These are truly the BEST brown butter chocolate chip cookies, ever! They are ultra thick, crispy on the outside, gooey in the middle, and loaded with melty POOLS of chocolate. Brown butter provides an amazing caramel-like flavor, and it only takes 30 minutes to make the dough!
The perfect chocolate chip cookie is the quintessential recipe for every food blogger. Your definition of perfect may be different to mine, but in my eyes, the perfect chocolate chip cookie is ultra thick, with crispy edges and an ultra soft, gooey, slightly doughy center. These cookies live up to all the hype thanks to a few secret ingredients and techniques!
This recipe is endlessly adaptable- I've used this dough to make my small batch chewy chocolate chip cookies, brown butter pecan chocolate chip cookies, and even my brown butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookies by swapping some of the flour with oats. Try replacing some of the chocolate with M&Ms, crushed pretzels, chopped Reese's cups, white chocolate, and more for endless possibilities!
Jump to:
Ingredients
- Butter: Browning the butter gives an extra hit of caramel-y flavor. It only takes an extra 10 minutes but makes such a difference!
- Sugar: A mix of brown and white sugars are used for a chewy texture.
- Egg yolks: Instead of a whole egg, using 3 egg yolks is the secret for extra chewy cookies! With the leftover egg whites, make meringue cookies or pavlova!
- Flour: Helps make the cookies thick.
- Cornstarch: Makes the cookies extra soft.
- Baking soda: Using baking soda instead of baking powder creates chewy cookies.
- Baking chocolate: Do NOT use chocolate chips! Chocolate chips have stabilizers that prevent them from melting down fully, while baking chocolate does not, creating ultra melty POOLS of chocolate. Plus, since you chop up the baking chocolate yourself, you can create extra large chunks, instead of the tiny pockets of chocolate you get from chocolate chips.
- Vanilla & salt: Both add flavor.
Step By Step Instructions
STEP 1: Brown the butter. In a shallow pan, add the butter and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until it turns an amber color and there is a nutty aroma. Pour into a large bowl and add 15 grams of water while it cools. Don't add the sugars right away- let the butter cool for around 15 minutes first, or the sugars will melt from the heat and the cookies will overspread.
STEP 2: Whisk butter + sugars. Add the brown sugar and white sugar to the brown butter and whisk until the mixture lightens in the color.
STEP 3: Add egg yolks and vanilla. Whisk until fluffy.
STEP 4: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Add the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda to the wet ingredients. Stir until combined. The dough will be thick, moist, and not too sticky.
STEP 5: Add the chocolate. Fold in the chopped baking chocolate with the dough.
STEP 6: Shape the cookies. Portion the dough into 7 large mounds, 95g each- big cookies creates the best texture because you get more contrast between the extra crispy exterior and super gooey interior.
STEP 7: Chill the dough. Arrange the dough on a small baking sheet or plate and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 1 day. I've found that after a day the dough tends to dry out too much.
STEP 8: Bake. Bake at 350°F (177°C) for 14-17 minutes. Do NOT over bake- the edges should be golden brown and the centers should be a little underdone. The cookies will continue cooking on the hot baking sheet as they cool!
FAQ
This recipe is not designed to make no-chill cookies. If you skip the refrigeration, the cookies will spread more instead of being thick. With that being said, you can still bake the cookies right away, but the flavor and texture will not be as ideal.
Use egg yolks! I've tried this exact same recipe but with a whole egg instead of 3 egg yolks and they were much more cake-y instead of chewy, moist, and fudgy. Also, DO NOT over bake your cookies! The cookies will keep cooking as they cool on the hot baking sheet. Over baking creates overly dry, crispy cookies without that amazing gooey center!
Making BIG cookies gives the best texture because there is more contrast between the crispy exterior "shell" and the extra gooey, soft center. With smaller cookies, the texture is more even all around and the middles are less gooey. I prefer to make 7 cookies- 95g of dough for each. Any bigger and the edges will burn before the centers cook, and any smaller you don't get as much textural contrast!
Kitchen Equipment
- Kitchen scale
- Glass mixing bowls
- Large cookie scoop
- Parchment paper
- Extra large baking sheet
- Oven thermometer
Storing and Freezing Instructions
Once the cookie dough is made and shaped into balls, it can be covered and chilled in the refrigerator for up to 2 days or in the freezer for up to 2-3 months. The cookies will spread a bit less if baked straight from the freezer, but you can always flatten the tops with the back of a spoon or measuring cup out of the oven if needed. Additionally, the baked cookies can be stored in a plastic bag and kept at room temperature for a few days, or frozen for up to 2-3 months.
More Cookie Recipes You'll Love
Leave a STAR REVIEW below if you try this recipe! Tag me on Instagram @treatsbytalija and for more ideas, check out the other desserts on my blog!
PrintThe BEST Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 7 large cookies 1x
- Category: cookies
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 113 grams (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 15 grams water
- 125 grams light or dark brown sugar
- 30 grams granulated sugar
- 60g egg yolks (from about 3 large eggs), at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 165 grams all-purpose flour
- 10 grams cornstarch
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ + ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
- 6 ounces semi-sweet baking chocolate, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Brown the butter: Start by placing the butter in a light-colored pan and cooking over medium heat while stirring constantly. The butter will melt, then start to bubble and fizzle as it cooks. Keep stirring until it develops a deep amber color and a nutty aroma. This will take up to 10-15 minutes.
- Immediately pour the butter into a large heatproof bowl, scraping out the browned bits at the bottom of the pan. Add the water and allow to cool for around 15 minutes as you measure out the remaining ingredients.
- Make the dough: In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda until combined. Set aside.
- Once the brown butter is just barely warm, add the brown sugar and white sugar and whisk until smooth and the mixture lightens in color. Add the egg yolks and vanilla and whisk until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and fold until there are no more streaks of flour in the dough. Fold in the chocolate chunks. The cookie dough will be thick and moist but not overly sticky.
- Shape the cookies and chill: Portion the dough into 7 large rounds, about 95g each. You can do this using your hands or an extra large cookie scoop. Place the shaped cookie dough onto a small baking sheet or plate lined with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
- Cover the dough with plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours and up to 1 day in the fridge.
- Bake: Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line 2 medium or 1 extra-large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Arrange the chilled cookie dough onto the baking sheet(s). Bake for 14-17 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and the centers look underdone. Pull the cookies out before they look finished, as they will continue to firm up as they cool.
- Allow the cookies to cool for 10-15 minutes before enjoying- the hot baking sheets will finish cooking the centers. Serve the cookies warm or transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Quickly bring ingredients to room temp: Place the eggs in a bowl with warm water for 10 minutes before cracking open and separating.
- Use chopped baking chocolate, not chocolate chips.
- Chilling the cookie dough past a day or so I've found makes the dough dry out. Freeze the cookie dough if you're not gonna bake it within 24 hours.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 large cookie
- Calories: 443
- Sugar: 35.7 g
- Sodium: 327.6 mg
- Fat: 22.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 58.2 g
- Protein: 5.6 g
- Cholesterol: 113.8 mg
Keywords: brown butter chocolate chip cookies, the best chocolate chip cookies, easy, soft, chewy, chocolate, brown butter
Leave a Reply