Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

4.80 from 10 votes

What's better than chewy cookies with crispy edges and melted, gooey chocolate chunks? These brown butter chocolate chip cookies have all that plus a rich, nutty flavor thanks to the addition of toasty, caramelized brown butter.

PRINT RECIPE PIN RECIPE

Prep Time15

Cook Time11

Chill Time3

Total Time3 26

Servings: cookies

Author: Molly Thompson

INGREDIENTS

1 cup (2 sticks; 227g) unsalted butter cubed
2 ½ cups (312g) all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), gluten-free if needed (Note 1)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup (200g) dark brown sugar packed (Note 2)
⅓ cup (67g) granulated sugar
2 large eggs room temperature
1 Tablespoon (15ml) milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
8 ounces semi-sweet baking bars roughly chopped, plus more for topping
Flaky sea salt for finishing

INSTRUCTIONS

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, for 3-5 minutes, until the butter bubbles, foams and the milk solids start to separate. When the foam subsides, the solids will start to smell nutty and turn a deep amber color. Remove it immediately from the heat and pour it into a medium bowl to cool slightly. Don’t forget all of the brown bits in the pan!
While it's cooling, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a separate medium bowl.
Add the brown sugar and granulated sugar to the brown butter and whisk to combine. Whisk in the eggs, milk, and vanilla until no yellow streaks remain.
Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients with a rubber spatula. Add the chocolate chunks and stir to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 3 hours, or up to 3 days.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Let the cookie dough sit out at room temperature for 30 minutes if it was chilling longer than 24 hours so it's easier to scoop and handle.
Use a large cookie scoop or 1/4 cup measuring cup to scoop the dough. Roll them into balls that are a little bit taller than the standard round balls (see blog post image).
Drop the cookie dough balls on the prepared baking sheet a few inches apart. Bake for 11-13 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and the top is just set. Let them cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe Equipment

Medium Saucepan

Large Mixing Bowl

Whisk and rubber spatula

Notes

Note 1. Flour. It’s always best to weigh your ingredients in baking for best results. If you measure them with cups, use the spoon and level method to spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it off with a knife. We tested this recipe with regular flour and Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 baking flour and they both were great.

Note 2. Brown Sugar. Dark brown sugar includes more molasses, resulting in a chewier cookie with rich flavors. You can use light brown sugar instead. They'll still be chewy, just a little lighter in color.

Gluten-Free: We tested this recipe with regular flour and with Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 baking flour and they both were great.

Freeze cookie dough: before chilling the dough, scoop it out and place cookie dough balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Flash-freeze the cookies for 30 minutes then transfer them to a freezer bag. Freeze for up to 6 months. Bake directly from frozen (add 1-2 minutes to the bake time).

Nutrition

Did you make this recipe?Mention @What_mollymade or tag #WhatMollyMade so I can see it and feature you!