Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies come together in the time it takes to preheat the oven. Chewy on the inside and crispy on the edges, brown butter chocolate chip cookies have massive chocolate puddles, and these no mixer, no chill time cookies will become your new favorite - these are the most popular recipe on my site for a good reason!
Hi hi! Just popping in to share the recipe for these brown butter chocolate chip cookies! These are a thin and chewy version of my favourite small batch chocolate chip cookies. These brown butter cookies are crisp around the edges and still chewy in the middle - I love them so, so much.
I developed this chewy chocolate chip cookie recipe before we left NYC last year and have made them a few times over the last few weeks just for scientific purposes and to really nail down the recipe testing process, and they are a current favourite in the house. If you wanted to turn these into a cookie bar, my chocolate chip cookie bars are exactly that!
The most Underrated ingredient: Brown Butter.
Brown butter is butter that has been heated to a point where the moisture evaporates and the milk solids brown. It has a delicious toasty flavour, which adds an amazing depth to brown butter chocolate chip cookies. Browning butter for recipes is a super simple trick to adding flavour to recipes - I love it in cookies, a streusel topping, cinnamon rolls, or a brown butter salted caramel.
The most important thing to remember when browning butter is to go slowly - it can catch quickly and you don't want to burn the milk solids, just toast them until nicely brown.
Community Review
“I made these today and am already looking for an occasion to make them again. They're simple to pull together with an added bonus of not having to remember to soften butter first. The browned butter makes these stand out in a sea of chocolate chip cookies. If you're on the fence, bake these! You won't regret it.”
—Libby
Tips for making brown butter
Browning butter can look intimidating but provided you take your time and watch it carefully, you will be fine. If you are concerned, keep your heat super low, and stir well to help release the milk solids from the butter as they start to separate.
- Place the butter into a saucepan and place over medium to low heat. It will begin to melt.
- Cook until the butter melts - this is the first phase, then continue to cook, stirring occasionally. The butter will continue to boil and then you will see the milk solids start to separate out from the butter and collect at the bottom of the pan.
- Continue cooking the butter. I like to whisk frequently to make sure it doesn't catch. Cook until the milk solids are lightly brown - turn down the heat if you are worried it is going too fast. The butter will foam up and you will hear the cooking noises quiet down - this is a good sign that you are getting close to being done.
- Remove the brown butter from the heat and pour into a heatproof bowl to stop the cooking process. Do not leave the brown bits behind - that is the brown butter and that is where all the flavour is!
- Leave to sit for a little bit to cool down so you do not scramble your eggs. Whisk occasionally to help the brown butter to cool evenly.
The recipe testing process for changing a cookie's texture
These brown butter chocolate chip cookies are more on the 'thin and crispy' side than other chocolate chip cookie recipes on my site. They aren't super thin, but they have that perfect chewy chocolate chip cookie soft centre, and get that crispy edge. If you would like them more on the crispy side, you can increase the bake time to give you crispy chocolate chip cookies.
Here's what I usually change when I am looking to make a cookie recipe thinner:
- Increase the quantity of butter in the recipe. This means the cookies will spread more in the oven.
- Reduce or remove the chill time. While some cookies call for a long chill time, I wanted a recipe that was super easy to make and did not need a chill time. This meant finding a delicate balance between dough that spread in the oven but not too much.
- Bump up the chocolate quantity. This doesn't have a huge impact on how much a cookie spreads, but more chocolate chunks in the cookie certainly help it to spread a little more.
- Play around with the ratio of brown to white sugar. Cookies which have a higher ratio of brown sugar to white tend to be a little thicker, while those with more white sugar spread and are a little more chewy. Sugar and butter ratios are what I will usually play around with first when trying to change the texture or spread of a chocolate chip cookie.
The best chocolate to use for chocolate chip cookies
I almost always use chopped chocolate in my chocolate chip cookies. There are a few reasons for this:
- Sizing - Cutting up chocolate into chunks gives you a great range of size in your chocolate. This means you get a good distribution throughout
- Melty Pockets of chocolate - Chocolate chips often have a stabiliser in them which means they don't melt. This makes them great for things like muffins, but I much prefer using chopped chocolate for cookies because the chocolate melts, and you get pockets of chocolate throughout.
- Quality - if you use chopped chocolate, you can use whatever quality you like. It's also a great way to mix up the types of chocolate you use too - I like doing a mix of dark and then sometimes a fun flavour
- Chocolate Dust - This is a name I made up, but the dust is what's left from chopping chocolate. It all goes into the bowl and you get tiny chocolate specks all throughout the cookies.
- Melty Chocolate Puddles - Chopped chocolate means you can press extra chocolate onto the top of the cookies to get big chocolate puddles!
How to make a freezer stash: Freezing cookie dough
Yes- because it is a no chill chocolate chip cookie recipe, if you freeze the dough it will bake up a little thicker, but this is fine as long as you are aware of this. You can also freeze the baked cookies if you like - however this recipe only yields 12 cookies, so even in our household of two they don't last that long!
For all my tips and tricks on freezing chocolate chip cookie dough and baking from frozen, check out my post: How to freeze cookie dough
How to get chocolate puddles on cookies - my special trick!
Adding chocolate puddles to the top of these brown butter chocolate chip cookies works particularly well - because they spread out so nicely, if you add additional chocolate before putting them in the oven, you get a nice even coating of chocolate puddles on the cookie.
If you don't want to add additional chocolate then there is no need - but if you're going to give it a try, this is the recipe to do it on! Here is how to add chocolate puddles to cookies:
- Scoop your cookie dough into balls.
- Chop additional chocolate and have nearby on a chopping board.
- Working with one ball of dough at a time, flatten it slightly then either press chocolate onto the top, or press the ball of dough onto the cutting board so that it picks up the chocolate.
- Shape the ball of dough back into a ball so that it encases the extra chocolate you just added. Place chocolate side up on the prepared sheet pan.
Usually I just press the chocolate on top of the dough, but because this recipe is a little softer, by pressing the dough onto the cutting board you get all the little pieces of chopped chocolate stuck to the cookie, giving you amazing chocolate coverage.
For all my best tips and tricks on perfect chocolate chip cookies, check out my post: How to make perfect chocolate chip cookies
❤️ Made this recipe and love it? ❤️
I would LOVE for you to leave me a review and star rating below to let me know how you liked it! Also, please make sure to tag me on Instagram!
Answers to your baking questions
Over the years, many of you have asked me questions about:
- baking in grams
- adjusting oven temperatures
- what kind of salt to use
- and many more!
I've curated and answered them all for your easy reference in this frequently asked questions post!
Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 12 cookies 1x
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies come together in the time it takes to preheat the oven. Chewy on the inside and crispy on the edges, brown butter chocolate chip cookies have massive chocolate puddles, and these no mixer, no chill time cookies will become your new favorite!
Ingredients
- 150g unsalted butter, cold from the fridge is fine
- 100g light or dark brown sugar
- 60g granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- ½ tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 150g all-purpose flour
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- 3g (1 tsp) salt
- 220g dark chocolate, chopped, plus about 150g additional for the tops of the cookies (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°f / 180°c. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper.
- Place the butter in a medium saucepan, and place over medium heat. Cook until the butter has melted, and then continue to cook, swirling the pan often and stirring with a whisk, until the butter foams and turns golden brown and nutty - this should take 3-4 minutes.
- Weigh out 110g (see Notes section below) of the brown butter into a medium bowl and leave to cool for 15-20 minutes so that it does not scramble your eggs.
- Add the brown sugar and granulated sugar to the bowl with the brown butter, and mix to combine.
- Add the egg and whisk well for 1-2 minutes, or mix using an electric mixer, until the mixture has lightened in colour and has thickened.
- Add the vanilla and mix well.
- Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix to combine with a rubber spatula until there are some flour streaks remaining - this is to ensure you do not over work the dough.
- Add the chocolate and mix to incorporate with a rubber spatula.
- Scoop 6 cookies (about 55g per cookie dough ball) using a 2 Tbsp cookie scoop onto the prepared baking sheet. If desired, flatten each ball of dough, press more chocolate pieces on the top, and roll into a ball (this works particularly well in this recipe). Arrange evenly apart on the pan. Keep the remainder of the batter in the bowl lightly covered with plastic wrap.
- Bake the cookies for 11-13 minutes, until the edges are set. Bake for longer if you would like your cookies to be crispier. Remove from the oven and bang the pan briefly on the counter to help deflate the cookies. If you would like to help your cookies to be perfectly round, use a cookie cutter slightly larger than the cookie to ‘scoot’ them into a perfectly round shape.
- Sprinkle the tops of the cookies with flaky sea salt. Allow to cool on the pan for 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Repeat the baking process with the remainder of the cookies. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Notes
You will notice that there are two quantities of butter in the recipe - the initial quantity of butter, then a second measurement in the method which is the quantity of brown butter. The larger initial quantity is to account for water loss when browning - read more about that in my FAQ.
If you are using the recipe scaling feature (2x or 3x) be aware that any quantities, measurements, pan sizes, and cooking times given in the method do not scale automatically - it's only the quantities in the Ingredient List that scale automatically.
Different butters will have different moisture levels, which affects the yield of brown butter. American style butter have a higher water content, so will produce less brown butter when the water is cooked off. European or New Zealand style butter, which is higher in fat than American butter, will have less water that needs cooking off, so you will end up with a higher yield of brown butter. The quantity of the butter in these browned butter cookies is important here, so the best way to measure it is by using a scale. You start with an initial quantity of butter - in this case 150g, and then cook it down. You then re-measure the weight of the brown butter, and use 110g of that in your cookie recipe. I have accounted for the moisture loss from the initial quantity of brown butter in the recipe.
Comments
Kate says
I'd never made brown butter anything before these cookies, and now I'm obsessed. These have taken over as my go-to cookie recipe, and everyone I have made them for has loved them. Although I usually make them exactly as described, I have also made a batch with a gluten free flour for a friend - just in case you're wondering, it worked out fine substituting weight for weight on the all purpose flour here!
Marie A says
Best cookies! They were so yummy.
I made them with vegan margarine, since my husband is allergic to milk. Followed every step and they turned out really good! Crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside!
The browned "butter” and fleur de sel adds a little je ne sais quoi.
Thank you!
Milly says
hi does anyone know what gas number to use for this recipe
Erin Clarkson says
I'm not sure sorry!
Rachel Barraclough says
By far my favourite cookie recipe! I make this whenever I want to impress someone! So easy to follow being in grams
Definitely will be back to the bakery for more recipes!
Corrie says
I don’t bake cookies, ever, but my hubby wanted some and I was having a baking day with friends for Christmas so I followed your instructions and hey presto, incredible cookies that everyone loved! Thanks for such great detail in the recipe so a novice like me can produce the goods!
Abigail says
Great recipe - I’ve made this 3 times now and they’re amazing each time. I froze a batch of mine and cook from frozen - they’re more chunky when cooked from frozen and equally delicious. Whipping up half the batch and gifting them to a friend for a present. Oh and don’t forget the salt on top at the end - it takes them to that next level.
Meggie Turgeon says
I have made those cookies just about a dozen times by now, they are always a big hit! The recipe is also easy to follow.
Thank you!
Maria says
I’ve made these too many times to count. They’re my go to easy cookie recipe and the brown butter will literally make you never go back to another cookie! 10/10
Ciara says
This recipe is easy and so good I have had compliments whenever I have made a batch of these cookies
Ofunne Okocha says
Just made these and they are hands down the best cookies I’ve ever tasted in my life!! OMG the caramelised taste of the butter, the chewiness?? Ughh I’m in love! Thank you so much for this!
Lauren in Buffalo says
Loved this recipe a ton! Browning the butter is really easy (it did take longer than 3-4 mins for me), and having that butter melted means that this recipe can be made without digging out my stand mixer (win!). I had dark chocolate chunks on hand and they worked great. The brown butter adds an absolutely irresistible nuttiness and golden flavor that elevates this recipe heads and shoulders above all others. Thanks for this one, Erin! Another perfect recipe from the Cloudy Kitchen 🙂
Leigh says
These are great! First time making choc chip cookies so was very chuffed when they turn out perfect on my first attempt. Had everything I needed to bake them in the pantry. On the sweet for me so skipped the additional chocolate toppings. Used dark chocolate with nuts in it which worked well. Made (generous) 1 tablespoon sized cookies which were still pretty hefty so we’re good for me. Same bake time.
Erin Clarkson says
Yay they look so good, I am so happy you loved!
Olivia B says
I’ve made these with both the additional chocolate on top and without - the additional chocolate are definitely the elitist version and is the only way. Sooo good!
Tania says
Absolutely delicious cookies, glad I made a double batch so now they'll last more than a day. I've never tried to make brown butter before so that was a interesting little aside before the main event, I did not expect it to froth up like hokey pokey but it was definitely a fantastic addition to the usual cookie recipe. Even better is I made enough for another double batch in a week or so once I've run out and am craving more!
Natasha says
Super tasty and relatively quick to make in a pinch! Thanks so much 🙂
Elaina says
My go to recipe. So freaking good
Tiffany says
These cookies are so so so good! Except they are soooo salty. I cut the salt in half and they are perfect. Otherwise absolutely amazing and so easy
Erin Clarkson says
Salt can be different amounts of salty! I use kosher salt which is half as salty as table salt.
Jenni says
Mine turned out too salty too, I used fine sea salt. I did see that it calls for 6g / 2 tsp. And even though I know 1tsp would likely weigh 5g I still went for 2 tsp. Maybe the tsp measurement could be updated?
Peggy says
I followed the recipe exactly and mine came out so greasy. The dough would hardly hold any of the chocolate/caramel in it because of how slick it was; it was SO slimy and horrible. The cookies literally ended up frying in the oven from the amount of fat that leeched out of them - gross!
I didn’t really end up with the beautiful cookies everyone else has and I have no idea where I’ve gone wrong. I’m a pretty proficient baker as well:(
I do feel awful giving 1 star but I’m pretty certain my cookies didn’t come out as intended, despite following the recipe exactly. Any advice welcome, I’d be happy to try again and re-review!
Erin Clarkson says
Hi, yeah it sounds like something went very wrong! Did you make the recipe by weight? also it sounds as if you may not have mixed the batter enough - the butter usually emulsifies with the egg. Sounds like somehow too much butter got into the batter? So sorry that they didn't work out for you!
Cookie Munster says
Hello Peggy,
Our dough also came out fairly greasy, it seemed as though it needed more flour. We decided that before adding more flour to put the dough in the fridge for twenty minutes and see if that helped. It helped a lot and no extra flour was needed. The cookies came out great!
Obaidiyah says
Perfect recipe 👌
Daisy says
I doubled the recipe but I accidentally used half the butter since the quantities are not updating in the instructions.
They came out perfect, so I’m glad for this oversight.
I did not realise it until I read some of the comments and someone pointed it out.
Erin Clarkson says
Hi, there is a note in the recipe notes directly below the recipe on this 🙂
Emmaya Berry says
Yeah I was cut the salt in half because it was going to be way too much
Michelle says
These are the best cookies on the planet. My go-to every time.
Alex says
When doubling this recipe you still show 110g of butter to cook so do I make it 220g now for double??? Same with rest if ingredients I don’t think you account for that in instructions?
Erin Clarkson says
This is addressed in the notes section of the recipe 🙂
Constance says
Hi!
I’ve heard such great things about these and am making them now. I saw the question about freezing and you said that the answer is in the FAQ but I don’t see it in there. I’m sure that I can freeze the balls. I was just wondering if I need to thaw them before I bake them or add any cooking time?
Thank you!
Erin Clarkson says
Hi! it's there in the FAQ I just checked! You can bake from frozen 🙂 The heading is 'can cookie dough be frozen?'
Anna Anderson says
I baked these for the second time yesterday. Both times they've been raved about and the recipe requested. The browning of the butter initially put me off this recipe thinking it was too involved but it was really simple and actually easier than remembering to get the butter to room temperature!
Sadly I haven't eaten them myself bc they're not gf but my next attempt will be to use a gf flour and see how they work so I can enjoy the chewy goodness too!
Lanna says
Great recipe! They came out perfectly and tasted so nice!
Jaana says
Wow. You have opened my eyes to the world of brown butter and what a difference it makes. These cookies are absolutely delish. I never make choc chip cookies on their own (always adding cocoa) because I have never found them to be tasty enough. This recipe has changed my mind!
I have since made the brown butter caramel slice too... Mmmm....
Anonymous says
nicolette Limbrick says
Love these cookies !! I have to give them away so we don't eat them all they are perfect texture and the recipe doubles well too!!
Remi H says
I absolutely love this recipe! The note on the quantity of butter after browning is a great tip! I love that it is a small batch recipe, and I would make a batch and freeze it, then bake a couple at a time. That way, I always have a fresh cookie when I crave some. I would add nuts or marshmallows when i’m feeling extra!
For this batch I made, I actually replaced 10g of brown sugar with 10g of malted milk powder (because my malted milk powder is expiring, so I need to use it up quickly) and it still turned out great!
Belinda says
Great recipe thanks! I made with salted butter because that's all I had and adjusted the salt quantity to taste.
Katie E says
The best Choco chip cookies!!! This is my go to recipe, produces delish cookies every time. Super easy and so tasty! 100% recommend
Rayna says
Delish
Jenn says
These are my go-to chocolate chip cookies - they're so good! I've tried replacing some of the chocolate chips with easter eggs & adding a little malt powder to the recipe as Erin has suggested on on social media and both variations were also amazing.
Georgina osborne says
These are my favourite choc chip biccies ever! I never make anything else. You’re a true legend Erin and I just love your humour & wit 😉.
Marcus says
I love soft cookies so so much! It is my most favorite cookies of all time. I used to bake soft cookies during the Covid-locked down, it was so soft and chewy. However, I lost the recipe and it is so difficult to find a good recipe. I believe this recipe that you provided is as nice as I found last time. Just one curious question, I'm from Asia country which we don't really know small, medium or large egg. We only have Grade A, B and C. May i know what is the weigh of an large egg which is the one in this recipe?
Erin Clarkson says
Hi! A large egg is 50g not including the shell 🙂
Dani says
If you haven’t made these cookies, what are you doing?! They are super easy and oh so delicious, my only adjustment would be to hit them with some Maldon flaky salt as soon as they come out of the oven! 10/10, will definitely keep this recipe as my go to for chocolate chip cookies. 😋🤤
charlotte says
hiii do u know what the nutrition info for this recipe is xx lovely recipe btw
Erin Clarkson says
I don't sorry but you're welcome to use another app to calculate it!
James says
So delicious!! Honestly one of the best chocolate chip cookie recipes I’ve ever had, and I greatly appreciated the metric measurements. I’m not sure why mine didn’t come out as dark as the photo attached to the recipe, but I might have under-browned the butter. I’m going to try again tomorrow and see if I can get them to come out a little darker and richer.
Erin Clarkson says
Yay! It can depend on how dark the sugar that you use is too along with how brown the butter is! they look great!
Peaches Griffin says
Excellent recipe. This will now be my recipe. I did let mine set in the fridge for about an hour before but it might not be necessary. I did it out of habit.
Haley Smith says
These are delicious, I have made them multiple times. Everyone is always amazed at how yum they are. And not too complicated, so my 3year old helps too.
Shelby Leverett says
These cookies were amazing! This American LOVES the grams…less dishes and more accurate! I keep coming back to Erin’s recipes especially when I want to try something new. I appreciate her knowledge and dedication to her craft.
Rabia says
My new favorite go to chocolate chip cookie recipe!! The texture of these cookies are perfect- what dreams are made of! Cherry on top, no chill time and recipe uses brown butter (which I love using to bake). This is actually one of my first recipes using weight to measure out ingredients… IT’S A GAME CHANGER. Not only do I only use one bowl for everything but everything comes out perfectly each time I remake this recipe. DO NOT SLEEP ON THIS RECIPE.
Anja Gallie says
Legit the best cookie recipe ever!!!! Also if you are moaning about it being in grams I actually insist you get scales it's a baking game changer!!!
Laura says
My go-to, forever chocolate chip cookie recipe, a favourite with my toddler and all round five stars.
Zara says
These are the bomb!!
Sharon says
Just tried these.. brown butter is key!
Catherine says
So delicious and come together quickly!
Erin says
These cookies are DIVINE! I get asked to make them by friends/neighbors/coworkers all the time. I’ve been making them with a combo of dark and semi sweet chocolate chips, and topped with flaky sea salt. I’ve tried dozens of chocolate chip cookie recipes over the years and this is the best out there.
Jessica says
Hands down the best cookie recipe I’ve ever made. They never last more than an hour before we devour them all! Seriously if you don’t make these you’re missing out on the best thing ever!
Dawn says
My daughter made this and they were so good! They were gone in flash. I'm making a 3x batch now for a new neighbor. Thank you for a lovely twist on a traditional cookie!
Vanessa says
Incredible! Have made these more times than I can count now and they’re a crowd favourite! Beautiful nutty flavour from the brown butter and the perfect combination of chewy centre with a crispy edge. Couldn’t get any better.
Julia Farrell says
Like all your recipes, these Brown Buttered Chocolate Chip Beauties are FABULOUS! I would post a picture, but my family scarfed before I could take a snap. Thanks ✌🏼
Cookie Munster says
Good cookies.
AD says
So good! I've been searching for a recipe for the perfect crispy exterior- chewy interior cookie to no avail..till now! The fact that I needed no fancy equipment, just a hand whisk and a few simple ingredients made this PERFECT. Thank you! My husband is INHALING these!
Jen says
Usually I don’t like browning butter - another step, more dishes, etc. But because this recipe is by weight I’m not using measuring cups, etc. so it seems like less of a big deal. I misread the recipe and thought I was making only 6 cookies, so I ended up with 9 large ones and they were delicious! Would definitely make again, they came together so quickly. Cloudy Kitchen recipes never miss, even when I make a mistake (lol).
Ell says
For the brown butter for 2x quantity, how much would be taken once melted? It still says 110g even when chosen 2x or 3x.
Erin Clarkson says
Hi! There's a note on this below the recipe - you have to manually scale any numbers within the body of the recipe.
Rachelle says
This was a fantastic recipe and so easy to follow! My bf said “make sure you save that recipe!”
I love alllllll kinds of cookies, but the brown butter really elevates this and gives it a nice crispy edge. I specifically searched for something with “no chilling needed”. Usually when I want cookies it is super spontaneous… “need them now” kind of thing, so this is perfect for when you’re not interested / don’t have the time to be chilling the dough for hours.
Also, thank you for telling me how many cookies to put on the sheet and giving the weight in grams (not just scoop sizes!) - no issues with spreading!
liv says
oh my god!! once you start using browned butter in your cookies you can never turn back. it gives them a wonderful deep toffee nutty flavour that works so well with the dark chocolate
Erin Clarkson says
isn't brown butter low key life changing?!