You all know I am a sucker for all things brown butter, and these brown butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are no exception! They are thick and dense and so good.
I first posted about these cookies in our baby gender reveal video! I stuffed one of the cookies with pink frosting to announce that we are having a GIRL! I’ll share that video below for anyone who missed it.
After sharing this video I got lots of requests to share the recipe for the cookies, so here we are! I only put frosting in them for the gender reveal, so this recipe doesn’t include frosting! You could stuff them with frosting if you want, but I think they’re better without it.
what ingredients will i need for these cookies?
- butter
- brown sugar
- eggs
- yogurt / sour cream
- vanilla
- flour
- rolled oats
- cornstarch
- baking soda
- salt
- chocolate chips
what is brown butter and how to make it
Brown butter is regular butter that has been cooked just past its melting point to toast the milk solids found in butter. Toasting the milk solids gives brown butter an amazing nutty taste! It can be used in savory dishes (like my spring brown butter gnocchi) or in sweet dishes (like my banana bread donuts with brown butter glaze).
If you’ve never made brown butter before, don’t stress because it’s easy to make! Start by adding butter to a pan over medium heat. Let the butter melt, stirring continually. After a couple minutes, the butter will start to bubble. Keep stirring. After a couple more minutes, the butter will start to foam up. Once the foam starts to subside, you will begin to smell a nutty aroma and see that the butter is beginning to turn brown. You’ve got brown butter! Take the pan off the heat and pour the butter into a bowl. For these cookies we then put the butter into the freezer to chill for a bit, but then you’re set!
substitutions
There are really only two ingredients that can use any substitution. First is the yogurt. The yogurt helps to make these cookies extra soft. We are only adding 1 tbsp, so it isn’t much, but it makes a difference! Don’t use flavored yogurt here, even vanilla, as it will change the taste of the cookies. Use plain yogurt, although it can be normal yogurt or greek yogurt! If you don’t have yogurt, you can also use sour cream. If you don’t have either of those, you could also use ricotta cheese or mayo. So many options! Hopefully you can find one that works best for you.
The other ingredient that can differ in this recipe is the type of oats used. Rolled oats are definitely best in this recipe — they are thicker and heartier. But, if you only have quick oats that will work too! They won’t be quite as hearty, but it will work.
chilling the dough
I know, I know. Chilling the dough is the WORST. I hate when I read a recipe and it says to chill the dough overnight. I get it! That’s why I’ve provided two options! These cookies really are best if the dough chills overnight. the butter sets up well and the cookies brown much better. And they have a thicker, denser flavor.
But, if you can’t wait until the next day to eat these cookies (and I don’t blame you) then you don’t have to chill them at all! Just bake them right after you make the dough. They will still taste amazing, just not as good. But then you don’t have to be patient, so that’s a win, right?
how to store these cookies
If you want to save the dough to cook another time, it stores great. If you will be using the dough in the next 5-7 days, keep the dough in a sealed container in the fridge. If you aren’t using it for a week or longer, keep it in a sealed container in the freezer. I would suggest scooping the dough into balls first, as it can be hard to scoop cold dough.
If you’ve cooked all your dough and all the cookies weren’t eaten, keep the cookies in a sealed container. The cookies do not have to be kept in the fridge — on the countertop is just fine!
other recipes you will love
- pumpkin snickerdoodles
- stuffed carrot cake cookies
- brown butter raspberry white chocolate cookies
- banana bread donuts with brown butter glaze
brown butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookies
ingredients
- 1 cup butter
- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tbsp plain yogurt / sour cream
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
- flaky salt optional
instructions
- Begin by browning the butter. Add the butter to a pan over medium heat. When it melts begin to stir the butter. After a couple minutes it will start to bubble — continue stirring. After another couple minutes the butter will begin to foam up. Keep stirring and you will begin to smell a nutty aroma and see brown in the butter. Take it off the heat and pour the butter into a bowl. Transfer the butter to the freezer for 15 minutes to cool down.
- Add the chilled brown butter and brown sugar to a bowl. Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, mix for 2 minutes. Add the eggs, yogurt, and vanilla. Mix until combined.
- Add flour, oats, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Mix until flour is just combined. Add chocolate chips and pulse until they're evenly distributed.
- These cookies are best if the dough chills overnight. So if you have time, cover the dough and let it chill in the fridge overnight. Take it out 15 minutes before you want to scoop the dough then proceed with the next step. IF you can't wait (which sometimes you just can't!), the dough does not have to be chilled. It can be scooped out immediately after mixing it up and baked. The cookies will still taste amazing, they just don't bake quite as well.
- Preheat the oven to 350. Using a 1/4 cup cookie scoop, scoop out dough onto a greased or lined cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 8-11 minutes, until the top of the cookies are slightly golden brown. Top with some flaky salt and let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and enjoy!
I haven’t made these cookies yet, but they definitely look like a 5 star recipe to me. I was wondering what type of chocolate did you use? Was it semisweet or dark chocolate? Also what brand do you prefer? I’m making these for my co-workers at my new job.
hi! i’m so excited for you to try these! the type of chocolate you use is totally up to your preference. i like to use semi-sweet, but dark chocolate would also be amazing! ghirardelli is always a favorite brand for me.
I made these for my family and they’ve already been requested again in a double batch! Such a good recipe and worth the refrigeration time!
amazing!! i’m so glad your family loved them! and yes, with these cookies the refrigeration time is worth it!!
Used this recipe to break in my new Kitchen Aid stand mixer I got for Christmas! Tastes amazing even without chilling overnight!!
YAY so glad you loved these!!
I made these for my chocolate chip cookie loving family members and they were a big hit. Everyone loved them and my dad said that they were the best cookies he had ever had. This recipe is easy to follow and leads to some pretty delicious results.
YAY this makes me so happy!! so glad they were loved.
Wow, these cookies are absolutely amazing! Definitely my new go-to recipe. The brown butter makes all the difference. Already can’t wait to make again!
yay i’m so glad you loved these! the brown butter is seriously a game changer!
We followed the recipe and the dough turned out very dry. Do you have any suggestions what do to differently next time or any idea why our dough turned out that way?
hi! it sounds like your cookies had a little too much flour. the flour amount can be swayed by elevation and by how you measure it (how tightly you pack it). so next time i would try adding 1/4 cup less of flour, then add 1 tbsp at a time until the dough isn’t sticky anymore. i hope this helps!
If I just want to make chocolate chip cookies, do I just omit the oatmeal?
hi! unfortunately if you omit the oatmeal that will mess with the consistency of the cookie. you would need to adjust the amount of flour to balance the lack of oatmeal.
Can these cookies be made with gluten free flour and vegan egg liquid?
i haven’t tried this recipe with those two substitutions. i imagine it would change the texture slightly, but i think it would work!
These were very good! They’re definitely very sweet, I think in the future I’ll double the salt in the dough and maybe use less chocolate chips (never thought I’d see the day when I’d say that lol). Also I think these would be better if just a little bit flatter so next time I’ll flatten the dough balls a little before baking. I also had to add a few minutes to the bake time.
i’m glad you enjoyed these ones! you could also add a little flaky salt to the top of these cookies for a little extra salt!
Just wondering if you can omit or substitute the yogurt or sour cream. I have everything in my house but that to make these 🙂
if you don’t add either of those, you may need to decrease the flour by 1-2 tbsp!
Just made these for me and my boyfriend, so delicious!! The only bad thing is that they are so good I am scared I’m going to have a month’s worth of butter in my system because I can’t stop eating them!
yay!! so glad you enjoyed these! hahah that’s when you know they’re good, right??