry ingredients, no fancy tools required, yet taste like something from a high-end bakery. Every bite feels indulgent, making them the kind of cookie people remember and ask for again.

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Ingredient List

The Cookie Base:

• 1¼ cups butter (before browning) – I always use salted Kerrygold when I can find it
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar – dark brown gives deeper flavor
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract – real vanilla, not imitation

The Dry Team:

• 2¾ cups all-purpose flour – I use King Arthur
• ½ teaspoon salt (bump to ¾ teaspoon if your butter’s unsalted)
• 2 teaspoons baking soda

The Star Player:

• 2 – 2½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips – Ghirardelli are my favorite

Why These Ingredients Work

Okay, so here’s the science-y part that actually matters. When you brown butter, you’re basically toasting the milk solids until they turn into these tiny flavor bombs. That’s where all that nutty, almost toffee-like taste comes from.

The sugar combo is crucial too. Granulated sugar makes the edges crispy and helps with spreading. Brown sugar keeps the middles chewy because of all that molasses. You need both working together.

That baking soda amount looks scary, I know. My mom always used way less. But trust me on this – it’s what gives you those beautiful golden edges and the perfect amount of spread. Too little and your cookies stay thick and cakey.

The salt thing is non-negotiable. It doesn’t just balance sweetness – it actually makes the brown butter flavor pop more. Kind of like how a pinch of salt makes chocolate taste more chocolate-y.

Essential Tools and Equipment

You don’t need fancy stuff, but these things make life easier:

• Medium saucepan with a light-colored bottom (so you can see the browning)
• Large mixing bowl
• Hand mixer or stand mixer
• Regular measuring cups
• Baking sheets (I have three so I can keep rotating)
• Parchment paper (seriously, don’t skip this)
• Cookie scoop or ¼ cup measure
• Wire racks for cooling

How To Make Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Step 1: Brown That Beautiful Butter

Put your butter in the saucepan over medium-high heat. Start stirring immediately and don’t stop. I learned this the hard way when I burned my first batch while answering the phone.

First it melts. Then it foams up like crazy. Keep stirring. The foam dies down, and that’s when the magic starts. You’ll hear this gentle sizzling, then your kitchen starts smelling incredible.

Watch for the color change – it goes from yellow to golden to this gorgeous amber. You’ll see brown bits forming on the bottom. Those bits are pure gold, don’t lose them! Whole process takes maybe six minutes, but feels like forever when you’re watching.

Step 2: Cool It Down

Dump everything – butter and all those precious brown bits – into your mixing bowl. This part requires patience, which I’m terrible at. Stick it in the fridge for about fifteen minutes, or freezer for five. You want it solid but still soft enough to mix.

I usually prep my baking sheets while I wait. Parchment paper on everything.

Step 3: Prep Your Stage

Oven to 375°F. Yes, that’s hot for cookies, but it’s what makes these work. Line your baking sheets with parchment. I tried silicone mats once – they work fine, but parchment is easier.

Step 4: Cream Like a Dream

Mix the cooled brown butter with both sugars for about a minute. Your mixture should look creamy but maybe a little grainy from the brown sugar. That’s normal.

Step 5: Add the Magic

Crack in your eggs and vanilla. Now beat this for a full three minutes. I know it seems long, but this is where the texture happens. The mixture gets lighter, fluffier, almost mousse-like. Don’t skip this step.

Step 6: Gentle Folding Time

Add flour, baking soda, and salt all at once. Mix just until you can’t see dry flour anymore. Seriously, stop mixing the second it comes together. Overmixed dough makes tough cookies.

Step 7: Chocolate Chip Heaven

Fold in chocolate chips by hand. I always do this part with a wooden spoon so I don’t overwork the dough. Go heavy on the chips – life’s too short for skimpy chocolate.

Step 8: Scoop and Shape

I use a ¼ cup measure, but cookie scoops work great too. These make big bakery-style cookies. Space them out – they spread quite a bit.

Step 9: Bake to Golden Perfection

Eight to ten minutes max. They look underdone when you pull them out. The edges should be golden, centers still soft and pale. They finish cooking on the hot pan.

Step 10: The Patience Test

Hardest part of the whole recipe. Let them sit on the baking sheet for exactly three minutes. Not two, not five. Three. Then move to cooling racks.

You Must Know

Don’t strain out those brown bits! I see recipes that tell you to strain the butter. Don’t listen. Those little specks are where all the flavor lives. Scrape every single one into your bowl.

Personal Secret: I always brown extra butter and keep it in my fridge. Lasts for weeks and makes these cookies happen way faster on busy days. Just soften it back up before using.

Pro Tips & Cooking Hacks

Room temperature ingredients matter, but not obsessively. Eggs can sit out for thirty minutes while you brown the butter.

That cookie scoop investment is worth it. Uniform size means even baking. No giant cookies next to tiny ones.

If your cookies come out wonky-shaped, use a spatula to gently push the edges into circles while they’re still hot and soft. Works every time.

Slightly underbaked beats overbaked every time. These continue cooking on the hot pan even after you pull them out.

Don’t crowd your baking sheets. Six big cookies max per sheet, or they’ll grow into each other.

Flavor Variations & Suggestions

Flaky sea salt on top before baking makes people think you’re a genius. Just a tiny pinch per cookie.

Toasted pecans are incredible here. Chop them rough, toast in a dry pan for three minutes, let cool, then fold in with the chips.

Half dark chocolate, half white chocolate chips looks fancy and tastes even better.

For holidays, add half a teaspoon of cinnamon and a quarter teaspoon of nutmeg to the dry ingredients. Tastes like fall in cookie form.

Espresso lovers – add a teaspoon of instant coffee to the flour mixture. Makes everything deeper and richer.

Make-Ahead Options

Brown the butter ahead of time. Store covered in the fridge for up to a week. Just bring back to room temp before using.

Cookie dough freezes beautifully. Scoop into balls, freeze on baking sheets, then transfer to freezer bags. Bake straight from frozen – just add a minute or two.

Baked cookies keep for about a week in a loose container. Don’t seal them airtight or the edges get soft.

Recipe Notes & Baker’s Tips

First time browning butter feels scary. I get it. But it’s actually pretty forgiving. Keep stirring, trust your nose. When it smells like toasted hazelnuts mixed with caramel, you’re there.

Some people worry about the high baking temperature. Don’t. These cookies need that initial blast of heat to set the edges while keeping centers soft.

If you’re at high altitude, reduce the baking soda to one and a half teaspoons. Add a tablespoon more flour too.

Serving Suggestions

Warm cookies with cold milk is classic for good reason. The temperature contrast is perfect.

Crumble over vanilla ice cream for instant dessert that looks way more complicated than it is.

Pack in tins for gifts. Everyone loves homemade cookies, but these make people remember you.

Great with morning coffee. Not judging – I’ve eaten these for breakfast more times than I’ll admit.

Stack high on platters for parties. They disappear faster than you’d think possible.

How to Store Your Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Keep them loosely covered at room temperature. I use a container with the lid slightly ajar. Keeps edges crispy but cookies still soft.

Airtight storage works if you don’t mind softer edges. They still taste amazing, just different texture.

Freeze individual cookies wrapped in plastic, then in freezer bags. Good for three months, though mine never last that long.

To crisp up day-old cookies, warm in a 300°F oven for two or three minutes. Like magic.

Allergy Information

These contain wheat, eggs, and dairy. Pretty standard cookie stuff.

For gluten-free, substitute cup-for-cup gluten-free flour. Bob’s Red Mill works well. Texture changes slightly but still delicious.

Dairy-free folks can use plant butter, but you lose some of that brown butter magic. Still good cookies, just different.

Egg substitutes work okay. Two flax eggs instead of regular eggs. Texture won’t be quite the same but still tasty.

Questions I Get Asked A Lot

Can I use margarine instead of butter?

Please don’t. Margarine doesn’t brown the same way. The whole point is those nutty flavors from browning real butter. Stick with butter.

My butter burned – what went wrong?

Probably too high heat or not stirring enough. Medium-high heat, constant stirring. It should smell nutty, not acrid. If it burns, start over.

Why are my cookies flat pancakes?

Brown butter was too warm when you mixed it, or your baking soda is old. Make sure butter cools to room temperature consistency first.

My cookies didn’t spread enough !

Could be old baking soda, butter too cold, or oven temperature off. Make sure your oven’s actually at 375°F.

💬 Made these cookies? Tell me how they turned out! Did you try any variations? I love hearing your baking stories, especially the kitchen disasters that turned into wins. Tag me in your photos – seeing your beautiful cookies always makes my day!