Skip to content

Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

The BEST brown butter chocolate chip cookies that are soft, chewy and crispy around the edges. These have the perfect caramel flavor and tons of chocolate!

Stack of brown butter chocolate chip cookies on a wood table.
This post may contain affiliate links. Read disclosure policy.

I’ve been testing this recipe for several months now and have made these at least a dozen times, until I got them just right. These brown butter chocolate chip cookies may even beat my classic chocolate chip cookies and chocolate chip pudding cookies.

They’re more rich than your typical chocolate chip cookie and full of flavor! The brown butter has a rich caramel flavor.

Everyone that tries these always tells me they are amazing and asks what is different about them. I tell them the brown butter!

Cookie dough chocolate chip cookies in a bowl.

Why Use Brown Butter?

The #1 reason to use brown butter is the rich, caramelly flavor it adds to desserts. By cooking it down, it gives the butter a deep, toasted nutty taste and adds more flavor than regular butter. It’s perfect to use for these cookies or my chewy brown sugar cookies and gives them the best dimension.

If you’re wondering how to make brown butter, check out this easy step-by-step tutorial. It’s super simple and takes just 5 minutes to brown.

Bubbling brown butter in a turquoise dutch oven pan.

How to Make Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Preheat oven. To get started, preheat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with a baking mat or parchment paper. I love to use this perfect cookie baking mat. Set aside.

Make brown butter. Melt 1 stick of room temperature unsalted butter in a pan over medium-heat. Cook for about 3-5 minutes, swirling the pan every so often. Once the butter has browned (the color will be amber golden and the aroma is nutty), remove from heat and pour into a bowl. Let chill for 5 minutes.

TIP: Use a lighter colored pan to brown your butter so that you can easily see the change in color. If you use a darker pan, it’s difficult to see the color change and you may under cook or overcook your butter.

Making brown butter cookie dough with an electric mixer.

Make dough. In a large mixing bowl, combine remaining 1/2 cup softened butter, brown sugar and sugar. Mix for 1 minute, until smooth and creamy.

Then add in the melted brown butter and mix until combined. Next stir in the eggs and vanilla. Then add the flour, salt and baking soda. Mix until well combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Scoop and bake. Scoop cookie dough onto the prepared pan, about 2 inches a part. Bake until edges are golden brown (but center is still slightly doughy), about 7 to 9 minutes. Let cookies sit on the pan for about 2-3 minutes, then move to a cooling rack.

Forming brown butter cookie dough into balls.

 Baking Tips

If you’re really looking for a sweet treat this summer, sandwich 2 brown butter cookies between a scoop of ice cream to make the perfect ice cream sandwich.

  • For an easy step-by-step tutorial on how to brown butter, click here.
  • Use a lighter colored pan to brown the butter, so you can easily see the color change.
  • For a thicker cookie, add 1-2 extra Tablespoons of flour and refrigerate dough for 1 hour.
  • Use both chocolate chips and chocolate chunks! It gives the cookies the best dimension.
  • Add a couple of extra chocolate chips on top right before baking.
  • Let cookies sit on the pan for 2-3 minutes after removing from oven. They edges will continue to crisp, while the center stays soft and chewy.
  • Top with sea salt for the perfect sweet, salty and caramelly flavor combination.
Baked chocolate chip cookies stacked on top of each other.

More Chocolate Chip Cookie Goodness

HUNGRY FOR MORE? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all the newest recipes!

The BEST Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies ...soft, chewy and slightly crispy around the edges. These have the perfect flavor and tons of chocolate!

Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

4.95 from 18 votes
↑ Click stars to rate now!
Author: Jamielyn Nye
The BEST brown butter chocolate chip cookies that are soft, chewy and crispy around the edges. These have the perfect caramel flavor and tons of chocolate!
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Total Time: 28 minutes
Servings: 36

Video

Ingredients 

  • 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks at room temp)
  • 1 ½ cups light brown sugar
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt (or kosher)
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1-2 cup chocolate chips (I do a mix of semi-sweet and milk)

Optional: maldon flake sea salt

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with a baking mat or parchment paper and set aside.
    • Melt 1 stick of the butter in a pan over medium-heat. Cook for about 3-5 minutes, swirling the pan every so often. Allow the butter to brown (when it turns an amber golden color and has a nutty aroma, it’s done). Remove from the heat and then pour into a bowl and chill for 5 minutes.
    • In a large bowl, combine the remaining 1/2 cup softened butter, brown sugar and sugar. Mix for 1 minute, until smooth and creamy. Then add in the melted brown butter and stir until combined. Mix in the eggs and vanilla. Then add the flour, salt and baking soda. Mix until well combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. Chill dough up to 30 minutes if desired.
    • Scoop cookie dough onto the prepared pan, about 2 inches apart. Bake for 7-9 minutes, or just until the edges are golden brown, while the center is still slightly doughy.
    • Remove from oven and allow the cookies to cool for a few minutes on the pan. Add a few extra chocolate chips on top of the cookies and sprinkle with flaked salt if desired. Then move to a cooling rack. Enjoy with a cold class of milk!

    Notes

    Brown butter: Learn how to make brown butter with these easy steps.Use a lighter colored pan to brown the butter, so that you can easily see the color change.
    For a thicker cookie: Add an extra Tablespoon or 2 of flour and refrigerate the dough for 1 hour.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 159kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 25mg | Sodium: 106mg | Potassium: 29mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 184IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 1mg

    Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.

    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American

    Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!

    Let’s connect

    Join our community of over 5 million!

    Featured on

    • Taste of Home
    • Martha Stewart
    • Country Living
    • BuzzFeed
    • Yahoo
    • Food Network
    • Today