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    Home » Recipes » Cookies

    Best Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

    Published: Nov 9, 2018 · Modified: Nov 14, 2022 by Melissa Stadler · This post may contain affiliate links · 80 Comments

    6313 shares
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    Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies. How to make the best chocolate chip cookies. www.modernhoney.com #chocolatechipcookies #brownbuttercookies #chocolatechipcookie #cookies #cookie

    Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

    I am obsessed with brown butter chocolate chip cookies. A simple step of melting and browning the butter on a stove will transform your chocolate chip cookies. It is a game-changing trick to create toffee-flavored, rich buttery cookies by just elevating one ingredient. It is truly remarkable! These are the best chocolate chip cookies!

    Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies. How to make the best chocolate chip cookies. www.modernhoney.com #chocolatechipcookies #brownbuttercookies #chocolatechipcookie #cookies #cookie

    I have been making brown butter chocolate chip cookies for at least 15 years and they have become one of my signature cookies. I shared my MJ's Top Secret Chocolate Chip Cookies, all made in one saucepan, which is one of my go-to cookie recipes.

    Since I am always playing in the kitchen with different ingredients and methods, I wanted to work on melting and browning the butter until it is a perfectly warm amber color and letting it chill in the refrigerator before creaming the butter and sugars in a mixer.  Since some of the liquids can evaporate when browning the butter, I needed to compensate for that. I decided to add one egg yolk, which adds both liquid and fat.

    Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies. How to make the best chocolate chip cookies. www.modernhoney.com #chocolatechipcookies #brownbuttercookies #chocolatechipcookie #cookies #cookie

    How to Brown Butter:

    This is an important step.  The butter will go through different phases. It will begin to melt and bubble. Take a wooden spoon or spatula and stir often and around the sides of the pan.  Let the butter melt and watch for it to begin changing colors from a creamy yellow to a deep amber yellow.

    The butter will begin to foam and this is why it is important to stir often so you can see what is going on below the foam. Small brown bits will begin to form and that will be a signal that the butter is officially browned. Butter can burn quickly so watch carefully. It is better to pull off of the heat a little early instead of browning too long and risk burning it.

    Since you want the butter to chill quickly, pour it into a large bowl and place in the refrigerator. Use a spatula to get every bit of butter out of the pan. Every bit of butter matters! Let it chill in the refrigerator for at least 40 minutes.

    Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies. How to make the best chocolate chip cookies. www.modernhoney.com #chocolatechipcookies #brownbuttercookies #chocolatechipcookie #cookies #cookie

    Creaming the Brown Butter and Sugars:

    This is an integral step as it creates a smooth and creamy dough and gets rid of the graininess from the sugars. It needs to be creamed for at least 4-5 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl often.  The eggs and egg yolk can be added one at a time, mixing for 30 seconds after each addition.

    Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies. How to make the best chocolate chip cookies. www.modernhoney.com #chocolatechipcookies #brownbuttercookies #chocolatechipcookie #cookies #cookie

    If time is on your side, an easy way to make chocolate chip cookies even BETTER is to chill the cookie dough. The chilling process is important because it helps the ingredients marry together and you end up with a richer chocolate chip cookie. Also, the dough doesn't spread as much in the oven so you end up with a chewier cookie with crisp edges. Trust me on this one, chilling the dough is worth the sacrifice!

    Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies. How to make the best chocolate chip cookies. www.modernhoney.com #chocolatechipcookies #brownbuttercookies #chocolatechipcookie #cookies #cookie

    Here are some of my favorite baking tools:

    • Light Colored Baking Sheets
    • Parchment Paper Liners
    • Silpat reusable silicone liners
    • Wooden Spoon

    I love to hear from you! If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and give this recipe a rating. If you make any of my recipes, tag me on Instagram @modern_honey and use #modernhoney so I can see your creations. It’s one of my favorite things seeing you make these recipes in your own kitchen. Sign up for my newsletter below so you never miss a recipe. Thank you for following along! I truly do have the greatest readers. FOLLOW ME ON:   INSTAGRAM --- FACEBOOK --- PINTEREST

    If you love chocolate chip cookies, check out these other popular recipes:

    • MJ's Top Secret Chocolate Chip Cookies
    • Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookies 
    • Charmina's Chocolate Chip Cookies 

    Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies. How to make the best chocolate chip cookies. www.modernhoney.com #chocolatechipcookies #brownbuttercookies #chocolatechipcookie #cookies #cookie

    Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies. How to make the best chocolate chip cookies. www.modernhoney.com #chocolatechipcookies #brownbuttercookies #chocolatechipcookie #cookies #cookie

    Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

    The Best Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies will always be a hit!
    4.86 from 27 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Saved!
    Prep Time 20 minutes mins
    Cook Time 9 minutes mins
    Total Time 29 minutes mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Servings 24

    Equipment

    • kitchenaid mixer
    • baking sheet
    • parchment paper baking sheets
    • measuring cups and spoons
    • spatula set
    • turner
    • cookie scoop

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 cup Butter (melted until an amber color with browned bits on the bottom of pan)
    • 1 cup Dark Brown Sugar (may use golden brown sugar)
    • ½ cup Sugar
    • 2 large Eggs
    • 1 large Egg Yolk
    • 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
    • 2 ¼ cup Flour
    • 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
    • 1 teaspoon Salt
    • 2 cups Chocolate Chips (may use more and a combination of chopped up chocolate bars and chips)

    Instructions
     

    To Brown Butter:

    • Place butter in large pot or deep skillet.  Melt butter over medium-low heat. The butter will go through different phases. It will begin to melt and bubble. Take a wooden spoon or spatula and stir often and around the sides of the pan.  Let the butter melt and watch for it to begin changing colors from a creamy yellow to a deep amber yellow.
      The butter will begin to foam and this is why it is important to stir often so you can see what is going on below the foam. Small brown bits will begin to form and that will be a signal that the butter is officially browned. Butter can burn quickly so watch carefully. It is better to pull off of the heat a little early instead of browning too long and risk burning it.
      Since you want the butter to chill quickly, pour it into a large bowl and place in the refrigerator. Use a spatula to get every bit of butter out of the pan. Let it chill in the refrigerator for about 40-60 minutes. 
    • Pour chilled butter into mixing bowl. Add brown sugar and sugar and cream for 4-5 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl often. 
    • Add eggs and egg yolk, one at a time, beating for 30 seconds after each addition. Stir in vanilla. 
    • Add flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir just until combined, avoid overmixing. Stir in chocolate chips. 
    • If time allows, wrap cookie dough tightly and let chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour. If time allows, chill for 24-48 hours. 
    • Preheat oven to 385 degrees. Place parchment paper liners or Silpat liners on baking sheets. Roll balls of cookie dough and place on cookie sheet.  Bake for 9-10 minutes or until edges starts to become a light golden color. 
    Keyword brown butter chocolate chip cookies
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    Happy Baking, my friends! Don't forget to sign up for my newsletter below. Thank you for following along!

    Best Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe. How to make the best salted brown butter chocolate chip cookies at home. These chocolate chip cookies have rich, toffee notes with chocolate chunks. Saucepan chocolate chip cookie recipe.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Ben E

      January 07, 2023 at 7:34 pm

      4 stars
      The cookies turned out pretty enough to sell! And delicious! Great brown butter flavor.

      Reply
      • Charlene Lynch

        May 01, 2023 at 10:54 am

        These are the best! I have been trying all the recipes out there and this one is easiest and by far the one. It will be my go to. Search is over!

        Reply
    2. Bay

      January 05, 2023 at 3:43 pm

      5 stars
      Oh my goodness! I love baking from scratch and these cookies are some of the best I’ve ever had. The dough does look greasy, but after chilling in the fridge not so much. Once baked, my cookies weren’t greasy at all. Also, I used light brown sugar because I was out of dark brown sugar. I’ve made other cookie recipes from this site that were tasty, but these will be my new go to. Thank you!!! God bless & JESUS loves you!

      Reply
    3. Diane

      October 29, 2022 at 10:21 am

      5 stars
      just made these and they came out great. I added about a cup of toasted chopped pecans and walnuts. Portioned out the cookies and chilled in fridge for about two hours. They baked perfectly and taste amazing.

      Reply
    4. Cassandra

      October 18, 2022 at 11:41 am

      These cookies are a hit. I followed the recipe exactly and they turned out great. I did add a teaspoon or cornstarch for the chewy effect.

      Reply
    5. Carolyn

      September 13, 2022 at 6:19 am

      Can the brown butter be made ahead? If I make it ahead, and refrigerate it, should it be brought back to room temperature, or should it be somewhat warmed so that it is in a liquid state again?

      Reply
    6. Willow

      September 02, 2022 at 8:48 am

      5 stars
      Family loved it! Added some extra kosher salt sprinkled on top and used salted butter, it was HEAVENLY!

      Reply
    7. Lisa

      May 20, 2022 at 1:56 pm

      I made these as written except I added about 1/2 cup of finely chopped pecans. I let the dough rest in the refrigerator for 24 hours and formed them into 2 Oz balls that I pressed down slightly. I baked them at 385 for 9 minutes but they were still a little raw so I baked them at 350 for 3 more minutes. The cookies looked really pretty with a nice color and held their round shape. They were just entirely too sweet for me and also a little too greasy so I won’t be making these again. The next recipe I will try is the mock crumbl cookie one.

      Reply
    8. Sophie

      April 25, 2021 at 7:40 am

      I made the recipe and it was very runny. I put it in the fridge overnight, then assembled the cookies and put them in the oven. They melted completely, and were runny 🙁 I don't know what I could have done wrong. How can I fix it? I would be sorry to waste so many ingredients.
      I used brown sugar as you recommended

      Reply
    9. Carol Arthur

      February 20, 2021 at 9:03 am

      What type of butter, salted or unsalted?

      Reply
    10. Lyndi

      February 19, 2021 at 6:36 pm

      5 stars
      These cookies are delish! I formed my dough into a log and wrapped it good before chilling, it was easy to slice that way. I just tore off the amount I wanted for each cookie, then I weighed them so they'd all be the same size for an even bake. I baked up some yesterday and then today. I'm gonna try your browned butter snickerdoodle cookies next. I love your recipes! They're easy to follow and very concise. Thank you!

      Reply
    11. Hope

      December 19, 2020 at 1:20 pm

      I’m not sure if I did it wrong or not but did anyone else’s cookies start smoking when baking but wasn’t burning?

      Reply
    12. Lola

      December 01, 2020 at 8:57 pm

      are these cookies soft or chewy cookies?

      Reply
    13. Danielle

      October 22, 2020 at 5:06 am

      Hi! This recipe looks absolutely amazing! Should I use salted or unsalted butter to brown?

      Reply
    14. MK

      October 12, 2020 at 8:23 pm

      Hi! I love this cookie recipe but the dough is just very hard to work with after chilling because it becomes stiff and can’t scoop it into balls right away. My question is, can I scoop it right after mixing AND THEN chill the dough balls? Or will that affect the resting process of the cookie dough?

      Reply
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    Melissa Stadler Modern Honey

    Hi, I'm Melissa Stadler! I am an Award-Winning Recipe Creator. Cover of Food Network Magazine. Two-Time Pillsbury Bake-Off Finalist. I am passionate about sharing the best recipes so you have success in the kitchen!

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