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 there! I heard these cookies were really good and wanted to give them a try. However, it says that this recipe makes a batch of 25 cookies. That’s a bit much in my opinion. Do you think I could cut the recipe by a half or even a quarter? Will it still turn out right? Would I have to chill it for a full day still? If I shouldn’t cut the recipe, how many days can the cookies last? Thank you so much!
Hi Kina! You could halve this recipe, but then you’ll also have to try to cut an egg yolk in half (or quarters, if you wish to cut the recipe in 1/4!), which can be a bit of a pain. Our recommendation is to make the full recipe as written, and then follow the directions in this post to freeze the cookie dough (after the chill period). Then you can bake off a few at a time, whenever you like! Alternatively, if you do decide to cut down the recipe, we still recommend chilling for 24-72 hours for best results. I hope that helps! Let us know what you think of these cookies once you’ve given them a try 🙂
Thank you for getting back to me!! Made the cookies with the See’s large chips which were semi sweet. They were amazing and the hardest part was waiting 24 hours to enjoy! Baked 6 and froze the scooped dough to enjoy warm cookies whenever we are in the mood!
Every recipe I have tried has been delicious! My husband and daughter love the brownies made with the “expensive ingredients “. Well worth the money! Looking forward to fall baking so bring on those recipes!! Enjoy the rest of your summer!!
Yay! So thrilled to hear this, Barb! Thanks so much for letting us know 🙂
Best cookies I’ve ever made! I always use this recipe, and it has never failed!!!
These were absolutely fantastic, my friends loved it! I actually mixed all the ingredients into the brown butter while it was slightly warm to melt my chocolate. Oh my god it was so good
I made the dough, and it’s in the fridge hailing. I have rolled them into logs and will slice them chilled. Maybe that is the secret? I don’t have a rating yet, but all definitely let you know if rolling the into lag shape does anything to help the baking process
Hi Barbara! We haven’t tried rolling these cookies into logs and slicing to bake – that trick is usually best for cookies with more of a shortbread texture, but it may work great here too. Let us know how it goes with these! We hope you enjoy them 🙂
From a flavor and texture standpoint – 10/10. I love how crisp yet chewy / soft these cookies are. The brown sugar and browned butter make them rich and delicious. I did however only do 1 stick of butter versus 2 and found that to be perfect.
Thank you for sharing!
First time making these and they were delicious. Question- when bringing to room temp before baking, the dough resembled the texture and temp of the pre-fridge step….so, do you bake while slightly chill from the fridge?
thanks
I noticed the butter calls for 2 sticks( 227 grams) is this after the butter is brown? if you are using the sticks and not the grams after the butter is browned it does not equal 227 grams. I have been melting about 3 sticks to get to 227 with some left over. I have made this recipe several times and it comes out perfect all the time. I just wanted to know.
Thank you
Hi Debbie-Ann! This recipe asks for 2 sticks (227 grams) butter, and then we brown it in the first step of the recipe, and use the entirety of the brown butter we’ve just made. I’m glad your alterations have been working so well, but no need for the additional butter, as the recipe is written to take the evaporation from the browning process into consideration. Thanks for checking 🙂
The flavor of the cookies was nice, but they turned out flat and personally, too big. Still good, though!
Hi Alyrah! I’m sorry to hear that these cookies didn’t turn out as they should. Were the cookies chilled for a minimum of 24 hours, as advised in the recipe? I know that can be so hard to do – but it is integral to this recipe’s outcome, as explained in more detail in the pink tip box above the recipe. 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 ingredients (particularly flour) and throw off the entire chemistry of a recipe. Check out Tessa’s article here, where she talks about how to best measure ingredients to ensure accuracy every time. How old are your leavening agents? If your baking soda/powder are not fresh, they won’t do their jobs and your cookies may over-spread, among other things. Tessa talks about the science behind leavening agents, and how to test for leavener freshness, in this article here! Finally, if these cookies are too large, feel free to experiment with a smaller (1.5 Tablespoon) cookie scoop, for a smaller cookie size – just keep in mind that the baking time will need to be lowered, and the texture will change slightly, too. I hope something here helps, Alyrah! Happy baking 🙂
I have a scale, but it doesn’t weigh in grams. What’s a good scale?
Hi Shonna! This is Tessa’s favorite kitchen scale here, which has a pull-out display that’s super convenient, and this is another great scale that’s slightly more affordable scale. I hope that helps!
Would the recipe need to be changed any if I wanted to use dark chocolate instead of semi-sweet? I have made so many of Tessa’s cookie recipes! They are the best ever!
Hi Sandra! Yay, we’re so happy to hear that you enjoy Tessa’s cookie recipes! 🙂 The chocolate chips can be swapped out for any other type of chocolate chip or mix-in you like – just swap out the type of chocolate you prefer for the same amount as written in the recipe. Just keep in mind that darker chocolate will lower the sweetness level of the cookie, but it will still be super delicious! Let us know what you think once you’ve given these cookies a try! 🙂
I love this recipe but anytime I make it the cookies don’t flatten really much at all. I end up with big dome cookies and wondering what I could be messing up in making them. Could I be over mixing the dough would that cause them not to flatten?
Hi Liz! 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 ingredients (particularly flour) and throw off the entire chemistry of a recipe – and the most likely culprit when cookies are too domed and don’t spread as they should. Check out Tessa’s article here, where she talks about how to best measure ingredients to ensure accuracy every time. I hope this helps! Feel free to reach back out with any further questions, we’re always happy to help 🙂
Hello again,
I feel like a complete dummy, I forgot the chocolate!
Will it be fine if I add the chocolate after chilling?
I’ve tasted the dough, and taste amazing these cookies gonna taste sooo good(hope even though I messed up a bit)
Hi there! Oh no – I’m so sorry to hear that! We’ve never tried mixing in the chocolate and I’m a little worried that your dough will get overmixed if you add it now, but there’s only one way to find out! Just be careful to mix only as absolutely necessary, and you can always add the majority of the chocolate to the tops of the cookies, to avoid too mcuh additional mixing. Fingers crossed they’ll still be totally delicious. Let us know how it goes!
Mmm, cookies were still so good
I’ll me making these again this week!
Hello!
I was wondering if I could perhaps use all-purpose flower to replace to bread flower?
Hi there! Tessa explains this in the pink tip box above the recipe. Yes, you can, but the cookies won’t be as chewy or thick. Be sure to check out all her tips and tricks there before trying these delicious cookies 🙂 Happy baking!