Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: These cookies are bursting with nutty, toasty brown butter flavor without going too sweet.
Texture: This recipe nails that bakery-style contrast — a perfectly chewy center with crispy edges.
Ease: Browning the butter is an extra step, but otherwise, they’re super simple. You won’t even need a mixer!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe: These cookies are the perfect combo of gooey centers, crisp, golden edges, and a rich, brown butter flavor.
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My Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies are chewy in the middle, crisp at the edges, and full of rich, nutty flavor. The secret is browning the butter, a simple step that makes a big difference in taste and texture.
I’ll guide you through these step-by-step, but they’re pretty easy to master. You don’t even need a mixer to make these incredible cookies!
Reader Love
These are sooooo good, I’ve been baking for many years and this is the best chocolate chip cookie recipe I have tried. I chilled them for two days and the flavor was outstanding, I would recommend not skipping that part. Can’t wait to make them over the holidays!
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Ingredient Notes
Every ingredient in the perfect chocolate chip cookie plays a role in that chewy, gooey, bakery-style texture. Here’s why they matter in this brown butter chocolate chip cookie recipe so that you can bake with confidence:
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- Brown Butter: This is the star of the show! Browning the butter transforms its flavor, creating nutty, caramelized notes that give these cookies depth and complexity.
- Bread Flour + All-Purpose Flour: Bread flour has more protein, which results in a chewier, thicker cookie. If you only have all-purpose flour, you can use it for the full amount, but you’ll lose some chewiness.
- Dark Brown Sugar: This sugar adds rich flavor and moisture to keep your cookies soft and chewy. You can use light brown sugar (1:1 ratio), but your cookies will lose a little richness.
- Granulated Sugar: White sugar gives your cookies structure and just enough crispness for that perfect texture contrast. I strongly recommend that you don’t reduce the sugar in these cookies. Sugar doesn’t just sweeten, and cutting it out will change the texture of your cookies!
- Chocolate: This recipe combines chocolate chips and chocolate baking wafers (or fèves). The chips hold their shape, while the wafers melt into irresistible chocolate puddles.
- Sea Salt: This is optional, but you can add a sprinkling of flaky sea salt after pulling your cookies out of the oven.
Sprinkle of Science
Step-By-Step: Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
I tested and tweaked this recipe until every batch had the perfect balance. These have gooey centers, chewy middles, and just-crisp edges. Here are my tips for cookies that are picture-perfect, taste great, but are totally doable at home.
1. Brown the Butter
I have hundreds of cookie recipes on my site, but there’s just something magical about brown butter cookies.
How do you brown butter for cookies? Start by melting butter, and then cook until the milk solids in the butter become toasted. The result is a deeply nutty, caramelized, butterscotch flavor that perfectly enhances chocolate chip cookies.
Brown butter is super simple to make. Just be sure not to walk away from it, as it can burn quickly. Scrape all the brown bits into the mixing bowl, too, as they’re the most flavorful.
Love the flavor of browned butter? Try these next: Brown Butter Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies, Browned Butter Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies, and Butterscotch Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies.
2. Mix & Cool the Butter Base
After browning the butter, mix in the sugars and let the mixture cool completely before adding the eggs. This keeps the eggs from scrambling in the warm butter and helps the dough come together. Cool butter also thickens slightly as it sits, giving the cookies a chewier texture.
3. Build the Dough
Mixing the wet and dry ingredients separately is one of the easiest ways to get perfect cookies every time. Whisking the flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together first ensures even distribution of ingredients, so every cookie spreads and rises the same way.
When you gently stir the dry ingredients into the wet, you’re also less likely to overmix, keeping your cookies from getting too dense or dry.
4. Chill for Flavor & Structure
I know it’s annoying to have to wait to enjoy cookies, but I promise you it’s SO worth it. The dough improves in taste and texture as it chills. If you don’t want to wait for your cookies, feel free to bake a few after chilling for at least two hours, just to satisfy the craving. Bake the rest after 24 hours!
Freezing doesn’t work the same as chilling, so there are no shortcuts here. To fully develop the flavor and texture, it requires a minimum of 24 hours (and up to 72 hours) in the fridge.
5. Scoop, Size, and Bake
If my fridge space is more limited, I’ll refrigerate the entire mass of dough. If you do the same, you need to allow plenty of time for the dough to come to room temp before portioning. Don’t scoop cold dough. You’ll break your scoop!
I’ve found that this brown butter cookie dough is best as big cookies using a large 3-tablespoon cookie scoop. To make smaller cookies, use a medium 1.5-tablespoon cookie scoop and reduce the baking time to about 10 minutes. Note that the texture will be affected with a smaller scoop of dough.
The easiest option is to scoop and then chill. However, there’s a bit more risk that your dough will dry out in the fridge this way, so store the cookie dough balls in an airtight container or good-quality zip-top bag to prevent them from drying out.
Baking Tips for Best Results
From measuring your flour accurately to knowing exactly when to remove the cookies from the oven, a few minor tweaks can transform your results from “good” to “I can’t stop eating these.”
- Measure correctly. I use a digital kitchen scale to weigh my ingredients, especially flour. Incorrectly measured flour can lead to cookies that are tough, crumbly, dry, too thick, or just blah. If you don’t have one, use the spoon and level method.
- Check your oven temperature. Most ovens run a little hot or cold, which can throw off baking times. I use an oven thermometer to ensure baking accuracy.
- Choose the right pan. For best results, use a quality light-colored baking pan or cookie sheet and line it with parchment paper. The pan you bake on has a huge impact on your cookies. I have a guide to baking pans with side-by-side testing!
- Use fresh leavening agents. Make sure your baking soda and baking powder are fresh and active to ensure your cookies spread and rise perfectly. My guide explains these two leaveners and how to test for freshness.
- Don’t overbake. Bake these cookies just until the edges set and turn a golden brown. The middles may still look a little “wet,” and that’s OK! The pan’s residual heat will continue to cook them through to perfection.
- Chill the dough. I know I’ve already mentioned this, but don’t skip the chill period. Chilling gives the flavors time to deepen, resulting in thicker, chewier cookies.
Storage & Freezing Notes
When stored in an airtight container, these cookies stay soft and chewy for 2-3 days at room temperature. For longer storage, chill the dough for 24-72 hours first.
I like to portion out the dough and place it on a baking sheet, then freeze just until solid. Transfer the frozen dough balls to a freezer bag and freeze for up to 6 weeks. This way, you can bake off small batches of fresh cookies whenever you like!
FAQs
What makes this chocolate chip cookie recipe especially easy?
Even though these cookies look and taste bakery-worthy, the process is very approachable. No mixer is needed. Everything you need is easy to find at the grocery store, and browning the butter is easy to master.
How does browning the butter affect the flavor and texture of chocolate chip cookies?
Browning the butter transforms the flavor of your cookies in the best way. It develops rich, nutty, almost caramel-like notes that deepen the overall flavor, giving your cookies a more complex taste.
On the texture side, the dough has slightly less moisture, which helps create thicker, chewier cookies with crisp, golden edges. It’s a small extra step with a huge payoff in both taste and texture.
More Cookie Recipes to Try
Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
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Ingredients
- 2 sticks (227 grams) unsalted butter
- ½ cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 ¼ cups (250 grams) lightly packed dark brown sugar
- 1 ½ cups (190 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (127 grams) bread flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups (255 grams) semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup (140 grams) semisweet chocolate baking wafers (from Guittard or Valrhona)*
- flaky sea salt (optional)
Instructions
- In a small saucepan set over medium heat, melt the butter. Swirling the pan occasionally, continue to cook the butter. It should become foamy with audible cracking and popping noises.
- Once the crackling stops, continue to swirl the pan until the butter develops a nutty aroma and brown bits start to form at the bottom. When the bits are amber in color, about 2 to 3 minutes after the popping stops, remove from heat and pour into a mixing bowl.
- Add in the sugars, stir, then set aside to cool completely.
- In a medium or large bowl, combine the flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Add the eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla to the browned butter mixture, and stir with a rubber spatula until combined. Slowly stir in the flour mixture until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips and wafers.
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 24 hours but no more than 72 hours. Let the dough sit at room temperature until just soft enough to scoop.
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350ºF. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Divide the dough into 3-tablespoon sized balls using a cookie scoop and drop onto prepared baking sheets, leaving about 3 inches between each piece of dough to spread.
- Bake for 11 to 13 minutes, or until golden brown. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt, if desired. Let cool for 5 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.
Recipe Notes
The Ultimate Cookie Handbook
Learn the sweet SCIENCE of cookie baking in a fun, visual way to customize your own recipes frustration-free. Plus, my best 50+ homemade cookies!
This post was originally published in 2015 and recently updated with recipe improvements and new photos. Photos by Ashley McLaughlin.
Hello! If I wanted to make a double batch of these, would you recommend making 2 separate batches or can I double it at the same time/in the same bowl? Can’t wait to try these, thank you!
Hi Nicole! You could definitely double it, just use a large bowl to mix everything in and also keep in mind that your butter may take a bit longer to brown due to the increased quantity. I’d suggest to divide the dough in half before chilling as it will make the time coming back to room temperature to scoop your dough much quicker! Let us know what you think of this recipe when you give it a try 🙂
This looks lovely! I’m loving what feels like a recent trend towards “brown butter” style cookies that eliminate the need for creaming/mixers.
I might suggest that it could be much easier to scoop the cookies before they go in the fridge for a few days (rather than after) because the dough is softer then.
Keep up the awesome recipes !!
That’s a great option 🙂 Just make sure that your cookie scoops are in an airtight container so they don’t dry out! I hope you give our recipe a try, let us know if you do! 🙂
I have made this recipe many times and it’s simply the best chocolate chip cookie I’ve ever had!! I bake a lot of bread and only had bread flour in hand when I found this recipe. Serendipity!! Thank you for sharing it with the world. I now use brown butter in so many other recipes. It’s a game changer! Kerry Gold butter just got an upgrade. 🙂
These are awesome but I can taste the salt I didn’t chill them I did a taste batch
Hi! Can I reduce sugar in this recipe? How much can I cut without ruining the integrity of the cookies? Thanks!
Hi April! We really recommend sticking with the original quantity of sugar in any recipe, for many reasons. Sugar doesn’t just sweeten baked goods; it moistens, provides tender structure, assists with gluten formation, extends the shelf-life (meaning it will be fresh and moist longer), and assists in creating a taller and lighter finished product – just to name a few things! Reducing the sugar content in a recipe doesn’t just lower the level of sweetness; it messes with the recipe’s chemistry and creates a totally different baked good. If you wish to reduce the sugar, we recommend making the recipe as written once, and then slowly reducing from there, to a point where you are pleased with the results; but making it first as-written is key, so you have something to compare it to! Happy baking!
Very Good Cookie…Resting the dough is the best..Went 6 days and they were amazing..
This is by far our favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe and brown butter recipe! Sooo sooo good! I will say, each time I make it though, they come out slightly different each time, my favorite version was when my dough appeared a bit more crumbly, not worrisome, just not as greasy looking (and I always weigh my ingredients). They seemed to spread less, but still chewy and gooey once baked!
My question is, would waiting for the brown butter and sugar mixture to cool completely/begin to solidify before mixing in egg result in that crumbly texture of dough?! I can’t figure it out 😉
Hi Jess! I’m so glad to hear that you love these cookies! So strange that your cookies are different each time!! Have you used any different ingredients between batches? Or even different egg sizes? Seemingly slight variances can have a huge impact on a cookie’s outcome – particularly egg size, flour type (even brands of flours, too), and type of butter (store brand vs quality butter vs European butter). It could also be how much you are browning your butter each time. The browner the butter gets, the more water is evaporated, so the batches you’re finding are crumblier may have had the butter browned longer/more because they therefore contain less moisture. The cooling time can have some effect on the outcome, but I wouldn’t expect it to have as much of a variance as the other things I listed here! I hope this helps! Happy baking 🙂
Literally the best chocolate chip cookie recipe I’ve ever found. Every time I make this recipe I get so many compliments.
I made these and they spread soooo thin in the oven. I followed the recipe exactly and actually made a quadruple batch of dough to freeze so I really hate to lose all those ingredients. Could I still salvage the dough? It’s chilling in the fridge now as I made it this morning. Could I still add more flour or something else to make them spread less or do I have to scrap it?
Hi Avie! Oh no, I’m so sorry to hear that these cookies didn’t turn out as you had hoped! Although it’s hard to say exactly what may have happened here without having backed alongside you, I do have a few thoughts here. Firstly, did you refrigerate the dough for at least 24 hours before baking the first batch? Here at Handle the Heat, we advise you chill pretty much all cookie doughs for 24 – 72 hours to maximize the flavor! Think of it like marinating meats, but for cookies! All that depth of flavor happens while the dough rests. It’s especially important for browned butter or melted butter doughs, as it’s so important to give the dough a chance to set up properly in the fridge, before baking.
Also, how do you measure your ingredients? By volume (using cups), or by weight (using a digital kitchen scale)? When measuring by volume, it’s so easy to mis-measure flour/sugar/etc and throw off the entire chemistry of a recipe. Tessa talks about how to best measure ingredients to ensure accuracy every time, in this article here!
What type of pan are you baking on? Different materials of pans conduct heat differently, so some are much better suited to cookie baking than others. Tessa shows the differences between a variety of baking pans in this article here!
I just want to mention your leavening agent. If your baking/soda powder are not fresh, they won’t do their jobs and your baked goods can not rise properly, s[read too much, fall after baking, and much more. Tessa talks about the science behind leavening agents, and how to test for leavener freshness, in this article here!
Hopefully something here helped and you can salvage the rest of your cookies!! Feel free to reach back out to us with any further questions – we are always happy to help!! 🙂
So good. They are very large and soft so how do you store them since you can’t stack them
Hi there! I’m sorry, maybe I’m not understanding your question? The chocolate on top of these should solidify once cooled, so you should be able to stack them to store for a couple of days!
Hi, do you have a recipe video for these brown butter chocolate chip cookies? Thanks
Hi Marie! Yes, we do! Unfortunately our “watch video” button up the top is not working (we are working on reformatting our recipe posts, so hopefully it will work soon!), but if you scroll down just a little bit, the video is underneath the second photo, under the heading “Recipe Video”. Let us know what you think of this recipe when you make it!! Happy baking 🙂
I forgot the cooling step 🙁 I didn’t let the sugar and browned butter mixture cool all the way before adding the eggs and vanilla, but I did let that mixture cool in the fridge for about 15 minutes before combining it with the flour mixture.. did I ruin them? Should I not even bake them? lol
Hi Britany! The reason we cool the sugar/brown butter mixture is just so we don’t cook our eggs when adding the hot butter! Too much heat introduced to the eggs cooks them, and you end up with gross, sweet scrambled eggs!! It’s been a few days now, so if you did not bake them yet, and did not freeze the dough, I would advise throwing out the dough now, as it’s probably been sitting in the fridge too long and may have spoiled at this point … but I hope you decided to roll the dice and bake them anyway! Hopefully you were pleasantly surprised with the results 🙂