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This recipe for browned butter chocolate chip cookies is one of my absolute favorites! They're chewy tender with a delightfully crisp exterior. Made 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!
Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
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.
Cathryn says
These look perfect. I love the idea of browning the butter, it adds a little extra to the cookie.
Amanda says
Absolutely! So when people eat them they go “what’s in this?!”
chefkreso says
Chocolate chip cookies are my favorite!!
Amanda says
As they should be! 😃
Olivia says
This is my go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe. I've been making it for a couple years and it is super delish! the browned butter is *chef's kiss* and the addition of cinnamon feels like a secret ingredient.
I've used white sugar plus molasses or agave when I didn't have brown sugar. The first couple times I made these they turned out a little tall so really cream the sugar, make sure your flour isn't packed and don't overmix!
Amanda says
I'm so happy you love these cookies! And what great tips and tricks you've figured out for the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe! Thanks so much Olivia <3
jaicommunity says
Yum 😍
Amanda says
Give them a try! Too good to pass up!
jaicommunity says
I’m sure they are. Might have to another time - I’m cookie and treats stuffed from the holidays. I think I put on 10 pounds since November 😞
Amanda says
Everything in moderation. Including moderation. So say Julia Child and so say I!