Description
These Best Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies offer a rich, nutty twist on the classic favorite. Browned butter enhances the depth of flavor, complementing gooey semi-sweet chocolate chips for a perfectly soft, chewy texture. The dough is chilled for improved structure, yielding irresistible cookies that are crisp at the edges and tender in the middle.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 1 & 1/2 cups salted butter (3 sticks)
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 & 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 4 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 & 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 & 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (plus more to top cookies)
Instructions
- Brown the Butter: Add the butter to a medium light-colored pot or skillet and heat over medium. Stir every 1-2 minutes as the butter melts, foams, and gradually darkens with tiny brown specks and a nutty aroma, indicating it’s perfectly browned.
- Combine Sugars and Browned Butter: Immediately pour the browned butter into a large bowl or stand mixer. Add the white and brown sugars and beat well to combine.
- Add Eggs: While beating, add the eggs one at a time. If you’re worried about curdling, let the butter mixture cool slightly first or beat the eggs separately before adding.
- Add Vanilla: Stir in the vanilla extract thoroughly.
- Incorporate Flour Mixture Part 1: Add half of the flour but do not stir immediately. Mix the baking soda and kosher salt into the remaining flour with a small spoon.
- Add Flour Mixture Part 2: Beat the flour and leavening mixture into the dough until partially mixed but still dry spots of flour remain. Avoid overmixing.
- Fold in Chocolate Chips: Add all the semi-sweet chocolate chips and fold the dough gently to incorporate without overworking.
- Chill Dough: Cover the dough and chill it in the fridge for 1-2 hours or up to 24 hours for best flavor. Alternatively, shape the dough into cookies and freeze for 30 minutes or refrigerate for 30-45 minutes.
- Prepare for Baking: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silpats.
- Shape Cookies: Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, form the dough into egg-shaped mounds, spacing them with at least 2 inches apart on the baking sheets.
- Bake: Bake for 11-14 minutes until edges are golden and centers are set but slightly soft, adjusting time depending on dough chill and oven.
- Add Extra Chocolate Chips: Immediately after removing from the oven, press several extra chocolate chips onto the tops of each cookie for visual appeal and extra chocolate goodness.
- Cool: Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Serve: Enjoy the cookies warm or at room temperature with a cold glass of milk for the ultimate indulgence.
Notes
- Using a light-colored pan to brown butter helps monitor the butter color and prevent burning.
- Chilling the dough is crucial for better flavor development and preventing excessive spreading while baking.
- Do not overmix once the flour is added to keep the cookies tender and chewy.
- Press extra chocolate chips on top right after baking when cookies are hot to enhance appearance and chocolate flavor.
- These cookies can be frozen shaped or unbaked dough and baked fresh for convenience.
