These brown butter chocolate chip cookies are crispy on the outside and gooey in the middle! Sprinkled with sea salt on top, the chocolate chips just melt in your mouth with the richness that only brown butter can give.
So, I grew up in a ‘because I said so’ household.
“Why can’t I have an Easy Bake Oven?” I no doubt said in the whiniest voice ever. “Because we have a real oven and because we said so!” was likely the answer from my very reasonable parents.
“Why can’t I wear these filthy overalls and Nirvana-inspired grunge flannel to church!?” I’d ask my mom as we rushed out of the house, almost late for service. “For so many reasons, but mostly because I said so!” Thank goodness for mothers.
So, with that in mind, I bring you the BEST chocolate chip cookies EVER… because I said so (and also because of browned butter).
I think I’ve posted this recipe on my blog before, but I’ve found a renewed spirit for these cookies after my friends at King Arthur Flour put these Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies to the test. They asked, in step-by-step pictures of butter melting and flour whisking, if these cookies were the very best there are.
The answer is up to you, really. Are the cookies that come out of your oven after mixing up this dough the best you’ve ever had?
The answer (in my opinion): HECK YES!! Obviously, and because I said so!
What is brown butter?
Brown butter is literally regular butter that you cook on the stove at low heat until it caramelizes and turns a golden brown color. There is a lot of science-y stuff going on when this happens. For one thing, as it cooks, it releases a deeper caramelized flavor. It also brings out the flavors in the butter, making it bolder. Here’s how to make browned butter.
If you love the taste of butter and want it to stand out or be more pronounced, brown it first. It’s the secret to these rich chocolate chip cookies!
Why these are the best cookies
- Using butter two ways (browned and softened) helps create a chewy and crisp texture. Chewy on the outside and crisp around the edges.
- Adding just a touch more than 2 cups of all-purpose flour helps maintain the not-totally-flat-and-frustrating quality of the cookie.
- Brown sugar and an extra kick of molasses lend depth to the sweetness.
- Dark chocolate and a touch of sea salt pair bitterness and salty tang with the sweet cookies.
- They’re perfect because of brown butter, sea salt… and because I say so.
How to make the best brown butter chocolate chip cookies
On a scale of 1 to croissants, chocolate chip cookies are pretty simple to bake. There are not a lot of attitudes, but a handful of things need to go more right than wrong when making this cookie batter.
Here are a few of my best tips that will help you not fail when you bake a batch of them.
1. Brown half of the butter
Half of the butter is browned to a golden amber color. The milk solids in the butter will also brown and gather at the bottom of the skillet. Make sure every bit of these browned butter bits makes it into the batter.
We want all of their flavors!
2. Make sure to measure the flour
Measuring the 2 1/4 cups of flour needed for this recipe is a big deal. We’ve discussed measuring cups vs. kitchen scales and learned the best way to measure flour into measuring cups.
It takes a light but deliberate touch. Don’t just guess. The cookies will NOT turn the way they are supposed to.
3. Use a stand mixer for wet ingredients
A stand mixer or hand mixer is nice for incorporating wet ingredients such as butter, sugar, and eggs. A wooden spoon, elbow grease, and patience will also yield the same effects. It’s just way easier to let the machine do the work for you (just sayin’)!
4. Mix dry ingredients by hand
I personally like to mix the dry ingredients, chocolate chunks, and nuts by hand. We can get good bottom-of-the-bowl scrapes and are less likely to over-beat the dough. Taking it easy is best in this part of the cookie recipe.
5. Use chocolate chunks or jumbo chips
Chocolate should be dark in large chunks or milky, round disks for these brown butter chocolate chip cookies. You get to do whatever you want! That feels good.
I say use dark chocolate chunks because it makes the cookies taste richer with that browned butter.
6. Chill the dough
So, I always get this question when I share my cookie recipes: Do you really need to chill the dough before baking the cookies?
Well…. yes! Also… no.
I try my best to chill the dough for at least 30 minutes before placing it in the oven to bake. This allows the dough to relax and allows the flour to absorb and settle in with moisture added to the dough via butter and eggs.
I find that chilling the dough will create a slightly more plump cookie with an extra body. Baking the cookie straight away will create a slightly more flat cookie. Nuance.
7. Sprinkle sea salt flakes over the top
What’s up with the salt all up and over the top of these cookies? Because I said so.
And also because the salt enhances every single ingredient you use. It makes the chocolate sweeter and the butter nuttier!
How to store homemade cookies
Store homemade chocolate chip cookies in your favorite cookie jar! If you want to prevent them from sticking to each other, place a sheet of parchment paper in between each layer of cookies.
I heard someone say you can place a piece of bread on top of the cookies to prevent them from drying out. However, I don’t know if that’s true. These cookies are so yummy, I ate them up before they had a chance to get stale!
Please leave any baking questions and your rating of this recipe in the comments below! Happy Baking!
The Best Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Prep Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 12 minutes
- Yield: about 2 dozen cookies 1x
- Category: cookies, dessert, holiday
- Method: baking
Ingredients
- 1 cup (16 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon molasses
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans
- coarse sea salt, to sprinkle on top
Instructions
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Place half the butter (1 stick, 8 tablespoons) in a medium skillet. Melt the butter over medium heat, swirling it in the pan occasionally. It’ll foam and froth as it cooks, and start to crackle and pop. Once the crackling stops, keep a close eye on the melted butter, continuing to swirl the pan often. The butter will start to smell nutty, and brown bits will form in the bottom. Once the bits are amber brown (about 2 1/2 to 3 minutes or so after the sizzling stops), remove the butter from the burner and immediately pour it into a small bowl, bits and all. This will stop the butter from cooking and burning. Allow it to cool for 20 minutes to 1 hour until mostly room temperature once again. I know this cooling step is a little annoying but if the butter is hot when mixed into the dough your cookies will bake up more flat in the oven. Not a huge deal, just up to your taste.
- Beat the remaining butter (1 stick, 8 tablespoons) with the brown sugar for 3 to 5 minutes, until the mixture is very smooth.
- Beat in the vanilla extract and molasses.
- Add the cooled brown butter into the bowl, along with the granulated sugar. Beat for 2 minutes, until smooth; the mixture will lighten in color and become fluffy.
- Add the egg and egg yolk, and beat for one minute more.
- Add the flour, salt, and baking soda, beating on low speed just until everything is incorporated.
- Use a spatula to fold in the chocolate chips and pecans and finish incorporating all of the dry flour bits into the dough.
- Scoop the dough onto a piece of parchment paper, waxed paper, or plastic wrap. Flatten it slightly into a thick disk, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. About 15 minutes before you’re ready to begin baking, place racks in the center and upper third of the oven and preheat your oven to 350°F.
- Scoop the dough in 2 tablespoon-sized balls onto the prepared baking sheets. Leave about 2? between the cookies; they’ll spread as they bake.
- Sprinkle the cookies with sea salt, to taste — as much or as little as you like.
- Bake the cookies for 12 to 15 minutes, until they’re golden brown. Remove them from the oven, and allow them to rest on the baking sheet for at least 5 minutes before moving them.
- Serve warm; or cool completely, and store airtight at room temperature for several days. For longer storage, wrap well and freeze.
Keywords: chocolate chip cookies, brown butter, cookies,
Taylor
I’ve been putting browned butter in my cookies for a while now, and you’re right: it’s the best. I also it in oatmeal chocolate chips cookies. mmmm!
xoxo
Taylor
Jana H.
I have tried this recipe a couple of times from your cookbook and both times I totally failed. I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong with it. Maybe I don’t let the browned butter cool long enough? I really don’t know. Makes me sad that I can’t get the hang of it because I totally believe you when you say these are the best. They look amazing and I LOVE browned butter. Perhaps I will try again this weekend and let the browned butter hang out and cool a little longer.
Christina
Not sure if this is way too late, but I make sure the brown butter is back to solid instead of liquid. I think it creams together with the sugar better this way and makes a sturdier cookie.
Shyan
I failed too :'( The final dough was initially fine. But 2 minutes later, liquid butter started to ooze out of the dough. When I put them in the oven, the cookies were literally frying in butter. Maybe I didn’t chill it? But is liquid butter supposed to ooze put from the dough?
joythebaker
No definitely nothing is supposed to ooze. It’s very important that the batter be chilled before baking.
ann
think you did ALL the butter as brown? not half?
Becca
This might happen if you use butter that have canola oil or vegetable oils in it. Make sure to use real butter
Penny Olson
Could it be from the softened butter, not the browned butter? I have read where using all melted butter works well in a recipe like this. Never tried it, just speculating a possible reason.
Devra
I will have to try this! I just browned butter for the first time the other day for a chocolate nut pie (like Derby Pie), and the smell alone was enough to make me want to do it for everything involving butter! Lol. My husband loves chocolate chip cookies, so I will have to try this out. Thanks!
Adrienne K
Hmmm the great chocolate chip cookie debate…. I like my cookies crunchy with a bit of chew in the center. Never was a fan of “cakey” cookies. I’ve been using the Silver Palate choc chip cookie recipe for years, to rave reviews. But since you’re always (usually?) right, I will give these a go!
Kat
Yes. Definitely…Pinky Swear to never bake another chocolate chip cookie recipe ever again…Yes.
Belinda Lo (Moonblush Baker)
Gosh if i could count the number of times i curse my parents name for saying that to me I would be able to afford my own oven!
Look you know we all love you, so if you say so; nothing else matters:)
Amanda Wallace
I’d just like to say that I love your blog! all the recipes seem so delicious and interesting, also I really appreciate crisp, clear images of food on blogs and you always have those, writing style is cool too. Basically everything, everything about it is good xoxo
Linda
I don’t miss an opportunity to try your cookie recipes and they are the best because I say so!
foodlikecake
These look so good!
Liz
Yum! I am going to have to try these ASAP. I have been a fan of the sea salt sprinkle for a couple of years, but browned butter… What a great idea!
wearenotmartha
I believe you! But I still want to try them for myself :)
Sues
Jennie
I’ve only just polished off a batch of cookies, I think I must have eaten about 6 to myself just today. Whoops! This recipe makes me want to get straight back in the kitchen to bake more cookies though – you had me at browned butter!
foodnerd4life
Simply – hubba hubba. These sound so super good that I’m drooling here at my laptop. Indecent.
FoodNerd x
http://www.foodnerd4life.com
sophieharriet
Browned butter is still very foreign to us here in Ireland – but thanks to you, I’ve been converted. I love the distinct nuttiness it adds – a fantastic depth of flavor! Definite comfort food whilst cramming for finals!
Sarah | The Sugar Hit
I come from a because I said so household too! And sometimes that was a little hard to take (see above re: Nirvana inspired outfits), but I would have no problem taking a ‘because I said so’ over these cookies. Because you said so? OK, YES MA’AM.