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.
If I wanted to halve the recipe how many eggs do I use?
Hi there! To make a half batch of these cookies, simply use 1 whole egg, then measure out 1 Tablespoon of the additional egg yolk. Alternatively, you can make the whole batch and freeze what you don’t want to eat now! Check out Tessa’s article here about freezing cookie dough, including info on thawing and baking from frozen! Let us know what you think once you’ve given these a try 🙂
BY FARRR THE BEST COOKIES I HAVE HAD. They are chewy, crunchy, and gooey. definitely making these ones over and over again.
WOW, what an amazing compliment! We are so excited that you loved these cookies so much, Milena! 🙂
Just just confirming that I can substitute AP flour for bread flour so that means I would be using exclusively AP flour. Does that sound OK?
Hi Caryn! Check out Tessa’s tips on this in the pink tip box above the recipe – she explains in there why it’s worth the extra trip to the store 🙂
Hi ! I would like to know if I can bake all the dough in a quarter or half sheet pan , like a bars.
Thanks
Hi Yamelis! We have not tried that, so I can’t say for sure sorry! Let us know how it goes if you give that a try 🙂
OMG! WOW!!! Never have I ever had such a flavourful cookie that also ticks the boxes for having such a satisfying texture. That’s including store bought! The crunchy toffee with the chewy, soft, gooey cookie and crispy edges is ADDICTIVE. First time I’ve made a cookie that’s actually chewy, soft with good thickness (usually they turn out flat and I think it’s the bread flour that makes all the difference so it’s worth a trip to the store). So soft even the next day! I got my partner to take it to the office and everyone RAVED about them saying I should start selling them and it’s the best cookie they’ve ever had haha. One guy even took the remaining 3 cookies and kept it aside for himself on his desk!! They couldn’t believe it was all homemade including the toffee!
Chilling the dough for 72 hrs is soooo worth it and I wouldn’t skip that ever.
Just wondering how do you know your cookie is going to be soft and gooey in the middle without it being underdone? Is the cookie meant to still fall apart after 10 mins of cooking or does it need more baking time? Sometimes I take it out when it’s golden brown but it doesn’t stay together and seems underdone. Other times I bake it longer but would prefer it stay even gooier over time.
Also, is there a trick to keep the edges crispy but middle soft the next day? I find the whole cookie becomes soft but I miss the crispyness!
This will be my go to recipe forever!! It’s also very easy to put together after the toffee making and browning butter which becomes very easy after the first time. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!
Hi there! We are so thrilled to hear that you enjoy these cookies so much, and that they were such a hit at your husband’s workplace!! It definitely takes a little practice to know when your cookies are perfectly done; it’s usually when the middles look just a little underdone, but the edges are set and golden brown. You can always bake off one cookie, let it set up a little on the baking tray, and then test it out – this will give you a good indication to know whether you need to add or subtract a minute or two 🙂 I would also recommend checking out a couple of Tessa’s articles for some more background info on this – this article here on ovens, and this article here on baking sheets.
As for your question on keeping the edges crips and the middles soft, unfortunately, fresh cookies are always going to be the most delish for this reason – and the lovely crispness will always soften as it sits. That’s why Tessa always recommends freezing your dough and baking off as you wish to enjoy them – learn more about that here! The other ‘trick’ is baking the larger, 3-Tablespoon cookies Tessa recommends (and bake those as the recipe recommends, for 12-14 minutes). This larger sized cookie will give you the crisp edges, chewy texture, and soft center we all love from a cookie. Smaller cookies don’t always give you quite that same texture.
I hope this helped! Feel free to reach back out to us with any further questions – we are always happy to help! Happy baking! 🙂
Thanks so much for the tips! I actually made smaller cookies so I’ll definitely try the 3 tbsp size! It’s very weird though because I made 1.5tbsp sizes and baked for 12 mins (still gooey in the middle) and made 25 cookies which was spot on with the recipe but half the size of cookies! Wonder why I got such different results. I didn’t use as much chocolate maybe that’s why? So each ball ended up with more dough hence the same cooking time for a smaller size??
Is there a difference to results when you bake in the shape of the cookie scoop (flat bottom) vs rounding the dough?
Yes, the lowered quantity of chocolate would give you a smaller yield, since normally there would be more to expand the dough 🙂
Rounding the cookie dough into perfect balls with your hands before baking can give you a slightly more perfectly-round cookie shape, and it will also smooth the surface more, so your cookies don’t have so many crinkly-crackly wrinkles on top. It’s totally personal preference as to which way you prefer it. Check out Tessa’s article here for more tips on picture perfect cookies 🙂
I’ve made this recipe twice. Once as is and once with white chocolate and toffee both were so good.
When I made this for some reason all of my cookies turned out flat. Nevertheless they tasted great!
Hi Artur! I’m sorry to hear that your cookies turned out flatter than they should! There are a number of reasons why this could happen, but most importantly, 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.
If you’re sure your ingredients were accurately measured, another thing could be your leaveners. How old are your leavening agents? If your baking soda/powder are not fresh, they won’t do their jobs and your baked goods can not rise properly, spread too much, and much more. Tessa talks about the science behind leavening agents, and how to test for leavener freshness, in this article here!
Did you chill your cookie dough for at least 24 hours (and please note that this process cannot be rushed by placing the dough in the freezer). This is an important step for a lot of cookie doughs, but especially for browned butter or melted butter doughs. The chilling process is sort of like marinating meats, in that it allows the flavor to fully develop – but it also allows the butter to firm back up, and the moisture from the eggs to fully hydrate the flour, and yield a nice, thick cookie. Learn more about that here!
I hope something here helped, and I hope that you give these cookies another try sometime – they really are amazing! Happy baking 🙂
The hardest part is the toffee and waiting a day for the cookies.
145 c (I read today it should be the color of an almond) it was hard for my thermometer and I think I messed with the heat at the end when I should have known it was done. Even with slight separation of the toffee, I layer it out flat and used it anyway. It worked!
Anyway, I skip the two different flours. I double the recipe with 5 c regular flour. 4 eggs 2 yolks ext.
People love them.
Can I replace the sugar with raw honey? If so how much?
We haven’t tried that, but I wouldn’t recommend it. Making any changes to the sugar content in a recipe will result in a different texture, flavor, size, and shape outcome. Sugar does so much more than just sweeten cookies! You’re more than welcome to experiment on your own, but know that the outcome will not be the same.
What is Tessa’s preferred butter for baking cookies? 🙂
Hi Russell! Tessa love Challenge unsalted butter for baking! You can locate a store selling Challenge butter near you here. Happy baking 🙂
Would give more stars if I could!
This is my wife’s new favorite cookie. She is gluten free (GF) and – though I am not – I have only ever made GF, as such, to enjoy life’s cookies with me. If there are any others out there who are looking for that sub. and don’t believe GF can be as good as regular, I recommend the following:
Replace the 1-1/2 Cup all purpose flour with 1-3/4 Cup All purpose GF Flour (I use King Arthur – add a little more flour because I’ve found GF flour is less absorbent than regular flour).
Replace 1 cup of bread flour with Almond Flour OR oat flour (not necessary, but I think the almond flour obviously compliments the toffee/nutty flavor).
Since most almond/oat flours’ in store do not include Xanthan Gum, I will include ~1/4 tsp additional OR 1/2 tsp Psyllium husk. This is not needed if using only all-purpose GF flour though.
Lastly, since GF flour suffers in that glutenous bonding you get with regular flour, to make up for that, I do add ~half of a pack of instant, vanilla pudding *powder* (emphasis on powder to not be confused with actual pudding). And sorry if this makes the cookie purists cringe, but I think this really helps boost the chewiness of a GF cookie; plus – I mean common – its pudding?
Otherwise, I wouldn’t change this recipe for anything!
Thanks, Tessa for the recipe and all the joy that it brings thereafter.
Hi, after freezing these should you thaw them completely I. The drudge or what do you recommend?
Hi Carly! You can do it either way – Tessa explains more in this article here 🙂
Can you bake them from the frozen balls or do you need to thaw? If so, what is the time adjustment to bake from frozen? Thanks!
Hi Sarah! You can bake these from frozen or thaw in the fridge – Tessa explains how in this article here! 🙂