Browned butter adds a rich depth of flavor, making each bite irresistible in these ultimate Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies! They’re perfectly soft and chewy, with a slightly gooey center and a crispness on the edges. If you love bakery-style cookies with incredible texture and flavor, this recipe is a must-try!
If you are obsessed with brown butter, you're not alone—so are we! We've been experimenting with everything brown butter, from our Brown Butter Cinnamon Rolls to these delicious cookies. The brown butter elevates the flavor—you have to try them!
What are Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies? Homemade Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies are a rich twist on a tasty classic. They are made by browning the butter first to bring out a deep, caramel-like flavor. They’re soft and chewy with slightly crisp edges and gooey chocolate in every bite.
Chocolate chip cookies are a go-to staple in our home. We have recipes for everything from small-batch chocolate chip cookies to our favorite traditional chocolate chip cookie—ready for whatever you're craving.
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Key Ingredients
Brown Butter Chocolate Chip cookies are traditional chocolate chip cookies made with browned butter, giving them a deeper, more caramelized flavor.
- Butter- Browning butter is an easy process! We like to make a large batch of brown butter to use in various recipes.
- Sugar- Both brown sugar and white granulated sugar are used in this recipe to get all the right flavors and to keep them soft and chewy.
- Eggs – Room temperature eggs incorporate better into the dough, helping with texture and even baking.
- Milk – Just a splash keeps the dough soft and helps create that perfect bite.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make Brown Butter Cookies
Learn how to bake Brown Butter Cookies with these easy to follow step by step process photos.
- Start by browning the butter in a medium sauce pan. Stir the butter on medium heat for 1-3 minutes. The foam will begin to turn golden brown and have a nutty smell. Cool to room temperature.
- Add brown sugar and sugar and beat for about 2 minutes until well combined. You'll have a damp-sand type texture.
- Add the eggs, vanilla and milk then beat until well combined and it just starts to lighten in color, about a minute. Add the flour, salt and baking soda and mix on low until about 90% combined then stir in the chocolate chips.
- Roll into balls of dough and place them on a parchment paper line baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes at 350°F. Cool and enjoy!
Hint: When they get out the oven, sprinkle with sea salt for a salted chocolate taste.
How Many Chocolate Chips Should I Use?
My personal motto is that the cookie part should be so delicious you actually want fewer chocolate chips—so you can taste more of that rich, buttery dough. I like using just 1 cup of chocolate chips. But my chocolate-loving family prefers 2 cups, and if you're a total chocolate fanatic and want these cookies packed to the brim, go all in with 3 cups!
Top tip
To avoid flat cookies, make sure the butter isn't too warm when you add it. If it's too warm, it will melt the sugars and make the cookies greasy and flat. The perfect temperature is about 68-72°F, or room temperature in a cool kitchen. If your kitchen is warm, after cooling to room temperature, pop the butter in the fridge for about 5 minutes.
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Recipe
Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter salted, see note 1 below
- 1 ¼ cups brown sugar
- ½ cup white sugar
- 2 eggs large
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla
- 1 Tablespoon milk
- 2 ½ cups flour fluff then spoon the flour, see note 2 below
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 cups chocolate chips see notes 3 and 4 below
- coarse sea salt optional, for sprinkling on top.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Brown the Butter:
- Brown the butter. Place butter in a saucepan over medium heat. It will start to crackle and pop and simmer. Stirring regularly, keep cooking the butter. It will start to foam, then 1-3 minutes later should start to turn brown. You'll notice the foam turning golden and a rich, nutty smell. Allow it to brown for a few seconds (maybe 20-30) and remove from the heat. Let the butter cool to room temperature. For this to go more quickly, transfer the butter to a glass baking dish where it can spread out. Let cool for an hour. If your kitchen is warm and the butter is still a bit liquid-y after an hour, pop it in the refrigerator for 5-10 minutes.
Make the Cookies:
- Once the butter has browned and cooled, transfer to a mixing bowl, or place in the bowl of stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Add brown sugar and sugar and beat for about 2 minutes until well combined. You'll have a damp-sand type texture. Add the eggs, vanilla and milk then beat until well combined and it just starts to lighten in color, about a minute. Add the flour, salt and baking soda and mix on low until about 90% combined then stir in the chocolate chips. Place on the parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until the edges have set and the tops are matte. Remove from the oven and immediately top with flaky sea salt, if using then allow to finish cooking on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing. Enjoy!
Notes
- Most recipes are more or less fine with cheap butter. But I find browning butter works better with a medium/high quality of butter. Great Value butter has not worked as well as other brands like Aldi and Costco.
- How much flour is in a cup can vary by a LOT. For this recipe, make sure you fluff, then gently spoon the flour into your measuring cup, then scrape off the top with a flat edge.
- My personal motto is that the cookie part should be so delicious that you want fewer chocolate chips so you can taste more cookie. So I like 1 cup of chocolate chips, not 2! But my chocolate loving family likes 2 cups. If you are a total chocolate lover and want these stuffed full, go for 3 cups of chocolate chips.
- I love using chocolate morsels or chunks or chopped chocolate in my cookies. It goes so great to have gooey chocolate dripping all over. Yum! My personal favorites are the ones from Aldi. They are the best for the wallet and I think just as good as name brand. Ghirardelli are a close second, but obviously more expensive.
- I like to cut my butter lengthwise before browning, as it helps it melt faster.
- If you have the patience, these are an even better texture if you chill the dough for 1 hour, but are also amazing unchilled.
Nutrition
Substitutions and Variations
Try some of our favorite substitutions and variations for different fun flavors!
- Toffee – Stir in 1 ½ cups of toffee bits for a buttery crunch in every bite.
- Small Batch – Cut the recipe in half to make about 18 cookies—perfect for a smaller crowd or when you're craving just a few!
- Pecan Walnut – Add 1 cup of chopped pecans or walnuts for a nutty twist that pairs beautifully with the brown butter.
- Caramel – Mix in 1 ½ cups of caramel bits for chewy, gooey pockets of caramel throughout.
- Coconut – Stir in 1 cup of flaked coconut to give the cookies a toasty, tropical vibe.
- White or Dark Chocolate – Swap out the semi-sweet chips for white or dark chocolate to customize the richness and sweetness to your taste.
Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies vs. Traditional Chocolate Chip Cookies
Both recipes deliver a quick, gooey, and delicious cookie, but brown butter chocolate chip cookies have an extra layer of richness and depth of flavor thanks to the browned butter. That simple step transforms the butter into a nutty, caramelized taste that elevates the entire cookie, making it feel a little more special than the traditional version.
Storage and chilling
This is a no-chill recipe and tastes great unchilled, but if you have the patience, these have an even better texture if you chill the dough for 1 hour.
Store cookies at room temperature for 3-4 days for the best texture and taste. You can also freeze baked cookies for 1 month in an air-tight freezer-friendly container.
If you want to bake half the batch at a time, you can freeze the dough in rolled-out balls in an airtight container for 2 months. Thaw and then bake as normal.
Andrea says
Love these brown butter chocolate chip cookies! The extra flavor the brown butter adds hits the spot.