Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies are indulgent cookies with nutty browned butter, a soft center, crispy edges, and a delightful sea salt finish. Quite possibly my new favorite cookie! It’s like a sophisticated twist on a classic chocolate chip cookie!
Ingredients & Substitutions
Butter: It all starts with the browned butter in this cookie recipe. Browning the butter intensifies its flavor, adding a rich, nutty, and caramelized note to the cookies. I opted for Challenge® Unsalted Butter to make sure that my cookies would be the best-tasting cookies you will ever try! Challenge Butter is made the old-fashioned way, from the freshest milk and cream from happy cows at family-owned dairies. If you do use salted butter, you may want to lessen the amount of salt in the cookie dough.
Brown Sugar: Light brown sugar provides sweetness and moisture to the cookies. Its light molasses content enhances the caramel flavor profile.
Eggs: Be sure the eggs are at room temperature before mixing them with the other ingredients.
Chocolate: Roughly chopped semi-sweet chocolate provides a rich, chocolatey goodness in every bite. You could also use about 2 cups of chocolate chips or chunks instead.
Sea Salt Topping: Flaky sea salt is sprinkled over the tops of the warm cookies after they have been baked. It adds a finishing touch that complements the sweetness of the cookies and enhances the overall taste of the cookies. You could substitute kosher salt if that is all you have on hand. The cookies are delicious without the added salt, too!
Can I Make The Cookies Without Browning The Butter?
Yes, you could make the cookies without browning the butter. However, you will miss out on the unique and rich flavor profile of the cookies! If you are not going to brown the butter, simply cream room-temperature butter with the brown sugar before continuing with the recipe.
Why Chill The Dough?
I encourage you to NOT skip the step of chilling the cookie dough for 24 hours. Allowing the cookie dough to rest in the refrigerator for an extended period allows the ingredients to meld and the flavors to develop. During this time, the moisture in the dough hydrates the dry ingredients, resulting in a more harmonious and well-balanced flavor profile. This can lead to richer and more complex-tasting cookies! After the dough has chilled, let it sit out at room temperature for about 30 minutes before baking the cookies.
How To Store Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. They will last up to 3-4 days. For longer storage, freeze the cookies.
Freezing Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
When it comes to freezing browned butter chocolate chip cookies, you can freeze the baked cookies OR the cookie dough.
To Freeze After Baking: First, let the cookies cool completely. Place the cooled cookies on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and place them in the freezer for 1-2 hours. Remove from the freezer and transfer them to a freezer-safe container to store for up to 3-4 weeks.
To Freeze The Dough: Place the balls of dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Next, place the baking sheet in the freezer for 1-2 hours, or until the dough balls are completely frozen. Once frozen, transfer the dough to freezer-safe zipper bags. When ready to bake, simply bake as many of the cookies as you need from frozen. You may need to increase the baking time by 1-2 minutes.
Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks / 227 g) Challenge® unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 ½ cups (300 g) light brown sugar, lightly packed
- 2 ½ cups (312.5 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 3 large (5.3 ounces) eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped
- flaky sea salt, for topping
Instructions
- In a stainless steel skillet (or another light-bottomed pan) over medium-high heat, melt butter, swirling the pan occasionally. The butter will begin to foam, which signals the water in the butter is boiling off. (Watch closely at this stage.) Tiny brown specks of milk solids will begin to appear at the bottom of the pan; constantly stir and scrape these off using a spatula so they don't stick.
- As soon as the butter turns chestnut brown and smells nutty, remove the pan from the heat. Pour the browned butter into a heat-safe bowl.
- To the hot browned butter, add the brown sugar, stirring to combine. Set aside to cool for 15-20 minutes.
- To a medium bowl, add the flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder. Whisk to combine.
- Once the butter mixture has cooled, add eggs and vanilla. Whisk to combine.
- Using a rubber spatula, gradually mix in the flour mixture.
- Fold in the chopped chocolate.
- Using a 3-tablespoon scoop, drop balls of dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover the dough balls and transfer to the refrigerator to chill for 24 hours.
- Remove the chilled cookie dough from the refrigerator. Let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking the cookies.
- When ready, preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Place the dough balls onto lined baking sheets, leaving about an inch between each cookie. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown. (I prefer these slightly underdone, so I will start checking at 10 minutes.)
- Remove from oven. Sprinkle flaky sea salt on the tops of the warm cookies.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
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What the Test Kitchen had to say about this recipe:
Autumn
This is probably one of the best chocolate chip cookies I have ever had. The browned butter takes this cookie to a whole new level!
Elizabeth
This might be my new favorite chocolate chip cookie. Browning the butter really is worth it, and it doesn't take much extra time. You really do need to try these cookies!!!
Rachael
Browned butter just elevates anything it goes into and these are no exception! These are a fantastic chocolate chip cookie variation, I would eat these any day!
Bella
I am obsessed with these cookies! Chocolate chip cookies never disappoint. The browned butter enhances every single bite of this cookie!
Annabelle
These are insanely delicious! They're rich, chocolatey and super soft. Best cookies ever!
Can I put nuts in these and still be a great cookie?
Sure
Wonderful recipe, I made these(with a few small adaptions), they are stellar, thank you for sharing! 😄
Surprised to see no granulated sugar in this recipe. These cookies did not spread very well therefore didn’t have that chewy texture I wanted. I struggled to get the perfect bake on them. Either over/underbaked. They lacked a bit of sweetness too.
I had same issue – I was looking for that crispy around the edges and chewy in the middle but couldn’t quite get there. I did 1/2 with nuts and 1/2 without — with was the definite winner at my house.
Is a 24-hour chill required or can I pop them in the freezer to speed up the process? [Shocker, failure to read on MY part! I was knee deep in the recipe before I read the “24-hour” instruction. I will be sure not to procrastinate for the next go round. ] Thanks in advance for your help!
Did not come out at all like the picture. Big lie. It was more like a cake and puffed too much. Recipe needs to be redone, and I bake a lot.
Hi Tj!
Based on my recipe, it is unlikely that the cookies would turn out fluffy like cake unless significant alterations were made or mistakes occurred during the baking process. It’s just not possible to get a puffed cookie if you follow the recipe.
Here are a few possibilities to consider:
Butter Temperature: The recipe calls for room temperature butter. If the butter was too cold or too warm, it could affect the texture of the cookies. Cold butter typically produces a denser cookie, while warmer butter can lead to a spreadier cookie. Ensuring that the butter is at the correct temperature can help maintain the intended texture.
Egg Size: The recipe specifies using large eggs. If the eggs used were smaller than intended, it could result in a different texture for the cookies. Large eggs provide structure and moisture to baked goods, so using smaller eggs may affect the overall texture.
Mixing Method: Overmixing the dough can lead to a denser cookie. The recipe instructs to gradually mix in the flour mixture and fold in the chopped chocolate, which helps prevent overmixing. However, if the dough was mixed too vigorously or for too long, it could contribute to a flatter cookie.
Baking Time: Overbaking the cookies can result in a denser texture. The recipe suggests baking for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown, with a preference for slightly underdone cookies. If the cookies were baked for too long, they may have turned out flatter and denser than intended.
Chilling Time: Chilling the cookie dough for 24 hours helps develop flavor and can also affect the texture of the cookies. If the dough was not chilled for the full recommended time or if it was chilled for too long, it could impact the final texture of the cookies.