This cookie is long awaited and I am so excited it is finally here! My brown butter chocolate chip cookies are the ultimate chocolate chip cookies and I think you’re going to love them.
Everyone loves chocolate chip cookies, right? So everyone needs a reliable chocolate chip cookie that is going to hit every time. This is that recipe, I promise. These cookies are not your average chocolate chip cookie either. These are like the kind you would buy in a bakery, but you’re making them in your own house! It’s a win-win, really.
ingredients needed for these brown butter chocolate chip cookies
- butter
- brown sugar
- white sugar
- eggs
- vanilla extract
- flour
- cornstarch
- baking soda
- salt
- chocolate !
why brown butter and how to make it
If you know me you know I LOVE brown butter. I love using brown butter in all the sweet and savory recipes I can! It just takes the flavor up a level and I love it. I’ll get to how to brown butter in just a second, but first let’s talk about what browning butter does. When we brown butter we are toasting the milk solids in butter. This gives it a delicious, nutty taste that just can’t be beat. Plus it only takes about 10 minutes and it is worth every extra second.
To brown butter, start by adding the butter to a pan over medium low heat. Stir it while it melts and begins to bubble. It will bubble for a few minutes, then it will eventually start to foam — keep stirring. When the foam subsides, you’ll be left with brown butter and begin to smell its amazing, nutty smell. That’s it! You’ve got brown butter! For this recipe, we then transfer the brown butter to another container then to the fridge (or countertop, depending on how much time you have) to set up slightly before adding to our cookies.
chill time — why it’s important and how long
I know — chilling cookies is the WORST. In my past I have avoided recipes that require chill time cause I had no chill, haha. But! I have realized that sometimes it is worth it! And in this case it is worth it! I will show you evidence below, and, you can choose how long you want to chill your cookies for.
Most of my cookies don’t require chill time, partly because I often use cold butter. But for these cookies we are using room temp butter, so the butter needs time to set back up so the cookies don’t spread too much! The dough also needs time for the flavors to all mix together. The ingredients are shy so they need time to move around and socialize.
no chill & 30 minute chill
To prove that chill time is important for this recipe, I tested out several different chill times, and the results were interesting. I tried no chill time, and the cookie spread a lot. It was very flat, not much body to it. They were also not as soft as I wanted. I then tested on after 30 minutes of chill time. I was shocked how much of a difference just 30 minutes made! The cookies had more volume, but they were still flatter than I hoped.
2 hour chill & 24 hour chill
Next I tried 2 hours of chill time. Not shockingly they had even more volume! They had a great bite and were honestly delicious. If you don’t have the patience to wait overnight, the 2 hour chill is definitely the way to go. The last test was the 24 hour chill. It doesn’t have to be exactly 24 hours, but the main goal is overnight. The 24 hour cookie had the most volume! It was beautifully rounded in the middle and had an amazing soft bite. It had beautiful cracks in the cookie and it was honestly just perfect. If you have the patience, the 24 hour chill is the way to go! Here is the key — make the dough the day before you need them and bake one or two after a 30 minute chill. That way you’ll have enough that you are satisfied and able to wait for the next day for the rest of them! It will be worth the wait, I promise.
what chocolate to use
If you want the beautiful pools of chocolate in your cookies, don’t use chocolate chips! Chocolate chips have an additive that makes them stick together and not melt. So, if you want the big sections of chocolate that are melty and gooey, use a chocolate bar instead! Ghirardelli makes great chocolate bars, or I also like the chocolate bars from Trader Joe’s! For these cookies I love using a combination of dark and milk. I think it gives these cookies the perfect balance, but you can use whatever kind you like best! You can also use chocolate chips, it just won’t look the same as mine!
other recipes you will love
- new york cheesecake cookies
- the best peanut butter cookies
- blueberry muffin cookies
- snickerdoodle cupcake cookies
brown butter chocolate chip cookies
ingredients
- 1 cup butter
- 1 ice cube
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups flour (325 grams)
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup chocolate (chips or a bar) (milk, semi-sweet, dark, or a mix)
- flakey salt optional
instructions
- To brown the butter, add the butter to a pan over medium low heat. Stir while the butter starts to melt. The butter will start to bubble, then after a couple minutes it will start to foam up — keep stirring. After the foam subsides, you'll have brown, nutty smelling butter! Take the pan off the heat and pour the butter into a glass bowl or cup. Add the ice cube to the butter and stir while the water melts. This brings back moisture that evaporated while the butter cooked. Let the butter cool off to room temperature. If you are in a hurry you can put it in the fridge or freezer to speed up the process.
- When the butter has cooled, add it to a bowl with the brown sugar and white sugar. Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, mix for 2-3 minutes until it is light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs and vanilla extract. Mix until combined.
- Add the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Mix until just combined.
- Add the chocolate. If you are using chocolate bars, chop the bars into small pieces before adding. Reserve a few larger chunks of chocolate for later. Mix until the chocolate is evenly spread through the dough.
- Using a large cookie scoop, scoop the dough onto a plate or a piece of parchment paper. Press one reserved large chunk of chocolate onto the top of each dough ball. Sprinkle with a bit of flakey salt (optional, but very good).
- Transfer the dough balls to the fridge and let them chill overnight. If you are in a hurry you can chill the dough for 30 minutes to 2 hours, but overnight is best. Please see the pictures and text above to see the difference in chill times.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Transfer up to 6 dough balls to a lined or lightly greased baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the edges of the cookies are just starting to brown. Eat them hot or let them cool and enjoy!
- Keep any extra cookies in a sealable container. They do not have to be kept in the fridge.
LOVED THESE COOKIES SO MUCH! Brought these to a cookie party and they were the first ones gone. Seriously so delicious.
Can I make a big batch of these and freeze dough balls for future baking?
YAY I’M SO GLAD!! and so happy they were a hit at the party! yes, you can totally make and freeze them. and yes — scoop them into balls before freezing then store in an airtight container! you might need to add a minute or two to the bake time when baking straight from the freezer.
Hi! I’m planning on making a big batch of these cookies. About how long would you say they could last in an airtight container?
hi! they will stay good for 4-5 days in an airtight container. if you want them to last longer than that, i would recommend freezing the dough! it freezes really well. just scoop the dough into balls then put them in an airtight container or a ziploc bag (with as much air squeezed out as possible) then stick them in the freezer. they will stay good in the freezer for 3-4 months! then when you want a cookie, you can pop a dough ball out of the freezer and bake it fresh. you may need to add 1-2 min to the bake time, but that’s it! let me know if you have any other questions!
How much of the brown butter should you have after it’s cooled? After adding the 1 ice cube it looks like so much less? I really don’t want to mess up these cookies
some of the butter will cook off, but that’s ok! so you don’t need to measure it once you’ve browned it! you’ve probably already finished making these — i hope you enjoyed them!
I love this recipe. Every single time I make these they are always the big hit and all my friends and family love them when I make them
YAY so glad you enjoy these! and so glad they are a hit!
Hi!!! I LOVE your recipes!! But I have a big question mark on my face about the cornstarch, I tried many of your recipes and I just realized that not all of them request cornstarch. How does it work in the cookies batter?
hi! great question! cornstarch makes cookies a little softer and makes the stay more compact (ie not spread as much) so it depends what type of cookie i am trying to achieve!
I just made these and they were delicious! I’ve never browned butter until now and I will NEVER go back to regular butter.
I did have a small issue though. They didn’t flatten out very much, they were pretty puffy in the end. I am not sure what I did wrong. ? Thankfully, I just made them because I was in the mood to bake and was craving something sweet… I am not a baker by any means though. I did use chocolate chip because that is all I had on hand. I also probably made them too small. I ended up with 28 of them. ?
hi! i am so glad you are a fan of brown butter. welcome to the club!! hmm it sounds like there was possibly too much flour added? when measuring flour i recommend measuring it with a scale. if you don’t have a scale, just make sure you’re not packing it into the measuring cup when adding it in. instead, scoop it in with a spoon and softly level it off. hope this helps!
Hi! One cup Of butter is 2 sticks?
yes!
Hey I’ve made these cookies lots of times and I love the recipe! Do you know anything that I could substitute for the eggs? My friend is allergic to eggs and I want to make them for her to try.
hi! i would recommend adding 1/4 cup of plain greek yogurt per egg!