The BEST Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Homemade browned butter chocolate chip cookies are made in one saucepan! This perfect chocolate chip cookie has rich buttery toffee flavor. This is the best chocolate chip cookie recipe.
MJ’s Top Secret Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
I may have been blogging here at Modern Honey for months now but that doesn’t mean that I still don’t have some tricks up my sleeve. If you have been following me, you know very well that I have been baking cookies before I was out of diapers.
Obsessed.
Today I am sharing with you one of my signature cookies that I have been baking up in my kitchen since 2003. When my kids were little, they would beg for cookies every single day (smart kids, I tell you). Obviously, they knew their mama’s weakness and I happily obliged.
There wasn’t an ingredient I wouldn’t try adding to my cookies or a method that I would rule out. I wanted to try them all so I vividly remember the first time I made these saucepan chocolate chip cookies. Since I didn’t own a KitchenAid or Bosch mixer, I had to get creative and that’s why I tried using a saucepan.
I was blown away and to this day, I believe they are the perfect chocolate chip cookie.
Tips and Tricks for making the Best Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies:
- Everything is mixed in one saucepan. You melt the butter over low heat and that creates a toffee, caramel, browned butter flavor. No mixer required and everything is mixed together by hand. Working those arm muscles, baby!
- Using Dark Brown Sugar instead of light creates a richer cookie with a chewier texture. Adding white sugar creates those crispy edges.
- Using 1 Egg + 1 Egg Yolk works magic on the texture of these cookies. Egg whites can dry out baked goods so we focus on the creamy egg yolk. #winning
- A mix of semi-sweet and milk chocolate chunks keeps you on your toes. The semi-sweet brings a depth of chocolate flavor and the milk chocolate makes the cookie sweet and creamy. Trader Joe’s makes killer chocolate bars called Pound Plus Bars and can be easily cut into chunks. It melts so beautifully in these cookies.
- A touch of sea salt or fleur de sel flakes take these to another level. It’s that combination of salty + sweet that keeps you coming back for more. It cuts the sweetness of the chocolate chip cookie just enough to get you hooked.
How to make Top Secret Saucepan Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies:
- Make sure the butter is completely melted. It needs to be melted but don’t let it boil or the liquid will start to evaporate. It’s important to get the butter hot and melted before adding the sugars so they can completely dissolve.
- Add the sugars while the butter is hot and stir for at least 2-3 minutes until it looks glossy and smooth.
- Let the butter-sugar mixture chill for at least 5-7 minutes in the refrigerator before adding the egg and egg yolk or you will end up with cooked eggs! No bueno.
- Make sure the dough is cool enough (by placing a clean finger into the dough to check temperature) before adding the chocolate or you will end up with brownies. 🙂
Do you know what makes a cookie even better? Chill the dough.
Why is it important to chill cookie dough?
- Chilling the dough for at least 24 hours helps the ingredients to incorporate. The gluten which is developed by mixing the dough, is relaxed while the dough rests, which creates a more tender cookie. The moisture in the dough is absorbed by the dry ingredients, which helps to dissolve the sugar, and causes extra caramelization.
- If you chill the dough for at least 24-36 hours, the flavors have had time to really develop and you end up with a chocolate chip cookie with a caramel, toffee flavor, a chewier texture, and crispier edges.
- If you do chill the cookie dough, keep in mind that you need to wrap the cookie dough tightly so the cold air of the refrigerator doesn’t dry it out. After it is done chilling, it will be slightly crumbly because much of the liquid has been incorporated. Using your hands, press the mixture firmly together and roll into balls.
Your patience will pay off in the end product.
If you can’t wait and want cookies NOW, then go ahead and bake them. MJ’s Top Secret Cookies will still be out of this world.
The best brown butter chocolate chip cookie recipe. A perfect saucepan chocolate chip cookie!
I have named this baked goodness the MJ’s Top Secret Chocolate Chip Cookies for a number of reasons:
A. MJ is what my husband loves to call me. It’s much shorter than calling me Melissa Janet.
B. It is top secret for a reason. Most cookies are made with almost the same ingredients so it’s the little tweaks here and there that set them apart. These have been one of my go-to recipes for almost 14 years for a reason.
You are going to fall hook, line, and sinker for these cookies.
If you want a sweet and salty cookie, sprinkle with sea salt for extra flavor. I love to use salt because it cuts some of the sweetness and is such a perfect combination.
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- 1 cup Butter
- 1 cup + 2 Tablespoons Dark Brown Sugar
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 1 Egg
- 1 Egg Yolk
- 1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla
- 2 cups + 2 Tablespoons Flour
- 3/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 3/4 cup Semi-sweet Chocolate Chunks
- 3/4 cup Milk Chocolate Chunks
- Sea Salt Flakes to sprinkle on top of cookies
- In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, melt butter. Once completely melted, add sugars and turn off heat. Whisk or stir until butter-sugar mixture looks glossy and smooth - about 2 minutes.
- Let cool to room temperature. May leave out at room temperature until cool or place in refrigerator for 5-7 minutes. You don't want it to be hot when adding the eggs. Add egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and stir well to combine.
- Fold in flour, baking soda, and salt until just combined. Fold in semi-sweet and milk chocolate chunks.
- Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. For richer, toffee flavored cookies, let the dough chill for 24-36 hours.
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Place golf ball size mounds of cookie dough on baking sheets. Bake until cookies are golden brown, 12-14 minutes. Sprinkle with sea salt flakes. Allow cookies to set for 5 minutes before transferring them to wire rack.
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If you live in Arizona like me, we have a little monsoon weather going on which means rain in the middle of summer. In my book…Rain = Cookies so start baking MJ’s Top Secret Cookies. I can’t wait to hear what you think of them!
Happy Baking! xo
Always looking for a new chocolate chip cookie recipe. I love that this one is a bit different than the rest. Definitely agree about refrigerating the dough. It’s hard to wait but always worth it. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Maria! It makes the cookies so much better, right? Let me know what you think when you try them! Have a fabulous day. 🙂 – Melissa
I broke my daughter’s oven but as soon as it’s fixed I’ll make these MJ. Glad to finally meet you up close. I know we’ve waved from afar. You are as pretty as your cute Momma and I love your middle name (I knew her as a youth as well). Keep um comin’ you haven’t misled me yet!
Thank you Shirlyn! It was so good to finally meet you in person! I feel like we were friends long before we even met and it as if I had known you for a long time. 🙂 I hope your husband is on the road to recovery. Keep me posted. Thanks as always for your support! xoxo – Melissa
Awesome Cookies!
Thanks buddy! i know they are one of your favorites for sure. 🙂
So….are these or the ultimate better. I saw that you said the ultimate ones were the perfect cookie…just wondering which ones to start with. We like chewy cookies best!
Hi Bryn! They are different but both fantastic cookies. My 3 favorite cookies are my Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookies, MJ’s Top Secret, and the Ultimate.
Here’s how they are unique from each other:
– Levain is a large, thick cookie yet is not cakey. It is a hearty cookie and my most popular recipe on my site thus far.
– MJ’s Top Secret is all made in a saucepan so it has a rich, buttery toffee flavor since you melt the butter over heat. It is a little more time consuming since you do have to chill the dough but the flavor profile is incredible. It’s also nice if you don’t want to dirty the mixer and want to do it all in one saucepan.
– The Ultimate cookie is a traditional chocolate chip cookie that is classic in nature. Its a recipe that you cream the butter and sugars for 4 minutes and uses all of the basic ingredients in a really good chocolate chip cookie.
You can’t go wrong with any of them! I prefer a chewy cookie as well and they are all chewy. If you want something different, go with MJ’s but follow the directions to a T. 🙂
Let me know what you decide!
Thank you for such a thoughtful and thorough reply. I’ll let you know what we make!
Hi MJ – I love the idea of your MJ Secret Ingredient Chocolate Chip Cookie. I also love the idea of your Olive Oil Chocolate Chip Cookie. You said “what took you so long” so it appears it is now in your favorites list. I’m curious of the difference between those two cookies. Appreciate if you would post that info. I actually saw another recipe that uses some butter and 1/4C. EVOO. My favorite chocolate chip cookies outside of the home are Doubletree and Christie’s. At home I prefer all brown sugar in my batter. I’m not a fan of the hard crispness that granulated sugar creates in the cookies. The addition of the sea salt flakes is definitely in my next batch!
Melissa – another fantastic cookie! My favorite cookie used to be the Famous Amos, not the ones in the bag at the store but the ones they sold in their stores (back when they had stores….) buttery and crispy….oops fading away there. Anyway, thsese may take their place! Thanks again.
Hi Melissa – another fantastic cookie recipe. My favorite cookie used to be the Famous Amos(not the ones you get in a bag at the market but the ones they sold in their cookie stores) they were buttery and crispy…..oops fading away there…anyway, these may be my new favorite! Thanks again.
Hi Daniel! Oh now I wish that I could try those Famous Amos cookies too! They sounds amazing. Thank you for trying these cookies out. It’s always great to hear from you! Have a great night. 🙂 – Melissa
Hey!
First of all, I want to say that I love your website and your recipes. I think that they are just wonderful 🙂
The reason Im writing is because I am a cookie fanatic and love trying new recipes and tricks. When I saw this one in particular I was so excited to try it out. As far as I know, I did everything according to your directions. Unfortunately the cookies melted so flat in the oven and stuck to the aluminum foil (I tried a batch with cooking spray and then a batch without). I was so sad 🙁 I don’t know where I went wrong or if I did anything wrong.
All the measurements were correct that I am sure. Although I did use blue bonnet butter and it was “lite” so it had 60 calories per tbs of the stick instead of the normal 100. Not sure if this matters but I want to find the culprit. I did everything else by the book…saucepan, waited, cooled, wrapped dough, refrigerated for 24 hours. I did notice that at 325 degrees, the cookies were being overdone at 12 min. So I had to lower it to 11 for the other batches.
Anyways, if you can, please help me figure out what went wrong. The batter tasted amazing but I will say it was very goopy and never quite turned into that cookie dough consistency.
Thanks so much.
Jordan
Hey Jordan! Thanks so much for your comment. I love a good mystery so I am always up for figuring out what could have gone wrong. I would say that the number 1 culprit would be the margarine. When you use a lite margarine, they replace the fat with water. The fat is important in cookies and the extra water content is the reason that these turned out so flat. If you can try the recipe with butter, that is my recommendation. If you dairy restrictions, always use the full fat margarine in cubes. They are firmer and use less water generally than what you find in a tub. I hope that makes sense!
Also since we are completely melting our butter, its imperative to chill the dough twice. We chill it for several minutes before we add the egg and egg yolk and also at the end to ensure that they firm up and will keep their shape.
Give them another shot and hopefully you will get amazing results. Feel free to ask my any questions. I am always happy to help!
Have a great night! -Melissa 🙂
Quick question. The recipe says to wrap the dough in saran wrap and then chill the dough. Wouldn’t you end up with a solid ball of dough after 24 hours in the fridge?
Hi Kay! You can do it one of two ways — wrap all of the cookie dough in one ball and covered with Saran Wrap or if you have room in your refrigerator, roll into balls onto cookie sheet, tightly cover the cookie sheet and place in the refrigerator to chill.
I usually put in in a large ball and let it chill. Once you take it out of the refrigerator, let it still at room temperature for 10 minutes. It will be cold and drier than when you first put it in the refrigerator. The reason for this is that the wet ingredients combine with the dry ingredients. It creates a richer cookie. The dough may crumble some so it’s important to press the dough together when rolling the cookies. I hope that helps! Chilling a cookie dough makes an even better cookie. 🙂
I just made these for a baby shower tomorrow. Best chocolate chip cookie ever and I didn’t even let them sit for 24 hours! Absolutely delicious and my mother-in-law said it is now her new cookie recipe! Thanks so much!!!!
Hey Cassie! Yay! Thank you for such a kind comment and positive feedback. Always makes my day! So happy you loved them! 🙂
Hi Melissa
Great recipe. Cookies turned out better the next day.
Will definitely make it again. Thanks for sharing.
Regards, Sharon
Hi Sharon! Thank you for sharing such positive feedback about the cookies and for taking the time to comment. I really appreciate it! 🙂
OK I have a question, I would love to make your delicious cookies🍪 but i love my cookies more on the cake side kind of the texture of those big round cookies but I’d like to make them smaller any suggestions here? I’ve been working and working trying to figure this out I have finally come to you ! Please help !!
I feel I’m stranded I feel I’m stranded at the bowl ! See I don’t want it to taste like a cake in between 🍪 Kind of crispy on the edges but a little with a little bit of chew💚 But with the inside had a cake in tiny bit dry if you can’t see what I’m saying I’m still trying to figure it out myself !
Thank you ❤️ Much cookie love 🍪
Would this recipe successfully produce a large cookie like the Levain Bakery monster chocolate chip cookies?
These are delicious. Made a batch and froze the extra dough.. Now I’ve got cookie dough logs that I defrost for baking, anytime I need a fix. I went overboard with the chips though.. The dough itself is so good that I wish I had not added so much chips! I make these the size of famous amos cookies and they’re way too easy to snack on . Thanks for sharing!
Does this cookie bake flat? With two cups of flour and 1 cup butter combo seems like it might. Do you need to add more flour? You have great recipes!!!
Hi, just wondering when you say “melted” for the butter, are we supposed to brown it until it turns an amber colour? Or just melt the butter (still yellow in colour). Thank you!
Can we stuffed those cookies ? (with nutella or peanut butter)
thx
Hi there,
My boyfriend likes white chocolate chips. Would this recipe taste good with white chocolate chips instead of milk/semi?
Thanks! Excited to try this recipe. I’m always looking for a great chocolate chip recipe.
These turned out AMAZING! I used gluten-free all purpose flour, and live at high altitude. Followed the recipe exactly and it was perfect! This will be my new go-to recipe for chocolate chip cookies. Thank you so much 🙂
Soooo good!!
I live in Arizona, too. Do you currently sell your cookies at any of gen markets near Phoenix? Thanks!
Loved this recipe and your dedication to finding the best cookie recipes! Thank you!!
I love the flavor of these cookies! I’ve made them several times but they seem to get hard the next day. What am I doing wrong? Does it make a difference if I make them larger or smaller? Help please!
Do you suggest baking cookies on parchment or silicone baking mats? Thanks.
The greatest compliment I can give is this: When I wanted to be a blessing to the children of our church and make chocolate chip cookies for them, the first place I thought of was Modern Honey. This cookie recipe did not disappoint. So instead of my smile alone, I submit to you the smiles of 30 children who loved every crumb!