This is my go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe! I’ve been perfecting this recipe for years and finally have it exactly how I want it. Tender, soft, chewy cookies, with a huge flavor boost from browning the butter. Oh, and tons of chocolate chips. Duh. Originally published November 7, 2016.
Table of Contents
- These browned butter chocolate chip cookies are my favorite!
- What you’ll need for browned butter chocolate chip cookies
- How to make brown butter chocolate chip cookies
- Brown butter chocolate chip cookie recipe tips
- Brown butter chocolate chip cookies recipe storage
- Brown butter chocolate chip cookie FAQs
- More chocolate chip cookies
- Best Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
We had a baby! Her name is Valentine!
Isn’t she so cute?? If you don’t think so, don’t tell me. Also, you’re wrong. She’s perfect!!
Charlotte thinks so too. I’ve never seen a kid more obsessed about anything. This is what she looks like pretty much all the time:
Poor Truman developed croup a few days after she was born, so his introduction to being a big brother has consisted of, “Don’t cough on the baby!” “No, it’s NOT okay to put your fingers in her mouth!” Poor kid. He’s being a good sport about it.
All the ups and downs of having a newborn are quickly coming back to us. The baby smell. The crying. The tiny hands and toes. The lack of sleep. The impossible expansion of your heart. There’s really nothing quite like it. We are so lucky!
Also, can I just tell you my favorite part about having a baby: it’s not being pregnant anymore. Can I get an amen?
These browned butter chocolate chip cookies are my favorite!
I could go on forever, but I promise I have a recipe for you today! It’s a classic. I’m embarrassed that it’s not on the blog because I make these ALL the time. It’s slightly adapted from a recipe which years ago I called My Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies. But now that’s a lie. This one is my new favorite. I mean how can you argue with browned butter?
This stuff is where the magic happens, guys. It just adds this incredible layer of flavor that you don’t get in normal chocolate chip cookies. It’s not a different flavor; they still taste like buttery chocolate chip cookies. They just taste like the best chocolate chip cookies you’ve ever had. So soft! So tender! So chocolatey! So, so flavorful.
Featured Comment
“This is truly the best chocolate chip cookie recipe. I literally got a standing ovation when I walked into the after-work party at the restaurant next door…..don’t hesitate to try this recipe and definitely do not skip browning the butter.” – Pickleton
What you’ll need for browned butter chocolate chip cookies
Here’s a quick shopping list to help you gather your ingredients. Jump to the recipe card below for the full ingredients and instructions!
- salted butter
- white sugar
- brown sugar
- eggs
- vanilla extract
- flour
- baking soda
- chocolate chips
How to make brown butter chocolate chip cookies
The browned butter is essential to this recipe. To make it, start by melting the butter in a medium pot or skillet over medium heat. Let it cook, stirring every minute or so with a wooden spoon, until it turns a nice golden brown and smells nutty. As soon as it’s ready, pour it into a big mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer.
Add the sugars to the butter and beat it well. With the mixer still running, crack in the eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla and give it a good stir.
Dump in about half the flour, but don’t mix just yet. First, use a little spoon to stir the baking soda and salt into that flour pile so it’s evenly distributed. Then mix it into the dough. Add the rest of the flour and stir gently—stop as soon as things still look a little dry and you can see a bit of flour.
Toss in all the chocolate chips and mix just until everything comes together. Don’t overdo it. Chill the dough for at least 1–2 hours so it firms up (overnight is even better if you have the time).
When you’re ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350°F and line some baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
Scoop the dough using a 1/4 cup measuring cup and shape each scoop into an egg (not a ball—it helps with the way they bake). Place them on the sheet with a couple of inches of space between each.
Bake for 11 to 14 minutes, until the edges are golden but the centers still look soft. Right when they come out of the oven, gently press a few extra chocolate chips into the tops of each cookie for that bakery-style look.
Let them sit on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool. Try not to eat five in one sitting. (Or do. No judgment.)
These are BIG cookies. I use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to shape the dough. I shape the dough as shown above. It’s an oval, not a sphere, meaning they don’t spread quite as much, and you get a perfectly thick and chewy cookie. Chilling the dough also helps them keep their shape in the oven. Since we start the recipe with hot butter, you will have a warm cookie dough. (It’s delicious and I eat the stuff with a spoon. No apologies.) But warm cookie dough can’t go straight into the oven; you have to chill it. You can either throw it in the fridge for a couple of hours, or shape the dough and freeze for half an hour. Either way works great.
Brown butter chocolate chip cookie recipe tips
I almost never bake an entire batch of cookies. I make the dough, bake up a pan to eat right away, then shape the rest of the dough and freeze it in a ziplock. We almost always have frozen cookie dough in the freezer, shaped and ready to go. I don’t even thaw them before I bake, just throw them on the pan completely frozen and add 2-5 minutes to the normal bake time. It’s a dangerous habit, let me tell you. I’m always a 350-degree preheat time away from warm chocolate chip cookies.
You can make these with a one-to-one gluten-free baking mix and get similar results. I haven’t tried it yet, but friends have, and said it is just as delicious.
Brown butter chocolate chip cookies recipe storage
These cookies can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days. After that, it’s best to freeze them to preserve their flavor and texture (you know, if you actually have any left after 3 days).
You can also freeze balls of dough and bake them from frozen anytime you like (or snack on balls of frozen dough, straight from the freezer, shhhh).
Brown butter chocolate chip cookie FAQs
Brown butter is your chocolate chip cookie’s best friend. It doesn’t take over, it just helps out. It takes a regular chocolate chip cookie–buttery, chewy, chocolatey–and adds nutty, caramel notes that bring out the other flavors.
Both have their place! In some cookies, other flavors are taking precedence, so brown butter isn’t ideal. But brown butter’s nutty flavor goes perfectly with chocolate, so it’s absolutely fantastic in a chocolate chip cookie.
Brown butter is done when it stops hissing and sizzling and turns brown (tiny brown specks in the bottom of the pan). The smell will be nutty. You might not be able to see the color under the foam very well, but you can tilt the pan to the side and use your spoon to move the foam. Once you see brown specks at the bottom, it is done.
Chill that dough. I get impatient too! But it’s necessary if you want cookies with an awesome chewy texture and not sad flat cookies. You can cover the bowl of dough and throw it in the fridge for 1-2 hours (or up to 24 hours!). Or you can shape the dough into ¼ cup balls and freeze for 30 minutes (or refrigerate for 30-45 minutes). Shape the dough and place it right on the pan.
Let me know if you try these out! I hope you love them as much as I do.
More chocolate chip cookies
- Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies >> these are so perfect for Christmas!
- Skinny Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies >> perfect for when you want to cut calories but need a chocolate fix!
- Texas Cowboy Cookies >> these cookies have been so popular this fall! You will love them!
- Double Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe >> so thick and fudgy…basically what chocolate lover dreams are made of
- My Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies >> it’s a lie…today’s recipe is my new favorite. The two are quite similar, but those few changes make a big difference!
- Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies from Baked from Scratch
- Vanilla Pudding Chocolate Chip Cookies from Yummy Healthy Easy
- Potato Chip Chocolate Chip Cookies from Hip Foodie Mom
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Best Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 & 1/2 cups salted butter, 3 sticks
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 & 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 4 & 1/2 cups all purpose flour, spooned and leveled*
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 & 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, **
- 2 & 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, plus more to top cookies
Instructions
- Add the butter to a medium pot or skillet, preferably one that is light in color (so you can see the color of the butter). Turn the heat to medium.
- Cook, stirring every 1-2 minutes with a wooden spoon. After a couple minutes, the butter will start to foam. Keep watching it. Eventually the butter will turn brown and you will see tiny brown specks. The smell will turn nutty. You might not be able to see the color under the foam very well, which is part of the reason you need to stir. Once it is brown and it looks silty at the bottom, it is done.
- Immediately pour the browned butter into a large bowl or stand mixer. Add the white sugar and brown sugar and beat well.
- With the beaters on, add the eggs. (If you don’t have enough hands for this, then wait a few minutes to let the butter mixture cool so you don’t curdle your eggs. Or you could beat the eggs in a separate bowl and then add them all at once.)
- Add the vanilla and stir.
- Add half the flour, but don’t stir. Use a small spoon to stir the baking soda and salt into the flour, then beat the flour into the dough.
- Add the remaining flour and stir, but stop when the dough is still dry and you can still see flour.
- Add all the chocolate chips. Stir together just until the flour is incorporated. Do not over beat.
- At this point you need to chill the dough. You can cover the bowl and throw it in the fridge for 1-2 hours. (or up to 24 hours!) Or you can shape the dough as described below and freeze for 30 minutes (or refrigerate for 30-45 minutes.) Shape the dough and place it right on the pan if you have room in your freezer, otherwise put them in ziplocks to freeze them.***
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with silpats or parchment paper.
- To shape the dough, use a 1/4 measuring cup. Form the dough into an egg shape (as opposed to a sphere). Place the dough on the prepared cookie sheets, with at least 2 inches between each cookie.
- Bake at 350 for about 11-14 minutes. Your bake time will depend on your method and length of chilling, so keep an eye on them so they don’t get overdone.
- Take the cookies out when they are just barely starting to turn golden on top, and the centers are not shiny (or, if you like really soft cookies, a little shine is okay.)
- Immediately after taking them out of the oven, use your fingers to push several chocolate chips into the tops of each cookie.
- Let them set up on the pan for 5 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack.
- Eat these cookies with milk!!
What is the purpose of making it an egg shape??
Hey Kristin! “Tall” cookie dough balls make your cookies thicker. They don’t spread out and flatten as much in the oven. Hope this helps!
Congratulations on your new baby. I’m very disappointed that every time I try to print your recipe so I can try it tonight, on the number 2. Of instructions i get another advertisement printed across the directions. So i click it off and try to print the recipe again, but then it prints another different advertisement across the number 2. Directions instead. Ive now wasted lots of paper trying to print your recipe. Ive finally found that to avoid this i cannot use your print button on your site to print recipes. So what good is your print button on your site if it cannot be used to print a full and readable recipe???
Hey Darlene! That’s so frustrating. I’m not having any problems with the print button, there should be no ads on the print form. I’ll let me ad team know about it, thank you!
As everyone is always trying to find that perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe, this is it for me! The best recipe I’ve tried thus far! I will continue to make these. I used salted butter sticks so I don’t know if that’s why my butter didn’t brown or if I didn’t let it cook long enough, but that’s ok with me. Thanks for sharing and you have a beautiful family!
It’s like the American quest, right? Everyone has to find THEIR perfect CC cookie recipe. I’m glad we can share one! Thanks Martrisha!
I love trying new recipes, even when it’s a recipe on a classic like chocolate chip cookies. But I have to admit that I’m always a little nervous trying cookie recipes, because so many of them, especially chocolate chip, turn our terribly. They’re usually terribly flat and spread out, and look really unappealing. I went into this with low expectations. I was absolutely ecstatic when I pulled the first cookie sheet out of the oven, and saw beautifully-rounded, perfectly thick cookies! When I made these, I was rather busy in the kitchen that day, so I allowed the brown butter to cool in the fridge for probably 30 minutes. Once the dough was made, I allowed the dough to chill for 30 minutes, then I rolled them into the oval-ish balls, and then I chilled them in the fridge for a couple days. Also, I just used my 2-Tbsp cookie scoop to measure out equal portions (instead of making larger cookies), and I baked them for 11 minutes. It yielded a little more than 4 dozen. These taste delicious AND look beautiful. Definite keeper! I am happy!!
I’m so happy you liked the recipe Kristin! It’s true about never knowing if a cookie recipe is going to turn out. There are just SO many variables! But I’m glad this one worked out. Success!! Hooray! Thanks so much for coming back to comment :)
Congrats to you and your family. Happy Holidays!
Thank you so much Lori!!
Congratulations on the birth of your Cute baby girl and I Love her name!!!!!! All your children are beautiful! And the cookie recipe sounds delicious!!!!! You are truly Blessed!
Diane M.
Congrats she is beautiful and so are her siblings.
Congratulations! She is super adorbs Karen! I hear ya on bringing home a new baby and someone gets sick, it’s almost inevitable. And these cookies, gah!!!
Valentine is BEAUTIFUL! Congratulations on a healthy and beautiful baby girl!
Ahhhhh congratulations!!! She is so so precious!! And what better way to celebrate than with these awesomeeee looking cookies!
Congratulations!!! Welcoming a new baby with warm chocolate chip cookies seems really fitting- I’m sure your daughter will be eating tons of these as she grows up :)
EEEEEEEEEEKKKKK!!!!! She is absolutely positively without a doubt the most precious baby girl!! So excited for you and your entire family Karen!! I know it’ll take a while, but I really hope you’re able to get a little more sleep soon. :) And these cookies… I don’t know HOW you do it, but you always take the most gorgeous, oh so tempting photos of cookies! Your melty chips get me EVERY time!!
Your baby Valentine is perfect :) I can’t believe you posted right after you had a baby! But thanks for your sacrifice, because these cookies look BEYOND divine! I am totally making these! (And thanks for the tip about freezing them, too. Although I will have to find a deep, dark place in the freezer, or my husband will find them and eat them all frozen).
Valentine is really so appropriate for how darling and cute, she is!!!! Congrats all around!
Your kiddo’s look so pleased to see her too! Take it easy, if you can!
You are indeed so blessed this holiday season!!
Your cookies look amazing, Karen, as usual – if a person likes soft chewy cookies and not delicious amazing CRUNCHY cookies! When I come I will be making crunchy munchy cookies – just so you know. You have to take the good with the bad when your mother-in-law shows up to help with new babies.
Counting the days . . . .