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!
What Makes Cookies Chewy, Crisp, or Cakey?
My free guide reveals the ingredients and tweaks that matter.
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.
This Browned Butter Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe is kind of a mouthful to say. But when you actually have a mouthful of one of these cookies, I think you’re going to love me.
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
- I recommend following the directions in the recipe for chilling the dough in one big mass, and then portioning the dough, because it prevents the dough from drying out while chilling.
- However, if you’re finding it too challenging to scoop the Browned Butter Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookie dough at this point, feel free to scoop before chilling.
- There’s a bit more risk that your dough will dry out in the fridge this way, so just to be safe, store the cookie dough balls in an airtight container or good quality ziptop bag, to prevent them from drying out.
- Then simply bake the pre-portioned Browned Butter Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies 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!)
More Recipes You’ll Love:
- Toffee Brownies
- Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Brown Butter Dulce de Leche Cookie Cups
- Peanut Butter Toffee Chocolate Chunk Bars
- Bourbon Rye Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies
- Visit my full Cookie Recipes index for more recipes, tips, and insights into the science of cookie baking!
Browned Butter Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies
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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 oven and 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.
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 2014 and updated with recipe improvements, more tips, and new photos. Photos by Ashley McLaughlin.
Thanks for sharing! Do they freeze well?
They do! Check out the pink tip box above the recipe where Tessa explains more 🙂 Enjoy your cookies!
This looks so good! What a great way to make a chocolate chip cookie extra special!
Made these and they are sooo good. Question – can you bake from frozen, or do you recommend bringing to room temp before baking?
Hi Sarah! Yes, you can! Check out the pink tip box above the recipe, Tessa included a link to an article on how to freeze and bake frozen cookie dough 🙂
So yummy!!! Were we supposed to put all the scoops touching before baking? I had to bake mine 18 minutes to get them done. Is that normal? Even the dough is spectacular!
Hi Ashley! No, our picture showing the scoops touching was purely for the photo 🙂 You’ll want to keep about 2-3 inches between each scoop. If your cookies end up touching, check out our tip on reshaping your cookies in this article HERE. I hope that helps!
I make these cookies at least once a week! They are so good. My child takes these to school in his lunch, and I always have to pack extra because his friends look forward to these as well. People always ask me for the recipe.
That’s amazing! So happy to hear they’re such a hit, thanks for taking the time to comment!
Do you press the cookie balls or leave them round before baking? Also, I have a walk-in cooler so what I usually do with cookies that require refrigeration is to portion them on sheet trays instead of trying to scoop cold dough, so I’m wondering if this dough is firm enough prior to refrigeration to hold shape?
Thanks for sharing this, excited to give them a try!!
Hi Chris! We leave these cookie dough balls round before baking. We 100% recommend chilling this dough for 24-72 hours prior to baking; however, we do suggest that you keep the dough as a mass rather than scooping (if chilling overnight). You can find out why in this article HERE. I hope that helps! Please let us know what you think when you give these a try 🙂
Thanks for the tips!! I ended up portioning into balls and chilling, then I flattened before baking, but left one ball to compare…..I actually liked the flattened ones better as some of the toffee pieces oozed out and crisped around the edges!! Either way, these cookies were amazing (even prepared in the inferior way) and will be definitely be a staple!! They might even be better than the bakery style cookies and that one’s been an absolute winner!!
Next batch I’ll make your way!! Thanks again for the tips!!
Cheers,
Chris
Thanks for sharing! I’ll have to try flattening them a bit myself next time I make them, I’m obsessed with the toffee in this recipe!
Very good. I could have additional toffee in the flavors.
I’ve been on the search for the best chocolate chip cookie for years and my husband and I both agree- I think I found a winner! These are absolutely amazing and everything I want in a chocolate chip cookie. The deep caramel taste is delicious. I didn’t use the espresso powder and they turned out great. I want to also try the other recipe without the toffee bits and compare.
Hooray!! So happy to hear how much you love these cookies! Can’t wait to hear what you think of our other chocolate chip cookie recipes 🙂 Thanks so much for taking the time to comment!
These cookies are absolutely delicious!! I didn’t use espresso powder but I’m sure they would enhance the taste. Next time (and I’m positive I will make make more times) I will try to make the homemade toffee bits. I used skor bits this time. I did make them smaller than the recipe suggested so I took them out at 9 minutes shaped them with a wine glass and they looked perfect!
I made them this morning and there’s only a few left, guess I should have doubled the batch. Thanks for a wonderful cookie, I’m always looking for new cookies. This one is a keeper!
Wonderful! Thanks so much for taking the time to let us know, so happy you love this recipe!
I can’t rate this recipe yet, as I haven’t baked them yet. The issue I’m having is that after the 24 hours in the fridge, the dough is very crumply and hard to form or scoop. Did I do something wrong? Any help is appreciated! 🙂
Hi Michelle! Thanks for reaching out to see if we could help! It sounds to me like too much flour may have been added. Do you use a digital scale to measure your ingredients? Too much flour can create a dry and crumbly dough. How was the dough mass prior to refrigerating it? Did you have it covered in the fridge as it chilled? Once you hit the 24-hour mark, you do need to let the dough mass sit at room temperature until it’s soft enough to scoop (mine normally takes about an hour!), were you trying to scoop right away?
These are so so amazing! I used this recipe for a sibling cookie baking contest and won! Leaving them set for 3 days really does make a difference. Love these!!!
Woohoo, congrats!! So happy to hear everyone loved them!
I’m hoping to make these for Christmas trays. May I make them smaller using a 1.5tbs scoop, and if so, what would baking time be? Thank you.
Hi Sandra! Sure, that should be fine! I’d recommend checking them around the 9-10 minute mark, taking them out once they’re golden brown. Hope everyone enjoys!