Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies (Printer-friendly)

Nutty brown butter and melty chocolate chips create chewy centers and crisp edges, finished with optional flaky sea salt.

# What You Need:

→ Dairy & Eggs

01 - 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
02 - 2 large eggs

→ Sugars

03 - 1 cup packed brown sugar
04 - 1/2 cup granulated sugar

→ Dry Ingredients

05 - 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
06 - 1 teaspoon baking soda
07 - 1/2 teaspoon salt

→ Flavorings

08 - 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

→ Add-ins

09 - 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
10 - Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling (optional)

# How to Make It:

01 - Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the butter foams and turns golden brown with a nutty aroma, about 4 to 5 minutes. Immediately pour into a large mixing bowl and let cool for 10 minutes.
02 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
03 - Whisk brown sugar and granulated sugar into the cooled brown butter. Add eggs and vanilla extract; beat until smooth.
04 - In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing until just combined.
05 - Gently fold in chocolate chips until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
06 - Scoop heaping tablespoons of dough onto prepared baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart.
07 - Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until the edges are golden brown but the centers are still soft.
08 - Remove from oven; optionally sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Let cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The brown butter adds a toffee like depth that makes people ask what your secret ingredient is.
  • You get bakery level texture with nothing more than a saucepan and a mixing bowl.
  • They freeze beautifully so you can always have dough ready for late night cravings.
02 -
  • If the butter is too hot when you add the eggs you will end up with scrambled cookie dough so patience here truly matters.
  • Chilling the dough for 30 minutes before baking deepens the flavor and prevents excessive spreading.
03 -
  • Use a cookie scoop for uniform size so every cookie bakes at the same rate.
  • The secret to that bakery style texture is slightly underbaking them because they continue to cook on the hot sheet after you pull them from the oven.

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