This post may contain affiliate links
Add Bake with Zoha as a preferred source on Google and find more of my tried-and-tested recipes.
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.

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:
- 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
- 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!
- 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
- 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!
- The perfect hit of salt. I don’t want a cookie that’s not properly salted!

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:










Yes, you *do* need to chill the cookie dough
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:
- It deepens the flavor. Chilling breaks down the starch in the flour into sugars, developing a deeper, more complex flavor
- 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
- 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
Shh.. secret tips cookie pros don’t tell you!
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

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.
PrintVideo Tutorial
Email This Recipe
Enter your email and I’ll send this directly to you. Plus you’ll get new recipes from me every week!
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
- 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.
- 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!
- Cool the mixture for 5-10 minutes. It should be warm, but not hot anymore
- 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.
- 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
- 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!
- 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
- 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)
- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, but ideally overnight for best results. They really get better with time.
- Prepare 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. It is best to use lighter colored cookie sheets.
- 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.
- Transfer the balls to the sheets, keeping at least 3″ between them. Sprinkle with the optional flaky sea salt
- 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!
- 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.
- 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


Comments
Diana
This recipe was simple and easy to make. Made these for my son’s picnic party today and it was so good! My son keep munching on them and telling me its so yummy. Thanks for the recipe! Will def try other dessert recipe as well 🙂
Sara Faizan
Don’t have words to express how tasty were they. The YUMMIEST recipe ever. I made it with jaggery instead of brown sugar. One thing I like to mention vanilla essence was missing in recipe over here I noticed it in video.Love the nutty flavour made though caramelization process.
Zoha
Thank you so much, Sara!! Great point on vanilla essence – I actually find it unnecessary once you brown the butter, but if someone wants to add it, they surely can.
Zoha
Aww, so happy to be a part of your son’s picnic party! Much love
Kristin
Hi! Thank you! I noticed you added vanilla in the video but not in your recipe. Which way is best?
Zoha
Ah great question, and sorry for the confusion! You can add vanilla if you like the flavor of it. I ultimately am not a huge vanilla fan and feel like it takes away from the chocolate. Additionally, the brown butter adds a lovely aroma and nutty flavor, with which I feel like vanilla is optional.
Urooj Salahuddin
These are the best chocolate chip cookies i have tried. Could not help myself from devouring all of them in couple of days.
Zoha
:’) This is why I do what I do. Thank you!!
Momina Manzoor
Absolutely loved the cookies!! Perfect taste and texture and so light that one can easily eat 6 big cookies at once!
Zoha
So happy to hear you like these!
Sahar
Always the best recipes you have! Never fails. Love all your recipes. Especially theses cookies ? ?
Zoha
Awww, thank you so much Sahar! Means the world.
Saba
Amazing recipe, after a long time my chocolate chip cookies turned out just perfect. They were crispy at the edges, and chewy chocolate goodness from the inside.
Zoha
Amazing! Glad these worked out for you.
Aaisha Kapadia
Hey
These cookies turns out to be amazing
I m already obsessed with these cookies as their crunchy on the edges n chewy in the center
Its a 10/10 recipe
Zoha
Yay! Thank you!
Angel
Mine was cakey too. But the flavor was really nice
Nazo
Definitely one of the best I ever made even while I am a fairly good baker myself. Soft and chewy in middle and crunchy on the outside. The added chocolate towards end was a magic touch. I stored some as well in freezer. Can we air fry them too? I think I will give a try.
Zoha
Thank you so much! I haven’t tried air frying these cookies, but definitely let me know how it goes!
cookiemonster
love me some cookies and loved this recipe!
Zainab
Hello Zoha, I have tried this recipe 2 times and the cookies were sooo much tasty. but I have 1 problem my cookies does not spread like yours did. I wonder what’s the problem. I tried making cookies that was at room temperature like soft but it still didn’t spread like yours.I have also tried making by spreading it a little bit that still does not work.But, overall the taste was absolutely amazing.
Elis
Hi may i know the trick to make the cookies flat like yours? My cookies always bulkie.. hihi
Thank you
Zoha
Hi there! It’s probably because you’re adding too much flour, so recommend measuring with a scale. Also try tapping your tray on the counter a few times when the cookies come out of the oven.
Ri
baking at 375 burned them!
Sara
Hey zoha! Can I make cookie cups out of this recipe? If so, should I drop a ball of cookie dough in the mini muffin tin or press it down for the dough to take shape of the tin? Also how long do you recommend I bake them for?
Zoha
Hi Sara, sure that will work and it is up to you how you want to shape them. The cookies will puff up when baked so you will need to press down the middles to make a cup right after they come out of the oven. Since I haven’t tried this personally I can’t really say how long you’ll need to bake them
Rizna
Hi Zoha! My oven has only the lower heat setting. So, do I use the same temperature and baking time u have mentioned ?
Zoha
My oven also only has lower heating in it 🙂 So should be the same
Asma Amer
The best chocolate chip cookie if I have ever eaten one – Period
Cidilia
Firstly I think your recipes are exceptionally good. This cookie recipe is made almost every week in my home and my entire family goes crazy for it. My daughter actually bakes them and follows your recipe to the full stop. Well done on creating perfection and allowing us to be inspired enough to bake them.
Zoha
Thank you so much, Cidilia!
Quinn
these cookies turned out cakey and didn’t get crispy at ALL. I was hoping for a gooey center and crunchy edges, did not get that.
Vee
Thank you so much for always taking the time to share recipes and make wonderful videos.
Unfortunately mine were also very cakey 😔😔 I’m an experienced baker and always choose recipes with weights so I measure when baking. I’m so sad. I wanted these for a bachelorette weekend. Now I’m embarrassed to take them 😭 I usually read comments to see others thoughts on the recipe but the tik tok looked so convincing I went straight in. So disappointed but there’s clearly something off about the recipe if so many find that it results in soft cakey cookies.
Hafsah
Hi hope your doing good 😊
i have Question instead of brown suger can we add only white sugar?
as you mention white sugar 50 gm
brown sugar 100 to 130 gm
shoud i add total of 50 +100= 150? will be okay?
I ask this since iam new to baking wanna try ur cookies ❤️
Zoha
Hi! i don’t recommend that as brown sugar helps make the cookies more moist and chewy 🙂
Zoha
Hi Vee! I am so sorry you didn’t have an ideal outcome from this recipe. I have personally tested them dozens of times and they have never come out cakey. I am wondering 1) how long did you chill the dough, and 2) what baking time and temperature did you use? Also, what color was your sheet pan?
Alisha
ZOHA pls help! i will reach out on insta with a picture but my cookies are so dark? like the batter is a deep brown colour!! what am i doing wrong, i asked my mum if i could make these and it will be a huge let down if it doesn’t work out after chilling (will edit once complete)
Zoha Malik
Hi Alisha! I suspect you either over browned your butter, or added chocolate while the mixture was too hot, causing it to melt into the batter (this can happen more commonly if you’re working in very hot kitchens, which I think Pakistan must have right now in August)
ajiya
can I store them? I wanna send these cookies to my friend who lives in another city
Zoha Malik
Hi Ajiya! Yes you can store cookies in an airtight container but honestly they’re always best freshly baked!
Zai
I had the same results, I was so sad because I really wanted them to work. I was surprised to see baking powder in that quantity, thought it might be the issue?
Zoha
Hi Quinn! That’s definitely not the outcome you should be getting from this recipe. May I ask 1) how you measured the ingredients, 2) if you made any kind of substitution, 3) if you made any changes to the recipe instructions? Would love to help troubleshoot.
Alisha Khanna
I really think the cakey texture is from the baking powder. I actually swap your suggestion and do 1/2 tsp baking soda and 1/4 baking powder just for a little lift but not so much that they are not chewy. I highly suggest you try it once like this for testing purposes!
Zara
If you want to make anything and are not even an amateur baker, just follow Zoha’s recipie to a T and there is no possible way it doesn’t turn out good. Don’t worry i am not related to her, its just that i really appreciate her sincerity towards her craft , in an age where people just whip anything up , dress it up with aesthetics and post it , such hardwork is rare to see. Okay my essay is onto its end, this is a great recipie, go make em❣.
Zoha
I am going to cry :’) Thank you so so so much
Manal
I actually got the same results as well. Unfortunately
Raiya
I made chocolate chip cookies twice with this recipe and it’s already a hit in my family. I baked a batch for my friends who are not a fan of sweets or desserts, but they absolutely loved it and asked me for more. Thank you so much for this. Loved it.
Zoha
This makes me so happy. Thank you!
Patricia Colaricci
Zoha, this chocolate chip cookie recipe was a success with my 3 grandsons!!! WE also loved the Cinnamon rolls.
Thank you
Patricia
Zoha Malik
So happy to hear that, Patricia! It makes my heart warm to hear you’re baking with your grand sons, you are probably their favorite!
Barbara Fehrer
This is our new favorite something about that brown butter with the sugar it made like a taffy that was delicious. Thank you
Zoha
So true!! I love using browned butter. Thank you Barbara!!
Zoha
Haha, love it! Thank you.
Anonymous
Ooooh my word I love this recpie. I can’t stop making a bath of cookies every week it’s so simple and tasty Recently I add Mashmallows to the cookie batter and gave extra gooy strech to the cookies. I wanted to know regarding the chocolates in your cookies and brownies what brand do you use and will recommend?
Zoha Malik
AWW thank you so much – that makes me so happy! Love the idea of adding marshmallows, too. I usually use callebaut or lindt these days 🙂
Fazna Jawahir
Great recipe ! Thank you
Fida Rasheed
Hello, if I wanted to just bake one cookie fresh, would I be able to microwave it? How long would you recommend, to just keep the top crispy and make it scoopable?
Zoha
Hi Fida! No, microwaving doesnt “bake” cookies. If you’re asking about reheating already baked cookies, then I recommend using the air fryer instead 🙂
Sara
This is the best cookie recipe that we have tried! My boys love it.
And easy to follow ❤️
Sareen
For how long can I freeze the dough?
Hajjera
Hi Zoha
I tried baking these but they turned out a little cakey. i want to retry but make sure I do it properly. so I did use a measuring scale. I’m not sure but I found that the flour was more than my wet mixture? i did use half the sugar is that why? becauseof that my dough was not as wet as yours looks in the picture and instead was more solid to turn into ball. once i baked them they retained their ball/dome shape instead of flattening out. please tell me what I did wrong 😔
Zoha
Hi Hajjera – please don’t halve the sugar. Sugar plays many imp roles in cookies. I recommend following all quantities exactly for the right result 🙂
Zehra
I really wanted these cookies to work because they looked amazing on your IG. I followed all the measurements and process exactly. Unfortunately mine did not spread and were very cakey. I even tried to bake them on convection to see if that would help but did not work. Disappointing.
Zoha
Hi Zehra! These cookies shouldn’t be cakey at all. I wonder if you used a scale for measurements? Maybe you added more flour than needed. Would be happy to help trouble shoot if you can provide more details.
ani Jack
Hi. I tried this and although it did not look like d pictures. It tasted so so good!!! I noticed that i had more butter seeping out instead of how wonderfully mixed urs it. I did use a scale. But maybe its d sugar i used? But lovely recipe. Enjoyed it altho it needed more time to bake due to its butteryness
Zoha
Hi Ani! What kind of sugar did you use? and how long did you chill the dough?
Kat
Is there really no vanilla extract?
Sakshi kyal
can the recipe be made egg free?
Hina Rasool
last week i tried this recipe and my kids and i loved these yummy cookies. 🍪
Zoha Malik
Yay, thank you Hina!
CJ
She used Vanilla paste. Use the same amount if you use extract
Zoha
It’s optional! Feel free to add or skip.
Kat
Ooh. All the brown butter cookies I made are always with vanilla. I’m gonna try without now.
Zoha
I do both with and without depending on my mood 🙂 I don’t think it makes a huge different either way
Cece
In her video she says to add a dash of vanilla..maybe they forgot to add that in the actual recipe. I added vanilla and they were anazing
Fiza Mamoon
Hii. I wanted to ask if i can add 1/2 cup brown sugar instead of 2/3 cup and 1/2 tsp salt instead of 3/4 tsp? Btw they look soo good!! Gonna make them tomorrow 😍❤️
Zoha Malik
Yes, both should be good 🙂
Huma
I tried 3 4 times my children are crazy about it . but at first I used same measurements for cookies than my children love them so much that I wanted to make double amount so I double amount of ingredients now problem is my cookies are supper delicious but that break so much like they are soon much goey that that can’t stand the shape taste is lit but that’s my problem plz tell me wat to do
Zoha
Hi Cece! I sometimes add vanilla and sometimes skip it, it’s optional! I’m glad you like them with the vanilla 🙂