Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies. These cookies are the perfect way to jump into the most fun season of the year and a brand new month. Brown butter, your favorite chocolate chunks, chips or bar, and tons of flaky sea salt. So delicious and incredibly easy, because no one has time to spend hours making cookies when you need them NOW!
Sometimes you just need a cookie, like "right now"! Not a "healthy" cookie, not a vegan cookie or a cookie that doesn't involve chocolate(is that even considered a cookie?!) Although those can all be super delicious. I'm talking about a cookie with all of the good stuff, a real deal cookie. So, here I am bringing you the most epic sweet, salty, chewy, and crispy brown butter chocolate chip cookie recipe ever.
HOW TO MAKE BROWN BUTTER?
You might be thinking, what is brown butter? How do I make brown butter? Let me start out by saying, it is incredibly easy to make and it is truly magical. Start by using a stainless steel pan or a light colored ceramic pan on medium heat. Melt your butter and occasionally swirl the pan to make sure the butter is cooking evenly. It will begin to foam as the butter melts and the color will get very yellow, then golden and finally tan/toasty brown.
Use your nose! Once you smell the nuttiness, remove from heat and transfer to a measuring cup. You will notice the milk solids settle to the bottom of the pan, but you can run the brown butter through a mesh strainer, leave as much as you can in the pan, OR add in the really toasted bits in. It's a preference and I prefer to add the really toasted bits in for a strong browned butter flavor! It will have less than what you originally melted down, but add the additional 1-2 tablespoons to the brown butter to reach the appropriate measurement for the cookies.
HOW TO MAKE BROWN BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES?
Make your brown butter and let it cool. While it is cooling, whisk together dry ingredients. Once brown butter has cooled down, whisk in the sugar, egg and vanilla. Fold in the dry ingredients and the fold in the chocolate. Roll dough into balls, add some additional chocolate on top and slightly press flat. Place on a baking sheet and refrigerate for 15-20 minutes. You don't HAVE to do this, it just helps from cookies spreading too much! Bake off and add some flaky sea salt! Easy peasy when you want the best brown butter chocolate chip cookies with sea salt asap!!
CAN BROWN BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES BE MADE IN ADVANCE?
Yes yes yes!! Make the dough up to 3 days in advance, bring to room temp and bake off. These seriously could not get easier.
Making brown butter can sound difficult, but it is incredibly easy and like really really good and worth it.
NEED MORE CHOCOLATE IN YOUR LIFE?
- Chocolate Pumpkin Pecan Pie Cinnamon Rolls (Dairy Free)
- Paleo Blackberry Chocolate Cake
- Slice and Bake Butter Pecan Cookies with Melted Chocolate
If you make these brown butter chocolate chip cookies please let me know by leaving a rating/review below! And make sure to sign up for emails so you never miss a new recipe and follow along on my Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook for more About to Sprout goodness!
Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter + 1-2 tablespoons extra after butter is browned **read instructions in blog post and below**
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup coconut sugar or brown sugar half and half is so good too!
- 1 egg room temp
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
- 2 cups chopped chocolate
- flaky sea salt for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F and line a cookie sheet, you will likely need 2 so they don't spread out too much!
- In a light colored ceramic or stainless steel pan over medium heat. Melt butter and occasionally swirl the pan to be sure the butter is cooking evenly. The butter will get foamy as it melts and will get yellow, then golden and finally a toasty brown/tan color
- Once you smell the nuttiness, remove from the heat and transfer to a measuring cup. It will yield less than what the you started with so add 1-2 tablespoons of butter to the brown butter to reach appropriate measurement for cookies
- Let your brown butter cool and in a bowl whisk together flour, baking soda and salt
- When the brown butter is slightly cooled, whisk in the sugar, then whisk in the egg and vanilla
- Fold dry ingredients into wet until no flour remains and then fold in chopped chocolate
- Roll the dough into 2 tablespoon size balls and press flat slightly
- Place on a baking sheet 3 inches apart, cover, and place in fridge for 15-20 minutes.
- Transfer to oven and bake 10-12 minutes, taking out halfway through to tap sheet pan on counter a couple times to create ridges. Remove from oven when the edges are beginning to set and golden and middle is slightly doughy
- If the cookies are still slightly bubbly when you take out of oven, give it another tap on the counter
- Let cool 5 minutes on baking sheet and eat warm (duh!) or let cool, save for letter in store in an air tight container up to 4 days.
Notes
PIN TO SAVE FOR LATER!
These look delicious, and I love the idea of using browned butter! I want to make two batches - one regular and one gluten free. What flour would you suggest for the gluten free batch?
Hi Pat! I would use a 1 to 1 gluten free flour blend. I like using Bobs Red Mill and have had great results with it! I haven't tested a gluten free version of this cookie recipe in particular though, so please let me know how it turns out!