Tessa's Recipe Rundown
Taste: Possibly the most flavorful chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever tasted. The combination of the nutty brown butter, the rich sweetness of the dark brown sugar, and the caramel-y toffee is INSANELY good.
Texture: These cookies are big, thick, chewy, ooey, and gooey. Seriously perfect.
Ease: More involved than your standard chocolate chip cookie recipe. There’s the browning of the butter and letting the dough chill for at least 24 hours.
Pros: Fantastic chocolate chip cookies that your family and friends will adore.
Cons: A little extra work involved, but I promise it’s completely worthwhile.
Would I make this again? Oh yes. I always keep a steady supply of these cookies in my freezer!
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These Browned Butter Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies are about to be the BEST cookies you’ve ever tried.
This Browned Butter Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe has gone completely viral. It’s been featured on Good Morning America, and TikTok videos of people making this recipe have gotten millions of views.
I originally published this recipe in 2014 but just had to update it with recipe improvements and new photos. These cookies deserved it!
In fact, my recipe photographer Ashley, who shot all 50 recipes in my cookie cookbook, said this may just be my BEST COOKIE RECIPE yet. People have been known to fight over these cookies. Yes, they’re that good.
These are one of the most flavorful chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever tasted, and the texture is absolutely perfect. You NEED to try this recipe. If your friends and family are anything like mine, they plead and beg you to make it again and again.
Yes, this recipe is a little extra work. But the best things in life usually are.
You may even want to make a double batch so you have plenty of dough to freeze when the craving hits. Trust me… it WILL hit!
Sprinkle of Science
How to Make Browned Butter Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies
How to Brown Butter:
- Use a stainless steel sauté pan for best results.
- Nonstick prevents the butter from browning completely and prevents you from being able to visually see how browned it’s getting. Same with the dark color of cast iron.
- Something with a wider surface area, like a sauté pan over a saucepan, encourages browning more quickly.
- Don’t step away from butter that’s browning after it’s melted. It can go from browned to burnt quickly.
- At the same time, don’t be afraid of letting that color develop. It should become a rich and fragrant amber.
- Scrape all the brown bits into the mixing bowl – that’s where the flavor lives!
- I highly recommend using unsalted butter – learn why here.
- Learn all my tips and tricks for browning butter in my How to Brown Butter article here.
Do I Really Need to Use Bread Flour?
You don’t absolutely have to use bread flour, but it adds a ton of chewy texture to these Browned Butter Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies that’s worth the extra trip to the store.
If you don’t have bread flour, then use a total of 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour in the recipe. Make sure to weigh your flour accurately. If you add too much flour, your cookies may end up dry, dense, or crumbly cookies that barely spread.
Granulated Sugar + Dark Brown Sugar
- To make these Browned Butter Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies extra delicious, we’re using a combination of granulated white sugar and dark brown sugar.
- This combination brings sweetness, a fantastic texture, and a butterscotch flavor that’s so rich and delicious.
- The extra molasses in the dark brown sugar draws in more moisture, making the cookies thicker, softer, and chewier.
- You can use light brown sugar instead, but you may lose some of the additional flavor.
- Whatever you do, don’t lower the sugar in this recipe. Sugar does SO much more than simply sweetening your baked goods. Learn more about sugar’s role in baking here.
Eggs + an Extra Yolk
Eggs are essential to forming a beautifully pliable dough and cookies that stay soft for days – and we’re adding an extra yolk for extra richness and added chewiness. Eggs should be at room temperature when beginning your dough, but separate the one yolk from its white while cold for best results (yolks are more fragile and tend to break more easily when warmer).
Why is There Espresso Powder in This Cookie Recipe?
I really like the way the bitter espresso plays off the sweetness of the toffee and the nuttiness of the browned butter. It’s totally optional, so if you don’t have it or don’t want to use it, feel free to simply omit it.
What Kind of Chocolate for Browned Butter Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies?
I like to use semi-sweet Ghirardelli baking bars and chop them up coarsely for these Browned Butter Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies. Feel free to use chocolate chips, but note that you won’t have the same delicious marbled result you get from chopping your own chocolate.
Where to Find Toffee Bits?
You can find Heath brand toffee chips at many grocery stores, typically located with chocolate chips in the baking aisle.
If you can’t find them, I have a super easy recipe to DIY Homemade Toffee Bits which I used for these cookies here. It takes just 15 minutes and they taste SO much better than store-bought!
Do I Really Have to Chill the Cookie Dough?
I know, it’s annoying, but I promise you it’s SO worth it, especially for this recipe which uses melted browned butter. Both the taste and texture of the cookie improve during this time. Think of it as a marinating time where everything just gets better and better!!
Freezing does not work the same as chilling, so there are no shortcuts here. Learn more about chilling cookie dough in this article here.
Can I Make Smaller Cookies?
Yes, though I much prefer the crisp edges, chewy texture, and soft center 3-tablespoon-sized Browned Butter Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies. If you want to bake smaller cookies, scoop into 1 1/2 tablespoon-sized balls and bake for 10 to 12 minutes.
Portioning the Cookie Dough Before vs. After Chilling
- Refrigerate the dough as a whole if you don’t have space in your fridge for scoops. Let the dough come completely to room temperature before scooping, which may take a couple hours.
- Refrigerate pre-scooped dough if you’ve got the space, and can commit to keeping the scoops well sealed in an airtight container so they won’t dry out.
- Simply bake the pre-portioned scoops straight from the fridge after the 24-72 hour chill time!
Can I Freeze This Cookie Dough?
Yes! Freeze the portioned Browned Butter Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookie dough balls after letting the dough marinate in the fridge for at least 24 hours. Place dough balls on a baking sheet and freeze until solid. Remove frozen balls of dough to an airtight container and store for up to 6 weeks. Click here for my full guide on how to freeze and bake frozen dough.
Tessa’s Favorite Tools for This Recipe:
- Large 3-tablespoon size cookie scoop for that bakery-style texture
- Or use a medium 1.5-tablespoon size cookie scoop and bake only for about 10-12 minutes instead
- Nordic Ware Natural Aluminum Baker’s Half Sheet won our side-by-side comparison of the best baking pans
- 12″x16″ non-stick parchment paper for the best bake and easiest cleanup!
- The Ultimate Cookie Handbook: Your Guide to Baking Perfect Cookies Every Time by Tessa Arias (me!)
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Ingredients
- 2 sticks (227 grams) unsalted butter
- 1/2 (100 grams) cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup (200 grams) lightly packed dark brown sugar
- 1 1/2 cups (190 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (127 grams) bread flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder, optional
- 2 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 10 ounces (283 grams) semisweet chocolate, chopped
- 1 cup
homemade toffee bits , or Heath brand - Flaky sea salt, for finishing
Instructions
- In a medium stainless steel sauté pan 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 becomes quieter, continue to swirl the pan or stir until the butter develops a nutty aroma and brown bits start to form at the bottom. Once the bits are amber in color, remove from heat and pour into a mixing bowl. Be sure to keep the brown bits at the bottom of the pan as well, they hold so much flavor!
- Add the granulated sugar and brown sugar to the hot butter, stirring to combine. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
- In a medium bowl, combine the flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and espresso powder.
- To the cooled butter mixture, whisk in the eggs, yolk, and vanilla until combined. Gradually stir in the flour mixture with a rubber spatula. Stir in the chocolate chunks and toffee bits. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 24 hours but no more than 72 hours.
- Let dough sit at room temperature just until it is soft enough to scoop, about 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Divide the dough into 3-tablespoon sized balls using a large cookie scoop and drop onto prepared baking sheets. Dough may be slightly challenging to scoop.
- At this point, you can portion the dough, place it on a baking sheet, and freeze just until solid. Remove frozen balls of dough to an airtight container and store for up to 6 weeks.
- Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and immediately use a round cookie or biscuit cutter slightly larger than each cookie to gently reshape them into perfectly round, thicker cookies.
- Sprinkle flaky sea salt on top of the cookies, if desired. Let cookies cool for 2 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
More Recipes You’ll Love:
- Toffee Brownies
- Hot Cocoa Cookies
- Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Brown Butter Dulce de Leche Cookie Cups
- Peanut Butter Toffee Chocolate Chunk Bars
- Bourbon Rye Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies
- Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Visit my full Cookie Recipes index for more recipes, tips, and insights into the science of cookie baking!
This post was originally published in 2014 and updated with recipe improvements, more tips, and new photos. Photos by Ashley McLaughlin.
hello, how much (in grams) is the butter after cooking it?
Hi Daniela! I’m not sure, that’s not a measurement needed to make these cookies! You don’t need to add additional butter to this recipe after browning the butter 🙂 I hope that answers your question!
Took THREE DOZEN of these to my post-pandemic office (i.e. not exactly a full house) and they all disappeared in one day! People were flipping out for them.
Ahh! This is so wonderful to hear!
How do I stop eating the batter so I’ll know what the cookies taste like??? My goodness…..delicious!
haha love it!!
Best cookies I’ve ever made
These are delicious! I followed the recipe almost exactly (for the chocolate I chopped 1 Ghirardelli 60% and 1 Ghirardelli 70% bar). I didn’t have espresso powder but will add that next time. I also tasted with/without sea salt. I personally loved both but the sea salt has a slight edge since the rest of the cookie is so sweet. I will definitely be making these again!
So happy you loved this recipe, Elizabeth! The espresso powder adds yet another layer of flavor, it’s soo good! Thanks for taking the time to comment! 🙂
Hi – I make a chocolate chip cookie pie & was wondering if this recipe would work as a pie. They are our favorite cookies and my husband is requesting them as a cookie pie!
Hi Ann! We haven’t tried that, though it sounds absolutely delicious!! Please let us know how it goes if you give it a try 🙂
Well worth the extra effort. Definitely incredibly delicious gourmet cookies.
So glad you enjoyed these, Matt! They’re of fave of mine too!
Hi Tessa! Are there any ingredient measurements that I need to tweak if I double the recipe?
Nope! You can double this recipe exact. Enjoy your cookies, Alexis 🙂
Any recommendations for how to adjust the recipe at 4500 ft of elevation? Thank you! 🙂
Hi Anne! We suggest making any alterations that you normally would when baking at a higher altitude, we haven’t tested it!
These were AMAZING! I made them for my coworkers and I got rave reviews. I was only able to “marinate” for 4 hours or so and I think that was sufficient in a pinch for the dough to chill all the way through. It was a real challenge to scoop! But the taste was absolutely on point. Definitely don’t skip the finishing salt on this one! It is essential for balancing all the sweetness. I actually think I might play around with the amount of white sugar in this next time to see if I can lessen the overall sweetness a bit, but that is really to suit my personal preference for not-as-sweet desserts.
Also, I’d love a guide on how to tell when cookies are done and ready to come out of the oven. I made mine using a 2 tbs scoop and I ended up having them in for 15 mins and then letting them sit on the cookie sheet for another ten minutes to continue cooking out of the oven, Though they firmed up to a good consistency when cool, they seemed very soft and underdone and were a challenge to move to the cooling rack.
So happy your cookies were such a hit, Charlotte, and thank you for your feedback! Marinating the dough for at least 24 hours will help to enhance the texture and flavor of these cookies as well as hopefully ‘balance out’ the sweetness for you as the flavors meld together more. The best way to know when cookies are done is actually the sensory indication provided to complete the step (for this recipe, it’s “until golden brown”). It’s interesting that while you used a smaller scoop than suggested, your cookies actually took longer to bake. Do you have an oven thermometer to ensure that your oven is baking at a consistent temperature?
Is there any way to cut down on the sugar in this recipe without compromising the results? I know the brown sugar probably plays an important role in the moisture content, but I was just wondering as it sounds like a lot of sugar in the base to then add the chocolate and toffee bits too.
Hi Charlotte! Honestly, these cookies aren’t overly sweet, especially if you add the flaky sea salt for finishing. The combination of semisweet chocolate, toffee (homemade toffee is amazing!), and espresso is so delicious! We haven’t tried this recipe with less sugar, you are correct that the brown sugar plays into the moisture of these cookies-it also gives them a delicious butterscotch flavor. I’d suggest making the recipe as it’s written to see what you think, then experiment if you think it needs any adjustments based on your findings. Let us know what you think!
These cookies were a huge hit, but I wanted them to be a tad thicker. Since there is so much butter and it causes the cookies to spread more, what do you suggest adding to make them more chewy? If it is more bread flour, how do you balance the recipe out with the other ingredients so they don’t become too dry?
Thank you!
These cookies are pretty thick, so I want to make sure you’re chilling your dough? There is quite a bit of butter, but the cookies shouldn’t spread very much after they’ve been chilled. We haven’t experimented with this recipe other than the written recipe, but you might be interested in our article How to Bake THICK Cookies. You could try any of the suggested ideas on there, I’m thinking scooping tall mounds of cookie dough might be a great place to start. Let us know how it goes!
Thanks Emily! I chilled the dough for 24 hours and made sure they were 3 Tablespoons worth, which yielded 25 cookies per the recipe…they aren’t too thin, but I was hoping they’d come out thicker. I did let the dough sit out for about an hour after I took it out of the fridge so I could scoop it more easily. Maybe that caused them to spread out more? I’ll try out this recipe again and try some of the tricks from the thick cookies article. 🙂 THANK YOU!
All depending on how hot it is where you live, that is a possibility; however, you do need to let the dough sit out so it scoops more easily after being in the fridge that long, you don’t want to break your cookie scoop! 🙂 Once scooped onto the pan though, you could always place the cookies back into the fridge or freezer while the oven preheats. That will help too! Let us know if you try anything else! 🙂