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These brown butter chocolate chip cookies are life-changers! The combination of browned butter and brown sugar creates crisp edges and perfectly soft centers of ooey, gooey goodness.
Follow my 7 foolproof steps to make brown butter cookies that will become your family’s absolute favorite.
These Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies are pure luxury!
If you have been searching for the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe, rest easy now, your search ends here. I am going to teach you how to make the best chocolate chip cookies in just 15 minutes of prep time.
These cookies come out with crispy edges, chewy centers and deliciously melted chocolate chips throughout. If that doesn’t scream perfect chocolate chip cookies, nothing does!
Keep reading for all my best cookie baking tips, how to freeze the cookie dough, and more!
Why you’ll love this Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
There are so many things to love about these homemade chocolate chip cookies, especially that they are:
- Made with simple ingredients (most you probably already have in your kitchen)
- Require just 15 minutes of prep
- Are ready in under 1 hour
- The perfect cookies with chewy centers, crispy edges and melty chocolate
- Rich, caramelized flavor from the browned butter
- Easy to make, even for first time bakers
Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Ingredients
I am going to show you how to turn these basic ingredients into the best cookies! For the full recipe with measurements and instructions, see the recipe card below.
- Unsalted butter: room temperature
- All-purpose flour
- Cornstarch
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Brown sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Eggs: room temperature
- Vanilla extract
How to Make this Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
Amazing cookies don’t have to be complicated! There are just 7 easy-to-follow steps between you and brown butter chocolate chip cookie heaven. Get the full recipe in the recipe card below.
Brown the Butter
- Melt butter. Start by melting butter in a small, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Make sure it doesn’t burn by using a thick-bottomed saucepan. Keep the heat at medium to ensure even browning, stirring constantly with a whisk or spatula for about 6 to 8 minutes to prevent milk solids from sticking.
- Stir and cook butter. As the butter melts, bubbles will appear, signaling the start of the browning process. Keep stirring until the butter turns golden brown. If the bubbling gets too intense, briefly take it off the heat to check the color accurately. You’ll notice a scent resembling toasted graham crackers or nuts.
- Remove from heat and cool. Once you see golden-brown specks in the butter, take it off the heat immediately and transfer it to a heatproof bowl to stop the cooking. Remember, the butter will continue to brown even off the heat, so it’s better to be cautious. Set the butter aside to cool while you prep the cookie dough.
Cookies
- Mix dry ingredients. In a mixing bowl combine the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, salt, and 1 cup of chocolate chips. Set aside.
- Combine butter and sugars. In a larger mixing bowl combine the browned butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Beat on medium speed for 60 seconds.
- Add in the eggs and vanilla extract, beat for 30 seconds.
- Add in dry ingredients, chill dough. Gradually mix in the dry ingredients, mixing on low speed. The dough will be thick. Cover the bowl and place the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to chill. Refrigerating brown butter chocolate chip cookie dough before baking enhances texture and flavor by solidifying fats and allowing flavors to meld. It also prevents excessive spreading during baking, resulting in thicker, chewier cookies with more even cooking. Chilling the dough provides better control over the baking process, ensuring consistent results with a tender texture and optimal taste.
- Prep oven and cookie sheet. Preheat the oven to 350º F. Line a cookie sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- Form cookie dough balls. Use a 2 tablespoon sized cookie scoop to form cookie dough balls, roll into a smooth ball between your hands. Press the remaining 1 cup of chocolate chips on the outside of the dough balls. I like to load mine with chocolate chips! Place about 8 cookies on a cookie sheet lined with a silicone baking mat at a time. I recommend only baking 1 cookie sheet at a time for even baking.
- Bake and cool. Bake for 9-13 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are set and the centers are still soft. The cookies will continue to bake when removed from the oven. Allow the cookies to cool for 15 minutes on the baking sheet before removing.
Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe Variations
- Gluten Free Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies: To make these gluten-free, substitute the flour at a one-to-one ratio for gluten-free flour. I recommend King Arthur Gluten Free All Purpose Flour.
- Change the type of chocolate: Semisweet chocolate chips are best for this recipe, but you could try dark chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, or whatever your favorite is.
Tips for Making Chocolate Chip Cookies with Brown Butter
Here are my best tips for making perfect brown butter chocolate chip cookies:
- Use room temperature ingredients: Using room temperature butter makes it easier to cream the butter and sugar together, and using room temperature eggs allows them to whip better and for the finished product to be less dense.
- Be careful not to over-brown the butter: It’s important to remove the butter from the heat and transfer it to a heat-proof bowl as soon as you see little brown bits. It will continue to brown as it cools.
- Properly measure the flour: Measure your flour using the spoon and level method. Using the right amount of flour is key to the right texture and density of your cookies.
- Don’t skip the chill time: Letting the dough chill for 30 minutes in the refrigerator is key to ensuring tender texture.
- Use a cookie scoop to form uniform balls: Using a cookie scoop to make uniform-sized balls is important because it allows all of your cookies to cook evenly and consistently.
- Add chocolate chips to the dough balls: Press chocolate chips on the outside of the dough balls before baking for a loaded cookie presentation like the photos.
How to Store the Best Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Store brown butter chocolate chip cookies in an airtight container on the counter for up to 5 days. A trick to keep the cookies soft for days is to place a piece of bread in the container. The moisture from the bread will be absorbed by the cookies.
Freezing Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
Another great part about this recipe is it freezes well. You can make the balls of dough and freeze them ahead of time, then bake when ready. Just follow these easy steps:
- Portion the dough into cookie dough balls (through step 6 above).
- Place them on baking sheet lined with a silicone mat. You can place the dough balls close together since you won’t be baking them.
- Place the baking sheet in the freezer until the cookies are frozen solid, about 1 hour.
- Remove the baking sheet from the freezer and transfer the frozen cookie dough balls to a ziplock freezer bag. Label the bag with baking directions.
- Freeze the cookie dough for up to 3 months.
More Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes
- Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Easy Chocolate Chip Cookies
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Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature, 226 grams
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 300 grams
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, 340 grams
- 1 ¼ cups brown sugar, 266 grams
- ¼ cup granulated sugar, 50 grams
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Brown the Butter
- Start by melting butter in a small, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Make sure it doesn’t burn by using a thick-bottomed saucepan. Keep the heat at medium to ensure even browning, stirring constantly with a whisk or spatula for about 6 to 8 minutes to prevent milk solids from sticking.
- As the butter melts, bubbles will appear, signaling the start of the browning process. Keep stirring until the butter turns golden brown. If the bubbling gets too intense, briefly take it off the heat to check the color accurately. You’ll notice a scent resembling toasted graham crackers or nuts.
- Once you see golden-brown specks in the butter, take it off the heat immediately and transfer it to a heatproof bowl to stop the cooking. Remember, the butter will continue to brown even off the heat, so it’s better to be cautious. Set the butter aside to cool while you prep the cookie dough.
Cookies
- In a mixing bowl combine the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, salt, and 1 cup of chocolate chips. Set aside.
- In a larger mixing bowl combine the browned butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Beat on medium speed for 60 seconds.
- Add in the eggs and vanilla extract, beat for 30 seconds.
- Gradually mix in the dry ingredients, mixing on low speed. The dough will be thick. Cover the bowl and place the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to chill. Refrigerating brown butter chocolate chip cookie dough before baking enhances texture and flavor by solidifying fats and allowing flavors to meld. It also prevents excessive spreading during baking, resulting in thicker, chewier cookies with more even cooking. Chilling the dough provides better control over the baking process, ensuring consistent results with a tender texture and optimal taste.
- Preheat the oven to 350º F. Line a cookie sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- Use a 2 tablespoon sized cookie scoop to form cookie dough balls, roll into a smooth ball between your hands. Press the remaining 1 cup of chocolate chips on the outside of the dough balls. I like to load mine with chocolate chips! Place about 8 cookies on a cookie sheet lined with a silicone baking mat at a time. I recommend only baking 1 cookie sheet at a time for even baking.
- Bake for 9-13 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are set and the centers are still soft. The cookies will continue to bake when removed from the oven. Allow the cookies to cool for 15 minutes on the baking sheet before removing.
What can substitute for the corn starch? I don’t have any.
You can omit the cornstarch – but it helps to produce a chewier cookie.