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Thick And Gooey Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Zoha Malik

by Zoha Malik

Updated:

Rated 4.80 out of 5

569 Comments
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These Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies stand out from the rest. They have the perfect texture you want from cookies: thick with crispy golden edges and gooey, fudgy middles oozing with chocolate. But what makes them extra special is their complex nutty, toffee-like flavor. The secret? Toasting the sugars in the brown butter! These cookies are less sweet than most with a hint of coffee and 2 types of chocolate. They are *incredible*, and also incredibly easy to make, with no mixer needed.

A beautiful brown butter chocolate chip cookie topped with sea salt cooling on a wire rack.

This is my first cookie recipe and has been a reader favorite (and my own) ever since. I’ve added a ton of tips and tricks to help you get them right on the first attempt – so rest assured and grab your ingredients (and if you’re a big chocolate person, I also have a fudgy double chocolate cookie recipe)!

BESTEST foolproof cookie recipe! I have made them at least 50 times and they always turn out amazing. – Rabbiyah, ★★★★★

Oh my god! I usually cream the butter and sugar, but the caramelization with brown sugar took the cookies to a whole new level! – Sowmya, ★★★★★

These are the best cookies I have ever made! Ooey, gooey, chewy, chocolatey – so sinful and perfect! – Crazelade, ★★★★★

My magic trick: toasting the sugars!

This is what makes this recipe truly unique. Instead of creaming the butter and sugars or whisking them in a bowl, I add the sugars directly to the brown butter in the pan, then cook and stir for 90 seconds on the lowest flame. This “toasts” the sugars, creating a nutty, toffee-like flavor depth. This was actually inspired by a type of Pakistani sweet I grew up eating, “halwa”, which has the most incredible caramel-y flavor! Not to mention, this is a lot easier than bringing out a mixer.

5 more secrets to the perfect cookies

There are 5 more things that makes these cookies extra special:

  1. Far less sugar than most recipes. If you’ve made other cookie recipes, you will notice this one has a much lower quantity of sugar (just 3/4 cup total), which means these cookies are not overly sweet! I have perfected the amount of sugar while retaining a wonderful texture in these cookies
  2. A hint of coffee. A small amount of instant coffee added to the cookies gives them an extra depth of flavor. They don’t taste like coffee, though, don’t worry!
  3. Less flour than most. This recipe has a higher ratio of butter to flour than most recipes, resulting in buttery, gooey cookies instead of dry or cakey
  4. 2 types of chocolate. We add both milk and dark chocolate, and chopped instead of chips. This creates flavor complexity and melting pools of chocolate, which chips cannot achieve!
  5. The perfect hit of salt. I don’t want a cookie that’s not properly salted!
A thick brown butter chocolate chip cookie with melted chocolate chunks resting on a wire cooling rack, with some bites taken out to show the fudgy texture.

Step by step photos

The detailed recipe is in the recipe card below, but let’s go over the simple steps with photos to help you visualize everything:

Cubes of butter melting in a gray frying pan
Add the cubed butter to a saucepan.
A metal whisk stirs foaming butter in a pan on a stovetop to make the brown butter for chocolate chip cookies
Cook, stirring occasionally, until the butter has browned.
A wire whisk rests in a pan of brown butter, mixing with brown sugar and white sugar.
Turn the heat to low and add the sugars.
A wire whisk stirs sugars into butter, a crumbly texture, in a light-colored skillet.
Whisk for 90 seconds, then remove from heat.
A raw egg sitting in a pan filled with brown sugar and a small amount of liquid , with a whisk resting on the edge.
Let the mixture cool for 5-10 minutes, then add the egg, egg yolk, vanilla and coffee dissolved in water.
A hand uses a wire whisk to stir eggs into butter and sugar in a green pan
Whisk until smooth.
A glass bowl containing a mixture of flour and dark chocolate chunks for the best brown butter chocolate chip cookies.
Sift the dry ingredients and mix with the chopped chocolate in a separate bowl.
A spatula mixes batter in a glass bowl filled with the best brown butter chocolate chip cookie dough containing chocolate chunks.
Add to the wet ingredients and gently fold until just combined.
Ten scoops of brown butter chocolate chip cookie dough arranged on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Scoop the cookie dough into 10 balls, and chill in the fridge.
Six brown butter chocolate chip cookies cooling on a wire rack. They have ripples and cracks and melted chocolate chunks on top
Bake the cookies once chilled!

Chilling cookie dough is absolutely *crucial*. Even if there are recipes that claim they don’t need chilling time, I guarantee those cookies will be 10 times better after chilling (the only exception I’ve found to this rule is my No Chill Chocolate Chip Cookies – those actually *are* good without chilling!).

My minimum recommended time is 2 hours in the fridge – but longer is better. Here’s why chilling matters:

  1. It deepens the flavor. Chilling breaks down the starch in the flour into sugars, developing a deeper, more complex flavor
  2. It improves the texture. It allows the flour to absorb more of the liquid content in the dough, resulting in more moist, chewy and gooey cookies. Without chilling, the same dough will turn into dry, cakey ones
  3. It reduces the spread, resulting in thicker cookies. This is the obvious one! Since the cookie dough will take more time to heat up, it doesn’t spread as fast

Note that you cannot speed up the chilling process by placing the cookie dough in the freezer. The freezer will just stop most reactions from occurring, so the cookies’ flavor and texture won’t necessarily improve. So fridge first, then feel free to transfer to the freezer.

Here’s a little video comparison:

Important tips before you bake them

This is a very simple recipe, but I do have some important tips to help you get these cookies *just* right:

  • Use a weighing scale instead of measuring cups! This is especially important for flour, because most people stuff too much flour in measuring cups leading to a drier cookie dough. I highly recommend this kitchen scale which is under $10 and has lasted me 3 years
  • Don’t overcook the sugars. Keep the heat on the lowest possible setting after browning the butter, and whisk the sugars in for just 90 seconds. Don’t worry if they start to look lumpy or grainy, that will all get fixed when you add the egg and yolk!
  • Use chopped chocolate instead of chips. Chopped chocolate melts more, tastes better, and adds more texture
  • Make sure the wet ingredients aren’t hot before adding dry ingredients. Otherwise, the chocolate will melt!
  • Do not over-mix the dough. Gently fold the dry ingredients in until just combined
  • Chill longer for better cookies! 2 hours minimum, but overnight/24 hours will make them even better. If you want cookies fast, check out my No Chill Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
  • Use a light colored baking sheet! Dark sheets cook the bottoms of the cookies too fast, preventing their spread and often adding a burnt flavor
  • Do not over-bake. The cookies should be firm around the edges but soft in the middle when they come out of the oven. I always recommend baking one test cookie first, as baking time can vary depending on the size of the cookie and your oven
  • Control the cool down! Cookies should be slightly underdone when taken out of the oven, and left on the hot baking sheet so they can continue to cook and set as they cool. However, keep an eye on them, especially the edges/bottoms. If they look too brown, peel the parchment off the baking sheet and let the cookies cool down on your counter so they don’t overcook

Here are some *extra* tips that pro bakers often know but don’t think about sharing:

  • When scooping your cookie balls, try not to get exposed pieces of chocolate on the bottom. These melt fast in the oven, cause the cookies to spread too much, and often burn too!
  • Weigh your cookie balls to ensure they’re all the same size. This will ensure they all bake evenly in a batch
  • Sprinkle flakey sea salt *before* baking, not after! It will adhere to the cookies better
  • Use a cookie cutter or fork to “shape” the cookies into perfect circles as soon as they’re out of the oven. Us food content creators always do this!
  • Reserve some chocolate chunks to press into the cookies freshly out of the oven. This allows you to control the look of the cookies and make them pretty
A stack of halved thick, brown butter chocolate chip cookies with melted chocolate centers on a wire cooling rack.

My favorite chocolate

Since I get a hundred questions a week about the chocolate I use, I am linking it for you! I have recently found my favorite: Ghirardelli chocolate wafers. They look like giant chips but work more like chopped chocolate, and melt like silk! I also love Valrhona, Callebaut and Lindt.

Print
brown butter chocolate chip cookies on a wire rack. they are thick and golden, crispy on the outside with lots of melted chocolate puddles and sprinkled with sea salt. focus on one cookie

Thick & Gooey Brown Butter Cookies

by Zoha Malik

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.80 stars from 203 reviews

These brown butter chocolate chip cookies have a deep nutty, toffee flavor from my unique method of toasting the sugars in butter!

Yield:10 cookies

Prep Time:
25 mins
Cook Time:
10 mins
Chilling Time:
2 hrs
Total Time:
2 hrs, 35 mins

Video Tutorial

Ingredients

  • 10 tbsp unsalted butter (140g)
  • 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar (100g)
  • 1/4 cup white granulated sugar (50g)
  • 1 large egg, cold
  • 1 egg yolk, cold
  • 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
  • 1 tsp instant coffee dissolved in 1 tsp hot water
  • 1 1/3 cup all purpose flour (170g)
  • 3/4 tsp salt, plus optional flaky sea salt to sprinkle on top
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 4 oz dark chocolate, chopped (113g)
  • 4 oz milk chocolate, chopped (113g)

Instructions

  1. Place the butter in a non-stick pan and melt it on medium-low heat. Keep stirring for a few minutes until the butter starts to look brown and develops a caramel-y nutty aroma. It will become bubbly and frothy first, but as it gets closer to browning, it will stop spluttering as much.
  2. Turn the heat all the way to the lowest setting, and add the brown and white sugars. Whisk on the lowest flame for 90 seconds, then remove from the heat. This step toasts the sugars and starts breaking them down for a deeper flavor. You are not trying to caramelize or dissolve the sugars, so don’t worry about any visual changes and just follow the time. The mixture may look grainy depending on your butter, don’t worry and remove from the heat, as cooking too long can lead to crystallization!
  3. Cool the mixture for 5-10 minutes. It should be warm, but not hot anymore
  4. Add the egg and yolk, along with the vanilla and instant coffee dissolved in water. Whisk for 1-2 minutes until the mixture becomes very smooth and creamy like caramel. If you see any clumps of sugar, press them down with the back of a spoon and they should mix in.
  5. Sift all the dry ingredients into a separate bowl. Add the chopped chocolate and mix everything together. I like to reserve some chocolate to press on top of the balls after shaping
  6. Make sure the wet ingredients aren’t hot (they shouldn’t be). Add the dry ingredients to the wet in 2 batches and fold with a rubber spatula until just combined. Do not over-mix! 
  7. Use a 2 tbsp cookie scoop to divide the dough into 10 balls (if the dough feels a bit too runny to scoop, refrigerate for 10 min first). Don’t apply pressure onto the balls, just gently pull them together. Each ball should be 65-70g
  8. Place the cookie balls onto a plate or baking sheet, and add a few chocolate chunks on top (you can add more chocolate or use the reserved chocolate from earlier)
  9. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, but ideally overnight for best results. They really get better with time. 
  10. Prepare 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. It is best to use lighter colored cookie sheets.
  11. Pre-heat oven to 375F (conventional / no fan) for cookies you’ve chilled for 2 hours, and 365F (conventional/no fan) for cookies chilled overnight or longer.
  12. Transfer the balls to the sheets, keeping at least 3″ between them. Sprinkle with the optional flaky sea salt
  13. For cookies chilled 2 hours, bake for ~9-10 minutes depending on how soft and gooey you want the cookies to be. For cookies chilled overnight or longer, bake for 10-11 minutes. You’re looking for a light golden color, edges that feel firm but middles that still feel soft. I always recommend baking 1 test cookie first!
  14. Let them cool down on the cookie sheet at room temperature for 10-15 minutes or until they feel set. If at any point they start to look too brown on the bottom, peel the parchment paper off the cookie sheet and let them cool on the counter.
  15. Serve and enjoy while still warm!

Notes

  • Sugar quantity: I have reduced the sugar in this recipe to just 3/4 cup total. I don’t recommend reducing it any further!
  • Chocolate chips: If you like chocolate chips, you can use them instead of chopped chocolate, but the cookies won’t be as good and might turn out thicker (spread less). This is because chips don’t melt in the cookies while baking.
  • Convection/fan ovens: If you can, please turn off the fan and bake with the bottom heating rod only. But if that’s not an option, for a convection oven, reduce the baking temperature by 25F
  • Serving and storage: These cookies are best eaten freshly baked for the ultimate texture, which is why I recommend baking only as many as you need, and keeping the rest in the fridge/freezer. You can store them in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days, and heat in the toaster oven / microwave before eating.
  • Freezing: After 2 hours in the fridge, you can freeze the cookie dough balls in an airtight container, and bake directly from frozen when needed! Just increase the baking time by ~2-3 minutes depending on how well done you want them.

Note: This recipe has been updated over time for minor improvements. Changes include reducing brown sugar, adding vanilla and instant coffee, and updating the method so the chocolate is first mixed with the dry ingredients

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Comments

  1. joy

    best recipe ever!! perfect sweetness for me, not too sweet 😇 i make this recipe without the instant coffee but it still tastes delicious 🙂

    1. Zoha

      AWW thank you so much!

  2. Malak

    So yes, these are best choc chip cookies you will make. My bff who lived for a year in NYC and made it her mission to find their best choc chip cookies said this tasted like the best one she had there from Insomnia. Used Valrhona chocolate in there. So good. Perfect recipe like everything Zoha puts out there.

    1. Halima

      best cookies and thanks for the tips they made all the difference especially the fridge part and testing one cookie first …..the entire batch was finished within the same day everyone loved it …I will be trying other recipes too

    2. Zoha

      AWWWWHHHHH I feel so incredibly touched! Thank you!

  3. Sree

    Thanks for this amazing recipe. If I want to double this recipe, how much baking soda and baking powder to be added? Can I just double that as well? Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

    1. Zoha

      Yes, double everything 🙂

      1. Sree

        Thank you so much for the response. Just to confirm, I should use 2 whole eggs and 2 egg yolks when I double the recipe, am I right?

  4. Nosh

    Hi Zoha.

    Thank you for sharing this recipe! It’s one of the best I’ve come across and perfect for a new baker like me.
    Just quick question. I use a scoop but My cookies turn out different size and shape. How can I get them to all look the same? I noticed you had used a Cookie cutter in your video? At what point is this best to use?

    Thank you for your help w

    1. Zoha

      Hi Nosh! If your dough is so runny that you can’t scoop the cookies properly, you can refrigerate it for 10 minutes before scooping. Then right after baking the cookies, you can use a larger cookie cutter or something else that is round and of a similar shape to round out the cookies (since they are somewhat malleable when they are fresh from the oven).

  5. Sarah Syeda

    in love.

    1. Zoha

      Right back at you!

  6. Sherri A Wittenburg

    I loved making these cookies. I weighed everything and followed the recipe, chilling the final product 4 hours. I only had 7 oz of chocolate but it was plenty. I used Lindt 70 % and Hershey’s semi sweet.
    The amount of sugar is perfect. I’m always cutting back on sugar in most cookie recipes .
    They turned out delicious but a little underdone . I did 11 min and probably could go 2-3 min more for a crispier texture.
    My 91 yr old mom relished them and agreed with me we don’t need to buy chocolate chips anymore!!

    1. Zoha

      Aww, thank you for the thoughtful review, Sherri! Everyone’s oven is different and the baking time will vary depending on exactly how big the cookie is and also the type of pan. So I always recommend baking 1 cookie as a test first so you know exactly how long to bake for your preferences 🙂

  7. Michael J

    Hi Zoha, thanks for sharing this fantastic recipe!
    Please make some sugar cookies for the holidays!!

    1. Zoha

      Hi Michael! Lots of cookie recipes coming for the holidays, stay tuned 🙂

  8. Yeah

    the perfect recipe !

    1. Zoha

      Thank youuuu!

  9. Ramsha Rabbani

    Never usually leave reviews under recipes but this recipe is literally the best ever that i tried! The cookies turned out so well. Tasted like store bought (actually better than that) rather than home baked. I baked for 15 minutes exactly to get that gooey chewy center and crispy edges. Thank you for sharing this goodness with us. 💜

    1. Zoha

      Awh, thank you so much Ramsha! Really glad you liked these as much as I do!

  10. Eesha Zafar

    best recipe hands down

    1. Zoha

      Thank you Eesha!

  11. Narmeen

    So so so good!

    1. Zoha

      Thank you!

  12. Rabia

    Ahhh, sorry about the autocorrect Zoya from Zoha 🤦🏻‍♀️

  13. Shazma Hamid

    Always satisfied with Zoha’s recipes! The cookies turned out GREAT!

    1. Zoha

      Thank you Shazma!

  14. Rosy

    THE best cookie recipe. The only one you will need! Cannot wait to try more recipes (coming from someone who avoids baking because it always fails)! Thank you x

  15. Rabia Jawad

    My sugar(granulated) didn’t dissolve in butter infact it turned out to be a caramel toffee. What did i do wrong ?

  16. Nyla

    These really were the BEST chocolate chip cookies I’ve made. Thanks sooo much Zoha.

  17. Tera

    The best thing that ever passed through my TikTok fyp! Simply delicious!

  18. Jamie Utitus

    These are the most beautiful cookies I’ve ever made! My family fell in love! Thank you 💖

  19. Sarah

    I’m using a counter top oven. what temperature should I put it at?

  20. Shahzeb

    These cookies changed my life & that’s all I’ve got to say

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