Soft, chewy centers and perfectly crisp edges make these browned butter chocolate chip cookies so yummy! Rich, nutty, and chunks of gooey chocolate in every bite, you'll want to make these regularly for friends (or just yourself!). The browned butter gives a nice caramelized flavor and because the butter is melted, the dough comes together easily without a mixer.
✨ Recipe Snapshot
EASE • FLAVOR • EFFORT
Ease: ★☆☆ Beginner
Flavor: buttery • nutty • chocolate
Active time: ~15 minutes
Total time: ~ 30 minutes
Make-ahead friendly: Yes, you can refridgerate or freeze.
Freezer Friendly: Yes, you can start a cookie dough freezer stash!
Mixing: simple
Cleanup: light
Tools: minimal
💡What To Expect:
Just mix, scoop, and bake!
Jump to:
If you love cookies, another favorite of mine is earl grey sugar cookies if you love tea.
If you'd like to learn more tips about deliciously browning butter, here's How To Perfectly Brown Butter Without Burning It
🩵Ease Level & Flavor Profile
Ease Level: No fancy equipment needed! This recipe is beginner-friendly using melted browned butter.
🥣How To Make Browned Butter
Step 1: Heat the butter in sauce pan over medium-high heat.
It should start to bubble as it gets hot. No worries!
Step 2: Keep stirring/swirling the pan to help prevent the bottom from burning. Cook until the butter turns golden brown and smells nutty (about 5 minutes).
Step 3: Let your newly browned butter cool before using it to make delicious chocolate chip cookies! :) It should looks something like the photo (like softened butter but not liquid-y)
🥣How To Make Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
Step 1: In the cooled browned butter pan (butter should be soft), mix in your sugars, egg, and vanilla extract.
Step 2: Add in dry ingredients to the pan and fold until just combined.
Step 3: Add chocolate chips/chunks and fold gently until no flour clumps remain.
Step 4: Using a 1.5 ounce ice cream scoop, scoop cookie dough balls (about 3 tablespoons or 60 grams each dough ball) onto a parchment-lined baking sheet about 2-3 inches apart to allow room for spreading. Bake for 13-16 minutes or until edges are golden but centers are soft.
Substitutions/Variations
Want to switch it up? Here are some variations and substitutions you can try
✧ദ്ദി( ˶^ᗜ^˶ ):
- Try mix ins like nuts, dried fruits, or other types of chocolate chips!
Enjoy! ദ്ദി ˉ͈̀꒳ˉ͈́ )✧ Please tag @sparklecakerie if you make this! I’d love to see and share your creations ♡⸜(˶˃ ᵕ ˂˶)⸝♡⋆˚✿˖°
🍴Equipment
- rubber spatula
- ice cream scoop or spoons, to portion out cookie dough
- cookie sheet/tray
- parchment paper or baking pan spray
- mixing bowl
🍪How To Store/Freeze Cookies
- For Baked Cookies:
- At room temperature, store cookies in an airtight container or resealable plastic bag. For soft cookies, place a slice of bread in the container to maintain moisture. Cookies stay fresh for 3-5 days. Crisp cookies may last slightly longer but may lose some crunch over time.
- In the freezer, Place cooled cookies in a single layer on a baking sheet to freeze, then transfer to a freezer-safe bag or container. Separate layers with parchment paper if you'd like to help prevent them from sticking when freezing the cookies. Cookies remain fresh for up to 3 months. Let them sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes or reheat in a 300°F (150°C) oven for a few minutes to refresh the texture when thawing.
- For Unbaked Cookie Dough:
- In the fridge, wrap dough tightly in plastic wrap or store in an airtight container. Dough can be refrigerated for 2-3 days before baking. Bake directly from fully chilled at 325 F / 163 C (with fan) or 350 F / 176 C (without fan), adding 2-3 minutes to the original baking time.
- In the freezer, shape dough into balls and freeze on a baking sheet until solid. Transfer to a freezer-safe bag or container, removing excess air. Frozen dough lasts up to 3 months. Bake directly from frozen at 325 F / 163 C (with fan) or 350 F / 176 C (without fan), adding 2-3 minutes to the original baking time. I love freezing extra cookie dough whenever I make batches so I always have a freshly baked treat whenever I want :)
‼️Pro Tip
freeze your extra cookie dough! Having a cookie dough freezer stash is my secret weapon for late night cravings (who else loves a freshly baked cookie at 9pm??) and last-minute hosting guests/gifting! Pre-portioned dough means warm, freshly baked cookies are always 15 minutes away, no thawing needed. Will I bake them all at once? Probably…but I don’t see the problem :)
I've been using these stainless steel stackable containers. They aren't completely air tight but if you plan to only freeze for about a month, they should be okay without freezer burn. Each container should fit about 8x (1.5oz) scooped cookie doughs. To make it more airtight, use this press & seal before placing the lid on top to store the frozen cookie dough for up to 3 months. Until I find a better container, this is what I've been doing for now. Hope this helps. 💙✨
⏲️Overwhelmed? Make Ahead!
Do you feel overwhelmed or have a busy schedule but still want to bake this recipe?! Here is a general idea of the work flow I would do as a professionally trained baker (with a degree in Baking & Pastry Arts) and years of experience in NYC bakeries to help you have more fun!⬇٩(^ᗜ^ )و ´-
(Spoiler (ᴗ͈ˬᴗ͈)ꕤ.ﾟ: most bakes in professional kitchens/bakeries are broken down into steps for efficiency. We usually aren't measuring, mixing, baking EVERYTHING on the same day. Some components are prepped beforehand so don't feel bad if you feel like you aren't accomplishing what you'd like to in your baking journey, you just haven't figured out the right system yet! Let me help you with that~⋆˙♡)
You can combine any of the work days to suit your timeline. The idea is you really don't have to make everything in ONE DAY! My recipe card below is written in a way to make and bake this in one day for recipe structuring purposes (as well as reading or printing) but if I were to break up the baking steps for this recipe, this is what I would do:
˗ˏˋ ★ Day By Day Baking Steps For Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies ★ ˎˊ˗
Day 1 (measure ingredients): Measure out the dry ingredients for chocolate chip cookies and set aside. Take your egg and butter (don't mix them together) and set aside. (You can combine day 1+2 steps)
Day 2 (make cookie dough and chill/freeze): Make the browned butter and let cool completely. Mix the cookie dough and either scoop it onto a parchment-lined sheet pan, covering it with plastic wrap to prevent drying, or portion it into a container with a lid. Put into fridge or freezer (make sure to use freezer friendly containers if freezing). You can bake these cookies chilled from the fridge or from frozen (and this makes it super easy to make way in advance to have in your freezer and bake whenever.)
Day 3 (bake): Bake cookie dough and cool.
If baking chilled matcha cookie dough from the fridge, bake at 325 F / 163 C (with fan) or 350 F / 176 C (without fan), adding 2-3 minutes to the original baking time, totaling about 10-12 minutes.
If baking from frozen, bake at 325 F / 163 C (with fan) or 350 F / 176 C (without fan), for about 10-14 minutes.
of course this depends on your cookie texture preference but you can use that as a general baking time line :)
˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗ woohoo, you did it!!! ٩>ᴗ<)و I hope this was fun and it helped you become a more confident baker ˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗
More Recipes You'll Love
If you love baking cookies, try these recipes!
Recipe
Best Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies - Easy, No Mixer Needed
Ingredients
- 113 grams unsalted butter
- 170 grams all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 140 grams granulated light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 60 grams roughly chopped 60% chocolate and a little extra for adding ontop
Instructions
Brown the Butter
- Melt 113 grams unsalted butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat, swirling constantly. Cook until the butter turns golden brown and smells nutty (about 5 minutes).
- Remove from heat, swirl for 15 more seconds until deep brown, and let cool completely (whisk occasionally, or use an ice bath to speed up cooling).
- In a large bowl, whisk together 170 grams all-purpose flour, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, and ½ teaspoon fine sea salt.
Combine Ingredients:
- In the cooled browned butter pan (butter should be completely cooled), mix in 140 grams granulated light brown sugar, 1 large egg, and 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract until smooth.
- Pour dry ingredients into the butter mixture into the and fold together until just combined.
- Add 60 grams roughly chopped 60% chocolate and fold gently until no flour clumps remain. If your cookie dough feels too wet (isn't holding shape well) you can chill it in the fridge for 15 minutes before portioning. Don't let it fully chill in the bowl before portioning because it will be hard to scoop.
Rest Dough (Optional):
- For the best flavor, cover and refrigerate the dough overnight or up to 3 days.
Bake the Cookies:
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (without fan) or 350°F (with fan) if not chilling cookie dough. If baked from chilled, Preheat the oven to 350°F (without fan) or 325°F (with fan)If baked from frozen, Preheat the oven to 325°F (without fan) or 300°F (with fan)
- Using a 1.5 ounce ice cream scoop, scoop cookie dough balls (about 3 tablespoons or 60 grams each dough ball) onto a parchment-lined baking sheet about 2-3 inches apart to allow room for spreading.
- Bake for 10-14 minutes or until edges are golden but centers are soft (or up to your preference of cookie!). Use a circular cookie cutter to shimmy around the cookies right out of the oven if you want a more circular shape.
Cool and Store:
- Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Video
Notes
Hallo, I'm Sharon! ♡⋆˚✿˖°✧
Nice to meet you! (˶˃ ᵕ˂˶)⸝♡｡ With a degree in Baking & Pastry Arts and years of bakery experience under my belt, I’m here to help you create the pastry treats of your dreams! Let's bake something magical together!🩵✧
Adam says
This goes hard. 10/10.
Sharon Hsu says
Thank you Adam!! HAHA this comment made my week extra special !!! :)