Classic Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Some recipes don’t need reinventing – they need respecting. This is the chocolate chip cookie you already know, just browned instead of melted: crisp, lacy edges, a soft chewy center, and pools of melted chocolate in every bite. No starter, no overnight plan – just a bowl, a spoon, and about an hour between you and a warm cookie.

Why You’ll Love It

• Nutty, caramelized brown butter takes these from good to genuinely memorable, with almost no extra effort
• Crisp edges, chewy centers, and pockets of melted chocolate in every single cookie
• One bowl, no mixer required
• Ready in about an hour, start to finish
• Freezes beautifully as scooped dough balls for cookies on demand

Ingredients

Volume measurements are included for convenience, but weighing your flour on a kitchen scale will give you the most consistent cookie.

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• Unsalted butter (170 g / 12 Tbsp): browned first – this is where the flavor comes from
• Light brown sugar (200 g / 1 cup, packed): for chew and moisture
• Granulated sugar (67 g / ⅓ cup): for crisp edges
• 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk: the extra yolk adds richness and chew
• Vanilla extract (10 g / 2 tsp)
• All-purpose flour (280 g / 2¼ cups)
• Baking soda (5 g / 1 tsp)
• Fine sea salt (7 g / 1¼ tsp): plus flaky salt for finishing
• Semi-sweet chocolate chips or chopped chocolate (340 g / 2 cups): a mix of chips and chopped bar chocolate gives the best texture

Equipment

• Kitchen scale: for weighing ingredients – the most reliable way to get consistent cookies every time
• Medium saucepan: for browning the butter
• Large mixing bowl: for combining the wet and dry ingredients
• Cookie scoop (3 Tbsp): keeps every cookie the same size so they bake evenly
• Baking sheets: rimmed sheets give the most even heat
• Parchment paper: keeps the cookies from sticking and makes cleanup easy

Sample Schedule (Same Day)

Classic Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

A classic chocolate chip cookie made even better with browned butter — crisp edges, a chewy center, and pools of melted chocolate in every bite.

Print Recipe

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 12 minutes mins

Chill Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 2 minutes mins

Servings: 24 cookies

Course: Cookies, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Calories: 210

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 170 g (12 Tbsp) unsalted butter browned
• 200 g (1 cup, packed) light brown sugar
• 67 g (⅓ cup) granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 10 g (2 tsp) vanilla extract
• 280 g (2¼ cups) all-purpose flour
• 5 g (1 tsp) baking soda
• 7 g (1¼ tsp) fine sea salt
• 340 g (2 cups) semi-sweet chocolate chips or chopped chocolate
• flaky sea salt, for finishing

Heads up: Some of the links below are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This means if you click and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Equipment

• Kitchen scale
• Medium saucepan
• Large mixing bowl
• Cookie scoop (3 Tbsp)
• Baking sheets
• Parchment paper

Method

 

1. Brown the butter. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter, swirling often, until it foams, then turns golden and smells nutty, 5–7 minutes. Pour into a large bowl, scraping in the browned bits, and let cool 10 minutes.
2. Mix the sugars. Whisk the brown sugar (200 g / 1 cup) and granulated sugar (67 g / ⅓ cup) into the cooled butter until smooth.
3. Add the egg and vanilla. Whisk in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla (10 g / 2 tsp) until the mixture lightens slightly and looks glossy.
4. Add the dry ingredients. Sprinkle the flour (280 g / 2¼ cups), baking soda (5 g / 1 tsp), and salt (7 g / 1¼ tsp) over the wet ingredients and fold with a spatula just until no dry streaks remain.
5. Fold in the chocolate. Add the chocolate chips (340 g / 2 cups) and fold until evenly distributed.
6. Chill the dough. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes — this firms the butter so the cookies hold their shape instead of spreading thin.
7. Scoop. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Scoop the dough into 3-tablespoon balls, spaced 3 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets.
8. Bake. Bake 11–13 minutes, until the edges are set and golden but the centers still look slightly underdone.
9. Finish and cool. Sprinkle with flaky salt immediately out of the oven, then let cool on the pan 10 minutes before moving to a rack.

Notes

I resisted browning the butter for years because it felt like an extra step I didn’t need. I was wrong. It’s five extra minutes and it’s the difference between a good chocolate chip cookie and the one people ask you for the recipe for.

Don’t skip the chill. I know it’s tempting to bake right away, but a rested, cold dough ball bakes taller and chewier instead of thin and crisp all the way through.

If you only keep one cookie recipe in your back pocket, make it this one.

How to Make It

Tips & Troubleshooting

• Butter too hot: let the browned butter cool until it’s just warm, not hot, before adding the sugars, or you’ll melt the sugar and end up with flat, greasy cookies.
• Dough too soft to scoop: if your kitchen is warm, chill the dough a bit longer – cold dough is the difference between a thick cookie and a thin, spread-out one.
• Want thicker cookies: chill the scooped dough balls for an extra 15 minutes before baking.
• Uneven melts: press a few extra chocolate chunks onto the tops of the dough balls right before baking for that bakery-case look.

How to Store

To store: keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

To freeze: freeze scooped, unbaked dough balls on a tray until solid, then transfer to a bag – bake straight from frozen, adding 1-2 minutes to the bake time.

Nutrition

Per cookie, based on 24 cookies. Estimated from the ingredients used – provided for convenience and not a substitute for a precise calculation.