Best Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Name something better than a fresh and hot out of the oven, ooey gooey chocolate chip cookie. This recipe takes those traditional chocolate chip cookies and knocks them out of the park...all thanks to brown butter.

This gem of an ingredient only takes a few minutes to transform, but has a huge impact on baked goods - especially these cookies. Then you add in both dark and milk chocolate chopped chocolate bars for gooey chocolate puddles.

Finally, finish the baked cookies with a generous amount of flaky sea salt. You need this to cut all of the richness in the cookie. They're crispy on the outside, and oh so chewy on the inside. I like to make a double batch and freeze one so I can have emergency cookies on hand at any time. Keep reading to find out how to freeze them!

If you are unfamiliar with browning butter, be sure to take a quick read through my How to Brown Butter post. This has all of the details and pictures you need to appropriately brown butter. I really like to take mine almost to the brink of burning the milk solids, as you really want the flavor to be at maximum capacity when using in baked goods.

• Dry ingredients. All-purpose flour, baking soda, and kosher salt.
• Butter. Unsalted, browned, and re-solidified to room temperature.
• Sugars. Light brown and granulated. This combination provides the best chew!
• Eggs. Just one egg, actually! Use it at room temperature so it incorporates nicely into the dough. You can throw the whole egg into a bowl of hot water for about 5 minutes to get it where it needs to be straight from the fridge.
• Chocolate. Both dark or semi-sweet chocolate (60-70% cacao) and milk chocolate. Use chocolate bars and chop them up so you get those nice puddles of chocolate. However, you can also use chocolate chips, you just won't achieve the same melt factor.
• Flaky salt. Non-negotiable! This is necessary to cut the sweetness of the cookies. You'll never look back on the addition of flaky salt.

Pro Tip: Plan ahead for these 24 hours in advance. The dough needs time to chill to allow the brown butter flavor to really develop. The fridge time is also necessary for the butter to fully chill, otherwise the cookies won't hold their shape well.

The first thing you'll need to do in this recipe is brown the butter. I like to plan for about an hour for this portion, as it takes a bit of time to re-solidify after being melted and browned.

If you have lots of time, you can let the butter re-solidify at room temperature. However, if you're impatient like me, you'll want to add the butter to the fridge or freezer and stir every five minutes or so to make it happen more quickly.

STEP 1: To make brown butter, place the butter (cold or room temperature) in saucepan or frying pan over medium heat. Stir the butter every once in a while so the milk solids on the bottom of the pan don’t burn. I like to use a rubber spatula to do this. The butter will get deeper in color and you will notice a delightful change in smell. This is the milk solids in the butter getting caramelized.

The browning process could take anywhere from 5–10 minutes depending on your stove top. Pour the butter (and make sure to scrape all of the brown bits off of the bottom) into a heat proof bowl. Check out my How to Brown Butter post for more in depth details on this process.

You know the butter is ready when it returns to an opaque color and a spoon will relatively easily scoop into it. If it feels too hard, let it sit at room temperature for a bit before starting to make the cookie dough.

STEP 2: Roughly chop the dark/semi-sweet and milk chocolate. Keep ¾ of the pile for the dough, and reserve the remaining ¼ of the pile to use right before baking. I typically throw mine in a ziptop bag in the freezer so they're super cold when I press it into the dough balls after chill time.

STEP 3: Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and set aside.

STEP 4: Add the room temperature brown butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or use a handheld mixer). Beat on medium speed for two minutes until light and fluffy.

Add the egg and vanilla and mix on medium speed for 30 seconds, then scrape down the sides. WIth the mixer running on low speed, spoon in the flour mixture until it's just combined. Finally, add ¾ of the chopped chocolate and mix on low for a just a few seconds until it's evenly distributed.

Transfer the dough to a smaller bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least two hours, or up to 3 full days before baking.

STEP 5: After chilling, allow the dough to sit at room temperature for about 20-30 minutes to slightly soften. During this time, preheat the oven to 350℉/177℃ and prepare two large baking sheets with parchment paper.

STEP 6: Then, use a 1.5 inch cookie scoop or tablespoon measure to create roughly two tablespoon sized dough balls. If you have a digital scale, this will be about 45g of dough for each ball.

Roll the dough in between your hands, then use your thumb to press a small indent into the top. Add a few pieces of the reserved chopped chocolate and press the sides back in. Place six balls of dough on each baking sheet with even space in between.

STEP 7: Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes until the edges are set and slight golden brown, but the center is still gooey. Then, use a round vessel with an opening larger than the cookies (sour cream container, hand sifter, etc.) and move in circles around the cookies to make them perfectly round. Watch my quick video on how to scoot your cookies!

Pro tip: ALWAYS under bake your cookies. I promise the residual heat from the pan and dough will finish them into perfectly baked cookies.

STEP 7: Finally, sprinkle each cookie liberally with flaky sea salt and allow them to cool on the pan for 3-5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Store the baked cookies in a sealed container for up to 5 days (they will never last that long, though).

To freeze this cookie dough, follow the instructions to roll the dough balls and press the chocolate in. Place all of the dough balls onto a parchment lined plate or cookie sheet and flash freeze for 30 minutes. Then, transfer the dough balls to a Tupperware or ziplock bag and freeze for up to 2 months.

To bake the Best Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe from frozen, reduce the oven temperature by 30 degrees and add 3-5 minutes of bake time. If they still look very underdone, continue baking until the edges are set and golden brown (but remember, you want the center to be slightly underdone).

The best part about frozen cookie dough balls? You can bake as few or as many as you'd like!

Adding brown butter to your baked goods enhances and deepens the flavors. It truly is one of those irresistible ingredients that provides the best rich, nutty, caramelized undertones.

Sugar! That's why this recipe uses both brown sugar and granulated sugar, as the combination helps create the ultimate chewy cookie.

Of course. However, you'll lose out on the melty chocolate pools of goodness. Chocolate chips have added preservatives that prevent them from melting, but they will still be delicious!

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Be sure to tag me on Instagram @thecozyplum and I can't wait to see your creations. For more ideas, follow me on Pinterest.