Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

This post was originally published on January 3, 2018 and was updated on April 22, 2020 This recipe for browned butter chocolate chip cookies is one of my absolute favorites! With nutty browned butter, sweet brown sugar, and a touch of sea salt – they have everything you could ever want in a cookie recipe!

Let’s talk about what makes a delicious cookie, y’know, delicious:

• Crispy edges
• Chewy centers
• Melty chocolate
• Depth of flavor (from browned butter!)
• A touch of sea salt, to balance the sweet

These browned butter chocolate chip cookies have it all! And then some!

What is browned butter?

Butter that’s been browned is the obvious (and annoying) answer. But truly, that’s all it is! It is butter that is melted to the point where the milk solids fall to the bottom of the pan and toast, becoming brown. Ooooooh. Ahhhhhh. Magic. *sparkles*

If you’ve never browned butter before, first of all, WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING WITH YOUR LIFE?! Second of all, it’s actually pretty easy and only takes a few minutes with a watchful eye and a rubber spatula.

How to brown butter

You’ll start by placing your butter (it can be room temp or straight out the fridge – cold butter will just take a bit longer to melt) in a shallow skillet (non-stick, preferably!). I cut mine into squares to aid in the melting process. Turn the heat up to medium and just let the butter totally melt into liquid gold.

Let it keep sitting there. The butter will start to bubble rapidly (this is water evaporating off!). At this time, start swirling the pan in slow circles. The bubbles will increase, it’ll sound like dang PopRocks going off! Keep swirling as the foaming continues. If necessary, run a rubber spatula along the edges of the pan to get any stragglers of butter left behind.

The butter will start to smell different at this point. Nutty and deeply flavored. This is a great sign! The bubbles will also quickly start to dissipate as the water finishes evaporating – this means it’s almost ready! There should even been visible flecks of brown at the bottom of your pan.

Remove the pan from heat and pour into a heat-safe bowl (I like to just pour it into my mixing bowl), use a rubber spatula to scrape all the good brown bits out. That’s it. That’s how to brown butter!

While the butter is cooling, gather the rest of the ingredients you’ll need for these cookies:

• Flour
• Baking Soda
• Salt
• Cinnamon
• Sugars – granulated and brown
• Eggs
• Vanilla Extract
• Chocolate Chunks
• Sea Salt <3

Browned Butter in Chocolate Chip Cookies

When all of those ingredients combine – wonderful things happen. Cookies happen. Crispy, chewy, gooey, decadent cookies. I like a thin and crispy cookie with a tender center. That’s exactly what this Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe delivers! All that’s missing is a glass of milk!

Print Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

This recipe for browned butter chocolate chip cookies is one of my absolute favorites! With nutty browned butter, sweet brown sugar, and a touch of sea salt – they have everything you could every want in a cookie recipe!

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time12 mins

Resting Time4 hrs

Total Time4 hrs 22 mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Baking, Browned Butter, Chocolate, Cookies

Servings: 22 cookies

Calories: 212kcal

Author: Amanda Gajdosik

Ingredients

• 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
• ¼ tsp. baking soda
• ½ tsp. salt
• dash of cinnamon
• 1 cup unsalted butter browned and cooled*
• 1 cup brown sugar
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs at room temperature
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 4 oz. chocolate chunks

Instructions

• Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer cream together the browned butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about five minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until fully incorporated. Scrape down the bowl as necessary. Stir in vanilla.
• Add the dry ingredients, in three batches, until a cohesive dough begins to form. Stir in chocolate chunks.
• Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least four hours, up to three days.*
• When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Using a 2 oz. cookie scoop scoop rounds of dough onto prepared baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between each cookie.
• Bake in preheated oven for 10 – 12 minutes, until edges are golden and centers are just set (more or less depending on how you like your cookies done).
• Remove to rack to cool completely. Sprinkle with sea salt while still warm.

Notes

*To brown butter: cut butter into tablespoons and place in large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook until butter has melted and begins to bubble, gently swirl pan as butter bubbles and foams, constantly moving the butter. In about five minutes, the butter will begin to emit a rich, toasted smell and brown flecks will appear on the bottom of the pan. Immediately remove from heat, scraping browned bits into the bowl of the mixer to ensure full flavor.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 212kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 37mg | Sodium: 69mg | Potassium: 64mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 282IU | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 1mg