BEST Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

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These are the absolute BEST Brown Butter Chocolate Chip cookies you will ever have, and that’s a guarantee. Once you try this easy and reliable recipe, it will become your new go-to and you will forget about all other recipes out there. These cookies are everything they should be: thick, crispy on the outside, gooey and chewy on the inside, with a perfectly balanced flavor and lots of chocolate.

Read the full blog post below for detailed notes, tips, tricks, photos and videos.

WHY ARE THESE THE BEST BROWN BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES?

Listen – I know there are hundreds, if not thousands, of recipes claiming to be the best, so I understand your skepticism. But here’s my case for why I believe these brown butter chocolate chip cookies are, in fact, the best ever:

• The perfect texture: These cookies check all the boxes when it comes to their texture. They are crispy on the edges, thick, gooey and chewy in the middle, and oozing with chocolate
• Mind-blowing flavor: These cookies taste expensive and luxurious, not cheap and sweet. The brown butter adds a lovely nutty flavor to them, the small amount of coffee gives them an amazing depth, the sugar quantity is just right, and the chocolate flavor shines through
• An easy, no-fuss recipe: This recipe is as good as it gets. No need for a mixer, no need to “cream” butter and sugar (I know we all hate doing that). I’ve tried different methods and created a recipe that you won’t dread making!

Don’t believe me? Check out just a few of the reviews I’ve received on these cookies:

I made them…we ate them…I must make more of them! These are the best cookies I have ever made so thank you for sharing! Ooey, gooey, chewy, chocolatey – so sinful and perfect!

@crazelade

Tried this today.. and i must say., this is the best chocolate chip cookies recipe that i baked that i will eat the entire thing..

ovenlymadebykc

I made these and they were awesome, so many creators on this app claim to have the best but these were the best I’ve tried.

@whatmelydid

Oh my god! This was soooo good.. I usually cream the butter and white sugar, but here the caramelization with brown sugar took the cookies to a whole new level!
Definitely sticking to this recipe going forward!

@sowmya

WHAT’S DIFFERENT ABOUT THIS RECIPE?

This recipe is the result of multiple trials, several batches of “okay” cookies, and lots of late night brain storming. I’ve even made minor improvements after initially publishing it, although it was already widely loved.

There are three things that set this recipe apart from others:

1. A unique method of “caramelizing” the sugars in the butter. You melt and brown the butter in a pan, then add the sugars to the same pan and whisk for just 2 minutes on the lowest heat setting. This is not enough time to actually caramelize the sugars, but the heat starts the caramelization process and adds a wonderful toffee like flavor to the cookies. Not to mention, this approach feels a lot easier and less of a hassle than bringing out a mixer and creaming butter and sugar!
2. The perfect amount of sugar. If you’ve made other cookie recipes, you will notice this one has a much lower quantity of sugar, which means these cookies are not overly sweet! I have perfected the sugar amount while still retaining a wonderful texture in the cookies. The ratio of brown sugar to white is also just right to get the crispy exterior and chewy interior
3. A hint of coffee. A small amount of instant coffee is added to the cookie dough to give it an extra depth of flavor. The cookies don’t taste like coffee, though, don’t worry!
4. The right ratio of butter to flour. This recipe has a higher ratio of butter to flour than most recipes, which means the cookie dough is more soft and sticky than usual. This helps get a crispy chewy texture in the cookies as opposed to dry, crumbly or cakey

TIPS TO PERFECT THESE COOKIES

This is a very simple, fuss-free 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 1-2 minutes. The intention is to add heat to them, not to melt or caramelize them. Don’t worry if they start to look lumpy or grainy, that will all get fixed when you add the egg and egg yolk
• Use chopped chocolate instead of chocolate chips to elevate the cookies. Chocolate chips have stabilizers in them which prevent them from properly melting in the cookies. Chopped chocolate melts more, tastes better, and adds more texture because it has chunks of different sizes
• Make sure the wet ingredients aren’t hot before adding dry ingredients. Well, first let the butter and sugar cool down for ~5 minutes before you add the egg & yolk. Then make sure the wet ingredients are not hot when you add the dry ingredients and chocolate, otherwise the chocolate will melt!
• Do not overmix when adding the dry ingredients and chocolate. Gently fold until just combined
• Chill the cookie dough! I know you don’t want to hear this but it is absolutely crucial for this recipe. Chill for at least 2 hours but ideally overnight. If you want cookies without chilling, check out my No Chill Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies instead!
• Do not overbake. The cookies should be firm around the edges but soft in the middle when they come out of the oven, as they will continue to firm up from the residual heat in them. I always recommend baking one test cookie first, as baking time can vary depending on the size of the cookie, your oven, and the type of baking sheet you use

WHY IS CHILLING COOKIE DOUGH IMPORTANT?

Yes, chilling cookie dough is absolutely crucial, and no, you cannot skip it. Even if there are recipes on the internet that claim they don’t need chilling time, I guarantee those cookies will also be 10 times better after chilling the cookie dough (the only exception to this rule is my No Chill Chocolate Chip Cookies – those actually *are* good without chilling!).

Chilling cookie dough in the fridge for 2+ hours does a few things:

1. It deepens the flavor. Chilling encourages the sugars in the cookie dough to break down further, developing a deeper and more complex flavor
2. It improves the texture. Chilling allows the flour to absorb more of the liquid content in the dough, which then helps improve the texture. Cookies that are not chilled are more cakey, dry and crumbly, while the same cookies baked after chilling are more chewy and gooey
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 in the oven, it won’t spread as fast, and you will have thicker cookies

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 while the cookies will spread less, their flavor and texture won’t necessarily be as improved. Always chill in the fridge first, then feel free to transfer to the freezer.

Here’s a little video comparison to further convince you:

@bakewithzoha

A little cookie science! Are you team chill or no chill? #cookies #chocolatechipcookies #cookiescience #bakingtips #bakingscience

♬ Chill Day – LAKEY INSPIRED

MY FAVORITE CHOCOLATE TO USE IN THESE COOKIES

Since I get a hundred questions a week about the chocolate I use, I am linking it for you! I go for a mix of dark and milk to get more complexity of flavor in my cookies, but you can also use semi-sweet only.

• Valrhona Caraibe dark chocolate
• Valrhona Jivara milk chocolate

I absolutely love this chocolate from Valrhona! It is incredible quality and tastes absolutely delicious. I often buy it in bulk and store it in massive containers in my pantry. It is also available in smaller quantities on Amazon, and in some Whole Foods!

If you don’t have access to Valrhona chocolate, don’t worry. Use any good quality chocolate bar you like the flavor of, like Lindt or Ghirardelli.

PROCESS WITH PHOTOS

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

Melt the butter in a pan, then continue to cook and stir until it browns:

Add the white and brown sugar, and whisk on the lowest heat for 1-2 minutes:

Let cool for 5 minutes, then whisk in the egg, egg yolk, coffee and vanilla until smooth and creamy:

Separately, sift together the dry ingredients and mix with chopped chocolate:

Fold the dry ingredients and chocolate into the wet ingredients in 2 batches, mixing only until combined (make sure the wet ingredients aren’t hot beforehand):

Scoop the dough into 10 cookie balls, and top them with more chopped chocolate. Chill in the fridge:

Bake the cookies once thoroughly chilled, then sprinkle with flakey sea salt and enjoy!

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Want more cookies? Here are some other incredible recipes on the blog:

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Note: This recipe has been slightly updated for minor improvements. Changes include reducing brown sugar from 3/4 cup, adding vanilla and instant coffee, and updating the method so the chocolate is first mixed with the dry ingredients