Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies (Printable)
Nutty brown butter and melty chocolate chips create chewy centers with crisp edges and optional flaky sea salt.
# What You’ll Need:
→ Dairy & Eggs
01 - 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
02 - 2 large eggs
→ Sugars
03 - 1 cup packed brown sugar
04 - 1/2 cup granulated sugar
→ Dry Ingredients
05 - 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
06 - 1 teaspoon baking soda
07 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
→ Flavorings
08 - 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
→ Add-ins
09 - 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
10 - Flaky sea salt for sprinkling (optional)
# How-To Steps:
01 - Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the butter foams and turns golden brown with a nutty aroma, approximately 4–5 minutes. Immediately transfer to a large mixing bowl and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
02 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
03 - Whisk brown sugar and granulated sugar into the cooled brown butter until well blended. Add eggs and vanilla extract, beating until the mixture is smooth and fully incorporated.
04 - In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually fold dry ingredients into the wet mixture, mixing until just combined. Do not overmix.
05 - Gently fold semisweet chocolate chips into the dough until evenly distributed.
06 - Scoop heaping tablespoons of dough onto prepared baking sheets, spacing each portion approximately 2 inches apart.
07 - Bake for 10–12 minutes until edges are golden brown while centers remain soft.
08 - Remove from oven and optionally sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The brown butter adds a deep, toffee like richness that makes people close their eyes when they take their first bite.
- You get bakery level texture with a chewy center and perfectly crisp edges using ingredients you probably already have.
02 -
- If the butter burns even slightly it will taste bitter across the entire batch, so pull it off the heat the moment you see golden flecks and smell nuts.
- Chilling the dough for 30 minutes before baking deepens the flavor dramatically and helps the cookies hold their shape instead of spreading too thin.
03 -
- Use a light colored saucepan when browning butter so you can actually see the color change, because dark pans make it easy to cross the line from golden to burnt.
- Tap the baking sheet gently on the counter right when it comes out of the oven to slightly deflate the cookies, which creates those gorgeous cracked tops and denser centers.