These brown butter chocolate chip cookies take a familiar favorite and elevate it with rich, nutty brown butter. Browning the butter adds deep caramel-like notes that pair perfectly with melty chocolate chips and soft, chewy centers. Note that this recipe requires 2 chill times, but I promise these cookies are worth the wait!
I originally shared this recipe in 2014, and I’ve updated it with new photos, clearer instructions, and more success tips. One minor but helpful change: shape the cookie dough balls before chilling instead of after, which makes the process easier and helps the cookies bake up evenly.
These brown butter chocolate chip cookies take my fan-favorite chewy chocolate chip cookies and elevate them with rich, nutty depth. Browning the butter transforms the flavor like magic, adding subtle caramel-like, toffee notes that pair perfectly with melty chocolate chips. The result? Thick, chewy cookies with soft centers, golden edges, and irresistible depth in every bite.
One reader, Mackenzie, commented: “These cookies are amazing! Well worth the effort to brown the butter, and they’ve become my go-to cookie recipe. ★★★★★”
Another reader, Amie, commented: “I’ve been looking for that ooey-gooey delicious bakery recipe for years—FOUND IT! If you want a warm, soft chocolatey cookie that has that professional bakery flavor—this is it. This is now my ONLY chocolate chip recipe!!!! ★★★★★”
Why These Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies Work
These aren’t just regular chocolate chip cookies with browned butter swapped in. The entire dough is built to support it. Here’s what makes them stand out:
- Cornstarch: Adding cornstarch helps make the texture extra soft and tender. Use it in my shortbread cookies and brown butter marshmallow crispy cookies, too.
- Milk: Browning butter reduces moisture, so adding a splash of milk brings that balance back without weighing down the dough.
- Sugars: Use more brown sugar than white for a chewier, softer cookie.
- Egg + Egg Yolk: An extra egg yolk equals a richer-tasting cookie.
- Quality Chocolate Chips: I love using Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips and Callebaut chocolate morsels, or a mix of both. The latter is definitely a splurge, but the flavor and melt are incredible if you’re feeling fancy.
- Flaky Sea Salt: An optional topping, this adds the most incredible salty-sweet flavor combo that works wonders with the toffee-like notes of brown butter!
What Is Brown Butter?
Browning butter simply means melting it and continuing to cook it until the milk solids toast. As it cooks, moisture evaporates, the milk solids sink to the bottom of the pan and turn golden brown, and the butter develops a deep amber color. This small extra step completely transforms the flavor, creating a beautifully complex, nutty richness with subtle caramel-like notes that regular melted butter just doesn’t have. It’s a simple technique with a big payoff. If you’d like a detailed walkthrough, I wrote an entire tutorial on how to brown butter.
Try it in recipes like brown butter apple blondies, brown butter pound cake, brown butter cream cheese frosting, and brown butter pecan pie bars.
How to Brown Butter
The first step in this recipe is, you guessed it, browning the butter.
Cut the butter into uniform pieces and place it in a light-colored pan over medium heat (this helps you monitor the color). Stir as it melts, then continue cooking. The butter will foam as the water evaporates and the milk solids toast on the bottom of the pan.
Watch and listen closely as you stir. The butter will turn deep golden amber in color, smell a little nutty, and the sizzling will quiet down. Immediately remove from heat and pour into a heatproof bowl. Don’t leave behind any of the browned bits… they’re packed with flavor!
Brown Butter & Moisture Loss
Browning butter can turn a good cookie into a great one, but you can’t simply swap it into any recipe without adjustments.
Why? Moisture loss. During browning, butter loses about 20–35% of its water content. That’s a significant amount, and if you don’t account for it, your cookie dough may be crumbly and/or the cookies may spread too much. Adding extra butter won’t fix the issue either—you’d just be increasing the fat.
The solution is simple: add a little liquid to the dough. Browning butter delivers unbeatable flavor, but the dough needs moisture added back intentionally. In my brown butter pumpkin oatmeal cookies, the moisture-rich pumpkin does the job.
In this recipe, 2 Tablespoons of milk restores that balance without weighing the cookies down.
The Butter and Dough Need to Chill
This recipe requires a little planning ahead—there are two chill times, and both matter.
Chill the browned butter: After browning, pour it into a bowl or shallow dish and refrigerate until solid, about 90 minutes. Once firm, cream it with the sugars just as you would softened butter.
This is solidified browned butter:
Here is the creamed browned butter and sugars:
Chill the dough balls: Scoop the dough into 45g (about 2 Tablespoons) portions, roll/shape, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before baking.
Chilling prevents the cookies from spreading into greasy puddles and intensifies the flavor as the brown butter settles into the dough. The result? Thick cookies with soft, buttery centers and lightly crisp edges—well worth the wait!!
Once you’ve browned your butter and chilled both it and your dough, these cookies bake into beautifully thick rounds with soft, buttery interiors and edges that crisp ever so slightly. Over the years, we’ve found that baking these at 375°F (191°C), slightly warmer than usual, helps set the shape quickly so the cookies stay thicker.
Make-Ahead Tip: This is an excellent freezer-friendly dough. Freeze the shaped cookie dough balls and bake straight from frozen (add 1 extra minute). Fresh brown butter chocolate chip cookies whenever the craving hits? Yes, please! 🙂 See how to freeze cookie dough.
Looking For The Right Chocolate Chip Cookie?
- Want a classic, no-brown-butter version? Try my Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies.
- Looking for extra buttery brown butter and toffee flavors? Try my Brown Butter Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies.
- In the mood for oatmeal cookies? Try my Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies.
- Want pure brown butter flavor in a thick, chewy cookie? You’re in the right place.
Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 13 minutes
- Total Time: 5 hours (includes chilling)
- Yield: 26-28 cookies
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These brown butter chocolate chip cookies are thick, soft, and chewy with deep caramel-like flavor from toasted butter. The dough includes an extra egg yolk for richness and a touch of milk to replace lost moisture. Plan ahead for two chill times—your patience is rewarded with bakery-style cookies every time.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (16 Tbsp; 226g) unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (200g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 and 1/2 cups (313g) all-purpose flour (do not scoop; weigh or spoon & level)
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 Tablespoons (30ml) milk, warmed or at room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 cups (270g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
- optional: flaky sea salt, for topping
Instructions
- Brown the butter: Slice the butter into pieces and place in a light-colored skillet. The light colored helps you determine when the butter begins browning. Melt the butter over medium heat and stir or whisk constantly. Once melted, the butter will begin to foam. Keep stirring/whisking. After 5–7 minutes, the butter will begin browning and you’ll notice lightly browned specks begin to form at the bottom of the pan, which are the milk solids toasting. Cook until it is golden in color. Once browned, remove from heat immediately and pour into a heatproof bowl, including all of the browned bits (flavor!). Let cool for 10 minutes, then place in the refrigerator and chill until solid, about 90 minutes. After about 30 minutes, tightly cover the bowl.
- Remove the solidified brown butter from the refrigerator and spoon it into a large bowl (or the bowl of your stand mixer). Using a handheld mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat on high speed for 1–2 minutes until smooth and creamy. It may look slightly grainy at first—keep beating and it will come together. If the butter is too firm to cream, let it sit at room temperature for 5–10 minutes. You can also microwave it for 5–8 seconds to slightly soften it, but do not melt it; it should remain solid, just softened enough to beat smoothly.
- Add the brown sugar and granulated sugar and beat on medium-high speed until lightened in color and combined, about 2 minutes. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract and beat until combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix on low speed until just combined. With the mixer running on low, drizzle in the milk and mix until incorporated. The cookie dough will be thick and soft. Add the chocolate chips and mix until evenly distributed.
- Scoop and roll the dough into balls, about 2 Tablespoons or 45g each. Shape them taller rather than wide—almost like a cylinder. This helps the cookies bake up thicker. Place the dough balls on a lined baking sheet or plate, cover, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 3 days.
- Preheat oven to 375°F (191°C). Line large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside. Arrange 8 dough balls per baking sheet, spacing them about 3 inches apart. Sprinkle sea salt, if using, on top of the dough balls.
- Bake for 12–14 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden brown. The centers will look soft when you remove them from the oven. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. During this time, you can press a few extra chocolate chips into the tops (just for looks!). The cookies will slightly deflate as they cool. After 5 minutes, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: You can make the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Baked cookies freeze well for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature. Unbaked cookie dough balls freeze well for up to 3 months. Bake frozen cookie dough balls for an extra minute, no need to thaw. Read my tips and tricks on how to freeze cookie dough.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Light-Colored Skillet or Stainless Steel Skillet | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Baking Sheet | Silicone Baking Mat or Parchment Paper | Medium Cookie Scoop | Cooling Rack | Flaky Sea Salt
- Why Do I Solidify the Browned Butter? Solidifying the browned butter allows you to cream it with the sugars, which creates structure and gives the cookies a thicker texture. Using melted brown butter will produce a thinner, denser, and possibly greasy cookie.
- Extra Egg Yolk: The extra yolk adds richness and chewiness without making the cookies cakey; do not skip.
- Why Add Cornstarch? Cornstarch helps create a softer, thicker cookie by tenderizing the crumb. If needed, you can leave it out.
- Milk: Browning butter reduces moisture, so adding a splash of milk brings that balance back without weighing down the dough. I recommend reduced-fat milk, though whole milk and nondairy milks work in a pinch.
- Oven Temperature Update: Over the years, we’ve found that baking these at 375°F (191°C), slightly warmer than usual, helps set the shape quickly so the cookies stay thicker.
- Be sure to check out my top 5 cookie baking success tips AND these are my 10 must-have cookie baking tools.
Reader Comments and Reviews
I made this exactly as instructed the only thing I changed was one hour in the fridge and 20 min maybe in the freezer I didn’t have 2 hours to wait! I rolled the dough on the pans I was going to cook with and put it all in the freezer, from their I put it in the oven for 16 min since my pans were cold and they turned out great, no spreading! Maybe the freezer is the trick. I would have just put them in the freezer for one hour and I think I will just do that next time to cut some time off! I love any Sally recipe, I’ve made so many they never fail me!
Making this again for the second time! Making them again on Friday for a lunch BBQ with friends on Saturday! I never thought buttering butter would be so good! Today, browning my butter, it got really foamy when I took my eyes off it for a few minutes! I was not whisking! Is this why it got foamy!? I was afraid it was going to boil over and make a giant mess! Thank God it didn’t!
Hi Michelle! Foaming is a normal part of the browning process and is to be expected. It’s the water evaporating so that the milk solids can brown. Continuing to whisk will help it eventually subside and prevent the butter from burning. So glad these cookies are a favorite for you!
Obsessed. This is my go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe. I like to add rolled oats to replace some flour to give them more substance, and often sprinkle with flaky salt before baking.
Texture was out of this world!! My “best cookies yet!” was one person’s comment! Even my super picky 13-year old daughter and husband thought that the cookies are superb! The nuttiness of the browned butter is very subtle yet sufficient. I think I’ll add some Maldon salt on top of the baked cookies next time. Thank you so much! I have a new ccc go-to recipe!
These cookies are amazing! Well worth the effort to brown the butter, and they’ve become my go to cookie recipe.
I’d like to bring them to a bridal shower for a friend, but she is gluten free- could these be made with gluten free flour? If so, what would you recommend? Thanks !
Hi Mackenzie, we haven’t tried making these cookies with gf flour, but some readers have reported success with using a 1:1 gf substitute. If you try it, let us know how it goes!
These tasted great, the brown butter flavor was a little more subtle than I was expecting, but it definitely added something to these cookies, which is what I wanted. I followed the recipe exactly, chilled the dough a solid 24 hours, and baked them on silicone mats, but they still ended up spreading more than I thought they would. Not necessarily a bad thing, but I would’ve preferred them a little thicker. I also felt like there were too many chocolate chips in them, so I’d decrease the amount next time, but that’s partly personal preference. I might also used dark chocolate chips instead of semi-sweet next time, since the cookies themselves are very sweet.
I baked the cookies about 13 minutes in the oven, until they were light golden brown around the edges, and had assumed they would firm up quite a bit as they cooled, but they ended up remaining rather soft, and definitely should’ve been baked longer. But that could have to do with the size of my cookies and my oven, so now I know I have to bake them longer than the recipe says! I do plan on making them again though, they were quite simple to make, and I think the brown butter helps to elevate them above regular chocolate chip cookies!
hi! This is delicious, but I want to reduce the sugar (personal preference). What is the minimum amount of sugar I should use if I don’t want the cookie texture to change? Thanks!
Hi Sophie, you can try reducing the sugar, but as you mention, it plays an important role in the taste, texture, and spread of the cookies. We recommend starting small, then adjusting further for future batches.
Loved ’em! Definitely see what the hype is about. I have more of a technical question though.
I used 2 sheet pans on 2 racks in my oven. Swapped levels and rotated pans halfway through. Any thoughts on why one of the sheets always spread, while one stayed nice and fluffy? Everything about the two pans is the same
hi do i need to chill brown butter? can i use it after it cool down?
Hi Hana, yes, see end of step 1 for directions on chilling the browned butter.
Brown butter…how did we not know about this 20 years ago. These cookies are THE BEST. Kicks the “Neiman Marcus” recipe all the way to the curb. ❤️
Can I substitute chocolate chips for chocolate chunks?
Definitely.
I am excited to try this recipe! Can I use coconut sugar instead of brown sugar?
Hi Olha, we haven’t tested the recipe with coconut sugar, so are unsure of the results. If you decide to try it, please let us know how it goes!
If I refrigerate the dough in a log could I slice and bake?
I was just wondering can you make these cookies in advance, and by how much?
See recipe Notes for make-ahead details!
Do we have to refrigerate the browned butter and use a mixer thereafter? Could we instead just mix/fold the ingredients into the browned butter once it is warm (but no longer hot)?
Hi Ping, we use solid brown butter so that you can cream the butter with the sugars, just as if you were creaming softened butter. If you want to use melted butter, you can definitely sub brown butter for melted butter in our chocolate chip cookies (in fact, some readers have!) but we find the resulting cookie a little crumbly which is in part to the missing moisture, explained in this post. Hope you enjoy the cookies!
I love these cookies, they are the family favorite. I tried to freeze these so I could bake later but they do not flatten out while baking and the outside cooks while the inside stays doughy. Is this recipe freezable and I’m just doing something wrong?
Hi Colleen, we typically recommend you add an extra minute or two to the bake time when baking cookie dough from frozen. If that’s not working for you, you can try thawing the dough a bit before baking. Hope this works!
Just a wonder about the butter. I put it in the fridge and it is rock hard now. How am I supposed to work with that with my mixer? It would wreck my machine. I’m going to try to let it sit out a bit to soften is slightly. What advice would you give?
Hi Nicole, let it sit out or microwave it for just 10 seconds, stir, and then use.
Hi Sally, I’ve made these wonderful cookies a few times now and they are the absolute best. The first time they came out perfectly, but I’ve had trouble the last two times because the cookies haven’t spread. They come out as dense little pucks. I’ve tried leaving them out at room temp a little longer before baking and added an extra minute or two to the bake time, but neither made a difference (and the added bake time just treated to burn the bottoms). I’m perplexed; do you have any ideas on what I’m doing wrong?
Hi Jay, it sounds like there is too much flour soaking up the wet ingredients, preventing the cookies from spreading. How are you measuring your flour? It’s best to weigh with a kitchen scale or spoon and level flour. This post on 5 tips to improve your next batch of cookies (see “What to do if my cookies AREN’T spreading?) will be helpful for more troubleshooting. Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try!
Making your brown butter chocolate chip recipe but adding toffee bits. Difference between 2 recipes is the added toffee calls for rolling before refrigeration. Can I roll them after the requisite 3 hours?
Hi Margie, we find this particular dough to be a bit too soft to roll before refrigeration, but keeping this in mind, you can certainly roll them before if you wish.
These taste great as I expected, but I’m having a hard time figuring out how they differ from the classic chewy cookies. I can’t really perceive any noticeable upgrade in flavor. Either I under-browned the butter (possible but I doubt it) or the brown butter flavor is much more subtle than I thought.
Hi Tony, it sounds like the butter may have been under browned a bit. The flavor should be noticeable but not over powering. Thanks for giving these a try!
Hi Lexi, actually I think I was wrong. They do taste different. They have sort of a deep caramel flavor, which makes sense because the butter caramelizes when browned. I guess I was confused at first because I didn’t know what brown butter tastes like. They’re delicious!
Hands down the best cookies I’ve ever tasted.
The only thing I would change is in step 8. I would recommend waiting 10 minutes instead of 5 because, when I first tried, my cookies were still too soft to be picked up with a flat spatula.
1.5 tablespoons is about 40 grams, correct?
Hi Tony, we usually measure 1.5 Tablespoons of cookie dough at about 35g, but 40 is close enough!
Is it really necessary to use a utensil to stir the butter? I think it would be fine and cause less clutter to just move the saucepan in circular motions as the butter cooks. That would keep it swirling and moving.
I just have a few questions:
Can I use an 8-inch baking dish to chill the butter?
Isn’t it better to let the butter cool a little first before chilling? Because if it’s still hot, then the condensation might drip into the butter, which doesn’t sound ideal.
Shouldn’t the butter come to room temperature first before creaming?
And I noticed a little discrepancy: first it says pour the butter into a bowl first, but then later it says to pour it straight into the dish. It’s a little unclear.
Hi Tony! An 8 inch baking dish would work great. We haven’t had an issue with condensation, but you can certainly cool the browned butter a little before chilling. For this recipe, we use the butter cold from the fridge.
Thank you so much for the responses! But is it okay if I just pour the butter straight into the dish, then, like it says in the recipe? It should stop the cooking process like a bowl would.
Yes. Happy baking!
How long will these cookies last once baked?
How should I store them?
Hi Jake, Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week.
These cookies taste amazing, but mine spread out a bit more than yours did in your images and the sides were a bit more crispy than the centre. Any tips?
Hi Jake, here’s our best tips for preventing cookies from spreading for next time!
I absolutely LOVE your recipes!!! For cookie dough that needs to be refrigerated for hours, can you force it/speed up the process by using the freezer? THANK YOU!
Hi Becky, We don’t usually recommend chilling the freezer, as it is a less even result.
Do you roll these cookies tall like in the thick and chewy recipe or just into balls?
Hi Paula, you can really do either here!
Hi Sally,
I made a double batch of these brown butter chocolate chip cookies and my husband Vinny and I think these are by far the BEST we’ve ever tasted! I used to have the greatest chocolate chip cookie recipe as everyone always told me that. Now we feel this recipe will be made from here on out! Thank you Sally for sharing this wonderful recipe!
This is my absolute favor cookie recipe ever. i always get compliments on my cookies. i want to try something different this weekend, can i use m&ms instead of the chocolate chips? and if so would it be the same measurement? thanks!
Yes, absolutely!
My favorite combination in brown butter cookies is mini or milk chocolate chips and Kraft Carmel Bits ( little unwrapped caramel balls found in the baking aisle by the other Choc chips, I buy at Target but they are available most places!). The little caramel balls melt and little and just perfect with the brown butter flavor.
I also have used the Heath bar toffee pieces (also found in the baking aisle) and butterscotch chips and those are really great additions too!
The strangest addition I tried was cashew nuts, white chocolate and dried cranberries — sounds odd but I loved them. What you stir into this extra tasty cookie base is only limited by imagination! 🙂
I am so excited to try this recipe! I do tend to like a slightly cakey cookie, could this be achieved by adding slightly more flour?
Hi Samantha, while you could certainly try it, it may take additional tweaks to achieve more of a cakey texture. Simply adding more flour may dry out the cookies instead. Let us know if you give these cookies a try!
Can I scoop the cookies into balls right after the dough comes together , and then chill?
If so, can I chill the balls in freezer to cut down on chill time, or does the fridge work better ?
Rather than chilling the dough as a whole and then rolling into balls. Wasn’t sure if the order mattered. Thanks! The brown butter smells so delicious.
Hi Lexie! We find this soft dough is a little hard to roll right away, but if you have a cookie scoop, that can help. We don’t recommend chilling the freezer, as it is a less even result.